Tadlow Music once again delivers the type of soundtrack release that makes a fan like me motivated to stay engaged. Having already established a fabulous track record with re-recordings and special releases, Tadlow steps up to the plate once more and delivers the full score for Maurice Jarre's, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. While there was a soundtrack released back in the day that featured the partial score (along with some pop music hi-jinx), this special 2-disc set finally grants us the full experience.
Beyond Thunderdome was a great achievement musically; Jarre developed a sci-fi score with a tender spot since this third installment in the Mad Max series featured a band of children who made a life of their own in the post apocalyptic wasteland. Indeed, it's the thematic foundations of the children's themes that really defines the score and it is presented in its full context with this set.
While the touching tones of the children as front and center, there is still an excellent offering of vintage sci-fi music to get into, particularly with the Bartertown and Thunderdome sequences. Unlike the first two Max scores, Jarre coaxes out music that is a bit easier on the ears than that of his predecessor, Brian May, who respectfully did a professional job with his work on the franchise, never had the type of output that made me want to own the scores from the first two films.
The full score is represented on disc 1 and for part of disc 2. The second disc offers the chase music that is heard in the exhilarating finale in the film and it's just as fun to listen to apart from it. It's also a track that runs for over 11 minutes so buckle up for it! Also on disc 2, the Tadlow team added the score material as heard in the first release of the Thunderdome soundtrack. These cues make for a nice highlight package if you want a quick fix, but having heard the score in full by then, I pretty much passed on it. The full treatment was enough to satisfy. Other noteworthy items on disc 2 include instrumental excerpts and overlays as well a re-recorded suite from a previous compilation album. In all, it's pretty much packed with all the Thunderdome material one could ever want.
For me, this release is all about the re mastered score, which again, is presented in its entirety for the first time. The other selections on the second disc are nice touches but not really necessary for me; the real value in this is the opportunity to hear Jarre's work in full for what is an underrated classic. The liner notes are also of interest and isn't just a throwaway; thought and time went into crafting the story behind this release and it made for an interesting read. It also highlights the staggering amount of time and effort that went into making this set a possibility, so for that, I kindly tip my cap to everyone involved in this project. And of course, my salute even goes back to the mid-80's when one of the all time masters in film composing gave us one heck of a gem that we can now fully enjoy.
