The Alien Trilogy (1996 Studio Recording) [Soundtrack]

Cliff Eidelman, Alien (Related Recordings), Royal Scottish National Orchestra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 22, 1996)
• Original Release Date: October 15, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B0000014ZQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,425 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Main Title from "Alien"

2. Hyper Sleep [From Alien]

3. Landing [From Alien]

4. Breakaway [From Alien]

5. Droid [From Alien]

6. Door [From Alien]

7. End Title [From Alien]

8. Main Title from "Aliens"

9. Futile Escape [From Aliens]

10. Bishop's Countdown [From Aliens]

11. Lento [From Alien 3]

12. Candles in the Wind [From Alien 3]

13. Adagio from "Alien 3"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Buy, December 4, 2000

By 

R. J. Teed (Dearborn, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Alien Trilogy (1996 Studio Recording) (Audio CD)

This is a good CD to buy especially if you don't want to buy all 3 soundtracks. As far as the original ALIEN, the original soundtrack is hard to come by, however the DVD has the complete score with great sound. This CD favors the first movie's score, with 7 tracks including "Main Title" and "Hypersleep" which were not included on the original soundtrack. Jerry Goldsmith's score is atmospheric and avante-garde and Cliff Eidelman(a great composer himself), does a superb job of recapturing this classic score. In my opinion, this recording exceeds the original. It is well performed by the RSO and mixed perfectly by Bruce Botnick. The original wasn't mixed properly, especially the End Title(which is not in the film)where the trumpet solo wasn't loud enough. Here, all the instruments are in perfect unison and at the right volumes. ALIENS(tracks 8-10) is by James Horner(TITANIC)and is influenced by the first ALIEN with a the main title mimicking parts of the original movie's opening. Part of "Bishop's countdown" sounds like Horner's own Klingon theme from STAR TREK 3. Horner does have a tendency to quote the work of others and himself often in his scores. ALIENS is not one of his best efforts(partly due to time restrictions James Cameron imposed on him). The film itself was great especially for a sequel. ALIEN 3 by Elliot Goldenthal is probably one of the best and underrated scores of the 90's. It deserves a better presentation here(only 3 tracks)but Eidelman handles the material capably. It's not exactly uplifting music but serves the film well and is approprietely atmospheric and dramatic at times. Unfourtunately, as with almost all RSO recordings, the sound quality is distant. You have to turn your volume way up to really hear the music fully. Otherwise, this is a great recording and sampling of the 3 scores and helps you relive the first 3 ALIEN movies.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved It, February 2, 1999

By 

Finnius McArbuckle (OakTown) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Alien Trilogy (1996 Studio Recording) (Audio CD)

If you have watched and enjoyed (at all) any of the films in the Alien Trilogy, you will love this soundtrack. Though a re-recording, which alot of times are too self-induldgent to as good as the originals, this one is as good if not better. It makes available Jerry Goldsmiths Great score and re-visits James Horner and Eliot Goldenthals excellent scores. The conducting of Cliff Eidleman is not only unintrusive but quite good (BUY STAR TREK 6 if you like this recording) My only gripe is that it only has three tracks from Aliens and Three tracks from Alien 3, both worthy of better treatment.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A peek at the infamous score..., August 24, 2005

By 

Jeffrey Arnold (Lemoore, ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Alien Trilogy (1996 Studio Recording) (Audio CD)

God bless them , the Royal Scottish Orchestra... no matter how hard they try, they can never quite get it right. All of their reproductions (Jaws, Superman,etc) always come out sounding too "concertish," and thus never quite sound right to those of us who've always wished for complete versions of the music and had in the meantime heard it only in the context of the film. And without fail, any time that Varese Sarabande releases these repros, the "real-deal Holyfields" are dusted off and presented to the public, thus nullifying their efforts (Superman, Jaws, and please God.... please.... Alien?).

Goldsmith's score to Alien has a notoriously sticky backstory... many of the cues you hear in the film were actually intended for use with other scenes, and in some cases, the music you're hearing wasn't even originally recorded for Alien, but was from a past film score. Even the end credits cue, "Symphony #2 (Romantic)" by Howard Hanson, wasn't originally meant to be the end credits music!

I have the actual original Alien score on vinyl, and I can tell you that in the end, as much as I love Jerry Goldsmith (RIP), this score benefitted from Ridley Scott's tampering. Much like in Citizen Kane, when, after the heavy dramatic wave of music by the great Bernard Herrmann brings the film's revelation to bear and closes the film, and then very quickly a peppy tune is played with the cast spouting lines as their names are plastered on the screen (as if to say, "Aw, it's only a show!"), Ridley Scott used Hanson's beautiful, simple piece to magnify just what an awful experience we'd just been through, trying to escape from Giger's wickedly designed ALien. It also reflected the peaceful sleep that Ripley was entering after the death of the beast.

Without a doubt, if you can, get a hold of the Alien Legacy DVD version of the film. It has two alternate audio tracks. One has Goldsmith's original score, with cues where they were intended, plus a pile of others that thankfully were excised, and the other audio track contains what can be called the actual soundtrack, complete with the Hanson piece and the eerie, lonely main title music from the film. As a curiosity, if you listen closely, you'll even hear Lionel Newman's baton cueing the orchestra to begin and stop, and even some comments from the conductor. For now, until a 30th anniversary version is perhaps released (maybe after Goldsmith's death, they will contemplate a rerelease), that is THE best source for music from the long lost Alien Soundtrack.