But back then the reason for buying soundtracks was obvious; it was the only way, apart from Marvel Comics adaptations, to relive the film. Therefore I had, on cassette, various Close Encounters and Star Wars knock offs including the recently available from iTunes “Star Wars and Other Disco Galactic Themes” by Geoff Love and his orchestra, which is actually still as bloody brilliant as it was in 1979. It’s worth downloading just for the version of Ron Grainer’s theme from the Omega Man.

All of the LPs I still have date from the time before home video, let alone DVD: Alien, Mad Max (1 and 2), Robocop, Gorky Park, Batman etc, etc. But why do I still buy or download soundtracks? After all, if I want to relive the experience of watching Iron Man I can just…watch Iron Man. I don’t have to listen to Ramin Djawadi’s excellent score. And yet…just playing “Driving With the Top Down” makes me inordinately happy.

And don’t get me started on Mark Cairns and Sylvester Levay’s Airwolf double disker! Bloody hell, talk about shivers up the spine. (By the way, more Airwolf music is on the way from Mark, he says before Christmas).

So. I have no real clue why I love soundtracks so much, but I do. Maybe it’s my version of listening to classical music, music with a narrative. You can do both at the same time if you play the 2001 soundtrack, or Excalibur - which led me to listen to Wagner, for god’s sake!

Film soundtracks can set moods, bring back emotions, even be associated with something entirely unrelated to the film they came from; for me Wall Street will always be the soundtrack to a cyberpunk novel I was reading when I bought the LP.

Why do you buy them? Why listen to something you can enjoy within the film whenever you want?

A good soundtrack is a work of art and I may not know much about art but I know what I like.

(Exits to the tune of the Raiders March)

“This is pure, unadulterated, raw emotional intensity that is not to be found in too many of today’s scores”

The score to Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium threw me for a loop. A big loop. What I thought was going to be a mediocre listen turned out to be a charming, emotionally moving, vast, mysterious, and comical score. Composed as a collaboration between Aaron Zigman and Alexandre Desplat, this score isn’t one you’ll want to miss.

Though it has a comical, Monsters, Inc.-like opening (Main Title), the soundtrack presents an incredible flurry of motifs, incredibly emotional, and tugging at the heartstrings from all angles. The duo did an excellent job holding a sense of unity and consistency throughout the work.

Track List

1.      Main Title [2:44]
2.      Mahoney’s Debut [2:39]
3.      Good Morning [1:24]
4.      Night Time [0:47]
5.      Kermit [1:38]
6.      Dodge Ball [1:53]
7.      Bellini [0:59]
8.      Temper Tantrum Part 1 [2:31]
9.      The Wall’s Breath [0:42]
10.      The Flight of Magorium [4:45]
11.      The Store Jam [1:05]
12.      Temper Tantrum Part 2 [1:17]
13.      Block of Wood [1:53]
14.      The Funeral [2:42]
15.      Great Wisdom [1:21]
16.      Sparkle [2:01]
17.      Triscadecaphobia [1:20]
18.      Magorium’s Apartment [1:02]
19.      Dancing [1:34]
20.      Your Friend [1:47]
21.      Lost Pair [1:16]
22.      Just Trying to Help [1:02]
23.      Eric Builds Lincoln [1:13]
24.      Eric and Mutant [1:58]
25.      A Substantial Offer [1:33]
26.      The Euphonium [0:42]
27.      The Stare [0:36]
28.      I’m Stuck [1:13]
29.      You’re Hired [1:31]
30.      Tomorrow [1:53]
31.      You Have to Live [0:41]
32.      A New Chapter [1:30]
33.      I’m Leaving [0:40]
34.      Delusional [0:38]
35.      Magic Magnet [1:35]
36.      Finale [2:40]
37.      Love the World You Find (by The Flaming Lips) [2:33]

Regardless of how many styles of writing you hear in this score, the duo manage to tie it all together with unmistakable motifs, one of which tends to stand out to me a great deal: the gorgeous, sweeping melody often heard on strings, piano, or brass (Mahoney’s Debut, The Flight of Magorium, Dancing, Finale). Such a theme is not to be easily forgotten, at least not by me.

Overall, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is an excellent buy, a wonderful addition to a score fan’s library, and one that you will return to time and time again. Do not believe your first impressions, or you will be deceived. This is a children’s film, but an adults’ score. This is pure, unadulterated, raw emotional intensity that is not to be found in too many of today’s scores. And aside from that, it’s a heck of a lot of fun. Highly recommended.

Listen to Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium by Alexandre Desplat & Aaron Zigman below:

Label: Varese Sarabande Release Date: 2007-11-13 Average Rating: (5 out of 5) Availability: In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served.

Available From: USD 10.50

I have to be honest and say that running a site like this is extremely hard, and there has been a time or two I’ve thought about the obstacles instead of the possibilities, but I’ve always made the decision to stay firm. I don’t know what 2009 will bring, except there will be a lot of changes in my personal life, but hopefully not so many changes to SoundtrackGeek. As long as they keep making movies, they gotta have music, so I guess in that respect we don’t have to worry too much. On December 9th I will go to Indonesia and be with my wife and then I will move back to Norway in January. I’ll do my best to keep this site running as usual without too many interruptions. Coming up in December we have some great reviews for you such as “Appaloosa”, “Bolt”, Max Payne”, “Journey To The Center of the Earth”, “City of Ember”, “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”, “Standard Operating Procedure”, “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium”, “Medal of Honor: Underground”, “Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World”, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” just to name a few.

December should also be a great month for releases as “The Dark Knight” 2CD Special release arrives of course in addition to a lot of great scores. There will be “The Day The Earth Stood Still”, “Sex and the City“, “Frost/Nixon”, “Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles”, “Twilight”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “Largo Winch”, “The Day The Earth Stood Still”, “Transporter 3″, “Valkyrie” and more. Should be a great way to end the year.

In addition to the reviews, I will have a few other things to say so stay tuned for that. Hope to see you all in December and beyond!

This is a review of the motion picture score to National Treasure: Book of Secrets by Travor Rabin.

“National Treasure: Book of Secrets soundtrack is an enjoyable listen - and even more enjoyable if you’re into modern-sounding scores”

The second in a series of National Treasure scores, the National Treasure: Book of Secrets score is unusually short, with only eight tracks, and clocks in at only about twenty-two and a half minutes. Granted, these tracks do not disappoint, and will keep the listener enthralled - for the time being.

The National Treasure scores seem to suffer from modernity, and more than one of the tracks make you feel like you’re not listening to a film score, but a TV commercial. Tracks like So! and Bunnies at first made me want to go hurl (though they’re growing on me). The few rare gems this soundtrack possesses are Page 47 (which has a beautiful violin solo), Cibola, City of Gold, and Franklin’s Tunnel.

The main new theme for Book of Secrets is a sweeping string melody for the city of gold, which sounds strikingly similar to Luke and Leia’s theme from Return of the Jedi. I at first noticed the resemblance in the theater while viewing the movie, and I sometimes wonder Trevor Rabin was having a bit of copy and paste fun with this one.

Overall, I think the National Treasure: Book of Secrets soundtrack is an enjoyable listen - and even more enjoyable if you’re into modern-sounding scores. But if you’re like me, and care more for the sweeping orchestral music, carefully consider what you want before buying this one… iTunes sometimes sells individual tracks, as you may know…

Track List

Listen to National Treasure: Book of Secrets by Trevor Rabin below:

Label: Walt Disney Release Date: 2007-12-18 Average Rating: (4 out of 5) Availability:

Available From: USD 7.92