Jerry Goldsmith's ability to make atrocious films seem not quite so bad hit new heights on Congo, Frank Marshall's dreadful adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel - he seemed to pick up few tips about directing this sort of family fun while producing the likes of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Gremlins and Back to the Future.  Having been in the jungle the year before with Medicine Man, Goldsmith knew what the game was about, but here he took a slightly different approach, emphasising the mystery and majesty rather than beauty and introspection.  

The most striking aspect of the score is the African song which opens and closes it.  Co-written by the ubiquitous Lebo M, it's probably Mr M's most notable contribution to the world of film music, being a fluid and surprisingly memorable piece; though it's less surprising when one discovers that, as opposed to most of his film work, here Mr M only wrote the lyrics - the melody is all Goldsmith.  Aside from "Spirit of Africa", the song, the score is dominated by virtually non-stop action music, starting straight away with "Bail Out", a flowing and grand piece.  Later on, "Amy's Nightmare" is painted on a very large canvas and is quite furiously exciting.

Goldsmith makes a lot of use of a big percussion section with frequently-complex arrangements adding to the jungle atmosphere virtually throughout - "Hippo Attack" is a good example.  Gentler, slightly more Medicine Man-esque pieces do crop up once in a while, like the lovely "No Customs", though there is nothing so memorable as the earlier score's beautiful love theme.  The composer employs synth effects to great effect.  They always sit just behind the orchestra, giving the appearance of possibly dancing mysteriously around the percussion, forever just around the corner but never quite on the jungle floor in the jungle floor - if you see what I mean!  The album's only 33 minutes long and one third of that total is taken up by the tenth and final track, which not only expands (and improves) upon the African song "Spirit of Africa" but finds time for a typically-satisfying Goldsmith finale cue as well.  It's chopped to pieces in the film and you wonder what someone was playing at by using the music in quite such a pointless way, but on album it can be revealed in all its majesty.

For whatever reason, Congo may well be the most hated score Goldsmith's ever written.  Sure, it's no masterpiece, being neither as satisfying as Medicine Man from the preceding year nor The Ghost and the Darkness from the proceeding one.  But the action music is of Goldsmith's typically high standard, the theme is memorable and nothing sags even for a moment.  I'm not sure how a Goldsmith fan could fail to be impressed, regardless of what you may have read elsewhere!

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