Customer Reviews

Black Hawk Down

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This sountrack by Hans Zimmer is terrific. I don't believe you can watch the film and not leave the theater without the music in your head. Ethnic, violent, hanunting and tragic all at the same time it continues to bring to life the tragedy of the film with each listen. A powerful ride and well worth the purchase!

When I first watched the movie, I noticed the music immediately and it captured my interest throughout the entire film. It was a mix of rock, synthesizers, classical, and traditional African music that formed a style unlike any I'd heard before. Haunting dirges described a famine stricken land, Islamic themes seemed to echo out from centuries past, and intense traditional music at a fast beat backed with rock guitars would heighten tension in fight scenes. In most movies, the soundtrack is a sickly background presence, but in Black Hawk Down, it's up front, making all the action larger than life.

I find that this unique music does well on its own or under any circumstance. It just is wonderfully powerful music that gets the heart going.

With almost a hundred movie scores under his belt, Hans Zimmer is a weathered composer. But that doesn't mean he's slowing down. From Hannibal to Pearl Harbor, M:I-2 to The Prince of Egypt to The Rock and Crimson Tide, Mr. Zimmer has produced score after timeless score. And Black Hawk Down is no exception. It's amalgam of African vocals and American guitars in "Barra Barra" is nothing if not incredible, and hard hitting tracks such as "Synchrotone" and "Tribal War" can get the blood moving.
Unfortunatly there have been several poor review's for this superb disc. I understand that it may not be for everybody, albeit I believe everybody should give it a listen. It is an unconventional score, but the fact is, it was written for an unconventional movie. The movie itself is incredible, cheers to Ridley Scott, and the music goes fittingly well within the picture. It also has found a new home in the CD player.
Bravo to Ridley Scott, and bravo to Hans Zimmer for yet another valiant effort to create something new in a world where "new" is becoming increasingly hard to come by.

Having been a long time fan of Hans Zimmer (Thunderbird tune in Thelma and Louise, Green Card, Backdraft, The Rock, Crimson Tide, The Thin Red Line and the more recent Gladiator), I have to say Black Hawk Down is distinctively different. The score contains much less "filler" music than his previous work, the mix of the score will subject the listeners to a cultural shock - a track of tense electric guitar rock tune being followed by a sorrowful indigenous chanting. Similar experimental style can also be found in the Gladiator OST or as early as Green Card OST.

Like most other reviewer, my favorite is #11, Gortoz A Ran - J'Attends. It brings you right back to the last few minutes before credits roll, the tragically retrospective scene when Staff Sergeant Eversmann reflects on himself mournfully in the makeshift morgue to the lifeless body of Corporal Smith, who died needlessly, about the folly of being a hero. Although you don't understnad a single word of the lyrics, what you are listening to is the unmistakabe sound of futility. The vocal of Denez Prigent and Liza Gerrard is absolutely phenomenal in creating this moody atmosphere.

Another favorite is #14, Minstrel Boy. The track was played along the End Credits. The song is uplifting, echoing the comaradie spirit - soldiers don't really fight for whatever politcal cause, they simply fight for their buddies, the one another, the men next in line. This could be the only the track that gives a relief from the overall dark and intense nature of the remaining score.

#13, Leave No Men Behind, the central theme of the score also captures the sorrow of an unintentional hero, the low pitch of the strings instruments makes this a perfect and solumn tribute to the fallen men. Barra Barra (#2), Synchrotone (#7), Tribal War (#12) are also great tunes in their own right.

Most other tracks are a good mix of African tribal dancing music with upbeat electric guitar rock - a fitting backdrop for a modern warfare characterized with swift and ruthless movement conducted in a dirt poor shanty town.

Once again, Hans Zimmer has successfully captured the wide variety of moods of the film and created a highly enjoyable score.

Hans Zimmer has done it again!

I have become a fan of Hans Zimmer the first time I heard the soulful electric guidtar thrash of the Thunderbird tune in Thelma and Louise, and since then I bought nearly all his works: Green Card, Backdraft, The Rock, Crimson Tide, The Thin Red Line and the more recent Gladiator.

