The Serpent and the Rainbow OST (Facts & Review)
This is a review of the soundtrack to Wes Craven's horror film The Serpent and the Rainbow where I also share what I know about this mysterious and rare release.
Music Overview
While the film itself is very good, its best part is the soundrtack written by
Brad Fiedel—the composer of scores to such films as The Terminatior (1 and 2)
and Fright Night.
Indeed, the whole score contains the same "metallic" drums similar to the ones in the Terminator theme. Skipping an unnecessary discourse on self-plagiarism, I can note that the sound on this work is seriously improved: it's more natural, has a feeling of being played by a weird orchestra.
The same dark, sinister atmosphere is completed with a mystic African black voodoo magic flavor. You will find here conga drums along with other percussion, African native instruments, cellos, flutes, synthesizer-generated choirs and other effects.
The sound is excellent—very dynamic and clear. You will hear, however, some tape hiss, common for analog recordings from the past, but it's not a big deal. It was mastered in 80s, before the loudness war began, so the dynamic range is perfect: the intensive parts sound exciting, the smooth ones are clear and sweet.
Indeed, the whole score contains the same "metallic" drums similar to the ones in the Terminator theme. Skipping an unnecessary discourse on self-plagiarism, I can note that the sound on this work is seriously improved: it's more natural, has a feeling of being played by a weird orchestra.
The same dark, sinister atmosphere is completed with a mystic African black voodoo magic flavor. You will find here conga drums along with other percussion, African native instruments, cellos, flutes, synthesizer-generated choirs and other effects.
The sound is excellent—very dynamic and clear. You will hear, however, some tape hiss, common for analog recordings from the past, but it's not a big deal. It was mastered in 80s, before the loudness war began, so the dynamic range is perfect: the intensive parts sound exciting, the smooth ones are clear and sweet.
The Mystery and Facts
The story of this release is somewhat mysterious. It was released by Varèse Sarabande (a quite famous label, that specializes in releasing soundtracks) in 1988 on vynil, CD and cassetes, and it's rumored that the CDs were printed in quantity of only around 200 copies.However, it's likely not true, because you can find the CD for sale online for about $70. Of course used—for some reason this work has never been re-released. The compact discs were available only for mailorder to the members of Varèse Sarabande club, as it's stated on the inlay.
This Brad Fiedel's work is an excellent example of a perfectly creepy,
haunted and beautiful film score. Moreover, being such a magnificent piece,
it has a great value independently from the film. The movie is fine, but
it's enough to wach it once. The music is something you will want to return
to again and again.
For those who want to preview, here are two tracks of it from YouTube. Of course, the sound quality is ruined by YouTube's dynamic compression, so you will not feel the full power of the original sound. If you like it—find it for sale on CD, vynil, cassetes or for free online in mp3 or lossless. If you can't find it, ask me.
For those who want to preview, here are two tracks of it from YouTube. Of course, the sound quality is ruined by YouTube's dynamic compression, so you will not feel the full power of the original sound. If you like it—find it for sale on CD, vynil, cassetes or for free online in mp3 or lossless. If you can't find it, ask me.
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