Judge Dredd (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Long-awaited restoration of full, action-packed Alan Silvestri soundtrack on 2 CDs! Danny Cannon directs, Sylvester Stallone stars, sizzling action in dystopian future abounds! Drawn from British comic magazine, movie literally bristles with excitement. Silvestri takes cue from hardcore-style action in film, creates masterful score with unusually strong, heroic major-key theme for Dredd, darker minor-key choral material for background story, pulsating orchestral rhythms to punctuate profuse, violent action. Dredd theme typically gets noble French horn, trumpet for leads but is flexible, also plays softly on flute in select sequences. Still, with action the name of the game, composer keeps momentum going throughout. Incredibly, Silvestri recorded some two hours of music for a picture ultimately running just 96 minutes! Explanation: He recorded lengthy score in London, selections of which appeared on Epic label in 1995 (paired with several songs) but post-production edits to film required him to make changes and record most of his score again! This time, sessions were held in Los Angeles - it is these performances that appear in finished film. New Intrada 2-CD set features both London, Los Angeles sessions! Courtesy Sony Music, a treasure-chest full of previously unreleased music is the reward! Highlights are many but spotlight goes to revised finish to score: here, Silvestri concludes with heroic fanfare familiar from 1995 album but introduces all-new treatment for brief moment of optimism that adds weight, emotion to last scene before wrapping with magnificent fortissimo coda. One of the great film score endings! CD 1 offers score as heard in picture (including powerful "revised" Main Title), CD 2 offers 45 minutes of early takes, alternates plus 4 tracks from original 1995 album in which unique assemblies were prepared. As a special "extra", riveting original soundtrack performance of "Judge Dredd - Trailer" by Jerry Goldsmith makes powerhouse finish to CD 1. Informative liner notes about entire film production by Tim Greiving, colorful graphic design by Joe Sikoryak, complete cue assembly details, musician lists for both Silvestri's Los Angeles sessions, Goldsmith's trailer sessions round out dynamic package. This one packs a punch! Alan Silvestri conducts his score, Jerry Goldsmith conducts his trailer.