For Love of the Game

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Basil Poledouris is truly an accomplished composer, he has given us some of the best themes, wildest scores and overall maintained to bring entertaining soundtracks for a long period of time. Updating several scores including this one in the year 2001 got me thinking: "Why haven't I appreciated Basil Poledouris more then when he composed such masterpieces like Conan the Barbarian, Robocop, Farewell to the King, The Hunt for Red October, Quigley Down Under and Les Misérables among others"? Truth be told, I have but when he scored the likes of Crocodile Dundee 3 you start to realize that he's been missed for his potential, and for all its credit For Love of the Game has that potential, that Poledouris brilliance, in lesser orchestral bursts but wrapped in pure magic when it concerns the thematic quality.

It was the time when Poledouris began scoring the assignments he truly believed in, I at the time thought it was a good idea but now I wished he would have scored more efforts. Still, For Love of the Game is a tremendous joy to hear after all that time. It all starts with a superb main theme, beginning soft it is all that one needs to describe the pride and the love one has for a certain job, hobby or sport. In the case of Kevin Costner it is all the three but nonetheless Basil captures it with an essence so clear, it relaxes the musical mind and it is a fantastic begin for the score. 'Tuttle Knockdown' and 'Gus Hits' are perhaps a bit annoying through their use of the guitars (electric as normal) but they give the sport and characters a rough edge and a tough personality and fit perfectly with the movie. Still, some of the better moments of score are found in 'Lemonade' and 'No Hits' where a theme keeps building until it brings the perfect emotional performance. And the last tracks 'The Decision' and 'Last Pitch' are the highlights of the score, while the first offers us almost Rudy elegance and nobility it is the pure magic inside the last that will blow people out of their seats, be ready for an orchestral parade of heroism filled with a choral back up of majestic proportions, sure I'm exaggerating but it feels that way, it truly does.

Still, one of the better scores of Basil Poledouris of the '90 and accompanying a good dramatic sports drama, it all offers us what to hear and desire. In all that time, Basil Poledouris still hasn't lost his touch and I truly hope he picks up where he started. For Love of the Game is still a damn good score, bringing some of the best themes and finest moments of the last years coming of Basil Poledouris. I do have to warn people not to buy the original song release, offering if I recall correctly one lousy score track. Luckily it received its prime release and while 34 minutes in running length, I thank Varese Sarabande for bringing us a great collection of excellent musical material, coming of a composer I begin to miss more and more these days.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Main Theme (3.33) Excellent Track

2. Relationship Montage (3.38)

3. Tuttle Knockdown (1.50)

4. Jane's Home (4.51)

5. Gus Hits (1.09)

6. Lemonade (2.08) Excellent Track

7. The Apology (1.59)

8. No Hits (4.00)

9. The Decision (5.16) Excellent Track

10. Last Pitch (4.57) Excellent Track

Total Length: 33.33

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=== Link to Composer Site: Basil Poledouris ===