The Perfect Storm: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Artist: James Horner
Label: Sony
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Soundtrack
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 696998928220
EAN: 0696998928220
ASIN: B00004TTFB

Release Date: 2000-06-20

The Perfect Storm: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

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Tracks:

Coming Home From The Sea
The Fog's Just Lifting...
Let's Go, Boys
To The Flemish Cap
The Decision To Turn Around
Small Victories
Coast Guard Rescue
Rogue Wave
There's No Goodbye...Only Love
Yours Forever (Theme from The Perfect Storm) - John Mellencamp

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There's no shortage of irony in film composer James Horner's cinematic triumphs with oceanborne disaster. Titanic, of course, became one of the most mega-successful orchestral soundtracks in history. While The Perfect Storm may not scale those commercial heights, it's a worthy, if differently nuanced, companion piece. With his score revolving around a rolling, six-note motif that perfectly evokes the waves of the North Atlantic, Horner colors the tale of the doomed fishing trawler Andrea Gail and her crew with a dramatic restraint that often brings to mind the best work of John Williams and John Barry. Horner's score builds on a dramatic tension between the brass and the strings (and even an apropos metal-guitar lick or two), before climaxing in a pair of lengthy cue-suites ("Coast Guard Rescues" and "The Rogue Wave") that masterfully conjure menace and pure terror from a skillful alchemy of challenging tonality and orchestral color. And, of course, there's a marketing-driven, tacked-on pop song, "Yours Forever," a collaboration between John Mellencamp and Horner (built around the same six-note motif) that's solid if not spectacular; Mellencamp delivers it well and survives with his dignity intact. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Horner's best score the best part of a bad movie........2007-02-14

IMHO, this is James Horner's best score by far. Its filled with gorgeous melodies, brilliant orchestrations, exciting uses of percussion and unusual mixes of instruments. (Where else have you heard full symphony orchestra with electric guitar and a prominent celtic drum? Amazingly, all these work together beautifully when featured together in two of the tracks.) The wonderful melodies flow from the orchestra in quick succession, changing from one melody to another seamlessly - the mark of a true genius composer. This is not a non-stop exercise in 'pretty-pretty' music, like so many of Horner's music. This score bursts with excitement, action and bravado. And unlike Titanic, the synthesizer is almost non-existent.

I listened to this score today for the first time in several months, and it brought tears to my eyes in a few moments and I got shivers down my spine for most of the CD. Yep, for me its that good.

What a pity that James Horner's most recent works have not been anywhere near as good as this one. He seems to concentrate on 'pretty music' these days; music that is easily digested with a first listening, then forgotten about once you have learnt the score. This magnificent score, on the other hand, is in one section moving and glorious, then the next moment dramatic and all mayhem.

The Perfect Storm could possibly stand as the peak of James Horner's creative achievement. What a pity such effort went into the music for a movie that was such rubbish.

Adventure without pretense.......2006-10-12

This is needed in any James Horner enthusiast's collection. Horner is definitely one of my favorite musical 'artists' of the 20th century, no question, and though I've been fairly apathetic of late getting familiar with all of his individual works, 'The Perfect Storm' is one of the last that I took fully to heart.

Here's the gist of it: Horner creates a wonderful sense of Americana with a classy theme, but the album -- pounds -- it over your head for the first half an hour. Literally, crushes, to the point of suffocation; little variation or dynamic, utterly monotonous, and, in the end, a warm and dreadful experience.

Midway through track four, though, Horner's already demonstrated (a million times over) ability to write bracing themes and motifs for vivacious situations shines through. The orchestrations nor the performances within the ensemble might not be able to compare to some of his earlier, more inspired work ('The Rocketeer'; Don Bluth's animated 'An American Tail('s) and 'The Land Before Time'), but the bottom line is that he writes such elaborate, exciting music with amazing drive and passion, melody and a captivating sense of drama. He is a composer, especially this day in an age when, if asked to, how many composers could truly write a symphony if asked to? Half of Horner's scores could be described as such, and that's one reason I consider him one of my most treasured musical talents I've ever come across. This music could have been written without any subsidiary motion picture, and the (melo)dramatic emphasis on the particular subject and themes found here would be expressed with ease.

So basically, if you've heard and taken to some of Horner's intense scores within the genre ('action' is such a vague term), don't go without this score, even if it never really garnished much attention (and was lambasted by critics for its place within the film). Swirling strings, momentous brass, stirring bells... Work with it rationally, in this order; tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and you're in for a pretty enthralling ride. And, if you want to hear how brilliant this man truly is at exposing the reality of Human emotions, just listen to 'Rogue Wave', meditating on the underlying text: the crew's final, desperate attempt to override the death-bringing wave of the storm; then, -- near 2:35 -- the unbelievably HEAVY understanding that Life, as they are soon to know, is over. It's done.; lastly, the gooey, romantic gates of acceptance open for those left (this one could have been done without, but it's still lyrical and, damn if I'll resist its sentiment, lovely.

Horner is a genius.

One of Horner's Best!!.......2005-09-15

'The Perfect Storm' is what I consider one of James Horner's best. He has the talent of expressing the emotions that is portrayed in the film through his music. The first track on this CD is a perfect example(no pun intended). Listening to it, I can see fishing boats pulling into and out of the harbor. I've lived by the ocean and James captured the feeling beautifully.
This is a must-get soundtrack. The whole CD contains beautiful and brilliant music that will just captivate your mind.

We have been conditioned to accept this kind of crap .......2004-12-06

I saw Perfect Storm for the first (and last) time last night. As I listened, all I could imagine was that some cousin of the director did the music. I eventually turned the movie off before I found out who the composer was. But my curiosity got the best of me today, and I was in shock to find out that I had been listening to James Horner...or at least that's what the credits tell me.
The truth is probably a bit different though; I would bet that a good share of this score was phoned in and susequently fleshed out by underlings while Mr. Horner focused on one of the other 10 films he was working on.
Hollywood has encouraged this kind of schlock filler music for so long that it sounds like it's good, only because that's what we're used to. Kinda like thinking that Starbucks is good coffee.
Mr. Horner is a talented composer, he's proven that. But he probably watched the dailies of this testament to overblown Hollywood values and punted the ball to someone below him...like his COUSIN!
Embarassingly bad music, but perfect for this film!

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