Off the Beaten Path!!
Kevin Currie-Knight | Newark, Delaware | 01/19/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As with most of Philip Glass's soundtrack's the music to The Thin Blue Line is amazing (in a suprisingly subtle way). So why in the world was this soundtrack released in 1989 with DIALOGUE ON TOP OF IT?! What's more, to the dismay of all of us diehards', the dialogue was quite out front, with the music off in the background. What were they thinking? Well, I can't complain anymore - and I'll gladly stop. This soundtrack - without any dialogue, thank you - is available for our enjoyment and it has been making regular rounds on my CD player ever since. For those whove not heard the soundtrack before, but have some familiarity with Glass, this music probably sounds most (loosely) akin to "Dancepieces". The instrumentation is sparse, the pieces are inventive while maintaining an openness and accessibility, and the chord changes have a tendency to give you chills (well, they do to me anyway). There are plenty of highlights: really the first five tracks are all brilliant (the third being rearranged as Glass's solo piano piece 'metamorphisis 1'). I also really liked tracks 9, 10 and 11 (which are all extremely short peices exploiting the same chordal theme). Also, track 19 (a longer peice for strings that I don't think made it into the film or the other soundtrack) has a calm but mighty sound that I've only heard Glass be able to pull off. There are, to be sure, a few...well...bizarre tracks that almost sound more like a Michael Nyman experiment than something Glass would do. Two tracks use jazz brushes on a snare, playing a soft swing underneath strings that are playing in straight syncopation. A mismatch, in my opinion. Another two tracks (one of them track 20 - the 'hidden' track) use a surf-sounding guitar and a peppy - almost poppy - feel akin to Michael Nyman. Besides that, track 20 uses more studio effects than I've ever heard Philip Glass use. Very bizarre indeed (but you may well like it, and at any rate, it is very different)!!Long and short, this album is a gem, even if some of the tracks are a bit eclectic. Glass is to be commended for creating a soundtrack that is a.) this compelling, b.) this diverse from track to track, and c.) simply put, this beautiful!"
Very Haunting Film and Score
Hugh Hancock | Bakersfield, CA United States | 11/25/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Several years ago I watched the film The Thin Blue Line. The film is stylistically terrific, haunting, and twisted. I loved it AND the music. I wanted the soundtrack, but it included the dialogue from the film (I nevertheless bought the soundtrack). Now Orange Mountain Music has released the soundtrack without the dialogue. Once again, Glass has created a masterful score. The music is appropriate as a filmscore, or it can stand on its own. The music is haunting, wonderful, beautiful. I can't praise this album enough. Buy this one!"
Track Listings (19) - Disc #1