The Falcon And The Snowman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [SOUNDTRACK]

Pat Metheny

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 2, 1990)
• Original Release Date: January 25, 1985
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00000DQWT
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,785 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

His prolific output, indelible sound, and innate versatility would earmark Pat Metheny as an obvious candidate for film music, making this lone 1985 foray into film scoring remarkable for its singularity. The set is credited to the Pat Metheny Group, then a sextet including brilliant percussionist Nana Vasconcelos, with choir and orchestra added to expand the music's sweep--added ammunition, to be sure, but ironically of diminishing value when Metheny's signature guitar shimmer, Lyle Mays's multi-layered, textured keyboards, and the rest of the group could create such vivid music without props. The centerpiece remains their lone collaboration with David Bowie on "This Is Not America," a tasteful and largely successful collaboration intended to underline the espionage thriller's central theme of alienation and disaffection. Ironically, Metheny's most "cinematic" music has been delivered since, albeit in the conventional context of his subsequent albums, especially 1992's solo Secret Story. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hot Soundtrack, November 28, 2002

By	Anomaly "Anom" (United States) - See all my reviews

I have listend to this soundtrack millions of times and NEVER get tired of the tracks "Chris", "Daulton Lee" and "This is Not America" (both instrumental and vocal versions). Pat Metheny blew me away with this soundtrack. Without it, the movie would have been much less than what it was. This is a must for any film score collector, or synthesizer lover.

David Bowie's vocal on this is my favorite song ever done by Bowie.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligence Personified, June 7, 2001

By	Gavin Wilson - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

'The Falcon and the Snowman' was, frankly, a so-so film, but it was the inspiration for this gorgeous soundtrack. I have the movie on DVD, and although the sound is crystal clear, it's unfortunately in mono. The movie featured songs by many other artists -- such as Free's 'All Right Now' and the Doobie Brothers' 'China Grove' -- but this album focuses entirely on music performed and arranged by Metheny and Mays. My copy of the CD simply uses a photo-reduction of the original LP sleeve, so the text is virtually unreadable. But reading through the end credits on the DVD, the band personnel are Metheny, Mays, Rodby and Wertico. There's no mention of another singing percussionist -- neither Aznar nor Vasconcelos are acknowledged to be on this album, although the chanting on 'The Falcon' sounds identical to Pedro's voice.

The album is a gem, although there are basically just two constantly recurring themes: the sublime 'Daulton Lee' and the chart-destined 'Chris'/'This is not America'. Track #6, 'The Extent of the Lie', is another Metheny/Mays soundscape, of the type first tried out on the 'As Falls Wichita' album.

I remember seeing Metheny in interview at the time of the making of this soundtrack -- it was all recorded in England -- and this was at a time when Metheny and Mays were effectively the unofficial sales arm of New England Digital. Metheny gave a superbly modest demonstration of the synclavier, using a keyboard rather than a guitar as the input vehicle. It was fascinating to see the sheet music automatically generated from his doodlings. Sounds simple now, but back in 1985 this was impressive!

The film features my ideal intelligence job: you lock yourself away where no-one can reach you, and you observe many of the top-secret activities going on around the globe. If only it were better paid!

Ultimately this soundtrack is better than the movie, and I still think it's the best soundtrack the PMG has recorded. I cannot help feeling that Metheny and Mays have at least a couple more monster soundtracks within them, if only they could work together on the project.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Falcon and the snowman, January 12, 2000

By	Karl Derr (Indianapolis) - See all my reviews

I bought this CD for the one song "CHRIS" and it was worth it! I had heard this cut many times on jazz stations but they never announced who it was! When I found it was Pat metheny, I could not find it anywhere. That cut is positively mesmerizing!Interesting to hear David Bowie, too! Thank You Amazon for stocking everything we need!