Pay It Forward (Score) [Soundtrack]

Thomas Newman, Jane Siberry | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 7, 2000)
• Original Release Date: November 7, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B000050HZV
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,015 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Possibility

2. Car Trouble

3. Washer Vodka

4. Cereal Bum

5. Come Out Jerry

6. Fixture Vodka

7. Rat Bastard

8. One Kiss

9. Tardiness

10. In Recovery

11. Jaguar

12. Dumpster

13. Sleepover

14. Cosmic Aristotle

15. Euphemism

16. Homeless

17. Pay It Forward

18. Night And Day And Night

19. Asthma

20. Powers Of Three

See all 27 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

If young Thomas Newman hasn't reinvented the art of film scoring, he's certainly bent and hammered many of its most shopworn clichés into refreshing new musical elements. As he did with similar work for American Beauty and Erin Brockovich, Newman's music suffuses the characters and plot of director Mimi Leder's socially conscious melodrama with an almost stealthy sense of mood and emotion. Once again using his small studio ensemble to great effect, Newman provides a modern, largely rhythmic soundscape, one whose electronically synthesized elements blend so well with his organic sounds as to be utterly seamless. And if there's a familiarity creeping into his work, it's only because Newman--like all the greats--has found such a distinct, effective musical voice. Equally important here, the composer also remembers the Newman family's daunting Hollywood roots--father Alfred, brother David, uncles Lionel and Emil, cousin Randy--and reinforces the film's sensitive nature with quiet, more traditional pastoral orchestral passages, frequently with his own spare solo piano taking the lead. Singer Jane Siberry's "Calling All Angels" closes the album out with appropriate grace and beauty. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth the money, January 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Pay It Forward (Score) (Audio CD)

If you love Thomas Newman, then you'll love Pay It Forward. If you've never heard his stuff, I highly recommend him. Pay It Forward is wide-ranging, almost eclectic, but all of his themes blend together wonderfully. I especially love the softer orchestral themes. I do wish the songs were longer, but if you've watched the movie, then you know that those were the full lengths of music found in the film. The CD is well worth the money I paid for it, and is one of the few CDs I have that I can listen to constantly.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A decent listening that doesn't quite pay off, December 23, 2002

By 

Brandon Cutro (Tyler, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pay It Forward (Score) (Audio CD)

First off I want to say Happy Holidays to everyone. Thomas Newman is one of the most experimental composers out there. His use of melodies and harmonies are unlike any other and his sound is fresh and unique. As usual, with Thomas Newman, I like to list all of the instruments that he uses in his scores, most of them you have probably never heard of. For Pay It Forward, he uses an electric autoharp, dutar, guitars, song bells, wave drums, processed loops, tap eko gate 1 (what the heck is that?), freeze 3 (??), prepared guitars (I guess the other ones are not prepared), alto flute, spit rhythms (I don't even want to know), processed glass (??), slow tubes (unlike the fast ones I suppose), phonographs, an ewi, a processed saz (??), and a piano (finally, something I know). A unique blend of instruments as you can see. There are 2 kinds of music found in the soundtrack. The first is upbeat and lively with plenty of percussion sounds and the use of the odd instrumentation listed above. The second is soft and more laid back with the piano carrying most of the music. The theme itself is found in "Possibility", "Tardiness", and "Desert Drive" and contains the more upbeat type of music described with guitars, piano, and off beat percussion. Other noteworthy cues include the soft piano tracks, including "Fixture Vodka", "One Kiss", "Night and Day and Night", and "Sleepover". Great orchestral music is found in "In Recovery", which Newman does the best at. Most of the rest of the score contains mainly filler music with lots of sound effect related sounds in it. The song "Calling All Angels" by Jane Siberry doesn't really sound much like Angels are being called to me. But, the score is okay and is not Newman's best. Still, a decent listenings worth and that's about it.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "this score...scores high on the must have scale", November 30, 2000

By 

J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pay It Forward (Score) (Audio CD)

Earning Oscar-nominations, no stranger to composing scores and coming from a musical dynasty - father was (Alfred Newman-Music Director at 20th Century Fox) is trudging forward with flying colors in this his latest release from Varese Sarabande - "Pay It Forward".

Something to think about from his past works - "Fried Green Tomatoes", "The Shawshank Redemption", "Scent of a Woman", "Little Women", "Horse Whisperer", "Lost Boys", "Corrina, Corrina", "Phenomenon", "Up Close & Personal" and "American Beauty"...all of which are outstanding scores, but hold on this may not be my final answer, the best is yet to come.

This score is moving, emotional and very close to his Academy Award nominated score for "American Beauty", but listen to "ONE KISS", very touching, warm and tender with piano coloring the scene with heart-felt love...another stand out is "I FORGIVE YOU", again a piano setting the mood, with strings echoing and blending the moment, total awareness is this beautiful cue.

In closing "CALLING ALL ANGELS" by Jane Siberry is lyrical with a message for all, nice effect and a wonderful addition to the already unique and kinetic arrangements by Newman...this my "movie-music" and "film-score-buffs" is a keeper!

Total Time: 45:47 on 27 Tracks...Varese Sarabande 066195...(2000)