Customer Reviews

Highlander: The Original Scores

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

 

 

This soundtrack tells a story. You can't listen without hearing the story of Connor MacLeod and his quest for peace and neutrality. You can't listen without hearing the sounds of the movies that are the inspiration for the music.

The three composers have truly captured the spirit of the "Highlander" movies and franchise, and they have really made the movies seem wonderful, no matter what is said by others of the films and the like.

The music touches you, and you can learn something. From the haunting Highlander theme (Highlander I), to the great rock and guitars of Dam Raid (Highlander II), to the great Final Battle / Quickening 3 / Epilogue (Highlander III), you learn how the soft, soothing music defines MacLeod's character, and how the hard rock defines his enemies or else his struggles. The variations of music help with the story, and the story is excellent.

Thank you very much to the composers! Music defines what we are as people, and what art is. These three composers, no matter what film they worked on for this trilogy, have defined the Highalnder universe through their music.

Music tells a story. It is difficult, but these three gentlemen have truly done it well!

Bravo!

I'll make this breif. The first movie was the best after that things go down hill. If you saw the first movie or the TV series and think this CD has the same music, you will be wrong. This cd does not contain the real soundtrack from HighLander. If you want to hear Queen's Princes of the Quniverse or the full version of Who Wants to Live Forver, Then buy the Queen CD "A Kind of Magic" that cd is the real soundtrack of highlander.

This beautiful CD enables Highlander fans to experience the excitement and emotions of the movie anytime. This is a must for all Highlander fans. Listening to this CD took me back to the Highlands of Scotland and the story of Connor McCloud. I can't give this a high enough rating.

I love everything about Highlander, including the music that underscores the exploits of Connor and Duncan MacLeod.

Michael Kamen is one of the best composers working in the film industry today. He should be counted among John Williams, Basil Poledoris, and Danny Elfman. His music for 'Highlander' captures perfectly the romance of 1500s Scotland, the mystery of the Immortals, the excitement of the battles, and the hard rock of the contemporay settings - and blends them together seamlessly. The 'Highlander Theme' is especially good, as is the second half of track five, 'The Prize'.

How else can I say this, but: Stuart Copeland's score for 'Highlander 2' sucks. It is very uninspired music for an uninspired movie. Everything that has to do with 'Highlander 2' is a blight on the whole Highlander mythos.

However, J. Peter Robinson's work for 'Highlander-The Final Dimension' is excellent. The film itself is a retread of the original, worthy of inspection only for the action and Christopher Lambert's topnotch performance of Connor MacLeod. The other highlight is, of course, Robinson's music. It's use of traditional Scottish bagpipes really helps transport the listener to the Highlands, as well as enhances the Scotland scenes in the film. The movie centers on things Japanese though, and the soundtrack uses a lot of Japanese-sounding music (gongs and all that) to good effect. The music scoring the action scenes are rousing, as it should be, and romantic music isn't bad either. My favorite thing in the 'Final Dimension' portion of the the CD is the incorporation of Scottish folksong Bonny Portmore'. Too bad they didn't include the full version with lyrics on the album. Still, it is a good listen minus the middle section.

Simply put, Kamen's scores (the first 6) are great and are songs that don't have to go along with any movie to be enjoyed. The first track is THE highlander theme, and is very haunting and beautiful. the tracks for highlander 2 and 3 and for the most part, "movie music" with alot of usettling tense scoring. Didn't go for that but there are some gems within even those songs.

Although the scores from Highlander 2-3 are good, I always find myself stopping the CD after track 6 is done. Michael Kamen is a genius when it comes to composing, as seen in Band Of Brothers and Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. I definitely recommend this CD to all Highlander fans, and fans of great classic music alike.

l heard a little but l must say that it went in the deepest corners of my soul

"Who Wants to Live Forever" is probably one of the best songs on this CD. I also enjoyed "Love Theme and Shrine Fight" and "Swordfight at 34th Street" (Is it just me, or does this song sound very similar to Kamen's Robin Hood Prince of Thieves?)
To tell you the truth, most of the tracks I liked best were the ones by Michael Kamen (That doesn't mean I don't like the other composers).
Even though some tracks like "Shield Shatters" were a bit slow in capturing my interest, I like all the songs in the CD.

Stewart Copeland is one of the best musicians of our time. He has demostrate it since the extremely original Rumble Fish, The Rythmatist, The Equalizer, etc; but I can't recognize his style in the few tracks I've listen from this Highlander (and the other reviewers confirm that he's the author). I know about his abbilities as orchestral arranger through Dark Ships or Coco, but this score is so far from his style. Could he had developped it so radically or the production of the film gave him other people to work for him?. Surely this is not the fruit of his pure will but music guided by strict rules to follow. Anyway you can recognize clearly his hand behind the rythmical parts, so don't panic.
I've read three of theese reviews and I couldn't believe they could speak about the movie. Don't you reallize this is a music site and you're supposed to talk about it?. Please, if you're a film fanatic search the video and get out of here, where the music lovers are trying to get any proper approach. And even I confess didn't heard the whole album, theese words could at least point to the material you're looking for and no to a cinema show this music surely enhances with it's quality.

I was very pleased with everything related to my purchase. The quality was clear & clean. The delivery was actually quicker than I expected. I am very pleased.