Needful Things

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

The ways of scoring a Stephen King adaptation is slim with options, especially when it concerns the impact of the devil itself. And orchestral power backed up with a choral performance is really the only way to do it properly. And when you look at it, that part of musical composition ruled Henry V of Patrick Doyle. And since Doyle was interested in the whole project, it was rather easy that it would become an orchestral and choral performance of extreme proportions. And Needful Things is orchestral and choral all the way. At least up to the point that Doyle energizes his own pace so fast that the choral singing becomes purely demonic, filled with a rather explosive end in both movie and soundtrack. But what Needful Things misses is pure variety. Patrick Doyle composes some excellent moments of energetic delight but this happens to show up too much in the same old form and the rest is rather a moody background listen, that contains no real interesting moments on it's own. Of course when you look at the bright spots, it is an extreme performance. 'The Arrival' is pure Doyle, choral singing backs up the energetic music that goes on and on, before it ends quietly with a rather playful but mysterious tune. The first 8 tracks offer their choral highlights but they present the exact same feeling and sound that we discovered in the first track, still the better moments are found during 'Racing towards Apple Throwing Time'. Here Danny Elfman fans will discover some similarities with their respected dark composer.

The two classical pieces of Schubert and Grieg don't interrupt, the first is a rather relaxing performance of "Ave Maria" but the second offers one of my favorite pieces of classical music, every one will remember this and the continuing build up of pace and power starts to capture anyone listening. I was rather disappointed with the 12 minute 'The Turning Point', it is pure tension that keeps building and building, but never in a disturbing way and the explosion never arrives. That part is saved for the last three cues where Doyle's choral music really starts to explode, and offering the best parts of the score. Still, you have heard it during some tracks and tiny moments really offer the fresh material. So it is an extremely well succeeded score with Doyle's usual knack of orchestral pace and choral back up, it offers its parts of impressive stuff but the overall impression is somewhat disappointing. The score offers not new music when you look at it, its perhaps 10 minutes of really good music with its background material, and the score keeps coming back to the same old stuff over and over. Still Doyle fans will discover the darker edge of Patrick and will love the superb opening and brilliant end. Needful Things isn't scary music where the orchestra abuses the music to any non musical point but stylish compositional choral film music, that sadly offers too less of the potential that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein possessed, more variety.

\ЕЕЕ1/2/

Tracks

Single Disc

1. The Arrival (2.56) Excellent Track

2. To My Good Friend Brian (5.28)

3. Needful Things (2.37)

4. Brian's Deed (1.37)

5. More Deeds (2.23)

6. Art & The Minister (1.47)

7. Gaunt's Web (2.51)

8. Racing Towards Apple Throwing Time (4.43)

9. Nettie Finds Her Dog (1.49)

10. Ave Maria * (3.51)

11. Peer Gynt: Hall Of The Mountain King ** (2.14) Excellent Track

12. Go Upstairs (2.57)

13. The Turning Point (12.08)

14. They Broke The Law (1.36)

15. The Devil's Here (4.30)

16. Just Blow Them Away (2.45)

17. End Titles (3.54) Excellent Track

* Performed by Franz Shubert

** Performed by Edvard Grieg

Total Length: 60.18

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

=== Link to Composer Site: Patrick Doyle ===