Black Rain

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

The score for Black Rain is one cult follower in the genre of action music. One year after Rain Man's Oscar nomination, Hans Zimmer was asked by Ridley Scott to score the music. Mostly being impressed by Zimmer's use of ethnic material (A World Apart and Rain Man), Zimmer had the challenge to incorporate ethnic sounds in an action attempt. And mainly he did face more problems with the producers of the film than the actual integration of sound. Now after all this time, Zimmer still feels it is a strange yet effective score and Black Rain is still the start of the Zimmer sound, in at least the respectable way of saying that. The original score is found in a long suite (containing four tracks and not as the back cover indicates one track which could have either track time). There is also a bootleg which I have the pleasure or displeasure of discovering its perks but so far it is the material that interests me the most on this album. The songs which dominate the most part of the listening time are again not my cup of tea. Some are even so dreadful that they truly oblige you to sleep, or at least something off of this world. The example is there to prove it, 'Laserman' is ridiculous. There is one good song, the one that opens the movie, uses the main theme of Zimmer and appropriately written by Zimmer and ever pal Will Jennings and that is 'I'll be Holding On', saving the grace of the song section.

The score of Zimmer is mostly the pre '90 sounding synthetic combination of Zimmer adding sound effects and short performing acts to the score. It isn't far to search when the first minutes in 'Charlie Loses his Head' sound effects of Backdraft appear, or some tension moments of Pacific Heights. In the end of the track (6.10) a rather nice development appears. Still, the best "sort of" action music appears in 'Sugai'. Why I say "sort of" is because it isn't gun ho The Rock music but more the experimental type. That is also why Black Rain is the cult follower of many inspired by album releases of the next years. Still, what people will be the most crazy about, at least I was is 'Nick and Masa'. The end piece heard during the farewell with Nick at the airport is being supported with Beyond Rangoon subtlety in ethnic detail. A pan flute offers the most inspiring piece of music (1.35) before the main theme is stated one last time. In the end it is more the matter of your tastes that will decide your pleasure of listening to Black Rain in the first place. The synthesized music would also appear in various followers of its sort, all in their respected form (Bird on a Wire, Days of Thunder) but mostly Black Rain did set the standard. Zimmer fans might check out this score if they are interested in the more synthetic sound of his career as the opportunity before going after the bootleg. I don't know yet what this bootleg offers but as far as I can say, Black Rain is the action score of Zimmer's experimental nature.

Black Rain "Bootleg"

Zimmer experimented and succeeded in bringing an ethnically based action score for Ridley Scott's movie. The original soundtrack contained some 20 minutes of score and the question is: "what will the bootleg deliver in advance of that?" The answer is even unclear for Hans Zimmer fans, because I believe the bootleg doesn't really offer much new if you have heard what the original brings. I don't consider it a waste of money and effort but more the type of score that doesn't bring much new or interesting to warrant attention at. The score is not the type of gun ho action music and neither will it blow Beyond Rangoon of its ethnic saddle, but the score tries to mix portions of both together and trying to see it in the context of the movie, it is a successive mix that definitely asks for attention. But on album, and at least on an expanded album it somewhat fails to really impress me. The original does work because it sums up the better moments, offers variety and doesn't last long but the extra throws nothing excitingly new and more, throws in the parts that could have easily been forgotten, now knowing why they didn't insert every minute of music.

Like for instance track number 1, 'The Restaurant / Sato' which is just sound effects and little structure. The same for 'Sato's Escape / Nick's Arrest' that is 2 minutes forty seconds of complete bang and clang, irritating more with each second it continues. Also, with bootlegs the tracks are multiple, are sometimes so short that by the time you have read the title, it has stopped. And the sound quality is accessible but isn't too good either. And furthermore, the tracks are scattered around, meaning you have to search to get the examples as those heard on the original album. Like the track 'Sato' that is scattered in numbers 6 and 9, and the three tracks 11, 12 and 13 combine together the original 'Charlie Loses his Head'. One of the better moments of new added material is 'Joyce's Theme', but this is exactly the same as the 'Millennium Theme' on the Millennium release of several years later. It might be that this theme wasn't used in the final edit but it still strikes me that with a same oriental sound, Zimmer can make it almost a completely different piece of music, it only captured me with the third try. But nonetheless, the music is the same but the score drags more, and this especially through its mammoth release.

So, its really a bootleg that is out there for those really wanting every minute of music of Black Rain. It wasn't my personal favorite to begin with and if I had to choose to listen to a copy of Black Rain, I would choose 100% percent the original every time. Because the bootleg lasts too long, offers filler music sometimes, contains no extra highlights or very few better moments, doesn't have a perfect sound quality, bores on occasions and really isn't that strong to begin with. Of course my highlight of the score is 'Nick and Massa' and is still enjoyable way at the end of the score, even if its a different version. And even the late action piece 'The final Confrontation' is a welcome and enjoyable addition. But still all could have made Black Rain a little more accessible if 30 minutes would have been deleted, and than I mean those filler cues, like 'The Yakuza Codex' which really doesn't offer nothing to remember at the end. Truth, if people have any interest towards Black Rain, then its a wise choice to pick the original album. But if you are really interested, then it is still something of value, because it offers perhaps 10 minutes more of music that would have never felt out of place on the original. But that is 10 minutes, here we have 40 minutes that really isn't that good at all. Black Rain has a bootleg and means just one thing, its out there to please those who really want to.

Black Rain: *** Score: *** Songs: **
Black Rain "Bootleg": **1/2

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Livin' On The Edge Of The Night: Iggy Pop (3.39)

2. The Way You Do The Things You Do: UB40 (3.15)

3. Back To Life (Jam On The Groove Mix): Soul II Soul (5.07)

4. Laserman: Ryuichi Sakamoto (4.48)

5. Singing In The Shower: Les Rita Mitsouko and Sparks (4.23)

6. I'll Be Holding On: Gregg Allman (5.38)

7. Sato (4.45)

8. Charlie Loses His Head (7.03)

9. Sugai (6.55)

10. Nick And Masa (2.52)

Total Length: 48.37

Black Rain "Bootleg"

1. The Restaurant / Sato (6.02)

2. Through The Mirror (0.27)

3. Osaka (0.37)

4. The Handing Over (1.16)

5. Black Rain (0.28)

6. The Club (4.54)

7. Joyce's Theme (2.03)

8. Motorcycle Gang (1.58)

9. The Photo / The Tip (3.58)

10. Nick Steels The Money (2.04)

11. Charlie Loses His Head (2.19)

12. Sorrow (2.46)

13. Outburst Of Rage (3.13)

14. The Overshadow (2.39)

15. Chase To The Steel Plant (3.48)

16. The Steel Plant Part 1 (0.21)

17. The Steel Plant Part 2 (0.19)

18. The Steel Plant Part 3 (0.38)

19. The Steel Plant Part 4 (1.33)

20. Sugai / The Deal (8.57)

21. Sato's Escape / Nick's Arrest (4.12)

22. Nick's Decision (2.06)

23. Nick's Confession / Waiting (1.48)

24. Creep Up (2.04)

25. The Yakuza Codex (5.54)

26. The Final Confrontation (3.18)

27. Nick And Massa (2.37)

Total Length: 72.35

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

=== Link to Composer Site: Hans Zimmer ===