Remastered release of complete score by Craig Safan for landmark 1984 sci-fi tale with Lance Guest, Dan O'Herlihy, Robert Preston, Catherine Mary Stewart, directed by Nick Castle.
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Remastered reissue of complete score by Craig Safan for landmark 1984 sci-fi tale with Lance Guest, Dan O'Herlihy, Robert Preston, Catherine Mary Stewart, directed by Nick Castle. World of Rylos, battles with evil Xur, his armies of Ko-Dan, heroic efforts of "the last starfighter" to conquer the enemy - all were fodder for pioneer computer-generated imagery back in 1984. Surprise hit movie finds young Alex Rogan proving himself adept at video games in small town trailer park. Soon, mysterious visitor appears, whisks Alex to planet Rylos to fight conquering menace. Romance, an android "beta unit", vicious "hit beasts" and more add dimension to rewarding tale. Craig Safan launches in brilliant major key fashion with dynamic fortissimo rhythmic motif for trombones, then adds trumpet fanfares, finally allows heroic main theme to take command. Both ideas play important roles throughout score. Propulsive action cues dominate with emphasis on aggressive low brass rhythms, sweeping lines for upper strings, zig zag material for woodwinds, synths. Brass parts throughout are commanding! Unusually crisp, punchy recording courtesy engineer Lyle Burbridge, acoustics of MGM Studios Scoring Stage 1 (known currently as Sony Pictures Scoring) and sizzling performance by 100 top L.A. session players. Highlights abound but spotlights go to showstopping "Centauri Into Space", rousing "Death Blossom, Ultimate Weapon", powerful "Centauri Dies", exciting "Target Practice". Special mention is due "Record Breaker": Here, Safan ingeniously melds low-brow synth sound of video game seamlessly into powerful orchestral variants of his propulsive opening material as piece progresses. Clever! March 1984 sessions were recorded onto 2" 24-track tape, then mixed down to both 1/2" three-channel, 1/4" two-channel stereo tape and preserved in pristine condition. All-new 2022 reissue produced from original Lyle Burbridge stereo mixes for the best, crispest audio to date. Entire score presented in picture sequence, courtesy both Warner Bros. & Universal. Craig Safan conducts. Intrada MAF series CD release is a must for all sci-fi, fantasy and eighties orchestral action score enthusiasts!
01. Main Title (2:31) 02. Alex Dreams (1:44) 03. Record Breaker (2:28) 04. Centauri Into Space (5:59) 05. Rylos (2:01) 06. Beta Transforms (0:44) 07. Gunstars (0:39) 08. Victory Or Death (0:54) 09. Zur (2:30) 10. Krill (4:25) 11. Slap (0:30) 12. Hit Beast (0:54)
13. Centauri Dies (6:53) 14. Target Practice (2:20) 15. Alex’s First Test (2:53) 16. Alex Decides (2:50) 17. Beta’s Sacrifice (3:47) 18. Good Luck Starfighter (0:44) 19. Death Blossom, Ultimate Weapon (4:46) 20. Big Victory March (2:15) 21. Alex Returns (3:28) 22. Into The Starscape (7:21) Total Time: 63:59
Composed and Conducted by Craig Safan.
The Last Starfighter Recorded on March 22, 23, 26, 27, and 28, 1984, at MGM Studios Scoring Stage, Culver City, California.
VIOLIN Sid Sharp
Constance Meyer
Pat Aiken
Israel Baker
Arnold Belnick
Harry Bluestone
Jacqueline Brand
Bonnie Douglas
Frank Foster
David Frisina
Joseph Golan
Harris Goldman
Joseph Goodman
Endre Granat
Gwenn Heller
Alexander Horvath
Nathan Kaproff
Marjorie Kransberg
Mary Lundquist
Joy Lyle
Erno Neufeld
Sidney Page
Stanley Plummer
Sheldon Sanov
Haim Shtrum
Paul Shure
Marshall Sosson
Joseph Stepansky
Robert Sushel
Polly Sweeney
Vicki Sylvester
John Wittenberg
Harold Wolf
VIOLA Pamela Goldsmith
Denyse Buffum
Rollice Dale
Allan Harshman
Michael Nowak
Joel Soultanian
Linn Subotnick
Herschel Wise
CELLO Raphael Kramer
Robert Adcock
Ronald Boyer
Ronald Cooper
Ernest Ehrhardt
Christine Ermacoff
Paula Hochhalter
Igor Horoshevsky
Armand Kaproff
Mary Lane
Harry Shlutz
BASS Arni Egilsson
Drew Dembowski
John Hornschuch
Milton Kestenbaum
Peter Mercurio
Buell Neidlinger
Robert Stone
FLUTE Sheridon Stokes
Louise DiTullio (Dissman)
Susan Greenberg
Arthur Hoberman
David Shostac
OBOE Earle Dumler
Phil Ayling
Barbara Northcutt
Kathleen Robinson (Fraider)
John Winter
CLARINET Dominick Fera
James Kanter
John Mitchell
Joel Peskin
BASSOON Norman Herzberg
Fowler Friedlander
Ronald Jannelli
Michael O’Donovan
John Steinmetz
FRENCH HORN David A. Duke
Marilyn Johnson
William Lane
Brian O’Connor
James Thatcher
Richard Todd
Brad Warnaar
TRUMPET Malcolm McNab
Robert Divall
Mario Guarneri
Walter Johnson
Warren Luening
David Searfoss
Anthony Terran
TROMBONE Charles Loper
Richard Nash
Lloyd Ulyate
Donald Waldrop
TUBA John Tommy Johnson
PERCUSSION Larry Bunker
Alan Estes
Emil Radocchia
Kenneth Watson
Jerry D. Williams
HARP Dorothy Remsen
KEYBOARDS Pete Robinson
Richard Gibbs
COPYIST Robert Bornstein
Phil Azelton
Wayne Coster
Gerald Dolan
Julia Eidsvoog
Michael Harriton
Deborah Jones
Jeffrey Jones
Kenneth Mitchell
Donald Nemitz
Victor Sagerquist
Howard Segurson
