A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

John Barry's apparent retirement from film scoring is probably for a combination of reasons, some of which are no doubt voluntary, but the sad thing is that one of the key ones is that Hollywood just thinks music like his has gone out of fashion, that there's no place for it.  It's difficult to see exactly what sort of movie Barry could score these days - his total lack of interest in throwing electronics around the place rules him out of most modern action movies, and most so-called "epics" now go for a score that rips off either Gladiator or Titanic.  It's just not a place that Barry seems to fit into, any more, which is very sad because there are still things he could be offering.  Mercury Rising shows just what he can offer - and also why nobody is interested in what he can offer.  In the inglorious final years of his career, this score must have been one of the sorriest episodes - not because the music is poor (though it certainly isn't one of Barry's stronger efforts) - but because, for the umpteenth time, he couldn't agree with the director on a musical approach and so much of his score ended up being removed from the movie and replaced with a last-minute rush job from Carter Burwell.

The fact is though that however fashionable it may be to disagree, Barry's approach to this type of film is probably spot-on.  He doesn't even bother trying to score many of the action scenes - and, really, there isn't much of a point.  With all the helicopters, guns, cars etc, no music is ever going to be heard in the movie.  He concentrates instead on the central character, an autistic boy being hunted by terrorists who want him to crack the government's ultra-secret new code (honestly, I'm not making this up), giving him a theme that is touching and tinged with an air of tragedy, quite sublimely beautiful despite being very simplistic.  Unfortunately Barry does very little with the theme through the score, just stating it virtually in full without much variation every other track or so.

The rest of the score is mostly tense material, at which Barry has always excelled, though there is some genuine action music thrown into the mixing pot as well.  "The Story Begins" opens the album with a menacing piece, clearly foreshadowing darkness to come.  "The Train Search" is probably the standout piece of suspense music, with Barry adding layer upon layer of growling, dark material, using all the tricks up his sleeve to great effect.  That track segues into the mean, moody "Art and Simon", featuring a lovely sax solo counterplayed by a wafer-thin flute theme.  "Rooftop Arrival" is a pacy and punchy track that recalls some of Barry's latter-day James Bond music, though it isn't quite so dynamic.  "Simon on the Edge" is the standout action piece featuring some effective brass effects which were something new for the composer, and making for a brilliant musical representation of desperation, the feeling of having nowhere to turn.  It might be a bit on the slow side and there might be no Yamaha in sight, but it's better than 99% of action music being written today by even the most prolific and highly-regarded film composers.  The end title cue, "The Story Ends", is probably the best on the album: opening with a brand new theme, a playful little melody, on strings, it segues into the main theme before going back to the new theme again, this time being heard on sax.  It's a terrific ending to the album.

Mercury Rising - the score - was so roundly panned by film music critics on its release that it seems that the music of John Barry is just as out of fashion with audiences as it is with filmmakers.  So sad that such a great talent is sitting there in New York going to waste.  Sure, he deserves to be working on things better than Mercury Rising - but working on anything at all would be a boon.  This is not one of his greater scores and suffers considerably from the repetition of the theme, but it still makes for a compelling and rewarding album. 

Tracks

1. The Story Begins (3:01)
2. Simon's Theme (3:07)
3. The Puzzle (1:34)
4. Barrell Kills Parent (1:59)
5. Looking for Simon (2:20)
6. Meeting with Kudrow (3:39)
7. The Train Search / Art and Simon (3:09)
8. Simon is Going Home (1:59)
9. Rooftop Arrival (2:07)
10. Simon on the Edge / Death of Kudrow (3:33)
11. I'm a Friend of Simon's (2:08)
12. The Story Ends (5:12)