Poor Edward! (Edward Scissorhands - Soundtrack)

Member Name: andrewl

Product:	Edward Scissorhands - Soundtrack
Date:	07/07/09 (39 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun and varied

Disadvantages: Tom Jones finishes it all off

'Edward Scissorhands' is a film I love more than almost any other. A monument to the struggles of non-conformists everywhere. And Winona Ryder's stunning. But does the score evoke this classic on its own?

Yes it does. It's that simple. Listening to the soundtrack, you realise just how much Danny Elfman's magnificent job added to the film's already potent atmosphere.

Of course, you might be forgiven for experiencing a sense of deja vu with this CD. Elfman re-cycled bits and pieces from this score for Tim Burton's two Batman films, and indeed most of his recent output. Most recognisable are Catwoman's theme and the opening twinkly bits which were later to accompany the young Penguin's descent into Gotham sewers in 'Batman Returns'. But this was the first time he used them, so just sit back and enjoy the fact that you're getting several soundtracks for the price of one!

I find it very difficult to write extensively about incidental music without referencing the film heavily, even when the music is on such an epic, orchestral scale. Perhaps the most evocative track is 'The Cookie Factory' which reproduces Vincent Price's insane kitchen perfectly with its robots reproduced in the brass section, with shades of the 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' inspiring the slower, reflective ending.

'Ice Dance' is another perfect track, which sums up the dreamy quality of the scene perfectly. Again it's more than powerful enough to bring back the whole scene from the film before the mind's eye.

Unfortunately, there are a few problems with the soundtrack, as always. After the extremely varied first half, the last few tracks start to sound quite similar to my mind, as the tone of the film becomes darker and darker. The music even becomes a little over-dramatic in places. The playful quality of tracks like 'The Cookie Factory' and 'Edwardo the Barber' is lost in favour of a bombastic score, which only settles down at the very end to a slight reworking of the Introduction track.

This is fine for the film, as obviously events are moving towards a dramatic conclusion and it's only right that the music should reflect that, but listening to the soundtrack away from the accompaniment of Edward's increasing isolation from Surburbia, a bit more variety in the second half would add a bit of balance.

The other problem is the obligatory song on the album. The quality of what has gone before is suddenly compromised by an unremarkable Tom Jones number, 'With These Hands'. Not even Tom Jones fans are likely to enjoy this piece of work, and I loathe it, often leaping across the room to switch off the stereo before it can even start. Tom would later renew his association with Burton in the 'quirky' Mars Attacks! At least he was sensible enough to stick to his classics in that film.

One thing that should be a problem, isn't. My copy of the soundtrack contains a disclaimer which says that some tracks may be of poor quality as they've been copied from analogue tape. I've never noticed any problems, has anyone else? It seems strange to think of a Tim Burton film having its score recorded on old-fashioned tape, just a sign of how quickly our digital age has moved, I suppose!

I paid about nine pounds for this soundtrack years and years ago, I gather you can now get it for less than a fiver both in HMV and online. Highly recommended.

Summary: One of my all-time favourite scores.