Thelma and Louise

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

What album producers see in this case is beyond me but why put ten songs on the album if it clearly states "Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack", and what does Thelma and Louise offer, right: 1 score track of 4 minutes long and 10 songs which are heard for 25 seconds or not. Yes, instead of putting the score of Hans Zimmer on the album they chose for songs which are probably found on all of their releases of the mentioned groups. So the result is that people who want to hear this score simply can forget it or they have to find the bootleg, and that isn't easy. Still, the only score track is more then enough to give me a bit of a smile.

The songs aren't bad listening but the question is "do they interest me at all?". The answer is NO, some have a nice sound or sound familiar through the movie but this isn't something that I will listen to often simply to enjoy them. The track of Zimmer is enjoyable and features the gorgeous main theme plus a concert version performed by Pete Haycock. This is an absolute highlight but to say that it is worthy of the price of the entire CD is something else. Only the fans should try and then even there are questions. Thelma and Louise is a great score and I discovered that with the bootleg version, it has to happen this way because score fans want to hear score and not songs that only interest cowboys and country style enthusiasts. And to my knowledge that is also a select group, so you know where we stand.

Thelma and Louise "Bootleg"

In 3 years ('91 - '93) Zimmer scored more acclaimed projects then people think. And sadly today people still can not discover the pure artistic talent of a man, capable of more then just the so called Zimmer action sound. Why do people say this? Easy, because those are the ones ever released proper on CD. Proper means a commercial release on CD and consisting of enough material to warrant success. If fans only knew the magic inside Toys, Radio Flyer, Millennium, A League of their Own, Cool Runnings, The House of the Spirits and Thelma and Louise. None of these scores is action but drama, comedy and tragedy. And people will surely be shocked to find the thematic brilliance in some of these scores. Lately people have discovered the main theme of Thelma and Louise on The Wings of a Film CD, but the main movie version offers twice the emotional impact. Trust me, it will send shivers down your spine, that is why Thelma and Louise among others should be released in commercial ways, that people see Hans Zimmer as a different composer.

Zimmer himself stated that there isn't much besides the main theme, in a way this is true. The bootleg consists of the usual short cues and besides the main theme and several action chase moments there is indeed not much to warrant success on. But those moments that do count are priced double in effort and scale. The main theme heard as in 'The Decision' is absolutely emotionally grand. When Zimmer's theme is being accompanied by women's vocals it is truly mesmerizing. The action is chaotic, but consists of some truly sensational Zimmer ideas and overall it connects to the movie in a way unimaginable. The last tracks alone should deserve the attention. Being a bootleg, the quality is sometimes troublesome. While the overall sound is strong, it is the sudden fault in recording (like there is a scratch on the CD) that disappoints. And being found merely in 'The Decision' this is a shame.

Overall, Thelma and Louise is indeed a special score and movie, the ones that the fans of the movie will gladly hear. And some people will indeed find the main material not subsequent of attention, the ones that do count are riveting. Thelma and Louise so far exits in commercial outlet with a dozen songs and the track 'Thunderbird'. While this is a sensational track it isn't enough. This bootleg I believe offers ample material, the kind that improves when you near the end of the score. The bootleg so far has to do for those interested in the score. But I hope some day some of the noted scores deserve their random set of attention. Thelma and Louise is a score perfect for the movie, astonishing for its moments on CD and fans will know the kind of strong impact it has when those moments appear. Pete Haycock blesses the score with his performance, Zimmer overall offers a theme too good not to be heard in commercial outlets. Bootlegs are a last attempt to hear the music of the respected movie. Its simply this question hanging inside my mind. What can one track bring if you can hear 20 in return?

Score: *** Songs: **

Thelma and Louise: ***
Thelma and Louise "Bootleg": ****

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Part Of Me, Part Of You: Glenn Frey (5.58)

2. Badlands: Charlie Sexton (5.34)

3. House Of Hope: Tothi Childs (4.51)

4. I Can't Untie You From Me: Grayson Hugh (4.59)

5. Better Not Look Down: B.B. King (4.13)

6. Little Honey: Kelly Willis (4.42)

7. Kick The Stones: Chris Witley (3.51)

8. Wild Night: Martha Reeves (3.18)

9. Tennessee Plates: Charlie Sexton (3.30)

10. The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan: Marianne Faithfull (4.07)

11. Thunderbird * (4.04) Excellent Track

* Featuring Pete Haycock

Total Length: 49.29

Thelma and Louise "Bootleg"

1. Going To Mexico (2.12) Excellent Track

2. J.D. Appears (0.52)

3. Butt Talk (1.14)

4. Happy Birthday, Lady (0.51)

5. Picking Up J.D. (0.40)

6. Cops (1.00)

7. Jimmy愀 Money (0.32)

8. Cattle Stop / The F.B.I. (2.38)

9. Homecoming (0.59)

10. The Robbery (2.48) Excellent Track

11. Railway Station (3.40)

12. Loading Guns (1.32)

13. Wide Awake (3.00)

14. Bitches from Hell (0.46)

15. The Chase / Grand Canyon (7.54) Excellent Track

16. The Decision (5.03) Excellent Track

17. End Credits (2.05)

18. Thunderbird (4.04) Excellent Track

19. The Robbery (different version) (1.48)

20. Cattle Stop (different version) (2.35)

Total Length: 46.24

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

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