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“Without a doubt ALAN
SILVESTRI's score
could earn a 8/10; however, another solid effort from the composer
is cheated in favor three pop tunes that add no character to the
soundtrack whatsoever. ”
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Wild 'N Out!
Review by Christopher Coleman
With well over 50
scores through the
1990s, composer Alan
Silvestri was one of
the busiest of
Hollywood composers.
Within those "glory
years" of film music,
Silvestri delivered
some of the decades
best film music in:
FORREST GUMP, CONTACT,
BACK TO THE FUTURE
III, JUDGE
DREAD, and CASTAWAY.
Comparatively
speaking, his
production has slowed
down to a crawl since
2001, with his most
popular score in that
time frame arguably
being THE MUMMY
RETURNS. Surely,
the family vineyard
and "family" itself
has taken a priority
in the prolific and
talented composers
life.
Keeping with the theme
of "family,"
Alan Silvestri's only
feature film project
of 2006 is Walt Disney
Pictures' THE WILD.
This rated-G, 3-D
animated film (not of
Pixar's doing)
features a story that
is oddly similar to
Dreamworks' miserable
MADAGASCAR. Why
anyone would want to
make a film that
resembled MADAGASCAR
in any way shape or
form is a true mystery
beyond pondering...and most critics
and moviegoers seemed
to agree.
The film's producers have to
be given credit for
going with ALAN SILVESTRI and a much
more traditional,
orchestral score
instead of the
ever-popular, largely
synthetic scores that
accompany these films.
In fact, THE WILD
offers the nicest
homage to
traditionally animated
cartoon's since Jerry
Goldsmith's LOONEY
TUNES: BACK IN ACTION
(2003). Don't
misunderstand, THE
WILD certainly is by
no means wall-to-wall
Milt Franklin or Carl
Stalling, but from
time to time, their
musical identities
show through. Silvestri surprisingly
shows off his range of
skills throughout this
score, making for quite
an entertaining
listen. One does
need to dodge around
most of the non-score
tracks offered on the
CD release to best
enjoy the experience.
While the general
public may find the
first three pop tracks
of interest, for the
film music fan, they
are
utterly "skippable."
However, I must admit
that the inclusion of
"Really Nice Day" was
an interesting choice
... and it seems to work.
Perhaps taking another
page from MADAGASCAR's
inclusion of "I Like
to Move It,"
"Really Nice Day" is a
comedic,
reggae-inspired, pop
track - the best of
this type on this Walt
Disney Record's
release.
Between renditions of
"Really Nice Day" is
ALAN SILVESTRI's
diverse score.
"Tales of the Wild"
offers the score's
main theme, which is a
bold, adventurous
fanfare, that will
inevitably remind the
listener of some of
Silvestri's past
efforts like: BACK TO
THE FUTURE and STUART
LITTLE.
Commingled are moments
of musical, light
humor, of an era
animation long gone.
The score also offers
a light-heartedness
and warmth akin to
moments of Silvestri's
FATHER OF BRIDE in
tracks such as "You
Can't Roar." As
has been noted
elsewhere, a seeming
nod to John Williams'
"March of the
Villains" from
SUPERMAN appears to
form the basis for a
secondary theme first
heard in "To the
Wild."
Without a doubt ALAN
SILVESTRI's score
could earn a 8/10; however, another
solid effort from the
composer is cheated in
favor three pop tunes
that add no character
to the soundtrack
whatsoever.
Yes...we know it is a
necessary,
marketing-evil, for
without these
inclusions such albums
would hardly sell (so
they say) and
hence would nary see
the light of day.
Marketing-ploys aside, THE WILD
is an entertaining
score from ALAN SILVESTRI that deserves a
more complete release.
While wishing the
composer all the best
of luck with the
family vineyard, let
us hope it doesn't do
so well that Hollywood
and the film music
community suffer the
loss of his composing
talents.
|
Track Listing and Ratings |
|
Track |
Track Title |
Track Time |
Rating |
|
1 |
Real Wild Child
by Everlife |
3:16 |
* |
|
2 |
Good Enough
by Lifehouse |
5:11 |
** |
|
3 |
Big Time
Boppin'
(Go Man
Go) by
Big Bad
Voodoo
Daddy |
2:59 |
** |
|
4 |
Really
Nice
Day
by
Eric
Idle
and
John
Du
Prez |
2:00 |
*** |
|
5 |
Tales
from
the
Wild |
3:56 |
**** |
| 6 |
You Can't Roar |
3:54 |
**** |
| 7 |
Lost in the City |
3:31 |
*** |
| 8 |
To the Wild |
4:15 |
**** |
| 9 |
Alien Shores |
2:59 |
**** |
| 10 |
The Legend in Action |
3:32 |
*** |
| 11 |
The Mythology of Nigel |
3:22 |
*** |
| 12 |
The Ritual |
3:24 |
**** |
| 13 |
Found Our Roar |
2:47 |
**** |
| 14 |
Really Nice Day (Finale) |
2:02 |
*** |
| |
Total Running Time |
47:08 |
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from Amazon.com
