Customer Reviews

Conan the Barbarian

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Basil Poledouris' score to Conan the Barbarian is one of the great powerhouses of film music and remains as one of my favorite film scores to this date.

The score is a perfect blend of melodic beauty and raw power with a huge orchestral sound and lots of wonderful choral passages that range from haunting and slow to in-your-face and over-the-top. I could go on forever on this score, but suffice it to say that I really can't think of a more perfect score than this.

As for the CD's sound quality...

The sound quality is definitely dated and isn't quite as crisp and clean as one would hope. However, what it lacks in sound quality, it more than makes up for in musical quality. I've purchased a number of albums containing re-recordings of Conan music and while the sound quality has been better, NOTHING has matched the emotion and power of the original film soundtrack.

Differences between the editions...

This 12-track Milan edition was released first, followed later by an expanded 16-track edition by Varese Sarabande.

The Milan CD runs around 49 minutes, while the Varese edition runs about 67 minutes. The Varese edition includes pretty much all the same music as the Milan release, with one exception:
The first track of the Milan edition opens up with Mako's opening prologue speech which then immediately segues into the "Anvil of Crom" opening. The Varese track opens up directly with "Anvil of Crom".

The Varese edition adds the following four tracks:
- Mountain of Power Procession (3:21)
- The Tree of Woe (3:31)
- Recovery (2:11)
- Death of Rexor (5:34)

and expands the following two tracks:
- The Leaving/The Search (5:59)
- The Kitchen/The Orgy (6:30)

Compared to the original Milan tracks:
- The Search (3:09)
- The Orgy (4:14)

All in all, the Milan edition is missing about 19 minutes worth of music.

In my opinion, the Varese edition is definitely worth seeking out, but even if you decide to get the 12-track Milan edition, the music is worth getting in whatever form you can.

For any fan of film music and for any fan of the film, this score is definitely a must have!

However, if you're an audiophile, you may want to think twice.

I don't see any point in writing a long review. This isn't the kind of music that can be described in words, any more than Beethoven's Fifth or Ninth can be described in words, and the Conan soundtrack is like both of those rolled into one. You can throw around words like "huge", "epic", "glorious", "soaring", etc., and they still fall far short. Kettle drums like mountains falling from the sky. Brass like the charge of an army of immortals. Power beyond mortal comprehension and beauty beyond human sight. This isn't just the best movie soundtrack ever created, it is the best classical music composed in the last half of the twentieth century. If you don't possess it, that is a flaw in your character that you should remedy immediately.

(note added on the event of the death of Basil Poledouris: let all who read this review, however few or many they are, know that there are those of us who regard this work as some others regard Wagner: the peak of music, the soundtrack to our soul, the gospel music of our religion. Its composer, or, better, the medium who channeled it to our lesser sphere, is gone now from our stream of time -- but music, and spirit, exist outside that stream. BP RIP)

This score, IMHO, is one the best of the last 1/2 20th century. Truly epic and egaging, the music tells a story and the movie would have been far less without it.

My advice is read the reviews for the Varese Records recording. It is sadly years out of print, and has 4 more glorious tracks on it. Used copies are going for nearly $100 if that tells you anything. Get a copy of it if you can though. If you can't, do yourself a favor and at least pick up the lesser but still great Milan version. This is one movie score no music lover should be without.

I'm not one to normally buy soundtracks. This one is an exception. The music captured me when I first saw the movie years ago and has continued to remain in my mind ever since. It is unforgettable.

There are many things that make the music memorable but what strike me most is the suitability to its purpose. Conan was a warrior fantasy epic. The music that accompanies it is just as epic. Strong themes run throughout which are memorable. It has a quality of operatic grandiosity and some of the passages are no less thrilling and memorable than the "Flight of the Valkyries" or "Carmina Burana". This is BIG music and unapologetic about it.

Revel in it!

I agree completely with the previous reviewer, get the Varese recording of this soundtrack, which has 16 tracks in all from the movie, more than on this version.

This is my favorite soundtrack of all, I think it is a clear and undisputable masterpiece. The mood and melody in these tracks is something so spiritual and profound, I can't put it into words because I don't fully understand it, it's beyond my comprehension. Poledouris was touched by the finger of God when he composed this score. This soundtrack never gets old for me. I come back to it from time to time to hear by favorite tunes from it, and always I'm shaken and moved like from a deep inner religious experience. This is a rare phenomenon and proves that this is very special music indeed.

