Search - Leonard Rosenman, Tom Scott :: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

You owe Tom Scott a listen

Tiny E | Nashville | 07/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This compilation of the fourth and fifth of the ape movies presented quite a surprise to this listener.



Lenoard Rosenman's score to Battle for the Planet of The Apes is what kept the film from completely falling into the kiddie pool, and is presented here in very good condition. The haunting final queue (only the dead) is as powerful when presented alone, as it is in the film with John Huston's cameo dialog.



The wonderful surprise in this album is found in the original score for Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, by Tom Scott.



Until I heard this recording I had considered the fourth film to be, from a musical perspective, interesting but in the end poorly executed. I had previously attributed it to the combination that Tom Scott was just getting started in the genre, that I was comparing his work to that of Goldsmiths, and that the audio quality of the film never seemed to be that great (even in the DVD's).



When I heard this album and what Tom Scott's original version of the score was and vision of what it could have been; my opinion was completly changed -- this could have been a score equal in weight to the rest of the series, if the film makers had just used more of it in the film. Perhaps it was last minute recutting on the part of the producers (which from what I have seen and read about the Conquest film happened in several scenes), or lack of confidence in a then 24 year old composer, but some of the best material was replaced with stock recordings from previous ape films. It happens even to legends in the film-scoring world (look at Alex North with 2001, or Jerry Goldsmith with Legend or Alien), and at the end of the day that's the movie business, but it still seems unfair.



We owe it to Tom Scott to hear what he intended for us to hear, and what represents the start of another branch of this under appreciated musicians eclectic career.

"

Surprisingly enjoyable.

Neil Shurley | Greenville, SC USA | 01/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jerry Goldsmith's landmark score for the original Apes remains an unmatched benchmark for the series. With that being understood, you can begin to enjoy and appreciate the scores for the later films, particularly these two entries. While Rosenman's contributions to Beneath and even here in Battle are a bit too deliberately "atonal" for my taste, there's still some great listening, particularly the Battle march segments. But the real find on this disc is Tom Scott's score for Conquest. While in many ways the sound is more trapped in the seventies than the other Apes scores (with perhaps Goldmith's Escape as another contender), there's still a lot here to enjoy. And for me, the seventies feel actually enhances the listening experience. Conquest as a whole remains underappreciated and Scott's score received short shrift in the final cut. But here, apart from the film, it conveys a certain charm and power that make it one of the more listenable of the Apes scores. Definitely worth the money for Apes fans, but more general film score buffs will get some enjoyment from it as well."

Leonard Rosenman's Best Ape Score

gobirds2 | New England | 05/26/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Leonard Rosenman's score for BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES is very good. It is a real departure from his BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES. BENEATH sounded more like his music for TV's COMBAT series (not a bad thing) while BATTLE is quite distinctive and gives this film a much needed drive to carry it. The CONQUEST score sounds good on it's own but lacks the connection of not having that Jerry Goldsmith sound or Rosenman's unique sound as well. However, this is a very good CD."