Search - Basil Poledouris :: Conan the Barbarian

I cannot imagine any sane human being regretting buying this

king wolf | Jotunheim | 02/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't see any point in writing a long review. This isn't the kind of music that can be described in words, any more than Beethoven's Fifth or Ninth can be described in words, and the Conan soundtrack is like both of those rolled into one. You can throw around words like "huge", "epic", "glorious", "soaring", etc., and they still fall far short. Kettle drums like mountains falling from the sky. Brass like the charge of an army of immortals. Power beyond mortal comprehension and beauty beyond human sight. This isn't just the best movie soundtrack ever created, it is the best classical music composed in the last half of the twentieth century. If you don't possess it, that is a flaw in your character that you should remedy immediately.



(note added on the event of the death of Basil Poledouris: let all who read this review, however few or many they are, know that there are those of us who regard this work as some others regard Wagner: the peak of music, the soundtrack to our soul, the gospel music of our religion. Its composer, or, better, the medium who channeled it to our lesser sphere, is gone now from our stream of time -- but music, and spirit, exist outside that stream. BP RIP)"

Essential Movie Sountrack, by Crom!

Kort Kramer | South Florida, USA | 10/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This score, IMHO, is one the best of the last 1/2 20th century. Truly epic and egaging, the music tells a story and the movie would have been far less without it. My advice is read the reviews for the Varese Records recording. It is sadly years out of print, and has 4 more glorious tracks on it. Used copies are going for nearly $100 if that tells you anything. Get a copy of it if you can though. If you can't, do yourself a favor and at least pick up the lesser but still great Milan version. This is one movie score no music lover should be without."

Music as Strong and Bombastic as the Movie: EPIC!

John A Lee III | San Antonio, TX | 05/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not one to normally buy soundtracks. This one is an exception. The music captured me when I first saw the movie years ago and has continued to remain in my mind ever since. It is unforgettable.



There are many things that make the music memorable but what strike me most is the suitability to its purpose. Conan was a warrior fantasy epic. The music that accompanies it is just as epic. Strong themes run throughout which are memorable. It has a quality of operatic grandiosity and some of the passages are no less thrilling and memorable than the "Flight of the Valkyries" or "Carmina Burana". This is BIG music and unapologetic about it.



Revel in it!



"