Angela's Ashes

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

As the time went by, Williams as the leading composer of today grew to a mature side of composition. Hook, Far and Away and Jurassic Park will be the last real over the top magical and fully orchestral scores, since then Williams went on a darker path, a more dramatic line and while it gave fans masterpieces such as Schindler's List and Seven Years in Tibet it was clear that fans wanted that unique sound on occasions. While different then the first three, The Phantom Menace gave a part of that, Angela's Ashes offered us Williams when dark, when emotional but when composing some of the finest themes possible for a dramatic film such as Alan Parker's Angela's Ashes. Surely one of the best Williams' scores of the last years. No doubt to pinpoint the success of the year 1999 for John Williams, no Spielberg film that year but magic on galaxies with The Phantom Menace and dramatic emotion on the highest level with Angela's Ashes.

The movie, while a bit too long is surely remembered for several reasons, the acting and overall script and mostly for its fullest capacity in emotion when Williams' best thematic themes start to strengthen the movie. Its been several years since the last classic scores have appeared but each year we, as score fans have been blessed with some of the best themes of the past decade, the dark Lost World theme, the emotional high pitched Seven Years in Tibet cracker, the bouncy Amistad and the memorial hymn of Saving Private Ryan, Angela's Ashes among many things offers us spine tingling emotion with 'Theme from Angela's Ashes'. Like some of Williams' latest scores, both the begin and end features a glorious main theme performance and both are breathtaking. The main theme is similar to the sound of Seven Years in Tibet and the dramatic overall feel of Schindler's List, to let you know the kind of misery the family went through. On the other hand this score offers much more, the tracks 'My Dad's Stories' and 'Delivering Telegrams' remind me a lot of the track 'Nocturnal Activities' from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The strings create a typical running around and sneaky feeling, brought to life on the pizzicato way, when the snares of the violin are touched by the fingers.

And emotion rains from heaven in 'Angela's Prayer' and 'Looking for Work'. Still one amazing key element that makes Angela's Ashes such a unforgettable score is 'Back to America' with another Williams' theme to melt for. The only regrettable fact about the Sony Classical release is the narration between almost each cue. 4 tracks, including the two concert arrangements aren't included by dialogue phrases and even the 2 songs are filled with the main character's stories. Worse, some of the narration is even heard during the middle of a track. There was another release of Angela's Ashes that followed soon, without the dialogue phrases so be sure what to buy and purchase. Overall Angela's Ashes is the kind of score that receives the attention and consideration when the Oscars are handed over and surely Williams' Angela's Ashes will be picked in favor of the newest Star Wars score. Sad perhaps, but one score deserves the applause and with all the thematic brilliance this score possess, it is no shame to deny that even Williams' on emotional mode is surely a gift from heaven to listen to.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Theme From Angela's Ashes (6.17) Excellent Track

2. My Story * (2.18)

3. Angela's Prayer (4.47) Excellent Track

4. My Dad's Stories * (1.55)

5. Lord, Why Do You Want The Wee Children? * (4.03)

6. Plenty Of Fish And Chips In Heaven * (3.40)

7. The Dipsy Doodle: Nat Gonella & His Georgians * (1.30)

8. The Lanes Of Limerick * (3.36)

9. Looking For Work * (3.30) Excellent Track

10. Pennies From Heaven: Billie Holiday * (2.11)

11. My Mother Begging * (3.45)

12. If I Were In America * (2.34)

13. Delivering Telegrams * (2.23)

14. I Think Of Theresa * (1.49)

15. Angels Never Cough * (2.38)

16. Watching The Eclipse (2.59)

17. Back To America * (2.38) Excellent Track

18. Angela's Ashes (Reprise) (6.17) Excellent Track

* Contains solo dialogue

Total Length: 59.02

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=== Link to Composer Site: John Williams ===