SOUNDTRACK
The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse
Original Film Soundtrack

Composer: Crème Brulee - no wait, that's not right... Joby Talbot
Silva Screen
RRP: £8.59
SILCD 1189
Available 04 July 2005


Something has gone disastrously wrong in the nightmarish town of Royston Vasey, as a series of dark omens foretell its doom. The only way to avert disaster is for a rescue party of local people to enter a parallel world to confront the League of Gentlemen, the comedy troupe who have doomed their creations by ceasing to write about them...

What's all this music? We'll have no trouble here!

Never before has Joby Talbot's theme to The League of Gentlemen been released on CD, but now at last it is available, as part of this soundtrack to the League's new big-screen adventure. Here you will find at least half a dozen variations on the famous signature tune, including the cool 'Stripped Down Theme' and snippets of it in the madcap yet groovy '"Have you seen me?"' and the movie's opening 'Apocalypse Theme'.

There's an unmistakable flavour of John Carpenter's Halloween music in the 'Apocalypse Theme' and '"It's a Miracle"', both of which are backed by a Carpenter-style ticking beat. Other creepy film references include Jerry Goldsmith's The Omen, hints of which surface in both 'Little Brown Fish' and 'Herr Lipp Unmasked'.

There are also traces of the style of Michael Nyman, in 'An Humunculus' and 'The King's Evil', but this is perhaps not surprising since Talbot has worked with Nyman during his varied career. It is also entirely appropriate, since the League's connection with Nyman's haunting musical style stretches all the way back to their radio series, On the Town with the League of Gentlemen, which borrowed the composer's main theme to The Draughtsman's Contract.

Unlike most movie soundtracks these days, which are usually at least an hour long, this one runs to less than 45 minutes. I can't recall a soundtrack album being as short as this since the days of vinyl. However, the asking price is appropriately slight and the majority of the music on this CD does bear up to repeated listening.

It's well worth purchasing this precious thing from your local music shop.

Dave - no wait, hang on... Richard McGinlay

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All prices correct at time of going to press.