Gremlins

Gremlins of Jerry Goldsmith is as crazy as it is brilliant. A showcase of a soundtrack experience unlike no other. I'm betting Zimmer fans of today will spit this one out, while others will think back too fondly of the time they actually saw this hilarious movie in the cinema for the first time. But let us be honest, Goldsmith's music is as crazy as you'll never get them. Only here will you (try to) accept the wailing cat voices that stand for sound effects, only here will you appreciate the crazy violin motif for Stripe and only here will you think back at when Goldsmith was daring and cunning. I mean, Gremlins is as weird as it is brilliant. Because Goldsmith builds from a subtle and lovable main theme to a zany experience that holds nothing back. Not even Gremlins singing Christmas carols ("High Flyer"). But when things get too crazy, Goldsmith is beginning to infuse the action / heroic sound of Billy and Gizmo near the end. Because every zaniness has seriousness and Goldsmith never forgets to tie both of them together. Meaning Gremlins is as powerful as it is scary, as zany as it is serious, and as fun as can be. Because it was time this release saw the sunlight after all this time. It was needed to water the selection because the previous releases had pretty thin material. And most importantly, no matter what you do, never EVER feed your CD player this disc after midnight. Then again, rules are meant to be broken right Stripe?

Stripe: Gizmo Kaka

A soundtrack build up unlike no other, this score builds towards the Goldsmith climax.
A wonderful lovable theme, a charming town theme, several character motifs and one of the most recognizable themes ever, Gremlins is theme driven to say the least.
What a roller coaster ride "The Fountain / Stripe's Death" is, Goldsmith brilliance in a nutshell.
The electronics are a bit shady, especially for Mrs. Deagle (then again it adds to the zaniness and the fun of the character).
I'm pretty sure that newcomers will have a hard time accepting this.

Track List

CD 1: 77.01
1. Fanfare in C * / The Shop / The Little One (4.30)
2. Late for Work (1.46)
3. Mrs. Deagle / That Dog (2.22)
4. The Gift (1.45)
5. First Aid (2.15)
6. Spilt Water (3.02)
7. A New One (1.10)
8. The Lab / Old Times (2.36)
9. The Injection (2.56) Excellent track
10. Snack Time / The Wrong Time (1.49)
11. The Box (1.25)
12. First Aid (1.39)
13. Disconnected / Hurry Home (1.03)
14. Kitchen Fight (4.06)
15. Dirty Linen (0.44)
16. The Pool (1.05)
17. The Plow / Special Delivery (1.17)
18. High Flyer (2.22)
19. Too Many Gremlins (2.06)
20. No Santa Claus (3.27)
21. After Theatre (1.39)
22. Theatre Escape / Stripe is loose / Toy Dept. / No Gizmo (4.35)
23. The Fountain / Stripe's Death (5.42) Excellent track
24. Goodbye, Billy (2.57) Excellent track
25. End Title / The Gremlin Rag (4.11) Excellent track

Bonus Tracks
26. Blues (2.15)
27. Mrs. Deagle (film version) (1.27)
28. God Rest you Merry, Gentlemen (1.12)
29. After Theatre (with "Silent Night") (1.37)
30. After Theatre (without "Silent Night") (1.35)
31. Rabbit Rampage ** (0.47)
32. The Gremlin Rag (full version) (3.34) Excellent track
33. Gizmo's new Song (0.34)
34. Gizmo's Trumpet (0.29)

CD 2: 31.24
1. Gremlins ... Mega Madness: Michael Sembello (3.52)
2. Make it Shine: Quarterflash (4.11)
3. Out Out: Peter Gabriel (7.02)
4. The Gift (4.58)
5. Gizmo (4.14)
6. Mrs. Deagle (2.54)
7. The Gremlin Rag (4.13)

* Composed by Max Steiner
** Composed by Milt Franklyn