Anthology: Movie Themes 1974-1998

by John Carpenter

Overview

The mid-2010s found undisputed master of horror John Carpenter far busier as a musician than as a filmmaker. After releasing two volumes of original, non-soundtrack compositions (Lost Themes I and II) and touring for the first time, he revisited the themes to a baker's dozen of his most well-known movies from the '70s, '80s, and '90s. As with the Lost Themes albums and his concerts, he's joined by his son, Cody Carpenter, and his godson, guitarist Daniel Davies. The re-recordings are played straight through, with no attempts to update the sound or make the arrangements more complex, as such adjustments would simply be counterproductive. Carpenter's music had become fully in vogue by the time this album appeared, with numerous styles of rock, electronic music, and hip-hop (particularly trap) echoing his ominous themes and brilliantly minimalist arrangements. As such, the trio sounds completely au courant just by plugging in and playing. The selections aren't sequenced chronologically, which means that it starts off with the Metallica-influenced hard rock blowout "In the Mouth of Madness" (1995) before the immortal "Assault on Precinct 13" (1976). Like many early Carpenter scores, this one was composed and performed by the director himself on a minimal keyboard setup because he had no budget to hire anyone else to do the music, yet the simplicity contributed greatly to the suspense of the films, and the music became highly influential even outside of the context of the movies. The album also includes recordings of two themes to Carpenter films that he didn't compose himself (or with frequent collaborator Alan Howarth), such as Ennio Morricone's stark, pulsating "The Thing" and Jack Nitzsche's lush, romantic "Starman." Anthology won't offer any surprises to Carpenter devotees, but the music is undeniably authentic and faithful to his vision, and it sounds fantastic in any case. For anyone who isn't already familiar with Carpenter's films or music, this is a handy way to become acquainted. ~ Paul Simpson

Product Details

Release Date:	10/20/2017
Label:	SACRED BONES
UPC:	0616892521846

Tracks

1. In the Mouth of Madness
2. Assault on Precinct 13
3. The Fog
4. Prince of Darkness
5. Santiago (Vampires)
6. Escape From New York
7. Halloween
8. Porkchop Express (Big Trouble in Little China)
9. They Live
10. The Thing
11. Starman
12. Dark Star
13. Christine

Album Credits

Performance Credits

John Carpenter   Primary Artist
Scott Seiver   Drums
Ben Lee   Harmonica
John Konesky   Guitar
John Spiker   Bass

Technical Credits

Cody Carpenter   Engineer
Kim Gottlieb-Walker   Photography
Chris Helcermanas-Benge   Photography
Sophie Gransard   Photography
Shane Harvey   Photography
Rena Small   Photography
John Shannon   Photography
Sidney Baldwin   Photography
Jay Shaw   Design
Jack Nitzsche   Composer
John Carpenter   Composer,Engineer
Daniel Davies   Engineer
Neil Jacobs   Photography
Ennio Morricone   Composer
John Spiker   Engineer
John Hamilton   Photography
Kyle Cassidy   Photography