Apollo 13 - Original Soundtrack

...programmes was the story of Apollo 13. The third manned mission to the moon was one of the greatest escape tales ever. When an electrical malfunction caused an explosion in their oxygen system halfway to the moon, it forced the astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert to turn and manage their way back to Earth. They came close to losing their lives and it was quite the miracle that they made it back to Earth alive. In 1995 this remarkable ...
...With every detail in place, Apollo 13 is a wonderful example of a well made movie that is based on actual events. The movie perfectly captures the events for both astronauts and the people following the the developments back home.

This period in time was one of James Horner's most productive and spectacular. Apollo 13 was one of the last soundtracks that Horner made for MCA along with Balto and Casper. It is signified by its more electronic ... more

One of the most legendary stories concerning the early space programmes was the story of Apollo 13. The third manned mission to the moon was one of the greatest escape tales ever. When an electrical malfunction caused an explosion in their oxygen system halfway to the moon, it forced the astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert to turn and manage their way back to Earth. They came close to losing their lives and it was quite the miracle that they made it back to Earth alive. In 1995 this remarkable story was finally brought to the big screen when Ron Howard directed a highly entertaining dramatisation of the events, with Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon representing the astronauts. With every detail in place, Apollo 13 is a wonderful example of a well made movie that is based on actual events. The movie perfectly captures the events for both astronauts and the people following the the developments back home.

This period in time was one of James Horner's most productive and spectacular. Apollo 13 was one of the last soundtracks that Horner made for MCA along with Balto and Casper. It is signified by its more electronic approach in its rhythms than say the more epic Legends of the Fall written only a few months before or Braveheart that followed shortly after. This electronic beat makes the music sound more technical and scientific that suits the feel of the movie's journey to space perfectly with clanging bells being a particular feature of the score. The overall feeling of the score is very patriotic but this feeling is never over-emphasized which is a healthy approach. The patrioticism is more of a documentary quality and it never strays from this noble style. Apart from the main titles, the launching sequence and the heroic return, the theme is mostly performed by Tim Morrison on a lone trumpet, a favourite instrument for musical depictions of nobility and American heroism.

The major/minor key shifts of the main theme in the cues "All Systems Go - The Launch" and "Re-Entry & Splashdown" are absolutely fabulous as they have that optimistic and ominous qualities present at the same time. These two cues are also highlights of the entire album as they present a wonderfully sustained excitement that continuously builds up to relieving climaxes. The electronic base in "All systems Go - The Launch" creates a sense of determination and technical sophistication that is perfect when combined with the thematic orchestral build-up and the visuals. The use of a children's chorus (a special feature in Horner scores at that time) brings a sense of magic to the scenes of weightlessness and the foreshadowing of future space missions.

The space sequences are just as fascinating as the more orchestrally bombastic sequences. The disaster cue "Master Alarm" has tense brass with a constant rhythmic beat that carries the scene forward with unrelenting tension. "Into the L.E.M." also has a sustained tension that brings the music a brooding and expectant feel. But the most fabulous space cue is without doubt "Darkside of the Moon" where we hear the vocals of singer Annie Lennox in vocalise. Her voice is perfect for this haunting sequence, both beautiful and luring, but also cold and distant, almost like the Moon itself. The patriotic trumpet theme appears in a fantasy-like dream but in the end, when reality sets in, only Lennox' voice remains. She makes another noteworthy appearance during the "End Titles" where she performs the main theme (without words) over the electronic base and orchestra. It is a far superior way to utilize a famous singer than in later Horner scores that incorporate a romantic ballade, an approach that began with Titanic.

Apollo 13 has become infamously notorious as the other Horner score that split the votes with Braveheart during the 1995 Oscars and caused Luis Bacalov's Il Postino to win instead, leaving people bickering on which score is the better Horner effort. The original album release was rightfully a total mess. Incorporating score, songs and dialogue into a "flowing" listening experience was a construction doomed from the very outset. The biggest problem with this is that it really makes no favours to any of the musical elements on the album. Should you find any of the tracks not to your taste it is nearly impossible to try and program them out since each track segues into the other, whether it be score or songs. To top that there is the favorite scorelovers' gripe which is dialogue. Sometimes dialogue can enhance the listening experience, but honestly, if I wanted to hear dialogue over the music, I'd watch the movie. The same album was released in Australia as part of a 2 CD set that included more songs from the Apollo era. The album was also released as a special 24K Gold Edition along with Schindler's List and Dances With Wolves which, apart from better sound quality and included sound effects, doesn't differ from the regular release. Among many filmscore collectors list for albums to give their souls for, however, must include the promotional album that was released for the Academy to consider in their Oscar nominations. It includes 15 minutes of music with no interrupting dialogue or songs and is among the most desired albums ever, not least because of its rarity. However, I have read that the Apollo 13 Collector's DVD should contain the promotional score intact over the main menu, so this should finally correct an error never before fully mended. All in all, a classic Horner score ruined for most on album because of the bad execution and presentation of MCA. Still great to have in at least one form or another.

1995 MCA Records MCAD-11241

1. Main Title (2:28)
2. One Small Step (spoken by Neil Armstrong) (0:42)
3. Night Train (James Brown) (3:27)
4. Groovin' (The Young Rascals) (2:26)
5. Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane) (2:54)
6. I Can See for Miles (The Who) (4:09)
7. Purple Haze (Jimi Hendrix) (2:45)
8. Launch Control (dialogue) (0:31)
9. All Systems Go - The Launch (10:03)
10. Welcome to Apollo 13 (dialogue) (0:26)
11. Spirit in the Sky (Norman Greenbaum) (3:50)
12. House Cleaning/Houston, We Have a Problem (dialogue) (0:54)
13. Master Alarm (3:47)
14. What's Going On? (dialogue) (0:51)
15. Into the L.E.M. (4:18)
16. Out of Time/Shut Her Down (dialogue) (0:33)
17. Darkside of the Moon (4:49)
18. Failure Is Not an Option (dialogue) (0:22)
19. Honkey Tonkin' (Hank Williams) (2:42)
20. Blue Moon (The Mavericks) (4:01)
21. Waiting for Disaster/A Priviledge (dialogue) (0:29)
22. Re-Entry & Splashdown (8:52)
23. End Titles (6:55)

1996 MCA Records MCA3P-3432 (promotional)

1. Main Title (2:33)
2. Lunar Dreams (2:39)
3. "All Systems Go" - The Launch (10:19)
4. Docking (2:21)
5. Master Alarm (3:04)
6. Into the L.E.M. (5:08)
7. The Darkside of the Moon (5:17)
8. Carbon Dioxide (5:42)
9. Manual Burn (1:52)
10. "Four More Amps" (3:20)
11. Re-Entry & Splashdown (9:06)
12. End Credits (6:59)

© berlioz
 

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