| Psycho 2 |
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Composed by Jerry Goldsmith |
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Release Date: 1983 |
Purchase this CD at: Not available for purchase |
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Emulating the style of a famous composer is one thing. Composing a sequel score to one of the most beloved "slasher" scores ever written by a famous composer is something else entirely. Usually, someone is let down in the end, especially among purists, and scores of this type are usually castigated harshly by its critics. At the same time, a few become classics all their own, sometimes not overshadowing the original, but standing alone with its own unique voice (such as the case with The Mummy Returns and Mission: Impossible 2). With Psycho 2, not only was the film a sequel to one of the most beloved slasher films of all time, but it also called on the talents of Jerry Goldsmith (which are considerable) to provide the score that would follow in the footsteps of Bernard Herrmann. It was a task that Goldsmith tackled nevertheless. For the most part, I usually disdain horror/slasher/thriller/ect. scores of this nature. My taste leans more towards the action/adventure scores, especially the ones with plenty of adrenaline-pumping cues. That said, I can still find room for enjoyment if there are plenty of interesting things going on musically. The original Psycho will always remain one of my favorites, though it's not the sort of thing I pop in on a cheery day. The string work is mesmerizing and Herrmann built up the score quite well, correctly evolving the music right up until the climax. Even for being a string-based score, it managed to do a lot of interesting things with itself in a way that demonstrates the talent of its composer. For the sequel, Goldsmith understandably wanted to pull in his own style and correctly place it in the time period in which the film was released (the 80s as opposed to the 60s). Therefore, while the CD opens up with The Murder cue from the original, Goldsmith's music quickly takes over, providing a mixture of expected orchestral moments and the electronic merging that Goldsmith is known for. Instead of the harsh, relentless nature of the original opening title, the Main Title here presents more of an "innocence lost" feel, with a piano giving the moments of reflection that show this is a different beast than what we've encountered before. It does a good job of separating out the expectations of the film. It gives a feeling of "you know what happened before, now here is the aftermath to those events." The theme opens up well, but it closes out the score even better. In between these two cues is simply a mish-mash of orchestral/electronic music stimulating the raw emotions underneath. The string work is quite interesting in how heavily it is utilized while remaining quite distinct from Herrmann's (for one thing, they're placed at a higher pitch than the strings from Psycho). But other than that, and the appearance of the main theme at different spots, nothing else of note really happens. While remaining a Psycho score and a Goldsmith score at the same time, there really isn't that much to recommend on this, unless you happen to have greatly enjoyed the film (or the music therein). Given that this album is currently discontinued, your greatest chance of coming across it would be in a used CD bin, in which case, you can probably find it for a price that would make it a good purchase. *** |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 31:26 | |
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