Expanded release of beautiful score for Adrian Lyne romantic drama
A significant part of the 1993 Paramount film INDECENT PROPOSAL’s seductive charm is John Barry’s sad, sensual music. In one of this most heartfelt themes of the ’90s, the main theme captures the story’s essential feelings and honors its highest aspirations. An elegant piano melody floats across a warm string bed, and the sensation is one of romance tinged with sadness and loss. Throughout the score, strings are like beds of silk and champagne, and the piano— melodic and arpeggiated—is liberally sprinkled over them like rose petals. Everything is warm and luscious, even when the mood is sad or uncertain. Heartbreak is woven into the sensuality. Straightforwardly tonal, the score’s mood ranges from nostalgically beautiful to dark and dangerous to sad and sexy.
At the time of the film’s release, the soundtrack album to Indecent Proposal emphasized the songs heard in the film, including the original song to which John Barry contributed, “In All the Right Places,” and a single track medley running around 25 minutes. This new release features the complete John Barry instrumental score, newly mastered from the 1993 two-track stereo mixes by Shawn Murphy and Dennis Sands. This features every cue Barry recorded: film versions, album versions and alternate takes.
That path to an indecent proposal starts when Diana (Demi Moore) and David (Woody Harrelson), a young couple madly in love, run into financial straits. He’s an architect in the middle of building his dream house when the recession hits. So they venture to Vegas. There Diana encounters John Gage (Robert Redford), a wealthy billionaire who takes a shine to her. After the Murphys lose everything at the craps table, Gage swoops in and asks Diana to be his lady luck on a very expensive bet. He wins, and while schmoozing them with gratitude he coolly makes his indecent proposal: one night with her for $1 million. They balk at first, but the Murphys mull it over and decide to accept. That one night, the one they promised wouldn’t mean anything, begins to unravel their marriage and expose the true cost of the deal: consuming jealousy and heartbreak.
Expanded release of beautiful score for Adrian Lyne romantic drama Indecent Proposal, starring Robert Redford, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson makes wonderful premiere. 1993 album offered numerous songs heard in film plus 26-minute medley of score highlights in one single track. New Intrada score-only CD features 74 minutes of rich, sumptuous Barry. Movie chronicles intriguing offer by Redford of one million dollars for single night with Moore, wife of Harrelson. Young happily-married couple see it as opportunity to build their dream house but story soon ventures much deeper. Love, jealousy, heartbreak all play roles. John Barry underlines all in signature 90’s “nostalgia” style. Main theme is gorgeous albeit sad-tinged melody for piano, strings. Harmonies both major, minor play important role throughout. Two additional secondary themes further enrich haunting, sensual score. Romantic film scoring with hint of sadness became hallmark of Barry’s final decade of composing. Indecent Proposal remains one of his most beautiful efforts!
MCA label album was produced by Barry, using assortment of takes both from film soundtrack plus specially recorded for his album. All versions appear here plus many previously unreleased cues, score revisions, alternates, drawn from his March 1993 sessions held at Sony Pictures Scoring Stage with Dennis Sands, Shawn Murphy as engineers. Entire CD presented from two-track stereo session mixes courtesy Universal Music Group & Paramount Pictures. Project supervised by Lukas Kendall, handsome graphic design by Joe Sikoryak. John Barry conducts.
02. Kitchen Floor* (1:54)
03. The Recession (1:09)
04. Drive to Vegas (1:37)
05. Dress Shop (2:29)
06. All Is Lost (1:43)
07. One Million Dollars (0:55)
08. Complimentary Suite (1:06)
09. The Dress (1:39)
10. Can’t Sleep (1:11)
11. Let’s Do It (1:21)
12. The Run to the Heli-Pad (2:04)
13. Helicopter to Yacht (4:28)
14. Lucky Dollar (0:57)
15. Diana Returns* (1:48)
16. Matches (1:57)
17. Last Fight* (1:46)
18. I Need You (1:05)
19. Subway Story and Dance (3:13)
20. Flashback & Photos (1:44)
21. Intoxicated David* (1:27)
23. SCI-Arc (2:04)
24. The Auction (0:23)
25. Let It Go Free (2:19)
26. Goodbye John (revised) (2:21)
27. Goodbye John (alternate) (2:24)
Total Score Time: 51:41
The Extras
28. Main Title (album version) (2:42)
29. Kitchen Floor (revised) (0:51)
30. Drive to Vegas (album version) (1:34)
31. Dress Shop (album version) (2:08)
32. Helicopter to Yacht (short version) (2:18)
33. I Need You (album version) (1:11)
34. Goodbye John (album version) (2:17)
35. Main Title (piano version) (2:44)
36. Main Title (alternate revised) (3:40)
37. Main Title (alternate) (2:43)
Total Extras Time: 22:35
*Consists of “In All the Right Places” composed by John Barry,
Lisa Stansfield, Ian Devaney and Andy Morris
1 comment
Kinoruman says:
Apr 13, 2021
I think it’s one of John Barry’s best works, and perhaps one of the most beautiful and sensual scores of the ’90s. Probably only the score of the now deceased James Horner to ‘Titanic’ will be a worthy competition) …
I love this soundtrack, which I want to listen to regularly, regardless of the weather and mood.
10/10