CD REVIEW - KRULL


Krull
Music by James Horner
La-La Land Records LLLCD 1143 (US)
Disc 1 - 11 Tracks 45:23 mins
Disc 2 - 12 Tracks 54:16 mins

Another attractive limited edition release from La-La Land Records is the 3000 unit Krull, a double disc presentation of James Horner's score for the enjoyable 1983 fantasy. Of course, there have been a few releases of this score over the years, the most complete being the 1998 Super Tracks limited edition. This release includes all the tracks from that issue, and adds a couple more album edits. All of this accompanied by the usual high-quality booklet we've come to expect from the label, with extensive notes on the film and its music by Jeff Bond, including the always desirable cue-by-cue guide, all illustrated with plenty of colour stills.
If, by some amazing chance, you haven't got any of the previous albums, and are not familiar with the score, it was written at the time when James Horner was getting his share of criticism for sounding too like many of his contemporaries, especially Jerry Goldsmith. This score leans less on the great composer, with Horner beginning to find his own style, though there are still flashes of the likes of Williams, Bernstein and Prokofiev. The most glaring similarity though, is his music for the nasty Slayers, which is highly reliant on Holst's "Mars, The Bringer of War" from his The Planets Suite. To be fair to Horner, he, like many young, as well as more seasoned composers since, was often probably at the mercy of the dreaded temp track and, when you're taking your first tentative steps into the industry, you are hardly in a position to argue with the powers that be.
No, I'd rather admire the youthful exuberance displayed in his music for Krull, which does it's best to sweep the action of the film along and makes for a thoroughly entertaining listen away from it as well, performed superbly as it is by the renowned London Symphony Orchestra. Highlights include a gorgeous love theme for Prince Colwyn and his intended, Lyssa; the flowing, inspirational "Ride of the Firemares" and even the ethereal theme for the magical weapon Colwyn uses to battle the evil "Beast," though the Ambrosian Singers do struggle a little with the range of this.
You can check out some samples at www.lalalandrecords.com/Krull.html, before ordering your copy of this, for a limited time, specially priced, and highly enjoyable album.