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45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you like Vangelis' works, you will love this!, 21 Dec 2007
In 2007 we are blessed with a new Blade Runner soundtrack release with two new Vangelis discs!!!! The release comes in a deluxe 3 CD digi-pack. The artwork looks contemporary, and the print quality of the artwork is attractive, sharp, and of high quality. The stills from the movie are carefully restored. Overall this packaging looks and feels impressive.
Disc 1:
I proceeded to play disc one. This is Vangelis' officially released `Blade Runner' album from 1994 that contained several memorable themes from the movie. Themes such as `Memories of Green', `Love Theme', `Blade Runner Blues', and `End Titles' are all included here, but the album also contained new material composed in 1994. Listening to disc one made me aware how I have adopted those 1994 compositions as part of Blade Runner's music saga, Rachel's Song could have been plucked straight from the movie. The music on this disc flows from one theme to the next, and listening to it you lose sense of time, slowly re-emerging in another time another place into the movie's characters and storyline. This disc is engaging, the themes are seamlessly connected in an uninterrupted movie of its own, and it is done so to maximum effect. Very few so-called "soundtracks" have achieved this level of immersion, and this music is as timeless and enjoyable as it ever was.
Disc 2:
The next disc contains music from the Blade Runner score that until now has remained unreleased. The music of this disc conveys a different feeling. If disc one can be described as a collection of memorable music from the movie, then disc two captures the ambiance of the film on a more personal level. The music unravels as a Sci-Fi opera and puts you right into the heart of Blade Runner's bleak and grand atmospheres, it makes you feel enchanted by the lush landscapes and grandeur of the surroundings, while at the same time you feel uneasy and tense by the sombre and discomforting mechanisations of the world build around you. With shape-shifting sequencers, curious sounds, underlined by razor-blade synth sounds that drones the soundscape around you, by which sometimes gets ripped by thundering blasts, the way we seem to remember the futuristic world of Blade Runner, this music is simply magnificent. Again, the music here is presented in a seamless fashion, and you get uninterrupted music for the whole duration of the album. The experience is reflective, levitating, intimate, and magical. I think disc two will be recognized as a Vangelis masterpiece. If you would ignore for a moment its links to the Blade Runner world and listen to it as an album, it is a brilliant piece of work. It shows a side of Vangelis' we have not heard in any previous work. His use of machines to build an aural soundscape while injecting emotions at the same time is breathtaking and refreshing. I can't recall being exposed to music like this before, well except maybe on the long track (B-side) of `Chariots of Fire'. It is somewhat sad this great work has been dormant for 25 years, but I am glad to be here and enjoying it. The way this album is compiled is to be complemented for, the tracks segue into each other and I think it plays a big part of the magic. In retrospect, this album fits nicely the gap of Vangelis releases between `Chariots of Fire' (1981) and `Soil Festivities' (1984).
Disc 3:
The third disc contains new music composed for the 25th anniversary of `Blade Runner'. The music does not pretend to go 25 years back to the past and do more music on period instruments; instead it sounds modern giving no doubt a certain amount of time have passed between 1982 and now, not only in musical style but also changes that occurred to our real world. Its story is in the `Blade Runner' world, though not about the characters Dick, Roy, or Rachel, instead it could about someone you know or your own story for that matter. The music is more edgy, more ethnic, and sometimes more chaotic, but it can also be very sweet as well. Occasionally the music refers to musical motifs from the original score, by recycling melodies and audio samples. And just as on the first disc, there are dialogs or spoken words here too, some incidental and some part of the musical plot, though never getting in the way of the music, and actually sometimes enhancing the experience. The variety of music throughout this disc is colourful, the album is different than anything Vangelis has done in recent times, going back to his synthesisers for a change. I must say the results are pleasantly intriguing at times. This music has lots of surprises, and one that I am gladly embracing with the first two Blade Runner discs. The prevailing feeling here is how Vangelis is doing things a little out of ordinary or the unconventional. For example, I can't recall Vangelis ever creating a piece of music entirely on a grand piano, without the use of any added sounds, you just can't help imagining how intimate and special this piece is. Or for example on `Up and Running', his use of samples from his first `Blade Runner' album and present them in a hypnotically-driven track, it brought back memories of the experimental side of him in `Alpha Beta', and `See You Later'. I admit I like the spoken words of this album, for me they are completely integrated within the context of the music, I especially liked the one talking about solitude and loneliness. One track I feel so attracted to is `Spotkanie Z Matka' and I can't be sure why. This particular does not allure you with a grand Vangelis theme that he is so famous for, instead the music might be described as simple. Yet it attracts you in a subtle way, there is a sense of reserved optimism and unobtrusive gentleness here, and one that Vangelis manages to pull so brilliantly and effortlessly. Listening to `Spotkanie Z Matka' I felt I was listening to a new Direct album for a moment. It also made me realize how much I miss Vangelis' tinkering with electronics and digital productions lately. The other track that is likely to be a favourite for any is of course `Sweet Solitude', the moment this piece starts with the opening notes and you know this is going to be a great Vangelis-ian piece, and a great track it is.... It also shows another example of Vangelis that is not conventional in recent works, the use of guest musicians in an explicit way to give the impression he is improvising or performing with a band, rather than using musicians to fulfil a role for his symphonic music. We could listen to a whole album like this. There are other favourite tracks of mine, such as `Perfume Exotico' and `Mail form India', all in all, this album is surprise, a pleasant surprise!
Conclusion:
All in all, this 3 CD set is looking like an excellent collection for Vangelis fans. Initially when news break out of this 3-CD release, I had certain thoughts what discs two and three could be like, but both ended sounding quite different than what I anticipated. The surprise is they are far much better than what I could have imagined them to be. This is a great way to re-visit `Blade Runner', and one that would not disappoint the fan of the music or the film.
