Additional Music by Ramin Djawadi, James Dooley, Nick Glennie-Smith, Steve Jablonsky, Blake Neely, James McKee Smith, and Geoff Zanelli

Conducted by Blake Neely, Nick Ingram, and Rick Wentworth

Produced by Hans Zimmer

Release Date: July 22, 2003

            Walt Disney Records
 

     Any similarity between Harry Gregson-Williams' Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas and Klaus Badelt’s Pirates of the Caribbean should only include the Media Ventures connection. Sinbad is a fun, swashbuckling score that has far more in common with the “piratey” genre (and has a lot more fun doing it) than Pirates of the Caribbean could ever hope for. Ultimately, what Badelt and Co. have cooked up is a conglomeration of all the frantic Media Ventures scores of the past with the only new addition being a slight touch of swashbuckling music interwoven through certain portions of the score.

     Now, I realize that the opening paragraph would lead one to believe that I’m about to launch an all out assault on this score, but such is not the case. I often find these types of scores to be enjoyable to some extent or another and Pirates is no exception. For a full-blown action score it’s not really that bad, even given Badelt’s capacity towards blandness (though considering everyone and their mother seemed to have gotten their hands in this score, that may be what makes the music as dynamic as it is). The electronically pumped orchestra is in as fine a form as it ever has been (take that as you will) and there is certainly no lack of volume, but to be honest, this is one of those scores you have to be in the mood for.

     Given the driving pace and staggering force that is pumped out at you, a first listen may be more pleasant than subsequent ones. This is due to the fact that once you get past the nature of the score (and actually begin picking out the construction of it), you’ll find that there’s really not much to it. Musical wallpaper is quite a fitting term for this one, though it’s wallpaper that would definitely catch the eye (or ear as it were). It’s just that without a sense of fun (Sinbad) or epic swashbuckling music (Cutthroat Island) we’re left with what is essentially a generic action score. It’s definitely effective, but not exactly a defining moment for the genre.