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"

This soundtrack is phenomenal! From the very first cut, the main theme "Anvil of Crom," the Conan The Barbarian soundtrack hooks you with its huge martial sound of heavy percussion and blaring horns.

Basil Poledouris proved that he could capture the essence of the character, and set the moood of each scene, whether it required foreboding, mystery, romance, humor, and especially, combat.

Just as this movie launched Arnold Schwarzenegger as a major movie star, this soundtrack launched Basil Poledouris as a major league composer, conductor, and soundtrack creator. If you love rousing, thrilling, penetrating music, this is the soundtrack for you.

This is truly, without a doubt, the best movie soundtrack of all time. Even the mighty John Williams with the Star Wars franchise music cannot compete with its magnificence. Poledouris accomplished something few ever could-creating an engrossing soundtrack that literally carries an entire film on its shoulders. There is little dialogue in the movie, and it relies heavily on cinematography, music and visual exposition to advance the story. From what I have read about the music, the producers of the film argued for a more modern, synthesizer-oriented sound, but Milius finally won out and a classical soundtrack was drafted. This would have been an unmitigated disaster; the film would have failed miserably if synth was used in place of real music. The sound itself ranges greatly in terms of emotional content, from a rousing, thunderous title sequence to tender love themes to sheer brutal combat and even some playfulness and mischief. Unfortunately, the golden age of films is long gone and I doubt that anything even close to this will ever be composed again-the passion of this recording rivals not only other film soundtracks, but all classical and opera music ever written. Kudos to the musicians as well, as this could not have been accomplished without their stunning performances.

As other reviewers have noted, this is a truly great soundtrack. Yes, its completely over-the-top, but nobody could listen to the first few tracks and think, "How boring." As the music swells in the opening credits music, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and they never go back down until the CD has finished!

If you liked this movie, or you are a fan of the fantasy genre, then you will certainly like this CD. Glorious, tacky, over-the-top fun.

To speak of the music I first need to speak of the movie: Too many people have ridiculed me for my love of the Conan the barbarian movie! It stems from a deep seeded North American prejudice that these types of films are for 'geeks' or some sort of violent catharsis. Well, yes and no, regardless, it is this misconception, or at least prejudice, that has held back the power and beauty of this music.

Now, of course, this sort of stuff is all the rage, what with Braveheart, Gladiator and Lord of the Rings, for example. So who is listening to this soundtrack now? Well, mostly us violent catharsis type geeks who wouldn't trade a moment of our future to ease into the comfort of our past.

This soundtrack is haunting, striking and powerful. It speaks of, and it speaks to a fading culture. All those strings and brass, all those voices and percussion...they aren't what this music is about: it is about the emotion, not the medium.

Beyond the choice between this (Milan) edition and the out-of-print Varese edition (see "tearsinraine"'s featured review), there is now a new third option that you should strongly consider. Released in late 2010, it is a 2-disc COMPLETE score, with Nic Raine conducting the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus. Here are three reasons why this new version is a must-have:

1. It is the complete score, 100 minutes of music, so there is significantly more material than the previous recordings (33 minutes more than Varese, and 51 more than this Milan edition). It also features a few alternate versions of tracks and one track from Conan the Destroyer.

2. It is performed by a larger orchestra (96-piece orchestra and a 100-voice chorus) and more instruments, as Basil Poledouris originally wanted it done.

3. Prior reviewers have noted that the Milan and Varese editions sound dated due to the early 1980s recording quality, but this brand new digital recording sounds AMAZING!

To be clear, this new recording is not going to sound exactly like what you heard in the movie. I think this version sounds BETTER! If you really want the exact movie sound, get either the Milan or Varese editions, but get this new version too, or you're going to miss out on great sound and more music.

Currently, the new recording is only available on Amazon through third-party Screen Archives Entertainment. I almost let that deter me, but I'm glad I didn't. Also, don't be deterred by the somewhat low-quality artwork Amazon shows from the cd's back cover. The sound inside is absolutely first-rate.