The Glimmer Man (Bootleg)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

How did Trevor Rabin got to become a film composer? Well, accordingly to him, he was asked by Steven Seagal to score the film The Glimmer Man, which he would act (can I say that?) in. The point was, Trevor Rabin gave before his film music career guitar lessons to Mr. Seagal and he wanted to repay the generosity by any means necessary, so he gave Rabin the chance to become a film composer by giving him the job on the film. Problem was, Rabin didn't compose music. He said basically he didn't have a clue what he was doing nor how to score a film, so what he did was essentially take a stab in the dark and just went experimenting. The result is The Glimmer Man, a score you can't call a score since a score scores the movie. This CD makes the noise for the movie. Think of sound effects, that's The Glimmer Man, at times there is a melody or something that comes close to that which tries to fight its way to the top, for instance there is one in 'Main Title', basically rock tones, an effect he used also in The 6th Day, some kind of Arabic influence, some vocal effects and whooshes of tones, but in the middle of all that, there is a small Rabin theme that wants to break out, but the problem is, it never happens. I know Rabin isn't the composer that's gonna do the most complicated music, but here it feels complicated because its all mixed in one another. Anyway, call this track the one sole trying musical piece on this CD, the rest is basically mood on a compact disc.

From 'Emergency', the dark mood takes over, sound effects like a train (was this intended or basically sound effects from a crappy movie rip) is beyond me, but it doesn't fit. And basically it continues, from time its so quiet you have to raise the volume so high, you are blown away from your seat the next moment it suddenly rises with an effect (non musical wise) that people are thinking you are killing your cat with a bazooka. Of course I'm exaggerating but the point is, music it doesn't come close to, a brief electric note, a sudden Deep Blue Sea string attack like a shark closing by (like 'You are Persistent'), or basically hidden church vocals that go blank in a dreary mood like 'Christopher Manyard / Bless me Father', it are moments you think something will happen, and nothing does. The alarm like suspension building (like you get when a building is on fire and the noise starts to wail) in 'The Meeting / Hurry Man!!!' is at that point even appropriate, because you have heard similar effects like that. Basically try to imagine the tones Vangelis used to show the future in Blade Runner, and think of it when we saw the city, that you get here intended as music. Even for 26 minutes, this score is a horror show waiting to kill your brain cells as musical pleasure. You could kill a person while listening to it, why? Because it would sound appropriate. Again, Trevor Rabin will never become John Williams but Rabin can be enjoyable and powerful when he's mixing his music with choir and themes (Armageddon and Deep Blue Sea anyone?) but The Glimmer Man is a test and nothing more. It will work in the movie because it sets the mood. But supporting the movie as musical score it can never become, because unfortunately Rabin didn't compose any music. The Glimmer Man therefore receives the honor as being "this is the worst score I have heard yet". Or as being the ...

\Soundtrack of Hell/

Tracks

Single Disc

1. Main Title (2.29)

2. Emergency (1.24)

3. In The School (0.54)

4. Run This Number (0.32)

5. We're On Our Way (1.07)

6. Punishment And Purification (0.33)

7. I Gotta Tell My Kids! (0.51)

8. Christopher Manyard / Bless Me Father (4.05)

9. Deverell Industries (1.32)

10. The Ambush (1.26)

11. Got It Come Out (0.20)

12. Our Lady Of Angels (0.50)

13. I'm Trying To Help (1.01)

14. You Are Persistent (3.19)

15. The Meeting / Hurry Man!!! (2.41)

16. Finale (2.51)

Total Length: 26.06

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

=== Link to Composer Site: Trevor Rabin ===