charm, then unleashes a furious broadside of symphonic and choral thunder to rival his ominous score for K-19 . The composer's fellow German mentor is an obvious influence throughout (the album is credited with a wink as "Score overproduced by Hans 'Long John' Zimmer") but Badelt brings his own muscular instincts to bear throughout. Perhaps shrewdly realizing that genre cliches are nothing if not for reinventing, Badelt delivers his rhythmically nervous Eurocentric sensibilities--sort of Holst duels Shostakovich on the Spanish Main--with the subtlety of a scorching cannonball. It's seasoned with a little romantic respite in the final act, if a bit gingerly, and could no doubt profit by...  (less)

without developing nightmares. That's not to say that bigger kids won't whistle yo-ho-ho merrily after a casual listen, too: salty classics like "Blow the Man Down" set the mood for a plastic sword fight in the basement; "Pirates of the Black Tide" and "Stowaway" deliver mutinous tales made mild by friendly-sounding flutes and fiddles; "The Pirate King" sallies forth with regal, dramatic flair; and "Shiver Me Timbers" and "The Legend of Davy Jones" are sufficiently menacing-sounding to keep the whole thing afloat with kids who'd sooner walk the plank than be caught listening to a kiddie CD. The packagers didn't forget that any pirate worth his eye patch expects a little buried treasure with his purchase: Pirate lore--cool tidbits on flags, s...  (less)

Jones (Bill Nighy), captain of the ghostly Flying Dutchman. And as if this weren't enough, the captain's problems manage to wreck the wedding plans of a certain Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly), who are forced to join Jack on yet another misadventure. Soundtrack features original score by Hans Zimmer plus a bonus remix track by the world-renowned DJ Tiesto. More Pirates and Hans Zimmer Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Score Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl DVD The Da Vinci Code Score The British Years Gladiator Score The Lion King Soundtrack  (less)

Maybe You Should Drive . From the manic ravings of "Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank," a musical exploration of celebrity-stalking, to the bluesy lament of "Break Your Heart," BNL serve up a musical complexity and rare intelligence that separate them from the pack of mostly acoustic bands who dominate radio playlists. Highlights include "The Old Apartment," and anthem about trying to recapture lost youth and "When I Fall," a haunting song about a professional window washer. While it lacks some of the raw energy of their earlier releases, Born on a Pirate Ship is still a fine offering, and the ECD clips are worth the price of the disc. --L.A. Smith  (less)

in the CD's liner notes include pirate-themed nicknames, like the roll call in a Simpsons Halloween episode) isn't in doubt--he sure is one in-demand composer--but afficionados are divided about his artistic worth, and this score isn't about to reconcile them. Some think that Zimmer relies too much on his stable of composers and sticks to tried-and-true recipes; others admire his capacity to weave themes in and out of cues, creating a whole made of subtly interrelated parts. At World's End feeds both camps: Seven of his collaborators are credited with writing "additional music," and the album feels by-the-numbers at times; but those inclined to listen very closely will be rewarded by the way Zimmer sneaks in bits of two main melodie...  (less)

4: Brand new remixes Disc 5: DVD of behind the scenes, making of the music and interviews with composer Hans Zimmer This will truly be a collector's item for any Pirates Of The Caribbean fan out there!  (less)

called Baobab. But legendary status in Senegal didn't help the musicians get wider attention--the album wasn't released in Europe until 1987, and it only now comes to the U.S. for the first time. Latin music was popular in Dakar, a port city, and the band mixed various strains of Latin music with different African music styles to create uniformly stunning results not all that different from Afro-Cuban music. The French vocals are lovely, and the powerful mix of African and Latin percussion is undeniable--but keep a particular ear out for guitarist Barthelemy Attisso, whose tasteful leads float over the top. The original six-track album is hard to pass up, but this reissue contains a second disk with six unreleased songs from the same sessio...  (less)

2007. Rescue Dawn recounts the true story of German-born Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale), who dreamed of flying. After making his way to the United States, he joined the Navy during the Vietnam War and became a pilot. He was shot down over Laos and captured, but eventually organized a daring escape with a small band of captives. Composer Klaus Badelt began his musical career writing and producing music for dozens of movies and commercials in his native Germany. Since moving to California at the invitation of Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer, he has regularly collaborated with Zimmer and other composers, and penned his own projects, including Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.  (less)

be flown to the opening of Kenny's 2009 tour (date/location are pending). The connected element allows you to download the video to the album's smash single "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven," as well as the highly sought after animated pirate video introduction used on Kenny's 2008 "Poets and Pirates" tour. There is also a link to Kenny's website and a link to view Kenny's catalog videos.  (less)

Material", "A Grand..." is one continuous narrative, following Skinner through a day of victories, defeats, and battles.  (less)

The show used Alec Wilder's underscore, but Bernstein had composed one as well, and his finally sees the light of day on this CD after years of research and restoration by conductor Alexander Frey. Was it worth the effort? Absolutely. Bernstein fans will of course crave the CD, but it should delight newcomers as well. The instrumental tracks display a wide stylistic palette, and the songs are simply wonderful. Just check out "Who Am I" (sung by Linda Eder) and you will hear a ballad as lovely as any‹cabaret singers in search of rare material would be well advised to look into it. Baritone Daniel Nardiccio does warm justice to Bernstein's near-operatic passages in "Pirate Song" and "Captain Hook's Soliloquy" (reminiscent of Candide ). As if t...  (less)