Black Hawk Down is however distinctively different. The score contains much less "filler" music than his previous work, and is created with a view to subject the listener to a cultural shock - a track of tense electric guitar rock tune is followed by a sorrowful indigenous chanting. Similar style can however be found as recently as in the Gladiator OST or as early as Green Card OST.

Like most other reviewer, my favorite is #11, Gortoz A Ran - J'Attends. It brings you right back to the last few minutes before credits roll, the tragically retrospective scene when Staff Sergeant Eversmann reflects on himself mournfully in the makeshift morgue to the lifeless body of Corporal Smith, who died needlessly, about the folly of being a hero. Although you don't understnad a single word of the lyrics, what you are listening to is the unmistakabe sound of futility. The vocal of Denez Prigent and Liza Gerrard is absolutely phenomenal in creating this moody atmosphere.

Another favorite is #14, Minstrel Boy. The track was played along the End Credits. The song is uplifting, echoing the comaradie spirit - soldiers don't really fight for whatever politcal cause, they simply fight for their buddies, the one another, the men next in line. This could be the only the track that gives a relief from the overall dark and intense nature of the remaining score.

Most other tracks are a good mix of African tribal dancing music with upbeat electric guitar rock - a fitting backdrop for a modern warfare characterized with swift and ruthless movement conducted in a dirt poor shanty town.

Once again, Hans Zimmer has successfully captured the wide variety of moods of the film and created a highly enjoyable score.

I've been a fan of Hans Zimmer since day one; in fact, his score for Crimson Tide back when I was a small youngin' was the first soundtrack I ever purchased.

His score for Black Hawk Down is, yes, ecclectic. Yet, I find myself dismissing much of the album, in fact, ALL of the album -- despite it being fresh, original, and exciting -- because track 11, "Gortoz a Ran", performed by Danez Prigent and Lisa Gerrard, is one of THE most haunting pieces of music I have ever heard...

I'm a music lover and have a wide variety of tastes. Hell, I'm a film music fantatic (or at least at one point). That being said, few pieces of music, individually, evoke so much emotion out of me. I'm a very analytical person. One rendition of "Gortoz" and I'm near in tears. It just brings out whatever grief or sorrow I have in myself, unlike any other piece of music. It makes me grieve on a small, personal scale, and for Humanity as a whole, and the suffering and injustices we endure. And yet, the lyrics are anonymous. It doesn't matter. It's pure tone, pure mood... It is a Religious piece of music. It can put one immediately into a state of compassionate meditation. It melts the heart.

The saddest thing is the track stands out as being so spectacular -- above the rest, really -- and the rest of the album is still of the utmost quality. It's Zimmer experimenting and creating a clever and intriguing musical landscape, with a longing, mournful theme, and as other reviewers have stated, several other stylings. All in all, it's very, very good, one of Zimmer's best, in fact (right behind his best effort, The Thin Red Line, another war effort)....

And yet, I always come back to "Gortoz"..........

Unlike Hans Zimmer's other action scores, this one has a strong, serious message and the entire soundtrack commands attention. This isn't what you would listen to as background music for writing your literary analysis essay (though everyone has their quirks).
Black Hawk Down was a gritty, loud, not entirelt pleasant film to watch. It was almost exhausting. The soundtrack is also a raw display of beauty and horror all at once. It is incredibly varied. I tend to enjoy the harsher, more jagged electronic grit found in HUNGER, CHANT, and SYNCHROTONE. Call me uncultured; I'm only 16 and grew up with movies that featured hard-edged electronic action music.
There is a lot of Ethnic beats and chanting that tinges the action, much like SPY GAME.
The real surprise on this soundtrack is THE MINSTREL BOY. It's been a number of years since I have really sit down to enjoy an actual song w/ lyrics, but THE MINSTREL BOY is positively a treat even for hardcore music-only fans. I can't speak for every score collector, but THE MINSTREL BOY is a incredibly sad, angry, and beautiful song. It's the one that comes on during the end titles of the film.
I reccommend it.... The whole album may not be your cup of tea, but there are so many different tones and emotions that there HAS to be something here for you.

