First of all it's a pleasure to see so many favorite musicians
on the session: Shelly Manne on drums, Ann Stockton on harp, Milt Holland
on percussion, and Al Hendrickson on guitar. ("Al" turns out to be
short for "Alton"!)
There's also Moog in the ensemble, played by Michael Lang, not
a familiar name to me.
The "Main Title" is a beautiful, gentle, swinging 9/8 piece
with exquisite piano and keyboard playing by Artie Kane
or Pearl Kaufman or both. Hendrickson does some very subtle
and restrained wah-wah guitar as well.
The same theme is then given a mood transformation
for a shaggier and tougher sound in the short
cues "A Real Dog No. 1" and "A Real Dog No. 2".
A sprightlier, brighter version of the main theme, led
by electric piano, is the focus of "The Warehouse".
"Here I Come—Part I" and "Here I Come—Part II" are exciting
action pieces in 6/8 with some similarites for Goldsmith's
music for the Flint movies. Hendrickson's guitar is
a feature in the second part.
Then there's the love theme, "Getting Acquainted", also in two parts.
It's another reworking of the main theme but subtly arranged so
that the same melody sounds very different. Part of this is due
to the different rhythms expressed by different instruments,
perhaps similar to what Jimmy Giuffre used to call slow-motion counterpoint.
And then things get groovy in "Surprise Visit", in which guitar and harp
really get to make an impression and Goldsmith lets the strings create
a sumptuous atmosphere, while drums and tabla keep things swaying irresistibly.
The Moog has a lot to say in "A Broken Limb", a tense and lean action
piece with Goldsmith deploying piano and percussion in terse and jagged
figures that might remind you of how effectively he scored First Blood
as well as the Flint movies.
This delightful but too short score concludes with the tender and dreamy
"Stay in My Life", a recapitulation of the main theme.