What?! No electronics! Hurray!
Andres Segovia | 08/20/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Armaggedon, Gone In 60 Seconds, Enemy of the State, Deep Blue Sea, American Outlaws, National Treasure. Most of these scores are good but all too electonic. Rabin restrains himself from using any electronic instrument on this score. From the get-go, the score sounds like a mix of Saving Private Ryan for the main theme and a hint of The Thin Red Line for the subtle moments. Its a well done mixture.
"The Rescue" starts off much like the Saving Private Ryan ending with a patriotic brass section. The song greatly displays Rabin's departure from his more recent scores.
Another good track featuring the brassy theme in its entirety is "The Great Raid". The complete theme is not heard on the movie but at least we get it on the album.
There is only one action song and two tense songs. "Raid Begins" is action. "Rangers Start" and "Stealing Medicine" are tense. "The Geat Raid" track is a mixture of both elements since its a bit tense before coming to a tiumphant close to signal the conclusion of the raid.
This score is orchestral, a first for Rabin making this his most challenging. I recommend this score to all drama score lovers.
I also recommend Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, We Were Soldiers and The Thin Red Line as well."
Rabin's best, and one of the best this year.
Great Raid fan | New York | 09/28/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Great Raid takes the finest elements from Saving Private Ryan, mixes them with the more pleasant sounding themes of The Thin Red Line, and somewhere along the way composer Trevor Rabin has crafted his best score yet, and one of the best this year. The main theme, The Rescue, at just over 9 minutes, is a real jewel. It shifts from a triumphant main theme to a mellow, clarinet/oboe led piece, and returns to a patriotic, all instruments blaring finale. The tracks all keep the theme intact, which it should be noted, is quite catchy. To all music score lovers, you must buy this CD. To all Rabin fans, you must buy this CD to see how Rabin handles a score without use of any electronics. And to anyone who enjoyed the film, this score is unedited by its publisher, it is EXACTLY how its heard in the theater, and it is perfection. I cant recommend it highly enough."
Excellent Score, Riveting and Poignant
J. K. Moser | Flemington, New Jersey USA | 12/17/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've listened to many of Trevor Rabin's scores since he broke into the biz with the score to Armageddon that was really good. Since then he has often written scores that were not very melodic but very loud. The Great Raid is perhaps the greatest score Rabin has written. It's riveting, beautiful and powerful. It is totally enjoyable and really gives me hopes for Rabin's future as a composer. He perfectly captured the spirit of the movie and the spirit of the American soldier during World War II. Excellent score."