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“Blending classic techniques with pioneering new
ones and inspiration from the works John Williams and even James
Horner, Scott Glasgow has packed quite a bit into this score.”
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Space Operanime
Review by Christopher
Coleman
It could be argued
that the original
ROBOTECH series of
1985 brought anime
fandom in America to a
new level and finished
opening the door which
the likes of SPEED
RACER and STARBLAZERS
had begun. Since
1985, the beloved
series has garnered a
huge worldwide
following and has
invaded the realms of
comics, novels, video
games, and full-length
feature films.
After a twenty-year
hiatus, Harmony Gold's
ROBOTECH franchise is
back with its first
full-length feature
since the 1986,
ROBOTECH: THE
SHADOW CHRONICLES.
Some have called the
ROBOTECH series an
animated "space opera"
which immediately
brings to mind another
franchise which took
twenty years off
between "episodes."
Even further
connections between
ROBOTECH and STAR WARS
can be drawn with the
release of THE SHADOW CHRONICLES.
In addition to the
"space opera" moniker
and the fact that Mark Hamill (Luke
Skywalker) now voices
one of Robotech's
Commander Taylor,
there is another
connection worth
examiing
- that of the
selection of composer
SCOTT GLASGOW and his
leitmotif-score.
The original
serial was scored by Ulpio Minucci,
but musically speaking, it
was no Star Wars by
any stretch of the
imagination. For ROBOTECH: THE
SHADOW
CHRONICLES, composer
Scott Glasgow fully
employs leitmotif
throughout...in much
the same manner as
John Williams did for
Star Wars.
Thirty years ago, it
was Williams who
helped to bring
leitmotif back as a
mainstay of film
music. Aside
from the Lord of the
Rings Trilogy, this
technique of
representing a
character, environment
or thought through a
short melody, has been
on the dwindle in
recent years.
For this new
installation of Robotech;
however, Glasgow
brings leitmotif to the forefront
again.
Comically, there have
been statements made
that there aren't
enough or "any good"
themes from which to
hang ones hat in this
score. Nothing
could be further from
the truth. The
fact is that Scott
Glasgow's score is
full of motif after
motif. And it's
their employment that
makes this Robotech
score such an
interesting listen.
Glasgow makes good use
of Minucci's title
theme in the first two
tracks of the
soundtrack, but you'll
find it cleverly
employed elsewhere, "Moonbase
ALuCE" (18), for
example.
Additionally, Glasgow
infuses the music with
a number of his own
new motifs and themes.
Among the best of
these is his love
theme, "Ariel" (15).
While a comparison
with Williams' theme
for Princess Leia
could be drawn,
Glasgow's Ariel-theme
has a golden-age-edge
that conjures up
memories of Herrmann
or Korngold and is one
of the more pieces
savored long after the
film or CD has
finished. One
example of Glasgow
delving into the dark
side of things can be
found in the first
half of "Space Station
Liberty" (27) where we
find motifs that
appear to draw further
inspiration from John
Williams' Palpatine
theme, and Imperial
March.
Throughout the score,
it isn't hard to hear
inspiration from
Williams' former and
latter career as well
as techniques from
James Horner's early
career. The end
result of Glasgow's
work is multilayered
score that, for those
who are so inclined,
will be the source of
hours of detailed
dissection. At
the same time, the
more casual listener
should find plenty to
appreciate along the
music's surface as
well.
As ambitious as
Glasgow's work for
ROBOTECH: THE SHADOW
CHRONICLES is, it
doesn't quite reach
it's full potential in
its performance, just
as many
direct-to-video-films
and their accompanying
scores don't.
With a limited budget
in place, some of the
textures, nuances and
cohesiveness that a
full, live orchestra
could produce are
missing. For all
the daring and
explosiveness that
this Robotech score
offers, the use of
synthesizers, in some
instances like "Battle
at Reflex Point" (11),
"Exodus" (12) or
"Omicron Sector" (14),
dilutes the impact of
the music. It's
an unfortunate reality
of the business, not
limited to this score.
Still, if one bothers
to dive below the
limiting effects of
both time and money on
this project, one will
find that there has
been a great deal of
effort put into the
construction of this
score.
ROBOTECH: THE SHADOW
CHRONICLES has been
met with mixed
reactions from the
long-time fans, yet
the score is, more
often than not,
considered to be among
the high-points.
Blending classic
techniques with
pioneering new ones as
well as inspiration
from the works of John
Williams and even
James Horner, Scott
Glasgow has packed
quite a bit into this
score. With a
sequel on the horizon,
it will be of great
interest to see what
he will do in
furthering the
tapestry he has begun
here...and, with any
luck, a bigger budget
will allow him to
maximize his efforts.
Rating: 7/10
|
Track |
Track Title |
Track Time |
Rating |
|
1 |
Main Titles
(Original Theme
by Ulpio Minucci |
1:56 |
**** |
|
2 |
Race You
Back |
1:38 |
*** |
|
3 |
War Room |
2:51 |
*** |
|
4 |
The
Icarus |
1:57 |
**** |
|
5 |
Legacy
of
War |
2:24 |
*** |
| 6 |
The Battle Begins |
3:23 |
**** |
| 7 |
Scott Bernard |
2:47 |
**** |
| 8 |
The Regess |
2:00 |
*** |
| 9 |
The Nichols Maneuver |
2:35 |
**** |
| 10 |
The SDF-3 |
1:48 |
*** |
| 11 |
Battle of Reflex Point |
3:04 |
*** |
| 12 |
Exodus |
2:51 |
*** |
| 13 |
The Awareness |
1:15 |
*** |
| 14 |
Omicron Sector |
1:45 |
*** |
| 15 |
Ariel (Love Theme) |
2:25 |
**** |
| 16 |
Maia Sterling |
1:49 |
** |
| 17 |
Lunar Battle |
1:53 |
*** |
| 18 |
Moonbase AluCE |
1:57 |
**** |
| 19 |
Janice in the Lab |
3:11 |
*** |
| 20 |
Children of the Shadow |
1:49 |
*** |
| 21 |
Command Center |
3:03 |
*** |
| 22 |
Sacrifice |
3:49 |
*** |
| 23 |
The Hybrid |
1:45 |
*** |
| 24 |
The Ark Angel |
1:52 |
*** |
| 25 |
Infiltration |
2:07 |
**** |
| 26 |
Dogfight |
2:09 |
*** |
| 27 |
Space Station Liberty |
3:42 |
*** |
| 28 |
Resolutions |
3:26 |
*** |
| |
Total Running Time (approx) |
67 minutes |
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