One of the most requested soundtrack restorations released at last. Earlier this year, Intrada issued the premiere release of Alex North's original recording of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, a score legendary for being replaced entirely from the film with preexisting music. The treatment of Jerry Goldsmith's score to Ridley Scott's ALIEN is legendary in its own right, and for very similar reasons. For this monster film set in deep space, Goldsmith composed one of his most complex scores, relying on acoustic instruments to deliver the chilling, otherworldly atmosphere of the alien ship and its monstrous occupants. It was akin to his approach to PLANET OF THE APES, where Goldsmith eschewed electronics in favor of unique acoustic instruments to illustrate the foreboding landscape and upside down society. To achieve this effect in ALIEN, Goldsmith augmented the National Philharmonic Orchestra with didjeridu, serpent, and conch shell, with additional eerie effects courtesy of the echoplex, a process Goldsmith deployed previously to great effect in his score to PATTON. The result -- a masterful sci-fi/horror score that would influence genre movie scores for years to come. Despite Goldsmith's artistic genius in creating a striking sci-fi score, the filmmakers severely tampered with his music. Much of the music was removed from the film or employed in scenes for which it was not intended. Several cues from Goldsmith's early score to FREUD were tracked in. Worse yet, his sublime main title, emphasizing the mystery and vastness of space, went unused. Under duress, Goldsmith, rescored the main title for a starker, more minimalist piece which is heard in the film. While Goldsmith wrote an end title featuring the same main theme in all its glory, it too was removed from the film in favor of a selection from Howard Hanson's Symphony Number 2. What is heard in the film is not Goldsmith's musical vision for ALIEN. A soundtrack LP released at the time of the film featured 35-minutes of highlights from Goldsmith's score, presenting it more as he intended, with the original main and end titles in tact. Sound quality of this release was dry and compressed, and there was still much music both used and unused that did not make it to the album. Now, nearly thirty years after the film's release in 1979, with the generous cooperation of Universal Music Group and 20th Century Fox, Intrada presents the complete original score as Goldsmith intended, rounded out with all the alternates and rewrites, providing everything Goldsmith recorded for ALIEN. The album was remixed from the recently discovered 1" multi-track masters, bringing a new depth, detail, and crispness not heard in previous releases. Michael Matessino spent many painstaking weeks to deliver the striking results here, and also penning some of the most comprehensive liner notes written for a soundtrack, chronicling the saga of the genesis of the ALIEN score and its final results. This release is the final word on the complete ALIEN score, giving it the exposure and attention it has always deserved and giving admirers the album they have been craving for years.
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