Freak369's Full Review: The Crow by Original Score
Unless you lived under a rock in 1994 you no doubtedly have seen the epic love story The Crow, a poignant tale of Eric Draven and his soul mate Shelly Webster. The legend of the Crow is that some souls are brought back to finish that which has been left undone. The storyline of The Crow is unique; since the final product that was released in theaters is not what was originally written. This is in part due to the tragic death of Brandon Lee, son of martial arts guru Bruce Lee.
I came across the Original Motion Picture Score for The Crow by accident; I was looking for an extra copy of the soundtrack and stumbled upon this masterpiece. To this day I thought I was the only person who owned this stunning and captivating CD – that is until a late night conversation with Sleestakk [Epinions own beer guru]. I didn’t think this would even be listed on the site since it is an obscure recording but low and behold – it is. I doubt I will be able to do this Score justice but I will try my hardest.
The Crow Original Motion Picture Score should not be confused with the soundtrack [a soundtrack is a recording that includes the songs from a movie, not the theatric scores], this contains the theatric scoring and instrumental pieces from the movie. Granted you won’t find Stone Temple Pilots or Rollins Band on here but in many ways this CD truly captures the awe and dark beauty of The Crow.
Graeme Revell is the mastermind behind the music; his talent and ability simply shine on this CD. In the past he has also done scoring for Red Planet, The Saint, The Craft and Boxing Helena. Graeme Revell has a talent for taking a scene – regardless of it’s content or quality – and making it come to life. The Crow would have been a hit regardless of who did the scoring but with Revell behind the scenes – the movie came to life and can be held accountable for the multitude of tears I have shed each time I have watched it.
To try and describe each song is pointless, after a few songs I will run out of adjectives and start to repeat myself. As with 99% of my music reviews I try to go through each song – it is an impossible task with this CD. The entire CD is listenable – and what I mean by that is you won’t find yourself skipping over tracks. Each song is a testament to a scene in the movie – each piece tied to an event in the movie that grips you. Each time I pull out this CD I have to fight the urge to watch The Crow. As much as I love the movie itself, it is too emotional for me sometimes. I’ve seen it well over 100 times and I still cry like a schoolgirl with a skinned knee.
One of the biggest differences between the musical score for The Crow and other films is that most of the post production work was dedicated to the memory of Brandon Lee. Everyone strived to attain perfection in every aspect. Graeme Revell was no exception. He began working on the basics of the scoring before filming completed. The final product is not only a work of art but something that impacts you – envelopes you – washes over you.
The music contained on this CD is top shelf quality; when you listen to it you can’t help but close your eyes and drift off to another level. There is a mix of dark haunting pieces along with touching tearjerkers. The cross over pieces Rain Forever, Return To The Grave and Birth Of The Legend were all adaptations from the soundtrack song It Can’t Rain All The Time by Jane Siberry. Both capture you – even for a few minutes – taking you back in time to when you first saw the film – when you first saw Eric and Shelly dancing in the loft.
Inferno and Tracking The Prey are two of the darker songs, both have a rise and fall tempo in the score. Pain And Retribution is the most somber of the tracks – it starts out dark and foreboding and turns angelic – but it still has that haunting undertone.
There are a total of 15 tracks on this Original Motion Picture Score, and each of them are unique. Each of them played a crucial part in the success of the film. If you fell in love with the movie The Crow then you should look long and hard for a copy of this CD. Fans of Graeme Revell will not be disappointed – and if you aren’t a fan yet, after listening to this CD you will be.
In Memory of Brandon Bruce Lee [1965 – 1993]
Little things used to mean so much to Shelly. I used to think they were kinda trivial. Believe me, nothing's trivial.
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