Xenopedia
Register
Advertisement
Xenopedia


Alien is the official soundtrack album to the 1979 motion picture Alien, composed by Jerry Goldsmith, conducted by Lionel Newman and performed by the British National Philharmonic Orchestra.

Overview[]

Director Ridley Scott had originally wanted the film to be scored by Isao Tomita, but 20th Century Fox wanted a more familiar composer and Jerry Goldsmith was recommended by then-President of Fox Alan Ladd, Jr. Rather than focus on identifiable themes, Goldsmith created a bleak and dissonant soundscape for the movie that evoked the emptiness of space and fits the film's dark and intense atmosphere. He also sought to create a sense of romanticism and lyrical mystery in the film's opening scenes, which would then build throughout the movie to suspense and fear. Specifically, he wanted to shy away from common sci-fi/horror score conventions and avoid the inclusion of strange, ethereal motifs in the film's opening credits, ideas that he considered stereotypical.[1] However, Scott did not like Goldsmith's original "romantic" main title piece, and Goldsmith rewrote it as "the obvious thing: weird and strange, and which everybody loved".[1]

Film editor Terry Rawlings used music from previous soundtracks by Goldsmith to provide the film with a temporary score during the editing process.[2] When it came to the final cut of the film, some of this music was retained in favor of pieces composed especially for the corresponding scenes. Notably, the sequence where acid blood from the Facehugger burns through the decks of the Nostromo uses a cue from Goldsmith's score for the 1962 film Freud: The Secret Passion, while the end credits feature an excerpt from Howard Hanson's Symphony No.2 ("Romantic"). This decision caused some conflict with Goldsmith, who was unhappy with the way his score was treated by Scott and Rawlings.[1] He later commented, "You can see that I was sort of, like, going at opposite ends of the pole with the filmmakers of the picture."[1]

Despite the tensions during post-production, Scott has gone on to praise Goldsmith's work, stating, "Jerry Goldsmith's score is one of my favourite scores. Seriously threatening and beautiful."[1] Following the film's release, the soundtrack was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, a Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album, and a BAFTA Award for Best Film Music.

Complete Edition[]

The original release featured just under 35 minutes of music from the movie, although the cues on the album were not in the order they appeared in the film. In 2007, Intrada Records released a two-disc Complete Edition, featuring an expanded and chronological score with bonus tracks on disc one, and the original soundtrack album with further bonus tracks on disc two.

Track Listing[]

Original release[]

  1. "Main Title" — 3:30
  2. "The Face Hugger" — 2:32
  3. "Breakaway" — 3:00
  4. "Acid Test" — 4:35
  5. "The Landing" — 4:29
  6. "The Droid" — 4:40
  7. "The Recovery" — 2:44
  8. "The Alien Planet" — 2:28
  9. "The Shaft" — 3:57
  10. "End Title" — 3:02

2007 Complete Edition[]

Disc one[]

  1. "Main Title" — 4:12
  2. "Hyper Sleep" — 2:46
  3. "The Landing" — 4:31
  4. "The Terrain" — 2:21
  5. "The Craft" — 1:00
  6. "The Passage" — 1:49
  7. "The Skeleton" — 2:30
  8. "A New Face" — 2:35
  9. "Hanging On" — 3:39
  10. "The Lab" — 1:05
  11. "Drop Out" — 0:57
  12. "Nothing to Say" — 1:52
  13. "Cap Nip" — 1:01
  14. "Here kitty" — 2:08
  15. "The Shaft" — 4:31
  16. "It's a Droid" — 3:28
  17. "Parker's Death" — 1:51
  18. "The Eggs" — 2:24
  19. "Sleepy Alien" — 1:04
  20. "To Sleep" — 1:56
  21. "The Cupboard" — 3:05
  22. "Out the Door" — 3:13
  23. "End Title" — 3:09
  24. "Main Title (Alternate Version)" — 4:11
  25. "Hyper Sleep (Alternate Version)" — 2:45
  26. "The Terrain (Alternate Version)" — 0:58
  27. "The Skeleton (Alternate Version)" — 2:31
  28. "Hanging on (Alternate Version)" — 3:08
  29. "The Cupboard (Alternate Version)" — 3:12
  30. "Out the Door (Alternate Version)" — 3:02

Disc two[]

  1. "Main Title" — 3:37
  2. "The Face Hugger" — 2:36
  3. "Breakaway" — 3:03
  4. "Acid Test" — 4:40
  5. "The Landing" — 4:31
  6. "The Droid" — 4:44
  7. "The Recovery" — 2:50
  8. "The Alien Planet" — 2:30
  9. "The Shaft" — 4:01
  10. "End Title" — 3:09
  11. "Main Title (Film Version)" — 3:44
  12. "The Skeleton (Alternate Take)" — 2:34
  13. "The Passage (Demonstration Excerpt)" — 1:54
  14. "Hanging On (Demonstration Excerpt)" — 1:08
  15. "Parker's Death (Demonstration Excerpt)" — 1:07
  16. "It's a Droid (Unused Inserts)" — 1:27
  17. "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (Source Music)" — 1:49

Trivia[]

References[]

Advertisement