Rousing David Shire score makes CD premiere! 40-minute IMAX feature directed by Barnaby Jackson was showcase for special effects-laden journey into pioneering world of Intel, their Pentium processor, told via vivid sci-fi tale of alien race of Angorians arriving on Earth to harvest food, finding human’s development of computer chip a threat. Surrounded by veteran team of filmmakers, David Shire found himself recording at MGM Pictures Scoring Stage 1 (now Sony Pictures Scoring) with ace mixer Dan Wallin and 80 musicians to record exciting, lavish original music. Best part: Shire eschews expected beeps and bleeps approach in favor of powerful, sonorous symphonic essay! Dynamic, thrilling, melodious! Shire immediately launches with kinetic primary theme, then works with numerous ideas both colorful, imposing. Highlights are many but standouts include mid-score introduction of lilting, gently sweeping secondary theme of “FAB I”, that becomes anchor for remainder of score. Rich major-key tune trades with primary theme to give score unusual thematic depth. Action music also abounds: “Get Him!” deserves spotlight here, as does following “In The Computer” sequence. Final portion of score warrants special attention: Shire reminds listeners of primary theme during “Across The Critical Threshold” but wraps instead with definitive closing quote of secondary theme for “End Title”, bringing everything to rich major key finish. Stunning musical architecture offers much reward! Vibrant stereo recording (by Wallin), colorful orchestrations by Thomas Pasatieri, handsome graphic design by Joe Sikoryak, liner notes by Tim Greiving are all further assets to cool treat for David Shire fans! David Shire conducts.
For the 1994 IMAX film THE JOURNEY INSIDE, the filmmakers knew they wanted a big, theme-driven sci-fi score —and when the composer of Return to Oz was available and interested, they were thrilled. Oz was packed with memorable character themes, motifs and sumptuous orchestration; it is now considered a classic and a high point in Shire’s career. And that’s what they wanted for The Journey Inside. “We were agreed that it needed a good meat-and-potatoes, sci-fi, symphonic score,” said Shire. This is apparent right away in the main title, which establishes the film’s main melody — a “hero” theme for the young boy. Rushed along on rippling strings and woodwinds, a French horn sings the tune—filled with optimism, adventure and wonder— Shire opens the saga with grand ambitions and gives the whole orchestra a workout, establishing the musical character to follow.
The 80-piece orchestra was blended with a few “spacey” synth voices (with names like “alien metal,” “computer piano” and “space chorus”), and recorded on September 9 and 10, 1993, at the old MGM scoring stage under the watch of veteran engineer Dan Wallin. “The score sounded just magnificent,” said Shire. “It was thrilling to have an orchestra that large.”
THE JOURNEY INSIDE tells of an alien race who come to earth to harvest its food supply, but see a threat in the humans’ development of a computer chip that will allow them to “cross the critical threshold” and travel to the stars. After landing on earth, the squid-like aliens “juxtaport” from their cavernous meeting place to the Intel factory in an attempt to sabotage the production of Intel’s new “Project 5” (Pentium) chip. Fortunately for the human race, a young boy named Jimmy (Tim Farrell) witnessed the aliens’ landing and overheard their secret plans, and rushes to the laboratory just in time to stop their evil plot.
INTRADA Special Collection Vol. 302
TRACKLIST
01. Main Title (3:09)
02. To The Cave (2:41)
03. The Cave I (2:58)
04. The Cave II (2:02)
05. The Cave III (4:30)
06. Chip Trip (2:26)
07. The FAB I (2:22)
08. The FAB II (2:28)
09. 3rd Middle Layer (2:54)
10. Get Him! (2:11)
11. In The Computer (4:31)
12. Across The Critical Threshold (2:10)
13. End Title (2:34)
