Maverick

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Not hardly known for his western skills, but appreciated all the more and merrier when he actually does it, The Three Amigos and Maverick proves that Randy knows something about whipping cattle straight through town, and his amusing voices would support it with the appropriate flair and amusing wit. Of course he showed the western genre a slight notch of his flair when writing for Toy Story and Woody in particular but Maverick proves that he's very good at it too in a whole western setting. And since I like the movie much because its basically amusing and interesting, Newman's score couldn't fit outside of his repertoire. Basically, Maverick is better then say other Western scores because it does and it does not take itself seriously. Since this is written for a comedic Western, at times the score takes a slight wink towards the comical edge but never does it lay astray and overdoes it (a proof is the terrific wink towards Lethal Weapon in the bank with the Roger guitar appearance). But when its serious enough, so does the music take itself promising and energetic. The action moments in Maverick are truly worth it, first of all 'Fight' shows the adventure theme and the main theme with a brief appearance of Annabelle's theme and shows that within minutes Newman does promise much with action rhythms and a hooza of entertainment. But what about the astonishing 'Runaway Stage'? 4 minutes of incredible pace and statements of energy of both the adventure and main theme. These two tracks alone promise the action qualities of Randy Newman and if he has time and place, he can deliver it big time (so did parts of A Bug's Life proof it too).

But there is more, as said brief appearances of the seductive love theme on high strings appear presenting Annabelle in of course 'Annabelle' but also in 'Annabelle Toodleoo'. But Newman does more actually with his main theme, putting out countless different performances of it in the entire score, you will practically hear every theme slightly different, 'Maverick' presenting it overblown, with a funny march in 'Oh Bret' and bumpy in 'Bath House', with more along the way. But the fun that Newman has with everything else is noticeable too, 'Joseph & the Russian' presents the Russian hunter on Russian sitar, 'Headed for the Game' presents a terrific fanfare for the landscapes in the movie that deserved more airtime. 'Bret Escapes' has some action music with variations on the adventure theme and the Commodore's ship has one of his best themes, sadly only heard once on this score, a couple of times more in the film and practically not enough to state its brilliance. Nonetheless, the brass fanfare sounding noble and heroic in 'Coop Sails Away' is terrific. The score ends on a truly hilarious note when Randy just wants to be funny with the song 'Tartine de Merde', a stupid but also catchy tune that deserves a smile on your face. Altogether Maverick is one of Newman's most enjoyable scores because the various themes weave in and out and the fun alone of the energetic race or fight sequences are wild. There are at least several tracks worthy of Western compilations and several themes ready for re performances together in one suite. Its fun to hear Western music without being gritty (it has its darker moments too), without sounding Morricone like with harmonica or choir (love it of course all the same) but just basically intentionally fun. Maverick is like its movie a winning poker game all on itself.

\ตตต1/2/

Tracks

Single Disc

1. Opening (5.39)

2. Annabelle (2.30)

3. Fight (2.07) Excellent Track

4. Coop (0.42)

5. Money In The Bank (1.08)

6. In & Out Of Trouble (1.28)

7. Magic Cards, Maybe / Lucky Shirt (1.34)

8. Headed For The Game (1.32)

9. Runaway Stage (4.49) Excellent Track

10. Sneakin' Around (0.48)

11. Maverick (0.58)

12. Joseph & The Russian (1.10)

13. Oh Bret (2.05)

14. A Noble Aims (0.51)

15. Trap (1.52)

16. The Hanging (2.02)

17. Bret Escapes (1.28)

18. Bret's Card / Sore Loser (1.28)

19. Coop Sails Away (1.35)

20. Annabelle Toodleoo (1.57)

21. The Commodore (1.25)

22. Pappy Shuffle (1.12)

23. Bath House (0.40)

24. Tartine De Merde: Randy Newman (1.33)

Total Length: 43.33

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=== Link to Composer Site: Randy Newman ===