Young Guns II (Expanded Bootleg)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

There are several things for certain, Alan Silvestri can score all genres. Yet he is most known for the adventure genre, the comedy or romantic genre and the western genre, as The Quick and the Dead and The Mexican already proved effortlessly. And therefore Young Guns II sounds so typically Silvestri like. Its got that flair, its got that Silvestri sound and its got that excellent over the top choir that accompanies it. And therefore Young Guns II sounds just good and right for a listen once and a while. There are 2 releases from Young Guns II, sadly both of them unreleased and they appear as bootlegs on the market. One carries 15 tracks alongside the unreleased score of Mac and Me. The other (this one reviewed here) is an expanded release with unnamed track titles (the expanded ones) and brings a little more material, not always earth shattering but it works to settle the mood and it works to give the themes more meaning and, more versions naturally. They aren't that necessary but some of them do add a nice spunk to the themes at times. It begins with 'Main Titles', a western feel is settled with guitar (played by Angel Romero) and choir then adds some depth to a slow moving theme. Its good because you don't expect something like that. 'Billy Discovered' by then lets the main theme enter stage and this is equally a choral based theme, more spunky and alive and when the bouncing tones of Flight of the Navigator takes it over, it simply feels over the top but you don't care, since Silvestri does it always with flair. 'The Shootout' and 'On the Run' are basically the same, but the latter is just expanding the material a bit, it still has that cool main theme finishing off a solo guitar based action movement with choir. Especially in the latter it sounds even more cool.

The track 'Reunited' has both themes, first the main titles music moving into the flute performance of the main theme and some playful guitar added to make it all sound Western based and (have I said it already) cool. 'Young Guns Theme' has some action music (never hard or big) moving into the main theme with choir, and when he adds even an electric guitar riff, then the coolness factor is even more awakened. 'Sheriff Pat Garrett' and 'The Indians' are more of Silvestri's trademark dark scoring, ala Predator and Back to the Future, and mostly it are what the unreleased tracks are presenting. At times naturally also the themes but most they set the mood and it doesn't always help, but they aren't ugly nor truly unwanted. 'Tom Dies' has the bouncy music (representing so Flight of the Navigator) being played soft on strings and makes a nice change. 'It's Over' has again both themes with their usual choir and especially the cool factor of the choir signing off into an epic horizon is great as ever. As said of previous unreleased music, most either state the themes slower, with or without choir, as some guitar rhythm or darker music. So they are not that bad yet don't present actual music that should be included in the original bootleg. Yet this changes near the end when the dark music is making way for the themes again, with especially 24 being a noticed track, action music based on the main theme, then the main titles with more pounding force on it and guitar and orchestra giving some typically nice Silvestri music. Also 22 with its solo based guitar main theme and 31 with a signaling choir to end all things is nice for unreleased music. So, I guess both versions do suffice because they bring basically good Silvestri music and Western based music with a flair only coming from Silvestri. Sometimes the unreleased music is a little more hiss based but doesn't bother a lot, especially when the cool themes make an entrance once again.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Main Titles (2.07)

2. Billy Discovered (1.35)

3. Previously Unreleased (1.05)

4. Previously Unreleased (0.36)

5. The Shootout (1.35)

6. Doc And Chavez Captured (2.05)

7. Lynch Mob (1.45)

8. On The Run (2.27)

9. Reunited (1.55)

10. Previously Unreleased (1.02)

11. Previously Unreleased (1.09)

12. Previously Unreleased (1.35)

13. Previously Unreleased (0.47)

14. Young Guns Theme (2.43)

15. Previously Unreleased (0.43)

16. Previously Unreleased (1.04)

17. Sheriff Pat Garrett (1.30)

18. The Indians (1.32)

19. White Oaks (2.33)

20. Tom Dies (1.36)

21. Previously Unreleased (1.08)

22. Previously Unreleased (1.12)

23. Previously Unreleased (1.36)

24. Previously Unreleased (2.10)

25. Previously Unreleased (0.31)

26. Previously Unreleased (1.38)

27. Previously Unreleased (1.08)

28. It's Over (2.59)

29. Previously Unreleased (0.58)

30. Hasta La Vista (1.48)

31. Previously Unreleased (1.17)

32. Young Guns Theme (Alternate) (2.44)

Total Length: 51.55

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons

=== Link to Composer Site: Alan Silvestri ===