Loch Ness

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Many movies (Television based) have been made about the legendary monster of the lake Loch Ness, but mostly they also used the opportunity to use it as an evil monster that attacked the tourists. However one I know used the legend in a friendly family approach to let the children imagine if whether or not the creature ever existed. The movie today is largely forgotten but one aspect remained hyped until today and that was its score, by large thematic wizard Trevor Jones of all people. After his success of The Last of the Mohicans and Cliffhanger (where he used spectacular themes) Trevor Jones was a logical choice for the family adventure. And its evident after some 30 seconds on score why him! However that score was for years a real demanding classic, since it was never released. Of course the due fact it was probably performed by the legendary London Symphony orchestra and its re use fees is a reason for that, but still for a thematic and above all fantasy listen as Loch Ness, you would never expected it to have taken a label that long. We all believed Varèse would publish it through their Club Releases but small label Perseverance relieved us from our demand instead, and luckily so because I've been waiting long for this score in particular. The first print of a 1000 copies went quickly out of print and now even the second print is increasing by the day, so be quick. Why? Because its Jones at his best, not super best but good enough. As said, the theme by Jones is the center piece, as with many films of him, and none so different then Loch Ness, gracing after 30 seconds already the track 'Main Title', a large and lovely theme ala Merlin and Arachnophobia, covering a fantasy / adventure level we've come to expect from Jones. This track also shows the 2 other themes of the film, but we'll come back to those later. A folksy melody is saved for the locals and heard in tracks as 'Introducing the Locals' and 'The Fight', and the Irish / Scottish flair is ever-present but luckily not overdone.

This Scottish flair gets one time a blazing orchestral approach and then you've reached the best track of the album, namely 'The Expedition Prepares'. A true Jones track that stuns you in the film, and this is the moment where you bless the brass players and Jones himself for such wonder. Some darker material (custom with Jones soundtracks) is heard in 'The Keeper of the Loch', 'Local Antagonism' and 'We're Going out Again' and usually grows to a suspense laden finish, but these cover too the more moodier approach, but these however stay more thematic and less boring then the other examples of him, luckily for the album even though it sets the mystery well down. A third theme is actually the theme for the family and heard lovely in 'Isobel's Nessie Impressions' where the epic theme is a part of, that theme I mean. Tracks to watch out for is 'Dempsey Dispels the Myth' where another Scotlandish theme sets the mystery down, and the added saxophone is a nice anguished mood setter, 'Nice Eyes' where a lonely piano leads to the family theme and 'A Present for Mr. Dempsey' where again the family theme is heard the nicest way possible. However the final erupts with the theme that signifies Nessie and no better then in 'Nessie' where it erupts majestically (the added trumpets are superb), as in 'Where's Waldo', excellent examples. A flair of British class is spotted in 'London' and is truly fun when it mixes with the string led epic theme while 'Return to the Highlands' starts with solo guitar and leads to a not Rod Stewart version of "Rhythm of my Heart", strange that Rod Stewart wasn't used or available but the version is still close resembling the voice, with other words it works. Really, why it had to take that long for Loch Ness to be released is a mystery, because I feel it has lost a bit of its magic after all this time (not strange if you watched the movie over and over again for those themes). But it still has other magic, namely its entire selection of thematic outbursts of its themes and this makes the score still the winner I heard in the film. Trevor Jones' mystery and magic is all around Nessie and whether or not its true, the CD (with excellent liner notes) proves one thing. Nessie lives when you play this soundtrack. Loch Ness revives when its heard finally on CD, and it was about bloody time too.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Main Title (3.28) Excellent Track

2. Dempsey Arrives In Scotland (1.40)

3. Introducing The Locals (0.28)

4. Dempsey Windsurfs (2.59)

5. The Expedition Prepares (2.08) Excellent Track

6. The Keeper Of The Loch (3.44)

7. Isobel's Nessie Impressions (2.31)

8. Isobel Throws A Stick (0.49)

9. Local Antagonism (2.23)

10. Dempsey Dispels The Myth (3.33) Excellent Track

11. Invitation To Dinner (1.18)

12. She's Lonely, Too (0.31)

13. Adrian On The Pier (1.05)

14. Nice Eyes (1.41)

15. You'll Be Leaving In The A.M. (1.48)

16. We're Going Out Again (4.39)

17. One Of The Family (0.27)

18. He Left Here Yesterday (1.29)

19. The Fight (1.02)

20. A Present For Mr. Dempsey (2.19)

21. In Search Of The Kelpie (1.32)

22. Nessie (3.35) Excellent Track

23. Searching For Issy (0.51)

24. Laura And Dempsey Argue (2.48)

25. London (1.46)

26. Where's Waldo (2.11)

27. Return To The Highlands (6.31)

Total Length: 59.30

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

=== Link to Composer Site: Trevor Jones ===