Soundtrack Review: Heat (1995)

Posted by Jon Blough

November 27, 2008

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heat wb936246144 Soundtrack Review: Heat (1995) This is a review of the motion picture score to Heat by Elliot Goldenthal, Lisa Gerrard and others.

The score is a bit uneven. Some of the song usage is brilliant, with “God Moving Over the Face of the Waters” being a near religious experience in the film’s closing moments and the tandem of “Always Forever Now” and “Ultramarine” being exceptionally reflective. Terje Rypdal’s guitar work in “Last Nite” and “Mystery Man” gives off a genuine sense of modern passion. But Lisa Gerrard’s vocals are too overstated for this mostly understated work, and the second half of Armenia is perhaps the most intolerable musical garbage to ever play through my speakers (admittedly, only the first half was used in the film). Why the latter’s entirety was left on album when only part of Moby’s excellent take on “New Dawn Fades” was included is puzzling. Better editing would probably mitigate some of these concerns.

Goldenthal’s themeless score is also difficult to approximate. It works well on film for sure (few film scores do not), but very little of it will truly stick with you. The ominous guitar work done by the Kronos quartet in “Refinery Survellance” and “Predator Diorama” growl effectively enough. “Steel Cello Lament” and “Coffee Shop” are appropriately restrained but unmemorable. “Force Marker” and “Entrada and Shootout” are both pounding enough to leave an impression, though Goldenthal’s own SWAT shows he can craft more memorable electronic-infused action. The most memorable cues are the most melodramatic; the strong duo “Of Helplessness” and “Of Separation” launch the full orchestra into strikingly mournful territory. The opening track is also great in a few parts, balancing restraint and electronic propulsion superbly. The score is overall consistently above-average and works perfectly in the film but lacks enough highlights to merit a strong listening recommendation.

Album (74:30)
1. Heat (7:40)
2. Always Forever Now – performed by Passengers (Brian Eno/U2) (6:54)
3. Condensers (2:33)
4. Refinery Surveillance (1:43)
5. Last Nite – performed by Terje Rypdal & the Chasers (3:29)
6. Ultramarine – performed by Michael Brook (4:34)
7. Armenia – performed by Einsturzende Neubauten (4:56)
8. Of Helplessness (2:39)
9. Steel Cello Lament (1:42)
10. Mystery Man – performed by Terje Rypdal (4:39)
11. New Dawn Fades – performed by Moby (2:54)
12. Entrada and Shootout (1:45)
13. Force Marker (3:37)
14. Coffee Shop (1:37)
15. Fate Scrapes (1:34)
16. La Bas (Edited Version) – performed by Lisa Gerrard (3:10)
17. Gloradin – performed by Lisa Gerrard (3:56)
18. Run Uphill (2:51)
19. Predator Diorama (2:39)
20. Of Separation (2:20)
21. God Moving Over the Face of the Waters – performed by Moby (6:58)