Thirteen Days Composed by Trevor Jones
New Line Records (2000)
Rating:
8/10
Soundclips from
Thirteen Days by Amazon.com
“...this could be
Jones' best theme since the mega-popular Last of the Mohicans. It is
inspirational, but equally tender, solemn and thought-provoking.
Music that can make one "think" as well as feel, is of the rarest
sort...”
A Wonderful Crisis of Music
Review by Christopher Coleman
Original Review 2001
Over the last few years, I have been afforded one big-surprise-score per
year. A couple of years ago it was Music from the Apollo/ Saturn V
Experience by David Kneupper. In 1999, I discovered that John Williams had
passed his mantle of great bombastic prowess to one MEDAL OF HONOR. And in the last year of the 20th
Century, I was enthralled by the Aussie composer's, Christopher Gordon,
work for the made for television remake of ON THE BEACH. I had no idea
that I would be so fortunate so early in 2001...
In the midst of the traditional hustle and bustle of the holiday season,
in middle of all the hype over THE GRINCH, UNBREAKABLE, VERTICAL LIMIT,
and CROUCHING TIGER - HIDDEN DRAGON, an epic score was released with no
fanfare, no heavy marketing, no barrage of promotional discs or media
kits.
TREVOR JONES' score for the political drama, THIRTEEN DAYS, which portrays
the frightful days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, might be the single, most
satisfying soundtrack released during the lucrative holiday season of
2000, yet this gem of a score only found its way into my collection in the
first week of January 2001. It is likely that there are many who still
have heard very little about this soundtrack, but slowly, surely, the
accolades of TREVOR JONES' latest effort should begin echoing throughout
the film music community.
Jones' composition for THIRTEEN DAYS provides a truly satisfying listening
experience for those who love big, bold, patriotic, militaristic, film
scores. In recent memory, there are few scores of this type that are any better
than THIRTEEN DAYS. There aren't too many emotions that this score does
not touch, at least for a moment or two. It is, as mentioned, bold and
powerful, but it also stoops down into the realms of the foreboding,
while somehow touching that reflective and solemn part of humanity.
The soundtrack opens with "Lessons of History" (1) which is a truly engaging
piece of music. While the first few moments start off humbly, the
militaristic nature of this film is clearly stated through snare drums and
low frequency rumbles. Only a few seconds in; however, the score erupts in
classic Jones style, as the film's main theme is quite fully performed by
the London Symphony Orchestra- and what a theme it is!
While providing exceptional themes for The Mighty and Merlin, this could
be Jones' best theme since the mega-popular LAST OF THE MOHICANS. It is
inspirational, but equally tender, solemn and thought-provoking. Music
that can make one "think" as well as feel, is of the rarest sort and is
the single quality that told me, right off, that this was going to be an
above-average listening experience. Lessons of History concludes with a
restating of that beautiful main theme and, as a whole, provides a good
sampling of what this score is all about.
One striking characteristic of this soundtrack release from New Line
Records are the track times. This is an amazingly well balanced release.
The shortest track is 3:15 long while the longest is the opening track at
7:49. The complete absence of 2 minute and shorter tracks AND at the same
time, lacking any grossly long 9 minute cues of unending, uninteresting
music is an oddity these days.
Consistency is also found from cue to cue. Far too often, scores today
have a thrilling theme or two, while the rest of the tracks are listened
to once and never again. Of course, this is dictated by the needs of the
film, yet somehow THIRTEEN DAYS manages to maintain a high level of
intrigue throughout each track. Jones' main theme has been carefully
placed at the beginning, middle and end of the soundtrack, making it
memorable without overuse.
Track 2, "Knot of War," immediately draws the listener deep into its
dramatic intensity without becoming overly bombastic. While it begins
somewhat inauspiciously, Knot of War starts to take on a life of its own
without restating the main theme. The trumpet is ever present, but the
menacing, synthesized, low note being played and, in this case, the
strings, keep the overall mood darker than the first track. This mood is
accentuated in track 3, "Missile Threat". It is even more threatening as the
music becomes more calculating and ominous, more dissonant.
Track 4, "Prayer for Peace," serves as an interlude and return to main theme
but with an added sadness in its tone. Both strings and woodwinds solemnly
play the theme very passionately but at a slower, more reflective tempo
than is found in track 1. One final respite is found at onset of track 9,
"Us and the Devil," before the soundtrack goes into its final wave of
strong, action/suspense sequences. The soundtrack concludes with two very
emotional tracks, "The Sun Came Up Today" (11), and "The Will of Good Men"
(12), both of which employ the main theme, but the final track carries a
memorial-like tone to it. It is heroic and filled with the sort of
poignancy many come expect from a John Williams or James Horner crafted
melody.
There is a great deal to like about the score to THIRTEEN DAYS and what
makes it particularly noteworthy is that it is such an unexpected surprise,
coming so early in the year. For those who enjoy soundtracks such as
APOLLO 13,
MEDAL OF HONOR, or ON THE BEACH, THIRTEEN DAYS has a great deal to offer
you. While this score has been overlooked by many throughout the close of
2000, with the release of the film in January 2001, THIRTEEN DAYS will
likely prove to be a favorite of many throughout the rest of the year. If
this score is any indication as to what is to come for 2001, it looks like
it is going to be one fantastic year for film music lovers.
