Customer Reviews

Medal of Honor

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Forget for a moment about the video game "Medal of Honor" (as terrific as it may be). Forget about first-person shooting, about enemy A.I. and Frames Per Second. For a moment, think about war, particularly WWII. No war is ever a good thing, but this one was fought against one of the most cruel enemies to ever face humanity. Those who fought them and rose above and beyond the call of duty, those "ordinary men who did extraordinary things", are well remembered on this CD. From the stirring title theme onward, this could be one of the best soundtracks ever. In classic Spielberg-ian style, Michael Giacchino serves us an epic musical adventure; perhaps he's "the next John Williams"? Breaking free of looping, droning video game music, the game uses the sweeping orchestration not as a background noise, but as a dramatic device all it's own. Because some of the pieces were written to match scripted events not in the game, listening to this CD evokes images of a non-existant "Medal of Honor- The Movie". The hero's theme is as adventurous as anything Indiana Jones has ever heard, while the Nazi's big, bold brass theme is suitably tyrannical and arrogant. Also, listen for the bonus tracks: a Berlin big-band broadcast, the game's climactic ending, and a very wobbly national anthem. At it's core however, this CD evokes the same feeling that the game does: the urge to be a hero.

Medal of Honor...Probebly one of the best CDs ever written! Even when it comes to comparing it to an actual motion picture soundtrack. Michael Giacchino is really just another name for John Williams. They are both very similar in their style, although Giacchino likes to stay with the strings a lot more then John Williams tends to. Tracks such as the main title (of course), taking out the rail gun, the radar train, panzer attack, rjuken sabotage, merker's salt mine, and the jet aircraft are my favorite. (and probebly always will be) Medal of Honor is also a good CD when it comes to the style that certain tracks are written in. While a few of the tracks are quiet and slow with strings and percussion, others are swift with brass and strings. If you are the type of person who likes CDs such as Cutthroat Island, Star Wars, Raiders of the lost ark, Rocketeer or anything written by their composers, (Williams, Horner, Debney, etc) this CD is for you! I can't tell you enough how good this CD is, and you will not regret it if you get it. Because as soon as you get it, you will have a friend who will want to get it! Buy it!

This is probably the best classical music I've ever heard. The music is mostly dramatic and sounds like the movie saving private ryan and like A war movie. So I suggest you buy this Soundtract at amazon because I looked in all most every music store and they don't have it. So don't let this good thing just pass you by, buy it, buy The Medal of Honor soundtrack! And trust me, you won't be dissapointed.

THE video game of ALL WWII video games, Medal of Honor and its sequel, Medal of Honor Underground, have the best of the best in orchestral sound tracks. The music is riveting! John Williams' strong influence in Mr. Giacchino's music is obvious......and wonderful. The deep, rich big brass sounds are as soothing as hot chocolate on a cold winter's night. I first played a selection as an online sample through Amazon.com and being a John Williams fan, and Star Wars and Indiana Jones nut, I knew at once I had to have it. I became more cognizant of the music each time I played the PSX game gunning my way past Nazi after Nazi in hedgerow country. My first full length playing came on my daily 30 commute to work which takes me through the Fort Knox Military Reservation. Driving south on US 31W (Dixie Highway) the first track began as I was passing the airfield on a gorgeous breaking dawn. Blackhawk, Chinook and Apache attack helicopters were silhouetted against an orange-pink partly cloudy Kentucky sky as brass and drums played in the background. Chills ran up my spine as I passed The Patton Museum and "The Home of Armor". Visions of tanks in the snow covered Ardenne Forest and landings on Juno, Sword and Omaha beaches flashed before me accompanied by sounds of artillery and rapid machine gun fire. Then followed a fly over view of thousands of white cross grave markers in the Normandy Allied cemeteries. This music could have easily been the soundtrack to Saving Private Ryan, Patton, Star Wars, Indiana Jones or the soon to be released Pearl Harbor. The main theme reverberates throughout the soundtrack. Visions of the game field run through your memory as you replay every frame in each mission. Nazis cry out and fire as brass, drums, violins and accordians play on. This masterpiece deserves great praise and a Grammy nomination. A new Grammy category for Best Musical Score for Game Soundtrack should be established to honor such great music which, in this instance, honors our fighting men and women who served this nation and the world so proudly in uniform druing WWII. Never has so much been owed by so many to so few. They sacrificed their lives so that we might live in freedom. Thank you Michael Giacchino!

