Baby : Secret Of The Lost Legend, was re-released in 2008 with a running length of over fifty three minutes. This was the second release of the score, another version of the score had been released back in 1993, but it didn’t have the same amount of music presented on the album as this new release does. This isn’t regarded as one of Jerry Goldsmith’s best albums, but it is a lot of fun, and it does serve as a precursor to some of the material that Jerry Goldsmith would use for his more lauded works (Legend, First Blood Part II, which were also released during the same year) . Disney is known for being extremely difficult when it comes to the release of film scores for their movies, unless it’s for a movie currently in theaters it’s practically impossible to get them to release anything at all. However Intrada record company was able to get through and negotiate a proper release of this score, and it was released as a limited edition with only 3,000 copies created, and they were quickly snatched up in roughly two days, which is quite shocking I must say.
The music does have similarities to other Goldsmith scores, most notably, Legend, Rambo II, and Under Fire ; even some familiar sounding material which you wouldn’t hear until five to ten years down the line for Total Recall, The Ghost and The Darkness, and even Congo. Synthesizers are used heavily through out the score to represent the baby dinosaur and it comes off as an attempt to make it sound ultra cute, and at times it can be very annoying ; it also should be added that these synthesizers are indications of how Goldsmith would use them for his score to Legend. The theme also does bare a strong resemblance to the main theme herd in Under Fire, and it’s explored heavily in the track “Dragon Breath” and the constant use of synthesizers in this track does become a bit tiresome and annoying for my taste, but it serves it’s purpose fine, for the most part. The more pleasing area of the score is the action material that Goldsmith wrote for the movie, the action theme is first heard faintly in the track “The Sketch” (The Title Theme), but it doesn’t fully appear until the track “The Family” and it does make quite an impression when Goldsmith uses the Trombones and then the French Horns ; obviously playing at the forte sound level. In this section you’re given a precursor to the material that Goldsmith would use in Rambo II. The title theme which eventually becomes even more developed and fatter sounding with the tracks “The Jump” and “The Rescue” (the latter being the highlight of the score and the track that most people will notice) ; the former blends the cute sounding synthesizers with what you could almost describe as a lighter version of Rambo sounding material, it’s a solid action cue, but it serves as an appetizer for what you will eventually hear in the track “The Rescue”. This track is clearly the highlight of the entire album, and will have most people returning it several times over. It does show once again that no one could quite score an action sequence even in a family friendly film like Jerry Goldsmith, in this aspect of his career no one could touch him. It does sound like a lighter version of Rambo II, but that doesn’t detract at all from it’s undoubted fun factor, this is where the main title theme is heard in its fully developed state and it’s clearly clicking on all cylinders. It’s a fine score by The Master, but it isn’t great, this does pale in comparison to Legend, and Rambo II, but it’s still a solid entry into Goldsmith’s prolific career.
It should be noted, if you’re ever interested in hearing the beginnings of the material that Goldsmith would use for films before Legend, Rambo II, Total Recall, The Ghost and The Darkness, and even Congo ; this score should be picked up.
Rating : ****
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