2001: Music from the Films of Stanley Kubrick

01 - 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY -

       Also Sprach Zarathustra  (Richard Strauss) 1:54

02 - SPARTACUS - Main Theme (Alex North) 3:39

03 - SPARTACUS - Love Theme (Alex North) 2:50

04 - BARRY LYNDON - Sarabande (Handel) 4:10

05 - BARRY LYNDON - Women of Ireland (Traditional) 4:31

06 - A CLOCKWORK ORANGE - Ode to Joy (Beethoven) 5:38

07 - FULL METAL JACKET - Themes (Abigail Meade) 5:15

08 - THE SHINING -

        Main Theme (Wendy Carlos / Rachel Elkind) 2:54

09 - EYES WIDE SHUT -

       Waltz from Jazz Suite No. 2 (Shostakovich) 3:53

Suite from THE EARLY FILMS OF STANLEY KUBRICK (Gerald Fried)

10 - THE KILLING - Main Title / The Robbery 4:52

11 - KILLER'S KISS - Murder 'mongst the Mannikins 3:29

12 - FEAR AND DESIRE - A Meditation on War 5:54

13 - FEAR AND DESIRE - Madness 3:45

14 - PATHS OF GLORY - The Patrol 2:51

15 - DAY OF THE FIGHT - March of the Gloved Gladiators 3:05

16 - LOLITA - Love Theme (Bob Harris) 4:37

17 - DR. STANGELOVE - The Bomb Run (Laurie Johnson) 2:12

18 - 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - On the Beautiful Blue Danube

       (J. Strauss II) 10:06

Conducted by Paul Bateman and Nic Raine

Performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic and the

                      Crouch End Festival Chorus

Produced by James Fitzpatrick, Nic Raine, and Gerald Fried

Released by Silva Screen Records on March 8, 2005

Total Running Time: 38:28

     Silva Screen Records updates their Music from the Films of Stanley Kubrick compilation album, this time entitling it 2001: Music from the Films of Stanley Kubrick. While the track listing on this new album is impressive, there are only minute differences between the two, other the name change. The only addition is a selection of music from Eyes Wide Shut, and the Love Theme from Spartacus, both of which the 1999 album lacked. Otherwise, there is actually more music on the original as additional song selections from The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Dr. Strangelove have been cut. Still, since I never cared much for those song selections, this actually makes the album stronger for those who care more about the score pieces themselves.

     The back sleeve of the CD might actually think this is more than just a refreshing of an old album. The "Suite from The Early Films of Stanley Kubrick" is labeled as “World Premiere Recordings”. Well, I don’t know about that, as they are the same pieces from the original album that is now six years old. Perhaps this particular album has an international release that the original didn’t have, but I hardly see how this applies to anything else other than a marketing ploy.

     As with the original, the performances on this album are quite adequate (especially for someone who is not all that knowledgeable about the originals), and the material here is quite varied, and for the most part, interesting. The Gerald Fried pieces are interesting, if only to hear a composer that would go on to compose some great scores for the original Star Trek series. The "Waltz from Jazz Suite No. 2" is a lot of fun, while the new addition to Spartacus highlights the grandeur of Alex North’s score to that film.

     A good compilation that covers the basics of the music for Kubrick’s body of film works, I wouldn’t recommend that those who have the 1999 album go for this one, as the paltry addition of new material isn’t worth the price of a whole new album. However, if you’re new to the scene, be sure to check this one out.