Has anyone tried playing the Aliens Deluxe Soundtrack at the "correct" points in the movie?

The Combat Drop track seems to suit the movie well, but some of the others just seem out of place, but I suppose could be over 20 years of programming into the music being what it is in the movie.

It's like has anyone seen the newest edition of the Battle of Britain, where you can play the original planned soundtrack during the movie? Just odd that although the "fight in the air" music from the last battle was done by the same guy, the rest he does just seems completely wrong for the rest of the movie.

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Weyland Yutani Corp. Bio-Weapons Division - "Superior Weapons through Superior Genetics"

If I had to guess...



On the extras disc of Aliens (Quad disc 4) James Horner talks about what a nightmare it was to score Aliens-

Writing music scores is simple- but as a movie composer it's his job to have a musical piece that matches the action seen on screen. This has to be precise down to the hundredth of a second or the musical cues will be "off".

So what a composer generally does is watch the completed movie (without music or with "filler" music to give the composer an idea of what the director wants)- and then start writing the music to go with the action.

Unfortunately Aliens was horribly behind schedule. When James Horner came to England to write the score, they had not even finished filming the movie yet let alone editing the final cut. So he couldn't work on it at all. He was given 6 weeks to score the film, but three of those weeks were completely wasted as he was waiting to watch the final cut of the film.

With three weeks left he began writing the musical score like a madman. He had the filmed scored (more or less) and then with a few days left before the final cut, the movie went through heavy re-editing. All of the sudden the musical scores he had written did not match the action on screen at all. So he stayed up 36 hours straight re-writing all the cues.

When he presented part of the score to Cameron and Hurd- they were not impressed. Cameron kept asking why the score didn't really match and Horner answered "Well it did yesterday, but now the sequence has changed!" He explained that they were down to the wire and that at this late stage he would only be able to give Cameron 80% of what he wanted- if he had more time he could give 100% but they were out of time.

Gale Ann Hurd's response was icy cold...

"Well we will just find someone who can."

Horner told them "Please do." And "If you can find someone able to do (the impossible task) you are asking... introduce him to me as I could learn a thing or two from him"!

In the end Horner scored the film as best he could with the incredibly limited amount of time and resourses (the mixing equipment at Pinewood was 20 years behind the times).

So my guess is the Aliens soundtrack CD is how the original score was meant to be. What is heard on screen is the last minute "hack job" revisions.

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

I recall watching that and was amazed.

With what Horner had to endure and with his limiations....I think he did an awesome job

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It's easily one of my favourite documentary parts of the Quad's extras.

Incredible what James Horner went through to finish the score!

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

Actually, what Horner did was to use some warmed-over pieces from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in order to finish the Aliens score. He picked the best parts and rearranged them a bit, which lead to that one does get a weird, deja-vu kinda feeling when watching TWOK...

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I can't lie to you about your chances, but... you have my sympathies.

And... bits of Star Trek III.

But is this because he was pressed for time... Or because as a relatively new composer all his scores sounded similar?

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

I dont think you can correctly call them warmed over as he did write those pieces too. Composers have a certain style, an audio signature, If you like. Its how you recognise a composers work.

I listen to the wrath of Khan soundtrack and I hear Battle beyond the Stars. Does that mean Wrath of Khan was a 'hack job?'
If an artist isn't entitled to use his own work who is?

I watched Windtalkers and knew almost instantly it was James Horners work.

Listen to John Williams scores, many times in the Harry Potter flms you hear bits of Star Wars or Indiana Jones or even Close encounters.

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STEVENSON F.
A11/TQ0.0.82148E1

"You are not your Drop Count."

The hive escape (Ripley driving the APC) has elements of Star Trek III; when the cloaked Bird of Prey is approaching the Enterprise.

And bits of the "Genesis Countdown" from ST:II can be heard when Bishop is flying the second dropship into the atmosphere processor on their way to rescue Newt.

But I agree with Fraz- I also believe a composer developes a certain "sound" in their compositions; I certainly know a Basil Poledouris score when I hear one.

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

I can't think of any examples of John Williams where he copies one of his earlier works note-for-note!

Star Trek II contains bits of Battle Beyond the Stars. Aliens contains Star Trek II. Bicentennial Man quotes Deep Impact. A Beautiful Mind has more Bicentennial Man in it than you would believe.

I'm lucky in that I like Horner's work, so I don't really mind. But it still makes me laugh at what he gets away with.

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Mike

"We're not heroes - we're from Finchley"

Didn't Cameron add and use some of Horners other non-Aliens music to the soundtrack aswell?

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Martin 'Victim' Victory
A86/TQ3.4.49421E3
UKCM 13th Regt. 1st Batt. Freebooters


you can't take the PUNK outa Spunkmeyer

I find Leia's Song and Marion's Song (Don't know what they're really called) to be similar.

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Yeah very true, even when doing different movies and genres you can usually tell from hearing them what the composer is, Horner and John Barry are particularly noted for this, but who cares long as it works? I still smile when see Titanic at some of the choral stuff that reminds me a little of Glory!

Makes you wonder what would have happened if they had "replaced him with someone else"!!

I seem to remember ALIEN went through the same process, with music chopped and changed form where Goldsmith intended it, and they even used a different end title track completely.

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Weyland Yutani Corp. Bio-Weapons Division - "Superior Weapons through Superior Genetics"

I caught the last few minutes of Cocoon a month or so ago, and heard part of the ST II soundtrack almost note for note. I think it was some of either "Battle in the Mutara Nebula", or "Genesis Countdown" playing during the boat chase scene. I'm so used to hearing the music that I had to actually look at what was on (was playing a game while listening) to verify what I was hearing because I knew ST II -wasn't- on..

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Hey now, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, cuz remember..No matter where you go, there you are.

It was part of the "Genesis Countdown".

It's like the first part of "Genesis Countdown" sound pretty similar to when Bishop arrives at the Atmosphere Processor in the dropship.

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Weyland Yutani Corp. Bio-Weapons Division - "Superior Weapons through Superior Genetics"

Danny Elfman

Sorry to dredge up an old thread.

Is this track the military drum pattern playing during the prep for the Marines' drop?

If not, does anyone know what the piece is called and who plays it?

Nope, not the same. It's one of the tracks used in the film, but they took everything off except the percussions.

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"Awww, someone tell me that's a boot!

It's a boot!"

III drops

Hi guys!
I need Your help. I'm looking for a some kind of edit of "Combat drop" used in movie, when CM are preparing to land down on LV426. I'm looking for this track for a long time, but i cant figure it out.
Someone told me this to ask at this forum. Can You help me?
I`ll be grateful
Sorry for my poor english.
Greetz

That track has yet to be released. There is a track that is somewhat close on one of the previous CD's, but it's not 100%.

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"Awww, someone tell me that's a boot!

It's a boot!"

III drops