Cheap Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (Music) (Harry Gregson-Williams, Harry Gregson-Williams, Lisbeth Scott) Price

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Customer Reviews of Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

Orchestral Spectacular!
Do yourself a favor and order this music. It's just plain fun! Don't try to analyze what you are hearing. Just enjoy. The main theme may wear on you just a bit, but overall I have to say it's still great. The recording is very well balanced, and you can hear all the instruments clearly, even in the full-bore, high level passages (there are plenty of these). Also, there is plenty of bass energy, but it is not overwhelming. Track 3, the Sea monster, is a good example, with some excellently recorded tympani. This track has it all. I always look forward to hearing the bass trombones at the 0:46 mark. Track 5 has the Syracuse theme. I have no idea what this is (I have not seen the movie, and don't need to). Let me say that this theme is more like an Anthem to me. If you only listen to one track as your sample, make it this one. The orchestra sounds like it will just keep going through the roof (eight notes, orchestra all playing together, full-bore). This might qualify for the 'best one minute piece of music' award, if there was such a thing. It returns majestically on track 21 at 3:40, in a different key, even more thrilling because it's played twice and the last note is held longer. I guess I've run out of superlatives. The only sonic problem I noticed on my copy, is that when the strings are playing at their highest level, there is some distortion, but it's not overly objectionable. Favorite tracks - 1,3,5,14,17,21. Almost forgot. The arrangements are right on target.

Whimsical adventure music
Whilst not original, tantalising or explorative to a seasoned listener, "Sinbad" is a nice piece of music for a composer relatively new to the job.

Working as a behind-the-coulisses entity, Gregson-Williams' name has graced many booklets already, but as yet, he has not scored many feature films. Nevertheless, it seems directors are beginning to notice him. And what more opportunity to write a diverse and exciting score than to an animated feature adventure of "Sinbad"?

This soundtrack is full with whimsical classic adventure music, with several ear-catching themes and some great monster music (especially "The Sea Monster" and "The Roc"). For the enthusiasm lingering between the lines, simply listening to the opening cues brings a smile to my face.

However, where the album fails is in fleshing all these themes and motifs out. Eris' theme and Sinbad's theme fly by too many times in undisguised vivacity. In addition, there is little difference in tone and ambience overall. What happens is that after the first two tracks, everything you will hear next seems unsurprising. Singular exceptions to this are the Roc's motif and the Sirens' calling. They do their best to kill the beat around the block, but - to me at least - they are tracks to return to rather than links in a chain. I'm not sure if that is what they are supposed to be, but I can guess.

To me - even though I return to the album many times for its feel-good undertone - "Sinbad" spells `beginning composer' all over it. I don't like to say such things, but as the case stands, less minutes of music would have made a better listening experience.

All the same, it's worthy of your collection but not worthy to the talents of Harry Gregson-Williams, who will bloom and produce much better music if he stays off the beaten tracks.

This one gets three stars.

Bram Janssen,
The Netherlands