Congo

CONGO (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Music Composed and Conducted by Jerry Goldsmith

To welcome the year 2015, Renovatio Records gives you the chance to revisit some of the classic works from the nineties of the great composer Jerry Goldsmith. Despite being a poorly executed film that didn't earn much in terms of critical and audience appeal, the score Goldsmith composed for Congo has always been considered a highlight of the aforementioned decade. The movie, based on a novel by Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton, directed by Frank Marshall and starred by Dylan Walsh, Laura Linney, Ernie Hudson and Tim Curry, tells the story of an expedition that ventures into deep Congo in search of rare and valuable diamonds hidden in the lost city of Zinj. Guided by Amy, a gorilla that has been trained to speak in sign language, the expedition makes their way into the African rain forest and not only discover the ruins of the city but also find that the coveted riches are guarded by deadly albino apes, bred by the ancient civilization to kill anyone who dares to trespass on their lands.

A regular collaborator of Crichton in past projects, Goldsmith was brought aboard the film after James Newton Howard had to step out due to scheduling conflicts. Goldsmith, as expected, provided a solid and robust action score, and also teamed up with South African composer and singer Lebo M to develop "Spirit of Africa", a memorable and gorgeous theme song that became the primary musical identity of the score, and that appears repeatedly throughout the film while we see the expedition trekking through the magnificent landscapes of Africa. Goldsmith assembled a percussion-heavy orchestral ensemble to provide terrific passages such as those heard in tracks like "Deep Jungle", "Crash Site" and "Gates of Zinj". The composer also adds an adventurous vibe mixed with powerful rhythms as he makes his way into the climax of the film, in which he lets loose his robust action material, reminiscent of his much earlier works.

The score was released by Epic Soundtrax in 1995 in the form of an extremely short album soundtrack that lacked many of the best parts of the score (mainly the action-packed track "Munro"). In 2013, Intrada Records re-issued the score in its complete form and provided all the missing highlights and much more. However, as in any complete score album, Intrada's release tends to become quite repetitive, which makes for a difficult listening experience, mainly during its middle part. Renovatio Records brings you its own arranged edition and offers you the possibility to enjoy this energetic score, which is already almost 20 years old and will always stand out as one of the most significant entries in the nineties by the maestro.

Track Listing:

1. Spirit Of Africa * (2:45)

2. The Ghost Tribe (2:05)

3. Amy (2:11)

4. Munro (1:40)

5. Bail Out (2:55)

6. Crossing The Border (1:30)

7. The Other Side (1:19)

8. Deep Jungle (2:35)

9. Hippo Attack (2:28)

10. Crash Site (2:01)

11. Gates Of Zinj (4:05)

12. Amy's Nightmare (2:13)

13. Kahega (2:19)

14. Amy's Farewell/Spirit Of Africa * (10:34)

* Performed by Lebo M

Total running time: 40:40

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Godzilla

GODZILLA (Original Motion Picture Score)

Music by David Arnold

In 1998, following the success of Stargate and Independence Day, director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin moved to the making of yet another blockbuster: an American take on Godzilla, the famous Japanese monster that inspired a plethora of creatures and disaster movies throughout the twentieth century. However, in the end, the American version of Godzilla ended up being one of the most hated films in 1998, both by critics and audiences. A questionable cast ensemble, a clichéd plot and even the redesign of the creature itself (and its offspring) were all major points of criticism. Nevertheless, the film reunited the filmmakers with composer David Arnold, who at the time was achieving success in the James Bond franchise.

Despite being overlapped by constant sound effects, the music for the film is an aspect that has always been praised. Arnold expanded his universe of robust action music, patriotic themes and love motifs. He even throwed in outstanding theme for the titular monster, with full brass and percussion passages that will make your room rumble!

At the time of the premiere, the score was set to receive an album treatment by Sony, but it was cancelled due to the film's poor performance. A song compilation album was released instead, which included only four minutes of Arnold's music. A number of promotional and bootleg editions appeared in the black market and those were the only available presentations of the score until 2007, when La-La Land Records released a complete 2-CD set containing most of the recordings. In 2012, Arnold's Godzilla received yet another treatment in the form of a 3-CD set, which included the complete score (plus several alternate cues) and the never-commercially-released album score. Now, Renovatio Records brings you its own arranged compilation that contains the best parts of the score. Arnold's effort in the franchise is surely worthy of remembrance, not only as a wonderfully addition to the Godzilla universe, but also as the completion of the Emmerich-Devlin-Arnold collaboration, which was the result of certainly some the composer's best works!

Track Listing:

1. Opening Titles (3:29)

2. The First Of Its Kind (1:52)

3. Visitor In Manhattan (4:48)

4. Evacuation (2:44)

5. The Tunnels (2:51)

6. The Bait (5:15)

7. Helicopter Chase (3:25)

8. Audrey Steals The Tape (2:47)

9. Nick Gets Fired (5:48)

10. Submarine Chase & Discovery Of The Nest (7:11)

11. The Eggs Hatch (3:53)

12. Babyzillas (1:28)

13. Nest Mayhem (2:37)

14. Live From Madison Square Garden (4:08)

15. Escape (3:00)

16. Taxi Chase (7:06)

17. Brooklyn Bridge (4:32)

18. Finale (4:05)

Total running time: 70:59

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Independence Day

INDEPENDENCE DAY (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Music by David Arnold

Continuing our trend of David Arnold scores, Renovatio Records proudly presents an ultimate nineties classic: Independence Day! The science-fiction film starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsch, Mary McDonnell, Margaret Colin, Harry Connick, Jr. and Randy Quaid, is helmed by disaster-genre master Roland Emmerich and tells the story of a worldwide-scale alien attack that leaves small groups of people scattered throught out the Earth that must find their way to unite and fight back the menace and avoid annihilation... on July 4th...

Despite the nationalist background of its plot, the film is a masterpiece in terms of visual and special effects, which in combination depict some of the most unsettling, unique and convincing alien attacks ever to be present in a sci-fi movie. At the time of its release, it was the highest-grossing film of 1996 and even nowadays, some of its scenes, like the destruction of the White House, are considered iconic.

Independence Day also brought together the team Roland Emmerich-Dean Devlin-David Arnold, after working together in Stargate. For ID4, Arnold created what is probably the most memorable score of his entire career (so far). With an orchestra composed of 90 players and 46 choristers, the music is marvellous for its rich thematic content, patriotic fanfares, menacing passages and rumbling action sequences.

The score was originally released in 1996 by BMG Classics/RCA Victor in the form of a short album that not only lacked some of the most outstanding cues of the film but also included several alternate versions for some of the tracks. Several expanded bootlegs circulated around in the black market, until La-La Land Records released a complete 2-CD presentation of the score. Now, Renovatio Records presents you with its own personal edition of the score, into a soundtrack album that includes every single cue that you expect to hear. We hope you enjoy revising this outstanding piece of art, which certainly stands a among the classics of the digital age of film music.

Track Listing:

1. We Come In Peace (2:00)

2. Radio Signal (1:52)

3. Cancelled Leave (1:43)

4. The Darkest Day (4:11)

5. Evacuation (5:48)

6. Firestorm (1:24)

7. Aftermath (3:36)

8. Base Attack(6:12)

9. Area 51 (2:19)

10. El Toro Destroyed (1:31)

11. Target Remains (4:56)

12. International Code (1:33)

13. The President's Speech (3:11)

14. Into The Mother Ship (8:28)

15. The Day We Fight Back (5:12)

16. Jolly Roger (2:17)

17. Independence Day (3:41)

18. End Credits (9:05)

Total running time: 69:59

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