Cat's Eye
Alan Silvestri
" Cat's Eye is synthesiser food "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Cat's Eye is a 3 story based film which had one thing in common, a cat that was wandering around the picture. Written and based on Stephen King's material, it's surely a unique effort to start a story. And whatever you make of it, somehow the idea was accepted rather well. Enough reason to give Alan Silvestri's score a chance on LP, and now for the first time it's released on CD (expanded too) by Intrada. The score goes back to the early years of Silvestri, when he was still bringing synthesized scores, aside from the more orchestral blockbusters. And sadly this is the synthesized one. Despite the fact we have to consider the era and the instruments from that time, Cat's Eye doesn't work well in suspense mode. "Cat Chase (Main Title)" even has the unfortunate effort of placing some sort of heroic main theme in it to represent the cat, but in this style it comes over rather stupid I'm afraid. Just listen how it opens "Trying to Get to Amanda". And it doesn't gel well with the more suspenseful material too (which again doesn't sound all too amazing in synthesizer mode). But, you have to appreciate the musical idea behind it nonetheless. In "Mr. Cressner Falls" you hear besides the rather average sounding rhythm a musical idea, an idea that would later receive it's meaning in Back to the Future. So even though it all sounds rather shaky, the idea behind it surely works in orchestral minds. Of course it would have sounded more appropriate if it was fully orchestral, and perhaps that's how you have to approach it. Now finally available for us to enjoy, but somehow I don't see a lot of people enjoying it. Buying it probably yes (hey It's Intrada).
The tinkly synthesizer version of the theme in "General's Love of Amanda" sounds even better than the full out heroic version.
Not even Silvestri fans will easily accept this one.
Cat's Eye doesn't sound inviting in suspense mode.
Another element that doesn't fully work, the sinister darker cues (The Cat Room", "First Smoke", "Cat in Atlantic City", "You Have my Wife").
Track Listing
1. Cat's Eye – Intro (0.53)
2. Cat Chase (Main Title) (2.31)
3. Help Me (0.35)
4. The Cat Room (1.58)
5. Closet Case (3.18)
6. Delusion (0.49)
7. Bumper to Bumper (1.50)
8. First Smoke (3.28)
9. Cat Escape (0.33)
10. To Quitters Incorporated (0.29)
11. Cat in Atlantic City (1.03)
12. Television Message (0.28)
13. O.K. to Cross (0.20)
14. The Decision (2.14)
15. Bird Escort (5.18)
16. You Have my Wife (1.52)
17. Mr. Cressner Falls (1.01)
18. A Visitor in Wilmington (1.38)
19. Nighttime (0.43)
20. In Amanda's Room (4.06)
21. Mom Has a Plan (1.38)
22. The Troll Arrives (1.34)
23. Trying to Get to Amanda (4.15)
24. Troll Fight (3.11)
25. General's Love of Amanda (2.18)
Bonus Track
26. Cat Chase (Intro & Main Title – Film Edit) (3.29)
Total Length: 51.34
The tinkly synthesizer version of the theme in "General's Love of Amanda" sounds even better than the full out heroic version.
Not even Silvestri fans will easily accept this one.
Cat's Eye doesn't sound inviting in suspense mode.
Another element that doesn't fully work, the sinister darker cues (The Cat Room", "First Smoke", "Cat in Atlantic City", "You Have my Wife").
Track Listing
1. Cat's Eye – Intro (0.53)
2. Cat Chase (Main Title) (2.31)
3. Help Me (0.35)
4. The Cat Room (1.58)
5. Closet Case (3.18)
6. Delusion (0.49)
7. Bumper to Bumper (1.50)
8. First Smoke (3.28)
9. Cat Escape (0.33)
10. To Quitters Incorporated (0.29)
11. Cat in Atlantic City (1.03)
12. Television Message (0.28)
13. O.K. to Cross (0.20)
14. The Decision (2.14)
15. Bird Escort (5.18)
16. You Have my Wife (1.52)
17. Mr. Cressner Falls (1.01)
18. A Visitor in Wilmington (1.38)
19. Nighttime (0.43)
20. In Amanda's Room (4.06)
21. Mom Has a Plan (1.38)
22. The Troll Arrives (1.34)
23. Trying to Get to Amanda (4.15)
24. Troll Fight (3.11)
25. General's Love of Amanda (2.18)
Bonus Track
26. Cat Chase (Intro & Main Title – Film Edit) (3.29)
Total Length: 51.34