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33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Most of the new material IS IN THE MOVIE. Please read..., 27 Dec 2007
I'm getting a little annoyed by some people giving negative reviews of this 3CD set when they simply don't appreciate what they have here. Now, don't get me wrong, this is NOT the complete Blade Runner score. For some reason, they've never seen fit to release it. But taking a balanced look at what IS in this release, here is a break down of the tracks on CD 2, which is the disc containing previously unreleased pieces of the score.
1) LONGING. This track does not appear in the movie as far as I'm aware, although it isn't listed as a bonus track. Instead, it offers a fairly short introductory piece which leads nicely into Track 2. Yes, these tracks are abridged, as Vangelis did with the 1994 soundtrack release (CD 1 in this album set).
2) UNVEILED TWINKLING SPACE: This cue is the last piece heard in the film, when Deckard 'rescues' Rachael and they flee his apartment. It includes the beautiful, haunting tones where Deckard is looking at the origami unicorn.
3) DR.TYRELL'S OWL: This cue is mixed quite low in the movie but plays all through Rachael's Voight-Kampff test at The Tyrell Corporation. It begins with Deckard's line "It's too bright in here."
4) AT MR.CHEW'S: all this music corresponds to the scene in the freezer where Roy and Leon ask Chew questions about Tyrell. In the movie this cue is around 3 minutes whereas here it is 4:47, which suggests that Vangelis may have scored a longer cut of this scene.
5) LEON'S ROOM: (erroneously called LEO'S ROOM on the back of the CD). This music is actually the music covering Deckard's Esper analysis of Leon's photo in his appartment. You can hear it quite clearly in the movie, although occasionally it's mixed low and those lovely Esper bleeps get more of your attention.
6) ONE ALONE: A bonus track, which has echoes of Vangelis' work from other albums. It reminded me of L'apocalypse Des Animaux in particular.
7) DECKARD AND ROY'S DUEL: This is actually "Wounded Animals", the final confrontation, but on the CD this cue is 6 minutes long whereas in the film it's almost 11 minutes. This music, in a different form, has already been released.
8) DR.TYRELL'S DEATH: Well, this is the choral/gothic cue playing during Tyrell's demise. This version is much longer than the one in the movie.
9) DESOLATION PATH: The album says it's a bonus track, and technically it is as it doesn't appear in any of the official released versions of Blade Runner. However, this is actually the ALTERNATE LOVE THEME that can be heard (with the film) in the famous "Workprint" that can be found in the 5 DVD set of BR. It's a fascinating and different take of the scene. It's interesting to note that this version and the final one in the workprint vary in length and some content.
10) EMPTY STREETS: This one I'm not sure about. The album doesn't list it as bonus material, but I can't place it in the film. Definitely there are tones from it that can be picked out, but as a piece I'm not really sure it's there. Over to you ;-)
11) MECHANICAL DOLLS: I read another review saying this track is also not included in the movie, but as far as I can tell it's mixed quietly into the background at Sebastian's apartment at different points. It's a nice piece, regardless, feeling childlike yet empty.
12) FADING AWAY: Well, this is "Tears In Rain" but without Rutger Hauer's monologue. Here it is spoiled somewhat by an added background "wind" effect. I have no idea why they renamed it, as this track has been known for years as Tears In Rain. Perhaps it's simply to differentiate it from the original track (with dialogue) included on Disc 1.
And there you have it. That's the best I can do, but I hope it's some use to you.
What many fans can't appreciate, unfortunately, is that composers often feel their music needs to work independently of the images they were scored to accompany. That is their right, I feel, as it's their music. Some fans just want all the cues as they were heard in the movie, in that order, regardless of the dramatic flow when isolated from the imagery. That isn't what many composers do. Jerry Goldsmith hated doing it, John Williams even avoids it. Vangelis certainly does.
Basically, this second CD is a direct companion to the original soundtrack release, with pieces extended or altered to form coherent thematic cues which together create an arc to the experience of the album. That's what was done with the first, and that's what has been done here, including the abridging of tracks. It isn't a complete score, no, but it's a beautiful extension of the original 1994 soundtrack album and, as explained above, it does contain a substantial amount of music from the film.
It's not the scene-by-scene score. If you want that, seek out the bootleg scores that are around, but be aware, complete as they claim to be, they're not. And what they certainly are not is an experience.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brillant!, 21 Dec 2007
I can't believe all the whinging that has greeted this release....!
This to me is simply a delight. Perhaps purists will lament that this piece or that piece is missing, but frankly Vangelis is a genius and I trust his instincts implicitly. And how can people complain this is a 'rip off'...it's a 3 CD set for a paltry £12.95. To me that's a bargain!
CD 1 is the masterpiece we all know and love. I can't say any more than this: it's one of the best soundtrack albums ever released. In fact, forget the film: it's a masterpiece in itself. CD 2 is a downtempo, dark and melancholic collection of low-key pieces, some of which I recognise from the film, many of which I don't. No matter, the sheer atmosphere is totally befitting the film. And how! CD 3 is a delight for me...Vangelis is back making the kind of music he truly excels at. It's been a long time since we've had a new studio album from the man and it doesn't disappoint. I don't want to say much other than this...ignore the naysayers. This is sheer bliss from start to finish. Smooth, sophisticated, nicely experimental and recalling the touches of maverick genius that exemplified Vangelis's finest works from the 70s and 80s. Brilliant. This CD set is a bargain - and not to be missed. I've enjoyed and savoured every minute of it.
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