powderANIM

Music Composed and Conducted by  Jerry Goldsmith

After composer Jerry Goldsmith’s 1990 score to Total Recall, one of the most furious action scores of his career, Goldsmith turned to a series of lighter, more character-based films. It was a big departure from the hard-edged action, suspense and science fiction projects that had dominated his career from the mid-1970s onward. In a way, the 1995 Hollywood Pictures film Powder became the apotheosis of his career. Goldsmith’s natural abilities shone in many sequences of thePowder score, particularly in his construction of a main theme that was capable of being stated in numerous gentle guises throughout the film and yet could still take on wholly operatic force at the film’s messianic finale—a climactic sequence that probably only Goldsmith could have scored.

Goldsmith and his long-time engineer Bruce  Botnick selected just 35 minutes of music for the 1995 soundtrack album. For this restoration of the entire score, Intrada was given access to the five days’ worth of 48-track digital session recordings, allowing Intrada to include everything from that earlier album plus another half hour of music. Among the new material is the all-important and warm sequence when Powder is first brought out from his grandparents’ basement into public view (“The Books”/“You’re Afraid”) as well as the frightening “Jacob’s Ladder” sequence in the science classroom. In fact, none of the first five tracks, including the introductory main title (“Emergency Room”), were included on the original album. As a result, Intrada is proud to expand this haunting and ultimately powerful score to its full 65-minute length, bringing new depth to the numerous ideas and styles the music offers. These range from warmth to sadness, from outdoor richness to terrifying fear … all culminating in a magnificent, grand, operatic peroration the likes of which Jerry Goldsmith rarely was given the opportunity to do.

Part science fiction, part supernatural fantasy, part plea for empathy, and part messianic fable, Victor Salva’s Powder (1995) was an unlikely hit about a mysterious young man, Jeremy Reed (Sean Patrick Flanery).  Born out of a commingling of a human mother and lightning, Jeremy seems preordained to someday return to the skies in the form of pure energy—after a brief lifetime of being variously ignored, misunderstood and abused by the denizens of a small Texas town.  Nicknamed “Powder” because of his pure white skin, he spends his youth in the basement of his grandparents’ farmhouse. Forced into the outside world after they die, Jeremy gains three new friends—taciturn local sheriff Doug Barnum (Lance Henriksen), hip science teacher Donald Ripley (Jeff Goldblum) and child services psychologist Jessie Caldwell (Mary Steenburgen). Placed in a local high school, Jeremy’s strange appearance and abilities quickly put him at odds with other students and people of the town.

Entire Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack for Victor Salva meld of science fiction and supernatural fantasy, presented by Hollywood Pictures, starring Mary Steenburgen, Sean Patrick Flanery, Jeff Goldbum, Lance Henrikson. Extraordinary “sleeper” hit for Disney, written by director Salva, brings young Flanery from confined basement life into the real outside world, where he makes both friends, enemies. Nicknamed “Powder” due his hairless, pure white skin, emotional story of youngster born from commingling of human mother and lightning moves him through mystery, terror, awakening and ultimately a transformation into pure energy. Jerry Goldsmith writes music that conveys incredible range, from drama to mystery, from gentle warmth to outright terror, from awakening feelings to outdoor journeys through forests, nature. When climax is reached, Goldsmith ushers in his entire orchestra with powerful symphonic apotheosis rare in film music! Disney’s Hollywood label released soundtrack in 1995, containing 35 minutes of highlights. Here in newly expanded Intrada CD are 30 additional minutes of music. Premiering are the powerful, frightening low brass of “Jacob’s Ladder/After Shock”, the sunny lilt of “New School”, the haunting emergence of Powder into the outside world (“Powder”), the opening titles (“Emergency Room”), many others. In fact, none of the first five tracks were released on Hollywood’s album. They appear here for the first time as well. Also heard for the first time is “The Farm House”, dropped from finished film. Entire CD is presented courtesy Disney from all new masters drawn from original 48-track digital scoring session elements made by Bruce Botnick at Abbey Road Studios in London during September 1995 with Goldsmith conducting the National Philharmonic Orchestra. Generous liner notes from Jeff Bond provide fascinating insights into scoring process, discussions between director and composer plus details on variety of themes and styles covered in this impressive score. Package design by Joe Sikoryak features “flipper” cover art, allowing listener to showcase dramatic full color campaign or stark white art of original album. Alexander Courage orchestrates, Jerry Goldsmith conducts National Philharmonic Orchestra.

Label: Intrada Special Collection Volume ISC 351
Date: 1995
Time: 65:27
TRACKLIST

01. Emergency Room* (1:50)
02. The Incubator* (2:14)
03. Powder* (3:31)
04. The Books*/You’re Afraid* (5:03)
05. The Window* (0:39)
06. The Spoons**/Enemies* (1:49)
07. New School* (1:03)
08. Jacob’s Ladder*/After Shock* (2:30)
09. He Bites* (0:50)
10. I’m Okay (1:41)
11. Unhappy Days* (0:15)
12. No Questions* (1:42)
13. The Storm*+ (0:56)
14. Nature Walk**/Duncan’s Revelation (5:16)
15. Not A Friend* (1:23)

16. Holding On* (0:38)
17. Tricks/The Hat (4:02)
18. I’ve Tried* (0:48)
19. The Silver Box (8:26)
20. First Kiss (2:25)
21. Going Home* (1:25)
22. The Shower* (0:32)
23. That’s What He Said* (1:00)
24. Freak Show (4:42)
25. The Farm House*+ (1:34)
26. Going Away (3:55)
27. Theme From Powder (4:33)
*Previously Unreleased
**Includes Music Previously Unreleased)
+Includes Music Not Featured in Film