The Fly

Composer: Howard Shore
Orchestra: The London Philharmonic Orchestra
Lable (Release Year): Varese Sarabande
Availability: ***
Rating: ****

For a film music fan like me, who likes a good horror score, this one is a treat. This is especially true when all my first three Howard Shore scores (The Silence of The Lambs, Crash (also a David Cronenberg film), and Copland) dissapoint me. I was very skeptical when I picked it up. After listening to it, I am glad that I did not pass it. The first 10 seconds opening motif set the tone of the rest of the score very well. It can, literally, determine if you like the score or not. It is a six notes motif which played with explosive brass instruments. It sounds more or less like a motif you can hear in a classic (B?) horror movie from the 50's. The score is very dark, eerie, and serious through out. With the music, you can really feel what Jeff Goldblum feels like when he finds out he is turning into a fly. The only non-intense tracks are being "Particle Magazine," and "Steak Montage". The score does not have a dominant theme but it has many short (3 to 6 notes) and effective motifs. The orchestrations of the score is excellent too. Brass, string, and wind instruments are well used through out. It has both bombastic (heavy brass and crashing percussion sounds) and quiet (strings, piano and woodwinds) dark moments. The London Philharmonic Orchestra gives a strong performance to this impressive Howard Shore large scale orchestral score. If you like Christopher Young's Hellraiser, the chances that you like this score is very high. You may even like this one more than Hellraiser, which is my case. If you want to relax, this is the last CD you want to put in your stereo. If you like intense haunting score, there is no reason that you should miss this one.


    Track Listing:
  1. Main Title (1:54)
  2. Plasma Pool (1:54)
  3. The Late Visit (2:25)
  4. Stathis Enters (2:20)
  5. The Phone Call (2:07)
  6. Seth Goes Trough (2:03)
  7. Ronnie Comes Back (:55)
  8. The Jump (1:20)
  9. Seth And The Fly* (2:21)
  10. Particle Magazine (1:02)
  11. The Armwrestle (:50)
  12. Brundlefly* (1:44)
  13. Ronnie's Visit (:35)
  14. The Street* (:43)
  15. The Stairs (1:25)
  16. The Fingernails (2:35)
  17. Baboon Teleportation (:58)
  18. The Creature (2:08)
  19. Steak Montage (:59)
  20. The Maggot/Fly Graphic (1:38)
  21. Success With Baboon (:58)
  22. The Ultimate Family (1:59)
  23. The Finale (2:50)

    *Additional Music Exclusive to Compact Disc.

    Total Time: 37:43



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