I was floored when, on Christmas Day 1999, I opened Medal of Honor for the PlayStation. I had recently seen Saving Private Ryan, and while the Normandy Invasion isn't part of the first Medal of Honor game ((it wouldn't appear on the Home Consoles until Medal of Honor: Frontline)) the game was like playing through the movie.

The atmosphereics were wonderful, the graphics detailed, and the Music! I thought it was a John Williams Score! The rousing themes, and the elements that give you the feeling of sneaking around as an OSS agent. Just fantastic. It was the first time I can remember being floored by a Video Game Score. This game had the production value of a feature film!

I wound up wandering the net looking for the score. I found it on Amazon when it was first released, but put off buying it until I had the money. By the time I had the money to buy the score it was sold out.

I was none too keen on buying the score for 60-100 dollars.

Five Years went by, and I never did get the soundtrack, until I finaly took the plunge and shelled out the dough.

Let me tell you this stands up as a score, and as a piece of music in its own right. It is wonderfully orchestrated. I would gladly line this up with the score to Saving Private Ryan. It's fantastic.

There are bonus tracks on the disk. The last two listed tracks are a reorcestration of the Medal of Honor theme, and an Atmosphereic ((including AM radio pops and static)) of a 40's pop song. There are alos two unlisted tracks. Including the final scene of the game, and the Composer's mother directing the national Anthem.

Now I just have to find the composer's most recent work for video games, Killzone for the PS2.

All in all a great buy at any price!

I remember being blown away by all the great gameplay qualities of Medal of Honor when it was first released. I was caught up in the 'Saving Private Ryan' feel the game had. It was only until I began replaying the game more that I keyed into the music. WOW! It is nothing short of fantastic. Medal of Honor made me really appreciate the music behind the game. I just recently bought the cd and it is just awesome. As well as bringing back some old memories it also has a few hints to Frontline at points in certain songs. I bought this along with Underground. Medal of Honor is a great compilation of all the music heard throughout the game, so if you've played the game, you know what I'm talking about. I'm going to hopfully order the Frontline soundtrack soon, as I have been completely blown away by the beauty of this and Underground. This and Underground go great together but the stand out tracks in this album are Medal of Honor, Taking out the Railgun, Panzer Attack, The U-boat, and The Road to Berlin. The whole album is fantastic. Buy the whole Medal of Honor soundtrack collection. You wont be dissapointed, especially if you love the games as much as I do.

The way I became engrossed in Medal of Honor was buying the Allied Assault game for the PC, which was most enjoyable. I was struck particularly by the in-game music which sounded as if it had been lifted from a movie. I discovered that whilst unfortunately there is no CD release for the "Allied Assault" score, other games in this franchise have had the music released, including this, the first. I bought this CD on the recommendations of reviewers on this website and on more specialist soundtrack-reviewing websites.

Anyway, what do I think of it? Actually my first thought on hearing the opening track was slight disappointment, purely for the reason that it was a different track to the one I imagined, that being the title music from "Allied Assault". But on re-listening track 1, it is simply wonderful. The lonely trumpet evokes imagery of a lone soldier, perhaps surveying a WW2 battleground, then joined by his comrades in arms. It builds up to a climax which makes you want to place your hand on your heart and thank God and the brave citizens who have given their lives so that we may live in a free world.

Much of the rest of the score is more playful. "The Radar Train" is rather jaunty, and, well, train-like! Giacchino uses his orchestra so well to reflect the mood of the setting in mind. Various themes are repeated throughout the score "John Williams" style. The main theme features in "Radar Train", in a slightly twisted form in "Panzer Attck", then coming back to a more glory-bound statement of the same in "The Jet Aircraft Facility". There is a "Nazi Theme" too, first heard towards the end of track 2, and is scattered around indicating a threat of attack. Other themes are interesting too, such as that used in "Merker's Salt Mine", "The U-Boat", and a glorious melody featured in "Stopping the V2 Launch". "Sabotage" brings back memories of Williams' "Scherzo" from "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade", but it is sufficiently distinctive in its own right for Giacchino to put his own stamp on.

