Milan Records (Sony Music Soundtracks) releases the Original Motion Picture Score to Ghostbusters II, by Randy Edelman. In the 1989 sequel, directed by Ivan Reitman, New York faces a new threat in the shape of the dark nature of the evil Carpathian. Award-winning composer Edelman was working on his first orchestral score at the time. His other soundtracks over an illustrious career include The Last of the Mohicans, Kindergarten Cop, My Cousin Vinny, The Mask, Anaconda, and The Whole Nine Yards. He is also a conductor, a singer, a producer, and a talented pianist. The soundtrack features 16 tracks recorded for the film, plus three new ones and an additional song recorded for the film but not featured in the final production. This score is available for the first time on vinyl, and also on CD and for download...

As you would expect, considering the composer’s prowess tickling the ivories, many of these tracks are piano-dominant – or at least piano-led introductions. Woodwind and full orchestral pieces all make themselves known. There is a nice balance here between the jaunty or quirky moments and the threatening or oppressive moods. The most sinister offering is undoubtedly 'A Slime Darkened Doorway', which proves eerie, with squeaks, intruding synthesiser and stalker-stomps. Many of the numbers defy genre pigeonholing and so avoid alienating any particular style of music. If anything protrudes it is a smattering of Jazz but, luckily, it’s not Freeform and so has structure and direction.

There is an amalgamation of separate moods within individual tracks, tantamount to pitting opposites against each other to see how they fare. For example, 'A Few Friends Save Manhattan' throws light and heavy atmospheres into the ring, 'A Baby Carriage Meets Heavy Traffic' plays it both upbeat and reflective, 'Order in the Court' has a rise and fall of fantastical elements, 'He’s Got Carpathian Eyes' uses harsh sounds with a withdrawal to delicate touches (and horror slams), and 'The Scoleri Brothers' presents percussion and strings with a brief re-working of the Ghostbusters theme.

Off course, it’s not all a battle of contradictions. There are some very nice standalone tracks as evidenced by a divine piano piece in 'The Sensitive Side', and a dramatic action-packed track which pulls out all the stops in 'Virgo’s Last Stand'. 'Final Portrait -Finale' acts as a main theme, incorporating all elements but with a prominence for piano and orchestral movement. This is an example of a film in which the music is greater than the film. I can’t imagine myself returning to this soundtrack that often, but have on the whole thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

8

Ty Power