Varèse Sarabande Records release a deluxe edition of Jerry Goldsmith's score for the 1998 movie Small Soldiers. An epic action/adventure score with a heroic march. When teenager Alan buys a set of Commando Elite action figures, he's unaware that they have been programmed with military technology. The toys, including leader Chip, spring to life and start taking their directives seriously, beginning by "killing" their enemies, the toy Gorgonites. But Archer and the Gorgonites won't go down without a fight. Alan gets caught in the middle of the war, as does his neighbour and crush, Christy...

The latest CD Club title from Varèse Sarabande is Jerry Goldsmith's 1998 score from Small Soldiers. The concept of the CD Club debuted in 1989 as a mail order exclusive releasing limited edition batches of beloved previously unreleased or long-out of print scores, carefully curated by Robert Townson. The CD has received numerous requests over the years for a Deluxe Edition of this score and it's finally here, with an epic expansion and remastering effort.

I remember not being overly impressed when I went to see this movie at the cinema and to be honest, while I've managed to collect a lot of Goldsmith's scores, Small Soldiers was never one I even considered. I now realise why soundtrack collector's have been asking for a deluxe edition for all these years. While it's not up there with some of the composer's classic scores, it's still a rich and varied soundtrack.

There are many elements from his other scores here, but most notably Total Recall (1990). There's a good deal of interesting themes here and Goldsmith mixes conventional orchestral music with electronic themes (for tracks like 'Globotech').

Another worthy addition to the CD Club.

Track listing:

01. Globotech (:58)
02. He’s Here / Chip Hazard / Just Toys (1:00)  
03. The Assembly Line (2:44)  
04. Alan’s Town (1:25)
05. The Boxes / Off The Truck (2:12) 
06. Gorgonite Scum / Almost Gold (1:36)  
07. Roll Call (4:52)  
08. Alan And Archer (3:01)
09. Destruction / Branded (3:01)  
10. Prepare For Assault (3:48)  
11. Special Design (Extended Version) (2:38)  
12. Talk To Me / Not Found (3:07)  
13. Team Gorgonite (1:10)  
14. Phone Wires / Gorgon / Top Of The Stairs (1:12)  
15. Stand Down / Negative Target (1:52)  
16. The New Army / Brain Chip (1:14)  
17. Bombshelley (Franz Waxman) (1:21)  
18. The Wind (1:01)  
19. The Gwendys / Terms Of Surrender (1:50)  
20. The Trojan Box / Rocket Entry (1:45)  
21. Gwendys Attack (1:47) 
22. This Is Fun (1:26)  
23. Toast / Down The River / Lost Battle (1:21)  
24. I’m Scared (2:04)  
25. Negotiations (1:10)  
26. Fire In The Hole (3:45)  
27. Trust Me (4:07)  
28. No Prisoners (4:38)  
29. Chip Dies / Cleaning Up (1:39)  
30. Off To Gorgon (4:44)

Additional Music
31. Globotech (Alternate) (:55)  
32. Almost Gold (Alternate) (1:15)  
33. The New Army / Brain Chip (Alternates) (1:51)
34. Toast / Lost Battle (Alternates) (1:03)  
35. Ride Of The Valkyries (Richard Wagner) (:40)  
36. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Richard Strauss) (1:30)

8

Darren Rea