Greetings! ScoreKeeper here with blazing news of yet another knock-your-socks-off holy grail CD soundtrack release for the ages. It seems the big film music record labels are each trying to one up the other by releasing coveted titles to packs of unsuspecting soundtrack geeks. Cases of spontaneous human combustion are up this year and I believe this a valid reason why.
La-La Land Records, Intrada, and Varèse Sarabande have all spent the first half of the year unleashing massive quantities of uber-cool film music firmly establishing 2009 as the greatest year ever for previously unreleased or re-released film scores.
Film Score Monthly has responded with a colossal volley of their own.
Captain’s log: Stardate -314548.21. Retrograde Records, a brand of Film Score Monthly, announced at Comic-Con their next release will be an unlimited pressing of James Horner’s complete classic score for STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982)!
KHAAANNNN!
Since the stratospheric success of J.J. Abrams’ STAR TREK (2009) earlier this year, cinemaphiles and scorehounds have resurrected the timeless question...What is the greatest Star Trek film score ever written?
Conversations abound with valid arguments for STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979) by Jerry Goldsmith, or STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY (1991) by Cliff Eidelman, or perhaps the newest graduate of Starfleet Academy, Michael Giacchino’s STAR TREK. However, if you polled legions of Star Trek fans and soundtrack collectors alike, one should not be surprised if the strongest case was made for James Horner’s STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN.
It could be said that STAR TREK II was the score which catapulted James Horner from a blossoming young protégé of Roger Corman onto the A-list of Hollywood’s scoring elite. With a paltry four weeks to work his magic, Horner utilized a massive ninety-one piece orchestra and wove a magical tapestry of revenge, victory, companionship, and death into one of the most lauded and appreciated Star Trek scores. It has respectfully become an establishing score for the Star Trek universe and a standard by which all others are measured.
This new restoration of the three-track masters were immaculately executed by Mike Matessino giving this new digital transfer unparalleled sound quality. The unprecedented twenty-seven pages of liner notes penned by Jeff Bond, Lukas Kendall, and Alexander Kaplan, shed light on the history of the score, its conception, and impact on the cinematic world. Each track is also broken down by a complete narrative analysis framing each cue within the context of the film.
The best news is that this is an unlimited release. So many of these great titles come and go so quickly due to their low distributions numbers. With this one, there will be plenty for all.
Here is the complete track listing of Retrograde Records’ STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN composed and conducted by James Horner:
1. Main Title* 3:06
2. Surprise on Ceti Alpha V 0:45
3. Khan’s Pets 4:19
4. The Eels of Ceti Alpha V/Kirk in Space Shuttle* 3:53
5. Enterprise Clears Moorings 3:33
6. Chekov Lies* 0:40
7. Spock 1:12
8. Kirk Takes Command*/He Tasks Me 2:07
9. Genesis Project (Composed and Performed by Craig Huxley) 3:16
10. Surprise Attack 5:07
11. Kirk’s Explosive Reply 4:01
12. Inside Regula I 1:35
13. Brainwashed 1:24
14. Captain Terrell’s Death 1:58
15. Buried Alive 0:57
16. The Genesis Cave 1:09
17. Battle in the Mutara Nebula 8:07
18. Enterprise Attacks Reliant 1:29
19. Genesis Countdown 6:34
20. Spock (Dies)* 1:53
21. Amazing Grace 1:26
22. Epilogue*/End Title* 8:41
Bonus Track
23. Epilogue (original version)*/End Title* 7:29
Total Disc Time: 75:28
*Contains “Theme From Star Trek (TV Series)” by Alexander Courage
For more information including audio samples and order placement please visit FilmScoreMonthly.com Problems may arise from so many people hitting their site. No need to worry. There’s no such thing as a no-win situation. Just keep checking back periodically.
So…what is the greatest Star Trek score ever written?
ScoreKeeper!!!
