Customer Reviews

The Omen: Original Motion Picture Score (Deluxe Edition)

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

The score to the "The Omen" netted famous composer Jerry Goldsmith his only Oscar (beating out two scores by Bernard Herrmann!) out of his many nominations. Few horror film scores -- indeed, scores to any kind of film -- have been as influential as this dive into Satanic terror. But on its own, "The Omen" score is something even larger than accompaniment to a scary film. This CD, which restores music missing from the original LP and CD release and puts the cues in chronological order, shows that "The Omen" score is a masterpiece of American concert music, sort of an orchestral/choral tone poem of fear and sadness. It's an unnerving thing to listen to for the first time (scared me half to death first time I heard it, and I hadn't even seen the film yet), but becomes more impressive and even beautiful with each additional listening. There is really nothing else like it in film music: a dark, gorgeous piece of profane music.

This CD is still missing a number of smaller cues from the film, such as Lee Remick's death, the unused music for the early appearances of the dog, and the evil nanny's first meeting with Damien, but it restores most of the important pieces that were unavailable until now: "I Was There," (Father Brennan's first attempt to explain to ambassador Thorn who his son is), "Broken Vows" (the approach to the church when Damien has his fit), "The Day He Died" (searching Brennan's apartment), and "Beheaded" (self-explanatory).

The score is based on two ideas. First is a Black Mass, an inversion of the Catholic mass, sung by a mixed choir. Not actually a theme, the choral motif changes constantly depending on the requirements of the scene, but it always indicates some sort of Satanic presence or evil occurrence (in fact, Goldsmith's score is the ONLY indication in the film that anything supernatural might be occurring, and is thus a crucial part of the storytelling). The Black Mass is established in the first cue, "Ave Satani." (Believe it or not, it was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, but lost to "Evergreen." Kind of makes you sick, huh?) "Ave Satani" is actually the music for the end credits (the second half of the final cue, "The Altar" is the music heard over the opening credits), but serves as the perfect opening to the soundtrack. The choir intones the Latin phrases they will utilize for the rest of the score.

The otherwise informative liner notes to the album neglect to print the lyrics, so here they are:

Sanguis bebimus corpus edimus
Tolle corpus Satatni
Ave versus Christus
Ave Satani

Which roughly translates as: "We drink the blood, we eat the body. Raise the body of Satan. Hail Antichrist. Hail Satan."

(Think of how enriched your experience of the album will be now you know what that creepy choir is actually saying. Yipes!)

For the rest of the score, Goldsmith uses the chorus as an assault weapon. "Ave Satani" is stately and slow, but the chorus becomes vicious and bizarre as the score continues, using each word like a weapon, repeating them endlessly in strange patterns. Goldsmith effectively dumps the form of traditional religious music and goes for a modernist approach (Stravinsky and Bartok are probably the closest equivalents). The chorus is positively insane on such cues as "The Killer Storm," "Beheaded," "The Demise of Mrs. Baylock," and "The Dogs Attack." This last cue is the score highlight, beginning with eerie whisperings and turning into a full-on choral assault that hits screaming pitches. This music is really like getting run over by the orchestra and chorus, and it wrings you out. Believe me, you'll love it.

The second idea is the "Family Theme," a delicate love theme first heard on "Ave Satani" as a few chords on the piano before the Black Mass starts. It flowers into a beautiful and childlike melody on the cue "The New Ambassador." Goldsmith then spends the rest of the score slowly destroying the theme with dissonance, minor chords, and dark orchestrations. By the time of "The Bed" near the end of the score, the theme is almost unrecognizable, as all the love of the family from the beginning has disintegrated into nothing. It's an unsettling musical trip. (The love theme also appears as a vocal, "The Piper Dreams," at the end of the album. I don't consider this part of the score proper, and it wasn't in the film, thankfully.)

This CD is a must for anyone interested in orchestral American music, choral music, or any kind of music that leaves a unique lasting impression. It is one of the masterpieces of modern music.

Often the case I have noticed with original releases of soundtracks that only a certain selection of tracks make it onto the record, and still there is a considerable amount of music featured on the film's soundtrack that is left out and these arn't always reprises of familiar themes but other themes that very much make an impact.
I always found this a disappointing case with many fine soundtracks having compared the amount of music on the film itself and the actual soundtrack album. Why should some of the finest music composed be restricted to one medium??
Now all that seems to be changing with a significant number of classic soundtracks been reissued and remastered with additional material and the new Deluxe version of 'The Omen' is a fitting and very pleasing example of a timeless and very powerful Jerry Goldsmith score which has earned Goldsmith so far his only Oscar for best original score 1977. Goldsmith's music for 'The Omen' made an an already frightning film all the more effective with this masterful and highly original experimentation of the horror genre.
The malevolent use of diabolical vocals and chantings from a choir as well as the eerie use of violins and other instruments make this still the finest horror score. I remenber first listening to this soundtrack in the dark for the first time and to say it was quite unsettling was an understatement.
Along with never before been released tracks(a total of eight)the sound quality is a definite improvement and the packaging is splendid!!!
I'm now looking froward to 'The Final Conflict' Deluxe edition!!!
Its a pity that there will be no Deluxe edition at this time for 'Damien Omen II' as I believe the rights to that album is still owned by Silvascreen!!!
Highly recommended!!!
Enjoy!!! If you dare!!!!

Although this is a very noteworthy and long overdue extended release of one of the most important scores ever written for a movie, it is somewhat bothering that this edition still isn't final. There are still missing more than five minutes of original material of which 2 cues ("Father Spiletto" and "Kathy's Death")are to be considered absolute highlights next to the finally released cues such as "Broken Vows","Beheaded" and of course the classic chillers like "Ave Satani","The Killer Storm" and "..Mrs Baylock". As for the release itself, what you get is first-class and a must-have for every collector : 5 stars for the music minus one for the missing cues. Enjoy it!

