Though
the original film version of Dune is shown quite often on television,
I’ve actually never seen the whole thing all the way through. Generally, I
just end up bored and unable to comprehend exactly what is going on. Perhaps
if I read the book it would make things better, or maybe even the new Sci-Fi
Channel version is more watchable (which I do plan to rent when it comes out
on DVD). Regardless, Dune has just never been of much interest to me.
The gripes I have about the film can also extend to the score. It is
a lot better than most other scores that are composed by a band, especially
since the talents of The Vienna Symphony Orchestra and The Vienna Volksoper
Choir are utilized. Standard band instrumentation, like synthesizers and
electronic guitars, don’t really come into play until the last third of
the score. The style is quite similar to something Goldsmith would compose,
although it’s much more like “Goldsmith-lite.” Thankfully, Toto is not
adverse to thematic usage, and the times that the different themes do appear
are the highlights of the score. Most of the music consists of moody
atmospheric pieces, however, and this just serves to drag it down quite
heavily.
Unfortunately, fans of the score have been treated to a myriad of
problems with the different CD releases over the years. The original 1984
release was woefully incomplete and quite a rare find in the U.S. 1997 saw
the release of an expanded album from P.E.G. Recordings (which is now
defunct). That release was heavily marred by a large degree of sound quality
issues, including “wobbling” sounds (the sudden raising or lowering of
pitch) on a majority of the tracks. There was even a track that included
someone’s voice mysteriously appearing over the music, uttering
incomprehensible words!
2001 has seen the re-release of the original 1997 album, this time
from SuperCollector. Thankfully, most of the problems from the 1997 release
have been minimized (though there have been reports of a couple of new ones).
However, this new release has not received any kind of big push, and there
are no returns being accepted for purchasers of the flawed 1997 version. In
addition, SuperCollector was not allowed to alter the CD due to a
constraining agreement with P.E.G. Recordings (insert defamatory comment
here), thusly there is no discernable way to determine whether the copy you
are purchasing is the 1997 or the 2001 release, apart from ordering it
online (not that you’d probably find it in stores anyway).
That said, the crap is only worth going through if you’re a fan of
the score. There is really not much there to recommend for soundtrack
listeners in general. While I feel the end result is quite good for a band
branching out into film scoring for the first time, it’s still nothing on
par with what has come out from Goldsmith. You’d be better off checking
out the numerous excellent scores from him. ***1/2
