Graeme's Best
Alec Corday | The Inferno | 12/16/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Few musicians emerge onto the scene with such grace and background as Gaeme. Out of unusual places spring unusual people, and in Red Planet he demonstrates that unusual music has the same genesis. I dare to say that Red Planet is one of the best soundtracks to date for its unusual combination of styles. Although classical intonations for Sci-fi flicks are not unheard of (can you say 'Also sprach Zarathustra' from 2001:ASO?) Graeme managed to bring it to new heights with Emma Shapplin's voice and 17 century Italian lyrics underscoring space. He used a similar approach for the mini-series Dune and the underrated Pitch Black, although on a lesser budget. Other musicians have set their own marks in scores that they will forever be remembered for (John Williams `Star Wars' and `Indiana Jones', Eric Sierra `Le Gran Bleu' to name a few), and it is Red Planet that gives Graeme his place in music heaven.IMHO the track that stands clearly above all the others is 'The Inferno', a classic-neoelectronic combination of time and space, heightened to near extasy by Emma's strikingly clear voice, something even unapproachable to S. Brightman. This score is heard as the lone star ship leaved Mars in its wake and transcendences over into deep space on its way back to earth, and its Graeme, not Kilmer, who holds most of these scenes, and its Emma, not Moss, who captivates us with infinite beauty. Gaeme has given us something to listen to every day, as well as introduced a vocalist (Emma) to the world that hopefully we will still hear much of (this said I recommend also Emma's own non-soundtrack singles, such as `Discovering Yourself')."
Excellent all the way through
Matthew | California | 10/31/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I originally sought this record for the alternate versions of Peter Gabriel's The Tower That Ate People (btw, it originally appeared on OVO The Millenium Show, a terrific record). Very happy with those remixes & also very excited about the quality of each & every other track ... Emma Shapplin, Graeme Revell, etc. A super disk."
Graeme Revell hits the mark
Frosty Cold One | Seattle, WA USA | 12/06/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I haven't seen the film, and don't know who Emma Shapplin is: I only bought this due to my interest in GR's work (and getting it for $1.99 on Amazon didn't hurt). I was not disappointed, as he has written 7 tracks on this CD -- one of them co-written and co-performed by Melissa Kaplan (probably the best track). His work here proves his talent, especially his ability to convey a sense of the otherworldly, which I assume is the point here considering the theme of the film. As a bonus, I was introduced to Strange Cargo. [I'm not about to run out to the store and buy their albums, but their song on this CD was quirky.]
I hope that GR can keep it up for years to come. If you are interested in his audiosculptures, check out his CD "Zamia Lehmanni" from 1986, when he was in his prime [in the Industrial band SPK].
I am recommending Red Planet because it is a CD that you will likely still enjoy a year or more after purchase. Also, it simply doesn't sound like generic soundtrack muzak.
The one thing that bothers me is that it totals less than 1 hour."
