Philip Glass : Music from the Thin Blue Line [Import, Soundtrack]

Philip Glass (Artist), Philip Glass (Composer), Michael Riesman (Conductor) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Conductor: Michael Riesman
• Composer: Philip Glass
• Audio CD (April 4, 2003)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Soundtrack
• Label: Orange Mountain
• ASIN: B00008R102
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,197 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Adam’s Theme

2. Thin Blue Line

3. Help Me

4. Houston Skyline

5. Looking

6. Boston Blackie

7. Comets and Vegas

8. Deception

9. The Whole Truth

10. Remembering

11. Adam’s nightmare

12. Hypnotic Time

13. Harris’ Story

14. Randall

15. Strange and Abstract

16. Lies

17. Strange Welcome

18. Miller’s theme

19. Emily

Editorial Reviews

In 1988 Philip Glass scored Errol Morris’ extraordinary documentary film entitled "The Thin Blue Line". This film helped exonerate a man named Randall Adams who was serving a life sentence for the murder of a police officer that he didn’t commit. It was also responsible for exposing the actual murderer. Mr. Morris’ repetitive, obsessive storytelling style is perfectly supported by Philip Glass’ hypnotic score and the overall effect is so engaging and irresistible, that it is impossible not to be drawn into this true-life drama.

That same year Nonesuch Records released a CD of the film’s soundtrack that interestingly included the narration and interviews from the film and it tells the entire story. In continuing with Orange Mountain Music's mission to expose prime material from the Philip Glass archive of recordings, we have decided to release the original score without the voice-over so it can be experienced thoroughly. We have also included the extra material that was written and recorded for the film but was never used.

The Munkasci/Riesman team produced the original recordings and the ensemble includes strings, flutes, trumpets, French horns and percussion. The music is dark and moody, full of tension appropriately for such a chilling film. You can expect to be captivated by this masterful score.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A vast improvement over the original release!, May 1, 2003

By 

S. Schindler "Music lover" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Philip Glass : Music from the Thin Blue Line (Audio CD)

THE THIN BLUE LINE was a movie from the late '80s directed by Errol Morris which led to the release of Randall Adams from Texas' death row- a chilling account of justice gone horribly wrong. It's a movie that everyone should see. The score was provided by legendary composer Philip Glass.

The original Nonesuch Records 1990 soundtrack release of the score was a unique CD in that practically the entire spoken word soundtrack of the film was included on the CD. This made the CD an interesting listening experience which brought to mind what old-time radio shows were like. It was a unique combination of music and spoken word. Some tracks didn't have any music at all. There were also some gunshots on the soundtrack- if you would forget when they were going to happen and had the volume turned up, you could easily blow your speakers.

The unique format of the original soundtrack CD prevented it from being a CD you could listen to repeatedly, otherwise you would find yourself speaking like a crazy Texan!

This new release on Glass's private Orange Mountain Music label is music only and there are no gunshots going off as well. This enables the music to stand alone and it is a soundtrack I'll enjoy listening to repeatedly. This long-awaited version is great to play on the car stereo. There are also tracks included on this release which were not included in the film and the original CD.

The sound quality of this CD is beyond reproach and sounds far superior to the original, as recording technology has dramatically improved since 1990.

The music is dramatic, sorrowful, and it has an atmosphere of frustration about it- it perfectly captures the atmosphere of the film and the claustrophobia felt by Randall Adams as he was on death row. Yet I find the CD very enjoyable to listen to and not depressing at all. With Glass's music there is always a glimmer of hope and positive thoughts overcoming negative thoughts even in the darkest moments.

If you enjoy other Glass CD's such as "Mishima" and "The Hours", you'll love THE THIN BLUE LINE.

Thanks to the entire crew at Orange Mountain Music for this fantastic release!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Glass Gem, May 14, 2003

By 

Rob Atkins (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Philip Glass : Music from the Thin Blue Line (Audio CD)

This recording from Orange Mountain Music is a gem, as Philip Glass is a master of music for the screen. The narrative and visual image is enhanced by his compelling music, and this score runs a wide emotional range, at times lyrical, at times agitated, always very evocative and always utterly beautiful. Anyone who knows and loves Glass's work will be pleased to hear his unmistakable style on this disk, but there are several surprises as well, such as the use of very loose guitar rifs on a couple of tracks. The recording is bright and sharp; a big improvement over the original recording which included a voice-over narration from the lead character in the film. As this new recording does not include the narration it's like hearing a great Glass score for the first time. I love this music and highly recommend this disk.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Off the Beaten Path!!, January 19, 2004

By 

Kevin Currie-Knight "Education Grad Student" (Newark, Delaware) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Philip Glass : Music from the Thin Blue Line (Audio CD)

As with most of Philip Glass's soundtrack's the music to The Thin Blue Line is amazing (in a suprisingly subtle way). So why in the world was this soundtrack released in 1989 with DIALOGUE ON TOP OF IT?! What's more, to the dismay of all of us diehards', the dialogue was quite out front, with the music off in the background. What were they thinking?

Well, I can't complain anymore - and I'll gladly stop. This soundtrack - without any dialogue, thank you - is available for our enjoyment and it has been making regular rounds on my CD player ever since. For those whove not heard the soundtrack before, but have some familiarity with Glass, this music probably sounds most (loosely) akin to "Dancepieces". The instrumentation is sparse, the pieces are inventive while maintaining an openness and accessibility, and the chord changes have a tendency to give you chills (well, they do to me anyway).

There are plenty of highlights: really the first five tracks are all brilliant (the third being rearranged as Glass's solo piano piece 'metamorphisis 1'). I also really liked tracks 9, 10 and 11 (which are all extremely short peices exploiting the same chordal theme). Also, track 19 (a longer peice for strings that I don't think made it into the film or the other soundtrack) has a calm but mighty sound that I've only heard Glass be able to pull off.

There are, to be sure, a few...well...bizarre tracks that almost sound more like a Michael Nyman experiment than something Glass would do. Two tracks use jazz brushes on a snare, playing a soft swing underneath strings that are playing in straight syncopation. A mismatch, in my opinion. Another two tracks (one of them track 20 - the 'hidden' track) use a surf-sounding guitar and a peppy - almost poppy - feel akin to Michael Nyman. Besides that, track 20 uses more studio effects than I've ever heard Philip Glass use. Very bizarre indeed (but you may well like it, and at any rate, it is very different)!!

Long and short, this album is a gem, even if some of the tracks are a bit eclectic. Glass is to be commended for creating a soundtrack that is a.) this compelling, b.) this diverse from track to track, and c.) simply put, this beautiful!