A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

Jerry Goldsmith's collaborations with director George Pan Cosmatos may not have been on the greatest movies of all time (The Cassandra Crossing was the first, followed by Rambo II and Leviathan) but the composer's music is always interesting and rather more than the respective films deserved.  Pick of the bunch has to be this fantastic effort for Cosmatos's ridiculous 1976 disaster movie (in every sense of the word) in which passengers on board a train are exposed to a deadly disease and so cannot get off it again.  Of all the action/thrillers the composer scored in the late 1970s (Capricorn One, Twilight's Last Gleaming, Damnation Alley) this is probably the finest score (which is saying more than you might think).

The stylish main theme is inescapably reminiscent of Ennio Morricone's sexy themes for European romances at the time (in keeping with the movie's setting), distinctly sexy and memorable.  It is probably that which sets this score above its obvious contemporaries from the composer, with many fine performances heard on this album (including an amusingly old-fashioned vocal version in "I'm Still on my Way", performed by Ann Turkel and a delicious pop instrumental version, "It's All a Game", which has startling similarities to the style of Morricone's celebrated "Chi Mai" piece).  

Despite the strong thematic material, what many will like most is the first-rate action music, some of the most aggressive and powerful Goldsmith's ever written.  The highlight is the pulse-pounding "Helicopter Rescue", a top-notch example of Goldsmith's unmatchable action/suspense style.  Also terrific is the more fluid "Break-In".  Elsewhere, "I Can't Go" is an incredibly melodramatic piece entirely in keeping with the camp 70s style of these disaster movies.  The Cassandra Crossing is a terrific score, one of the best examples of the composer's taut style of the day.  The CD was only released in Italy (by RCA) but is still available if you look hard enough.

Tracks

1. Main Title (3:21)
2. Break-In (2:20)
3. Safe Living (4:08)
4. I Can't Go (4:35)
5. Helicopter Rescue (3:34)
6. It's All a Game (3:00)
7. I'm Still on my Way Ann Turkel (2:30)
8. The Climber (2:29)
9. It's God's Will (3:03)
10. Kaplan's Death (3:31)
11. End Titles (1:48)