Beyond the Stars

The DUT Yorkshire Imperial Rothwell Band
Conductor: Simon Godfrey Wood
Chameleon Arts Management Recordings: 101 CAM CD
Total Playing Time: Approx 80 mins

~ Buy with 4barsrest shopping

Do you remember going to the Saturday morning pictures? Ten bob in your pocket, meet your girlfriend inside (to save yourself a bit of dosh), a quick snog in the back row and fish and chips on the way home – ahhh the innocence of youth.

Whilst you were in the old flea pit though, there was a sure fire way in which you could tell if the film you were going to see was likely to be any good though. Just after the Pearl and Dean adverts and that official looking screen that told you that the main attraction had been passed by the British Film Board of Control, the music started. If you were instantly hooked on a good theme tune then it was odds on that the film was going to be crap; whilst if the soundtrack couldn't stir your interest from the bag of crisps and your soft drink it would be a good bet the main feature was a cracker and your girlfriend had to amuse herself with the bag of "Revels" you managed to impress her with from the sweet kiosk.

Therefore we were glad to do our homework on this release from the DUT Yorkshire Imperial Rothwell Band and their collection of 16 tracks from all the big Hollywood Blockbusters up to 1997. (It was recorded in 1998, so no Gladiator or Spiderman). Thankfully for us only two of them were actual Oscar winners – the interminable "Titanic" and the superb "Platoon" – the rest didn't win a dickey bird and so if you take our rule of thumb to be correct, there are 14 superb tracks of music and just the two "turkeys".

An interesting thing to remember about film music is that most of the good stuff is written by just a few blokes, with the names of John Williams, Enio Morricone and Jerry Goldsmith top of the list. The other interesting thing is just like brass band composers, most of their output sounds very familiar (go and listen to the soundtrack of "Spiderman" and you'll be amazed how similar it is to "Batman" for instance). It is rumoured that John Williams only writes his stuff in the one key, and you can hear the similarities of his musical thought throughout all his blockbusters. And you think Philip Wilby's stuff sounds the same?

Still, we get some great stuff and all is well handled by the band and Simon Godfrey Wood (who also was responsible for some of the clever arrangements on view). The Williams output is dramatic and captures the menace of the like of Darth Vadar (asthmatic German stormtropper with a kinky line in leather trousers), Indiana Jones, the little Extra Terrestrial and those Dinosaurs that spoiled Richard Attenborough's holiday home. The others are good too, although putting a drum beat background to the beautiful "Gabriel's Oboe" from the film "The Mission" wasn't the greatest idea ever and the "Adagio" for strings from the film "Platoon" doesn't work for the obvious reason.

The band enjoy themselves as well, and there is some fine solo line work from the sop, solo cornet and euphonium throughout (there is also a quality bit of playing on the flugel horn solo from "Brassed Off" – minus all the frills thankfully) – these are big blowing arrangements for the most part and the band performs with a well balanced and rounded sound even when they are whacking out "Star Trek" and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom".

An enjoyable romp (and reminder) of some great films, even better music and the first flush of hormonal youth cruising through the veins in the back seat of the "Workman's Hall Picture House" in Tredegar on wet Saturday mornings.

~ Buy with 4barsrest shopping

^back to top