Goldsmith may have written better scores, but no one else could have written this.

A Knockout score.

The Omen is one of Jerry Goldsmith's approximately 21 masterpieces. I don't care if you are a film music fan, a Jerry Goldsmith fan, a horror film buff, an avant-garde music afficionado, or simply someone who appreciates great, cutting-edge, totally original musical breakthroughs, this brilliant (and finally expanded) edition of this musical milestone is a welcome addition to anyone who appreciates good music.

This "deluxe edition" finally includes the entire score of the film. Buy this CD and you will understand why Jerry Goldsmith finally won the Academy Award for best Score of 1976 for this landmark (and much imitated) music.

Time and Time again, Jerry Goldsmith has composed wonderful music for movies that don't deserve his talent. His music has duped me into loving dubious efforts such as Logan's Run (Another superlative score), Coma and The Mummy. The Omen has slipped into classic status due to it's cast and Goldsmith's fantastic score. It is otherwise a dated piece of filmwork.

Goldsmith builds his thematic material on an ancient musical superstition, the devil's tritone. The tritone is an augmented third chord that creates an unpleasant dissonance. This dissonance was so disturbing that composers avoided it completely when composing religious music. The church had banned it's use. According to legend this horrible chord was inserted into the scale by the devil in order to ruin God's perfect chord harmonies. We used to laugh about it in music class but after listening to Goldsmith's score, maybe there is some truth behind the legend.

The soundtrack starts off with the groundbreaking "Ave Satani". A very black mass choral work filled with demonic tritones. It is disturbing, haunting and powerful and never fails to give the listener a good case of paranoia. Goldsmith then invites the listener to relax into false security with his beautiful love theme (A new Ambassador and Piper Dreams) But listen again to these themes. They are really just a variation of "Ave Satani" disguised with beautiful scoring and in the case of "Piper Dreams" innocuous but insidious lyrics. The love theme which is strong in the beginning of the film then fades and sours through the course of the score. As the love theme dies, it's demonic twin "Ave Satani" co-opts it's theme and adds further variations. The whispering of the chorus during "The demise of Mrs. Baylock" is terrifying.

This score deserves it's place as a piece of art on it's own away from the film. It's influence can even be heard in recent films such as The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the new Star Wars Prequels. But this still keeps topping them all. Hopefully, Goldsmith will reset his musical material into a concert version that won't be so choppy and obviously film cue driven.

Also note: don't listen to this score at night because it's disharmonies will cause nightmares!

If you are looking for really dark satanic orchestra music, you found it. Lots of choral chanting by deep voices and women vocals too. I loved the score for "Bless the Child" and then I found this. Can not say enough good things about this. The song at the end has vocals and was not used in the movie. It sucks, but it is thankfully the last track so in no way should that stop you from buying this score

How Goldsmith never won an Oscar prior to this magnificent work is beyond me. As an earlier reviewer stated, he has scored countless films that were not worthy of his talent, but films such as Patton, Alien and Planet of the Apes certainly put Goldsmith in the same light as The Omen. But back to business.

I will admit that this is the first time I have heard this score. Needless to say, I don't think I'm going to sleep well tonight! What Goldsmith gave to this film was almost a separate living thing altogether. The opening mass piece Ave Satani immediately sets the demonic tone with the first organ notes in clashing semitones. The most chilling variation of this piece has to be in the track entitled The Killer Storm. This truly sends chills down your spine, not just because it does its job in scoring a shocking death scene, but also because it makes you feel like you are the Devil himself killing the priest.

The love theme that Goldsmith created for Peck and Rimick's characters serves a dual purpose in that it illustrates the lives of the Thorns before their unfortunate revelation, and serves as the first entry of the boy himself. As a result, this theme continuously evolves into something darker and more mournful. Goldsmith was even good enough to include a song performed by his wife based on this beautiful theme, which was created especially for the soundtrack's LP release.

Overall, this score keeps you on your toes, even during its subtle moments. Goldsmith was surely in another dimension of musicality when he created this. As a past reviewer stated: "Nobody else could have written this." And it is in this light that Goldsmith stands alone as a composer, even after his passing.

This CD should come with a DISCLAIMER!

Without exception, this is the most chilling, soul shattering, truly, deeply, profoundly disturbing musical composition ever written. What an ordeal to subject one's nerves to!

"Ave Satani" must have shocked the hell out of the audience when they performed it at the Academy Awards! And, as a previous reviewer very astutely noted, every single note of this score deserved the Academy Award.

And for the benefit of those of you unfamiliar with Latin:

Sanquis bibimus, Corpus edimus
Prode corpus Satani
Ave, Ave Versus Christus
Ave, Ave Satanti

We drink blood, We eat flesh
Bring forth the body of Satan
Hail Antichrist
Hail Satan

The other version runs:

Sanquis Vivimus, Corpus venimus
Prode Cantus Satani

Blood, we are alive, Body we are coming
Sing forth the incantation of Satan

[There are differing schools of thought as to what the actual Latin text is -one concert version actually exchanged "versus Christus" with "Jesu Christus"!]

Musically powerful and very effective, the score is one of the most original and polished ever written for a film -or the concert hall. It's essentially a chamber piece for small orchestra and mixed chorus, though recent recordings have used larger orchestras and even more varied vocal arrangements.

This newly remastered and restored version is a prized addition to any film music collection.

. . . this is the most frightening, superlative music ever written for a film.