Conan the Barbarian (Audio Cassette) [Import]

Answer: An ordinary music CD has one function, and one ONLY - to appeal to you on a purely musical level. To be called truly great, a soundtrack has to do this AND something else - it must add to the overall value of the movie itself. Therefore, a soundtrack reaches true masterpiece status when the movie leans on it, depends on it, looks to it constantly to add value, meaning & depth to the imagery.

With this in mind, how can there be any doubt that Basil Poledouris' score for Conan the Barbarian ranks as one of the best (if not THE best) motion picture soundtracks of all time? Anybody who has seen the movie knows that the first 20 odd minutes contain something like 5 lines of character dialogue - the story, the setting and the mood are all given to you by the narrator and the background score. And what a score! When opening rumbles of "The Anvil of Crom" roll over you along with the credits, you know something truly special is to follow. "Riddle of Steel/Riders of Doom" captures the essence of the riddle better than Conan's father does with his words. "The Wheel of Pain" is a masterpiece of progressively epic music, giving you goosebumps as you watch Conan mature into a man while pushing the wheel, while the weaker ones die slowly.

It would be pointless to describe every track - listen and find out for yourself what they are like. However, I would recommend that - even if you dislike sword & sorcery movies - you watch the movie too, if you haven't already. Only when you see what the soundtrack does for the film on screen do you truly appreciate what Basil Poledouris has created. Every note, every chord captures & conveys the essence of what is on screen at that moment.

The triumph of this score is that it renders spoken word almost useless at times - the music has already told the story. And if that isn't enough to make any soundtrack a masterpiece, nothing is.

Buy it, by all means. But also watch the movie. That's the only way you will truly appreciate it.

The music tells the story so well, from the opening "Anvil of Crom", with thunderous drums and triumphal trumpet calls, which was later recycled for the trailer for "Gladiator".

There is the subtle, delicate build up to the upcoming battle followed by the roar of the chorus and drums and trumpets to match the charge of Thulsa Doom's henchmen in "The Battle of the Mounds", with the gentle momentary final pause before the battle for Conan's prayer to Crom. This one piece more than any other easily brings out the matching visuals from the movie.

"Riddle of Steel/Riders of Doom" also has a beautiful buildup to the violent choral climax at the end.

There are the gentle, almost sad themes from "Wifeing" which just about make you want to cry when you hear the music by itself (this one doesn't quite match the visuals, since what's going on in the movie, Arnold making love to a lusty Sandahl Bergman, doesn't exactly make you want to cry).

The Varese Sarabande version of the soundtrack has 16 tracks, and if you are going to get the soundtrack to Conan the Barbarian, this is the one to get. It's just really, really too bad that it's out of print right now - used copies are getting expensive.

The extra four tracks in this version, "Mountain of Power Procession", "Tree of Woe", "Recovery", and "Death of Rexnor" are important pieces from the movie. "Tree of Woe" has that sad beginning and ends with the hopeful and joyous notes signaling the arrival of Conan's rescuers. "Mountain of Power" is a lusty processional piece. "Recovery" is an introspective presentation of several of the main themes from the rest of the soundtrack - they match the introspective look on Conan's face so well as he contemplates his comeback for revenge. "Death of Rexnor" starts with the trumphal music of Conan slaying Thulsa Doom's chief thug, and then moves into the undulating themes of Conan sneaking up on Thulsa Doom back at the temple.

"Gift of Fury", "Atlantean Sword", "Funeral Pyre" all stand out for their mix of delicate themes and buildups.

"Wheel of Pain" is the only track that I can't quite stand to listen to - the first half anyway. Poledouris used real screeching metal in the first half, and it really sounds like, ugh, fingernails on a blackboard. But then this has a really nice buildup to the thrilling part where Arnold as the now grown-up Conan looks up from the Wheel of Pain.

Get this soundtrack - you won't regret it!