Composed and Conducted by FREDERIC TALGORN
Greatly expanded original soundtrack from action-packed Chuck Norris sequel! Younger brother Aaron Norris directs, Lee Reynolds scripts, Chuck leads with able support from John P. Ryan, Paul Perri, Richard Jaeckel, Billy Drago, Cannon Films presents. South American drug cartels are the targets of Norris and team with murder, corruption and vengeance in tow.
For the 1990 sequel to The Delta Force, composer Frederic Talgorn provided the flag-waving and emotional fireworks, eschewing the all-electronic approach by Alan Silvestri for the first film. Talgorn’s muscular, orchestral score for Delta Force 2 is a trumpeting main theme that’s as much about the heroism on display as it is the relentless drive for justice. Talgorn was inspired to create this gladiatorial march after watching the bone-crunching, slow-motion training montage sequence. But as weighty as this thunderous theme is, Talgorn also gave it a fun, thrilling uplift as a skydiving theme, whether played by a full orchestra or on synthesizer.
Frederic Talgorn approached the violent tale with an interesting twist: Electronics and percussion color the suspense, locale and grim elements while full-blooded symphony orchestra plays for the heroics, adding muscle to key sequences. Budgetary needs made the trade between orchestra and synthesizers a necessity but Talgorn made the most of both ensembles. Strings in tragic, minor-key mode bring pain to “Bobby Finds Dead Family”, rousing orchestral dazzle dazzle plays for energetic training sequences (“The Bear Pit”, “Training Montage”), strings alone with emphasis on extreme registers offer intensity to “Hector And Bobby Die”, orchestra and electronics meld for soaring launch to “Chuck Parachutes In”.
Action highlight: ten minute “The Chase”, with riveting synthesizers propelling the music into and out of the deadly high-speed action scene. Hang on! Yet another element of Talgorn’s score is the exotic color of ethnic flute over percussion and synths spotlighting the mountain and jungle backdrops, particularly a perilous cliff-climbing sequence. Talgorn leads with a heroic fanfare-theme in bright major keys, using it judiciously until the Delta Force tackle the enemy in climactic combat. Highlighting this layer of the music is the second portion of the lengthy “Stranglehold Is A Go”.
Three years after the film opened, a 39-minute soundtrack was released, produced by the composer in two lengthy suites, one of just orchestra highlights, the other of electronic sequences, plus the closing song written by Talgorn with Harriet Schock. To present the entire 76-minute score on CD 1, Intrada went back to the original Dolby SR-encoded two track mix masters made by engineer Doug Botnick (brother of legendary scoring mixer Bruce Botnick). CD 2 offers the 1993 program as edited and produced by the composer. All master elements were vaulted by MGM in pristine condition. Informative notes by Daniel Schweiger, colorful flipper booklet cover design by Kay Marshall. Orchestral score recorded in Paris, France. Frederic Talgorn conducts Orchestre Symphonique D’Europe.
Talgorn had planned to make Delta Force 2 an entirely orchestral score, with synthesized flutes used to augment certain passages. But budget cuts required him to use the muscle of his French players only in the film’s “most spectacular” sequences; much of the score features a Los Angeles synthesist creating a symphonic sound from the composer’s handwritten score. This electronic music is most effective at conjuring the tropical atmosphere of the fictional South American country of San Marcos, a treacherous jungle filled with eerie voices and bird-like cries and Latin percussion.
For this 2-CD set, Intrada presents the highly artistic album program Talgorn assembled for the original CD release as disc 2. The first CD contains the entire score (including 35 minutes of previously unreleased music) in chronological order. This presentation reveals the architecture of Talgorn’s exciting music as a whole, showcasing musical ideas that weave in and out between the robust colors of the orchestra and the more focused tones of the synthesizer performance. The result is great contrast while still being highly cohesive, especially when the thematic elements are so unified throughout both idioms.
TRACKLIST
CD1 The Original Film Soundtrack
01. The Bear Pit (1:37)
02. The Limo Arrives (1:52)
03. Cota’s Fooled Them (1:36)
04. Skinhead Shuffle (0:39)
05. Jose Gets The Blade (2:21)
06. Skyjacking (5:01)
07. Bobby’s Family Killed (2:03)
08. Bobby Finds Dead Family (1:23)
09. Bobby Knocks Out Chuck (1:05)
10. DEA Dummies (0:56)
11. Hector And Bobby Die (3:46)
12. Training Montage (1:02)
13. Chuck Parachutes In (2:44)
14. The Bridge Crossing (3:30)
15. Chuck Begins Climb (1:31)
16. Ramone Kills El Jefe (1:12)
17. Stranglehold Is A Go (7:22)
18. Village Attack (6:22)
19. Bedroom Brawl (3:14)
20. Ramone’s Death Poem (1:14)
21. The Chase (10:04)
22. Olmedo’s Short Victory (2:47)
23. Let’s Get’Em (2:46)
24. It Was Worth It (1:25)
25. Ramone’s Head Aches (1:25)
26. Delta Force Closing In (0:42)
27. Not Today/“The Winds Of Change” (6:58)
CD1 Total Time: 76:04
CD2 The Original 1993 Soundtrack Album
01. Orchestral Suite (21:57)
Skyjacking
Bobby’s Family Killed
Bobby Finds Dead Family
Ramone Kills El Jefe
Jose Gets The Blade
Chuck Watches Tape
The Bear Pit
Hector & Bobby Die
It Was Worth It
Cota’s Fooled Them
Dead Hubby & Baby Picture
Ramone’s Death Poem
Not Today
Training Montage
02. “The Winds Of Change” (3:17)
03. Synthesizer Suite (13:54)
Cota’s Plane Lands
Chuck Saves DEA Guys
Bridge Crossing
It’s A Big One
Stranglehold Is A Go
Chuck Begins Climb
Chuck Still Climbing
Chuck & Snake
Chuck Reaches The Top
Chuck & Ramone
DEA Dummies
Bobby The Shark
Delta Force Arrive
CD2 Total Time: 39:10
