Bruce ROWLAND
PharLap. Zeus and Roxanne 
OSTs PERCEPTO
004 [78:23]
(Available from Percepto Records: www.percepto.com/)
Phar Lap was a
reasonable success in 1983, being the story of a prize-winning
Australian racehorse from the Thirties that died of a mysterious
disease. Composer Rowland's response is very much a product of
the time; with one of those quickly dated drum beats running under
almost everything. The opening cue "California 1932"
contains some nice work from guitars and flutes, and then "Phar
Lap Main Theme" has piano and strings swirl around one another.
But then a beat kicks up. Throughout the album this is frankly
a let down. "Phar Lap Wins The Melbourne Cup" has a
highly heroic theme variant - before a beat kicks in. And on it
goes. One interesting tangent comes in "Agua Caliente"
though, featuring military snare drums with castanets, Spanish
horns and guitars!
Zeus and Roxanne is a 1997 Steve Guttenberg
film about a dog bonding with a dolphin. Are you already planning
a trip to the video store? The 2 scores are appropriately paired
since it's the same sweet 'n' low sound - with a more contemporary
lilt to the obligatory drums. Lots of shimmering harp glissandos
and bell tree leave no uncertainty this is extremely kid-friendly
fare. "Car Chase / Underwater Ride" has lots of comedic
hijinks with xylophone running up and down the scale. Mickey-mousing
is frequently the order of the day. Two standout cues for something
a little different are "Zeus Arrives / Carver The Spy"
with steel drums, and the 7 minute "Shark Attack / Stranded
Sub / Rescue" with some spooky string figures in the early
part.
Paul Tonks
