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A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

The first "real" film for the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation, after the dismal Generations, First Contact set the series back on track with a great story, a powerhouse performance from Patrick Stewart and a welcome return for composer Jerry Goldsmith.  The adventures this time out must have been particularly inspiring for the composer, for he got the chance to score some excellent action scenes with a genuinely fearsome enemy, some gut-wrenching character moments and mankind's first contact with an alien species (hence the title).

Things get off to a flying start as Goldsmith's new theme is presented in the main title.  A hymnal and moving piece, it must surely rank as one of the great composer's finest themes.  Straight from there we go to "Locutus", some bleak horror music actually written by the composer's son Joel, who was brought on board as a result of the severe time pressures to get the score recorded.  Goldsmith Jr composed almost twenty minutes of music for the movie (some of it based around Goldsmith Sr's themes) and it is to his credit that they are certainly not out of place alongside his illustrious father's pieces.  On this album we get "Retreat" and "39.1 Degrees Celsius" from the younger Goldsmith, which are excellent pieces for the Alien-style encounters with the villainous Borg.  Sadly missing from the album is Joel Goldsmith's "Flight of the Phoenix" piece, a stirring and emotional track that would have worked well on disc.

Jerry Goldsmith's action pieces are (as ever) of note, especially the great "Red Alert" and "Temporal Wake" which come towards the start of the album, featuring thrilling brief passages of themes from previous Goldsmith-scored Star Trek adventures.  But really, it is when he presents his stirring new theme in different guises that things are most notable, particularly in the beautiful "Welcome Aboard" and the incredible "First Contact", a five-minute masterpiece of music composition.  The end credit suite is terrific, with fine performances of both the main Star Trek theme and the new "First Contact" theme.

This is a strong album (though there would have been plenty of scope for additional music if only finances had allowed) which should satisfy all fans of Goldsmith.  But then, the same could be said of all his scores for Star Trek, which seems to inspire him time after time.

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Tracks

1. Main Title / Locutus (4:17)
2. Red Alert (2:13)
3. Temporal Wake (2:07)
4. Welcome Aboard (2:40)
5. Fully Functional (3:18)
6. Retreat (3:59)
7. Evacuate (2:19)
8. 39.1 Degrees Celsius (4:44)
9. The Dish (7:05)
10. First Contact (5:52)
11. End Credits (5:24)
12. Magic Carpet Ride Steppenwolf (4:22)
13. Ooby Dooby Roy Orbison (2:22)