Black Beauty

Danny Elfman (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 19, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Giant Records
• ASIN: B000008N1C
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #175,540 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Main Titles

2. Baby Beauty

3. Gang On The Run

4. Mommy

5. Jump For Joy

6. Kicking Up A Storm

7. The Dance/Bye Merrylegs

8. Sick

9. He's Back (Revival)

10. Frolic

11. Ginger Snaps

12. Goodbye Joe

13. Wild Ride/Dream

14. Is It Joe?

15. In The Country

16. Poor Ginger

17. Bye Jerry/Hard Times

18. Memories

19. End Credits

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Of Elfman's Best, November 5, 2005

By 

R. A. Van Nuys "RaeAnn" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black Beauty (Audio CD)

I've always been a horse lover, and I've always known who Danny Elfman was since I can remember, thanks to my mom. We bought this soundtrack right after seeing the movie when it was brand-new, and I doubt we paid more than maybe 10 dollars for it. What a surprise it was for me to just now find one copy on Amazon for $149! (we also have a cassette tape because this was before CD players were standard in cars) I'd been hoping to purchase another copy because ours is wearing out, but I have a feeling I'll just have to make copies of the original and keep the original as best I can.
Anyway, it saddens me that this CD is so hard to come by, especially since it is perhaps my favorite of Elfman's works! I have about 20 of his soundtracks, but this one in particular holds a special place for me. Like others have said, it is quite a different style for Elfman, but wonderful as always.
The music really does make the movie. There are gorgeous ballads, such as the first main title, that has such a pretty melody to it, touching, soft, and orchestral. Lots of violins.
Then there are happy, rambunctious songs like "Gang on the Run" and "Jump For Joy."
The only way I can describe such songs as "The Dance/Bye Merrylegs" is by using the words "magical and whimsical." The flutes are wonderful (ok, so I'm not sure if they're real flutes, but they're some type of that instrument), and songs like "Sick" have sad, apprehensive piano melodies.
"Frolic" is probably the happiest song on the compilation, followed by "Ginger Snaps," a serious song erupting towards the end in a climax that sounds almost chaotic and painful, all the while foreboding.
The saddest song, for me anyway, is "Poor Ginger" and a mournful song it is, too! Slow, again whimsical, memorable, and of course, beautiful.
Anyway, before I go into too much detail, this CD, to me, is worth too much in its wonderfulness (is that a word?) to sell for any kind of price. I hope for a re-issue but I doubt that will happen anytime soon. Any fan of Danny Elfman should have this CD in their collection, and I'm saddened that it seems so hard to accomplish that now.
However, if you're desperate, you could always buy Elfman's complilation "Music For a Darkened Theater, Vol. 2" which has 7 or 8 songs from the soundtrack on the first disc :) And of course, it's worth it to have the other songs in the set, as well.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different For Elfman, April 5, 2004

By 

T. J. Dennie (Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black Beauty (Audio CD)

The score is very Celtic in nature. Very differnet for Danny Elfman. Another score like this is his score for Sommersby. The Two don't compare in the long run though. Black Beauty is Elfman's most beautiful and classical work straight through to 2004. This score is used for many ads for other movies and it's used in the promos for Big Fish which I haven't seen or listened to yet. It is a shame that Danny has been overlooked so many times at the Oscars. His music for Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Sommersby and Black Beauty rival anything that's won an Oscar(pick any year).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Beautiful Film Score Ever Written, February 2, 2011

By 

Dana Krempels "HunHare" (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black Beauty (Audio CD)

If Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gustav Mahler wrote a film score together, this might be what it would sound like.

I bought the score even before I saw the film, and I was in tears after the first few bars. This is the most gorgeous, lush, evocative film score I have ever heard, and I am a collector of MANY. I can't believe this has become such a valuable collectible, but seriously...it is worth every penny. I don't understand why it hasn't been re-released!