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“Like many of the film scores we love, this music
evokes very powerful imagery whenever it is listened to. This
compact disc can be listened to over and over without it losing its
poignancy.”
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Music from the
Greatest Game on
Earth!
Review by Christopher
Coleman
I can remember staying
up all night on Super
Bowl Eve's of the past
watching highlights of
all the Super Bowls
ever played, listening
to the stirring music
of Sam Spence and
powerful voice of John
Facenda. For years I
have wanted to get my
hands on this
wonderful music and
finally have with the
release of POWER AND
THE GLORY. NFL
Films and Tommy Boy
Records have come
together to produce a
football-fanatic's
dream compact
disc...and from a
score-lovers point of
view, not a bad
compilation of some
great thematic music.
This release contains
many of the most
familiar "football
tunes" of all. You
know, the ones you
used hum to yourself
as you broke the
huddle and awaited the
snap of the ball?
Mingled in with these
classic pieces of
music are pieces of
poetic narration from
legendary voice
talent, John Facenda,
as well as sound bites
from the of the field
of play. It all comes
together to make for a
great listening
experience.
The music is by no
means monotonous.
There are great full
orchestral pieces such
as "Up She Rises,"
"Round Up," and "The
Final Quest." It isn't
hard to pick familiar
themes and styles of
famous composers. One
of the easiest to hear
is Elmer Bernstein's
main theme to the
Magnificent Seven
found on "Magnificent
Eleven." Also
represented is the
fantastic sound of the
big band/ jazz sound
of the sixties and
early seventies in
"The Lineman," "Life
on the Wild Side," and
"Ramblin' Man From
Gramblin'."
Each track of music is
separated by a track
of narration and sound
bites, some cleverly
mixed with some
contemporary rhythms
and synths in the
background. This
accounts for the 36
tracks contained on
the disc. The
recording is superb
given that some of
these recordings are
around 30 years old.
There is fair
consistency in sound
quality from track to
track.
Composers Sam Spence,
Tom Hedden, and David
Robidoux have long
been unsung heroes
behind the films that
made our football
heroes just that. They
each captured the
emotion of the
greatest team sport in
the world in musical
form, paralleling
football with combat
tactics, espionage,
and outright war. At
the same time their
music communicates the
individual athlete's
courage,
determination, wrath,
and adulation.
From NFL Film's new
era there are but a
couple of tracks here.
"A New Game" (8)
currently may be one
of the most recognized
NFL pieces from the
post-Spence era.
Composed by Tom Hedden
it was originally
featured in 75
Seasons, which aired
on TNT in 1995.
It has gone on to be
heard on many TV
spots, highlights and
even played in
stadiums during time
outs. "Golden
Boy" (20) also
composed by Hedden
could almost be
mistaken for a Spence
piece, but is
delivered in
modern-day fidelity.
The compositions of
Tom Hedden and David
Robidoux are given
better coverage in the
2004 anthology,
AUTUMN THUNDER:
40 YEARS OF NFL FILMS
MUSIC.
This is a must have
for every football fan
and historian. For
fans of militaristic
scores of Zimmer,
Goldsmith, or
Bernstein, this would
be a worthwhile
acquisition. Jazz fans
should also consider
this disc for their
collection. Like many
of the film scores we
love, this music
evokes very powerful
imagery whenever it is
listened to. This
compact disc can be
listened to over and
over without it losing
its poignancy.
Rating:
9/10
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"The Story Behind
The Power and the
Glory"
Every time fans tell
me how much they love
NFL Films, they always
remember the music.
They'll start humming
"Pony Soldiers" or Up
She Rises" and tell me
how they loved this
show or that story. No
one ever seems to
forget NFL Films
melody. The images we
create as storytellers
become indelible
because of the power
of music.
Facts are fleeting,
feelings are forever.
so when you can't
recall how many yards
a player gained or who
score which touchdown,
you never forget how
it made you feel.
THAT'S WHAT THIS CD IS
ABOUT
NFL Films' vivid slow
motion cinematography
reveals the drama of
the NFL. But it's the
music that moves us: a
viola quavering as a
player is poised
between immortality
and infamy, or the
somber strings of a
melancholy cello
consoling an old pro.
Imagine "Indiana
Jones" or "Gone with
the Wind" without
music.
We make love to music.
We get married to
music. And, we are
buried to music. Every
dramatic event must
have music. That's why
the NFL is the only
sport to have embraced
music to convey the
true passion in its
stories.
And No one has told
the stories of pro
football through music
more powerfully than
NFL Films' composers.
Every shot has a point
of view, but which is
the right one?
JOY? FRUSTRATION? DOOM
OR TRIUMPH?
The music written by
Sam Spence, Tom Hedden
and Dave Robidoux
tells us instantly.
When the martial power
of "Cossacks Charge",
the jazzy brass of
"The Lineman," or the
triumphant strains of
"Golden Boy" blend
with the legendary
voice of John Facenda,
you have the signature
of NFL Films.
Football is a game of
grand passions and
bold gestures. This is
the Power and the
Glory of NFL Films.
-Steve Sabol,
President, NFL Films
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Track |
Track Title |
Track Time |
Rating |
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1 |
The Power and the Glory
* |
3:26 |
***** |
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2 |
Up She Rises |
2:31 |
***** |
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3 |
A Season Awaits
* |
0:27 |
*** |
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4 |
Round Up |
1:59 |
**** |
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5 |
Run With the Big Dogs
* |
0:09 |
** |
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6 |
The Lineman |
2:36 |
*** |
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7 |
Fringe of Battle
* |
0:24 |
*** |
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8 |
A New Game |
1:57 |
**** |
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9 |
I Like This Kind of Party
* |
0:10 |
*** |
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10 |
Life on the Wildside |
2:07 |
** |
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11 |
The Autumn Wind
* |
0:53 |
**** |
| 12 |
The Raiders |
1:45 |
***** |
| 13 |
Get the Man
* |
0:34 |
**** |
| 14 |
West Side Rumble |
2:55 |
** |
| 15 |
A Time for Glory
* |
0:11 |
*** |
| 16 |
Magnificent Eleven |
1:57 |
*** |
| 17 |
That's the Enemy
* |
0:21 |
*** |
| 18 |
Classic Battle |
2:15 |
*** |
| 19 |
Brahma Bull
* |
0:36 |
*** |
| 20 |
Golden Boy |
1:47 |
** |
| 21 |
Lombardi
* |
0:18 |
**** |
| 22 |
The Final Quest |
2:34 |
***** |
| 23 |
Heroes of the 60's
* |
0:15 |
*** |
| 24 |
Ramblin' Man from
Gramblin' |
2:32 |
*** |
| 25 |
Pain is Inevitable
* |
0:29 |
*** |
| 26 |
The Equalizer |
1:48 |
*** |
| 27 |
Be Savage Again
* |
0:20 |
**** |
| 28 |
Torpedo |
2:00 |
*** |
| 29 |
November
* |
0:18 |
**** |
| 30 |
The Pony Soldiers |
2:50 |
**** |
| 31 |
A Season is at Stake
* |
0:28 |
*** |
| 32 |
Cossacks Charge |
2:29 |
**** |
| 33 |
Winds of Victory
* |
1:00 |
*** |
| 34 |
Salute to Courage |
1:58 |
*** |
| 35 |
The Who Play It
* |
0:28 |
**** |
| 36 |
The Championship Chase |
2:30 |
*** |
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Total
Running Time |
51:49 |
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* Dialogue included |
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