This is, without a doubt, the finest soundtrack to be recorded in quite a few years. The clashing chords of woven western motifs melds perfectly with the "tribal" indigenous music. The album as a whole is superb, but three tracks soar above the rest. "Barra Barra" performed by Richard Taha is the perfect example of cultures clashing, it is electric, energizing and swift. "Gortoz A Ran" performed by Denez Prigent and Lisa Gerrard is reflective and calming while at the same time tragic and very emotional. But what really completes this album, at least for me, is Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros' rendition of "Minstrel Boy". This song is music's best representation of war's emotion, in lyrics and especially in music and style. I've replayed this track over and over again, and it never fails to send chills down my spine. The song is performed flawlessly, it is deeply layered and delivered in a most emotional manner. Originally an Irish folk song, this version of "Minstrel Boy" IS the music of The Brotherhood of War.

According to Keyboard Magazine, the score for this album was rushed far ahead of its intended schedule due to the events of 11 September, greatly reducing the time Mr. Zimmer and the other composers had to complete the music. The U.S. Congress even had to step in, to help one of the singers on the album--Baaba Maal--to get clearance to come to the U.S. from Senegal. However, you would hardly know how rushed the production really was, given the excellent output--only the most sensitive ear will detect a rough fade or two, but that's certainly not a reason for me to detract from this well-earned 5-star rating.

One thing I think makes this album stand out is the blending of the indigenous music to really give the feel of the area. The meeting of Eastern and Western musical scales is nearly perfect--those inevitable quarter-tone dissonances only add to the effect. I also think Mr. Zimmer deserves credit for taking advantage of the similarities in four disparate musical influences: African, rock, blues--and Irish! Many of the scales and pitch-bending techniques are similar, and they blend seamlessly here.

Speaking of blending, one way I know ahead of time if a movie's soundtrack will be good is if I find myself paying as much attention to the music than to what is actually going on. One effect that definitely got my attention was in the song "Synchrotone". The music seemed to weave in and out of the sound of the travelling Black Hawks, playing on and even intensifying the sound of their rotors! The Keyboard Magazine article leads me to believe the effect used was an intentional destruction of the sound quality, resulting in a rough sound that blended with the growly sound of the rotors.

I also noticed in "Synchrotone" how the wailing electrical guitar that did a fantastic job of emulating the pitch-bending of the African stringed instruments. This East-meets-West blend hearkens back to "Burra Burra"...making a very interesting point about how despite the enmities in the area, music is transcending all of those boundaries. It is fitting--in the end, Black Hawk Down is not a movie about "us and them", but about *people*.

As most people have mentioned, "Gortoz a Ran" is definitely a standout track. Although in another language and based in another tradition, the simple, beautiful vocals are evocative almost in the way of Pink Floyd's "Great Gig in the Sky". Though many of us cannot understand the words, the voice itself tells the story. It is beyond words. Simplistic and powerful *because* of its simplicity, this is one of the best songs on the album.

The interesting thing about "The Minstrel Boy" (an Irish folk song) is that it goes back to a very common, American instrument--with haunting effect. Hear the high tone of the Hammond organ floating softly above the notes of this song...the effect is perfect. I will mention again how Mr. Zimmer takes advantage of the similarities between disparate musical styles--in this case, Irish and Arab fiddle techniques. One would expect this track to be completely out of place just to look at the song listing--yet it fits perfectly with the soundtrack as a whole!

Hats off to Mr. Zimmer for a daunting task completed in an incredibly short amount of time!

Watching the movie Black Hawk Down I was tense, gripped, moved almost to tears, and totally in awe. The soundtrack has the same effect. I have long been a fan of the Hans Zimmer/Lisa Gerrard combination and this has for me the same range of highly emotional tracks from frenetic, harsh, and edgy - which admitedly aren't quite so easy to listen to, but then neither is the movie always easy to watch - to exquisitely beautiful melodies such as 'Leave no man behind' that is played throughout the movie with very moving effect. I was delighted to find Senegalese singer Baaba Maal features on the soundtrack with his unique and very evocative voice. Most of all I found that if I closed my eyes and listened to the CD I was transported out of my reality and into some other world. I have always felt that the ability to do that is what makes music worth listening to.