For me, some of this CD took a little listening to before I was able to follow each track through. But what is so great is that whilst various themes are used, each track is very different and worthy of note in its own right.

My award for favourite track would have to be "Taking Out the Railgun". It's sneaky sounding with low strings at first, yet hints at bravado as the strings get higher and you approach your goal. It builds up and builds up, increasing in volume and stepping up half a key here and there, becoming more and more tense. I think that this is such a perfect example of how to gradually wrap a whole orchestra round a single theme and splash it out with cymbals, and build it up to a noisy, powerful statement. I could listen to this over and over again, it really is that good.

I suppose having not played the Playstation game, I listen to this with regard to the music, and not much to exactly which part of the game it represents. However this score can be enjoyed to the full without the need for that. Giacchino was given a free rein as he didn't have to tie the score to precise moments, and it's this which makes it such an enjoyable listening experience. This score is for me beyond comparison to anything in this genre at the moment.

This is totally, thoroughly superb. Every track is an absolute joy.

I do not know much about video game soundtracks and I have no idea who Michael Giacchino is. All I know is that this is some seriously good music that belongs in a film and not a video game, even though i'm sure it sounds outstanding while playing the game. This is music that is bombastic and fully orchestral with a military feel all the way through. The main theme is introduced in "Medal of Honor" and reminds me of something James Horner would write with a solo trumpet accompanied by snare drums, leading to a full orchestral statement of the theme. The other theme that is present in this score is the Nazi theme which is first introduced to us in "Locating Enemy Positions". This theme to me is the better theme because it is driving, ominous, and dramatic all at the same time. You can hear more of this theme in "Attack on Fort Schmerzen", "The Radar Train", "Panzer Attack", "Rjuken Sabotage", "Securing the Codebook", "Nordhausen", and "Stopping the V2 Launch". The highlight of this score, however, is the powerful and unstoppable action music. Knockout brass fanfares and thundering percussion are the highlights in almost every track. The only different track is "The Road to Berlin" which is a jazzy Cole Porter style cue. The Northwest Sinfonia with help on the orchestrations by Tim Simonec (who orchestrates and conducts for Graeme Revell), really does an outstanding job and needs to perform on much more film scores. If you haven't guessed by now, which you probably have, get this soundtrack! It's a can't miss!

Medal of Honor is beyond description, with its mighty brass themes and swift string runs. Never have I heard a composer like Michael Giacchino follow right behind the steps of John Williams. The only real difference I can see between them is that Giacchino uses strings much more often the Williams does. Unlike most soundtracks, every track on Medal of Honor is incredible, and you have to have a lot of time on your hands to listen to it, because you'll have to listen to every track! The German theme is a listener's dream, and is a joy to hear every time it suprises you around the corner with it's swift and brassy tune. Patterson's theme is almost as good, which isn't as tense as the German theme, but really gorgeous. (Listen to it on track 15...It's excellent!) Among the favorites of Medal of Honor, "Taking out the Railgun", "Rjuken Sabotage" and "The Jet Aircraft Facility" are my favorites. What we have is the next John Williams. WHATEVER you do, get this CD, and don't walk away without it. No one will regret it.

Medal of Honor is a war score in the tradition of John Williams. The core themes are excellent, and Michael Giacchino's composing talents are used to their fullest abilities.
The Allies and Patterson Themes are brave and noble, while the Nazi theme is sinister, yet fun and bombastic, slightly like the Imperial March.
Standout action cues include 'Taking Out The Railgun,'The Radar Train,' and 'Rjuken Sabotage.' 'Panzer Attack' introduces the Panzer theme, which is one of my personal favourites.
'Merker's Salt Mine' includs a repetitive motif that creates the feeling of zooming by in a mine cart. The finale, 'The Jet Aircraft Facility' is brilliant, with a rousing rendition of the Patterson Theme and nazi Theme in persuit. 'The Road To Berlin' is a nice jazz piece that fits in well.
There are 2 extra secret cues not listed here, but I won't spoil the surprise! A great booklet full of art and track analysis accompanies the soundtrack.
Buy this soon, because it has been out of print for sometime and soon there will be none left! I paid $30 for mine, so get out your wallets and start counting!