You'll believe a man can fly.

[swashbuckler332]

EDIT: The initial concept for this disc predated myself being privy to the information that Bryan Singer would be making a new Superman film which would actually be titled Man of Steel. I have thus dismantled this album and created a new one with a similar structure, but that consists exclusively of music from the Christopher Reeve series. The new disc is entitled You'll Believe A Man Can Fly; the liner notes can be found here.




22 Tracks • 81:31

1. PRELUDE AND MAIN TITLE MARCH 5:17
(Superman - J. Williams)

2. TWILIGHT OF KRYPTON 6:00
(Superman - J. Williams)

3. SMALLVILLE 1:04
(Superman IV: The Quest for Peace - A. Courage/J. Williams)

4. LEAVING HOME 4:26
(Superman - J. Williams)

5. YOU’RE NOT ONE OF THEM 1:29
(Superman Returns - J. Ottman)

6. THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE 9:10
(Superman - J. Williams)

7. NORTH, MISS TESCHMACHER, NORTH 0:59
(Superman II - K. Thorne/J. Williams)

8. DYING WISH 2:30
(Superman Returns - J. Ottman)

9. THE BIG RESCUE 5:02
(Superman - J. Williams)

10. THE STREETS OF METROPOLIS 3:41
(Superman III - K. Thorne/J. Williams)

11. I SPENT THE NIGHT WITH SUPERMAN 5:32
(Superman - J. Williams)

12. DISARMAMENT 5:39
(Superman IV: The Quest for Peace - A. Courage/J. Williams)

13. LITTLE SECRETS 1:00
(Superman Returns - J. Ottman/J. Williams)

14. TRIO OF TRAITORS 3:27
(Superman II - K. Thorne/J. Williams)

15. CRIME OF THE CENTURY 2:02
(Superman - J. Williams)

16. KRYPTONITE CONTINENT 4:31
(Superman Returns - J. Ottman/J. Williams)

17. NUCLEAR ENCOUNTER 2:38
(Superman IV: The Quest for Peace - A. Courage/J. Williams)

18. JUST FLY 1:08
(Superman - J. Williams)

19. KNEEL BEFORE ZOD 3:16
(Superman II - K. Thorne/J. Williams)

20. HOW COULD YOU LEAVE US? 5:40
(Superman Returns - J. Ottman/J. Williams)

21. SAVING LOIS 1:11
(Superman - J. Williams)

22. MAIN TITLE MARCH REPRISE 5:35
(Superman II - J. Williams/K. Thorne)

SUPERMAN (1978)

Music Composed and Conducted by JOHN WILLIAMS

Performed by the LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Orchestrated by HERBERT W. SPENCER, ARTHUR MORTON and ANGELA MORLEY
Engineered by ERIC TOMLINSON

SUPERMAN II (1981) and SUPERMAN III (1983)

Music Composed, Arranged and Conducted by KEN THORNE
Incorporating Themes Composed by JOHN WILLIAMS

Engineered by JOHN RICHARDS

SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE (1987)

Superman and Original Themes Composed by JOHN WILLIAMS
Adapted and Conducted by ALEXANDER COURAGE

Performed by the GRAUNKE SYMPHONY and NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRAS
Orchestrated by FRANK BARBER and HARRY ROBERTS
Engineered by PETER KRAMPER and DICK LEWZEY

SUPERMAN RETURNS (2006)

Music Composed by JOHN OTTMAN
Incorporating Themes Composed by JOHN WILLIAMS

Orchestra Conducted by DAMON INTRABARTOLO
Orchestrated by DAMON INTRABARTOLO, RICK GIOVINAZZO, KEVIN KLIESZCH,
FRANK MACCHIA, JOHN OTTMAN, LIOR ROSNER, JEFFREY SCHINDLER and JOHN ASTHON THOMAS
Engineered by CASEY STONE

1. PRELUDE AND MAIN TITLE MARCH Superman
   The kick off of this album was a given. The opening of Superman is one of my favorite title sequences, firmly planting the movie in the grand Hollywood tradition, and the march itself a legitimate overture for the rest of the film. Rather than use the familiar fanfare opening (originally written for the Warner Brothers shield), I instead opted to go with the "Prelude" as it appears in the film. This is the film edit of the main title, though without the pitch shift and of course the phrases dropped in the film mix for timing are intact here. I described this moment in the film, the music and its personal significance after my viewing of the film at the Ziegfeld. On the my initial take on this mix, I had to accomplish this editorially, but this track was one of the bonus cues in the Blue Box.


2. TWILIGHT OF KRYPTON Superman
   This piece is comprised of material from "The Planet Krypton," "The Destruction of Krypton" and "Star Ship Escapes" (A.K.A. "The Kryptonquake") After the rousing title sequence, the camera pushes through space towards a red sun, and the planet Krypton is revealed. This is accompanied by a noble eight note fanfare that would become almost as iconic as the elements of the Superman march itself. Otherworldy textures are heard as Lara (Susannah York) and Jor-El (Marlon Brando) discuss the future of their son; a new five-note 'crystal' motif introduced as Jor-El explains to his wife that their son will never be alone, even on Earth. This motif will become very significant,scoring Superman's relationship to his home planet; in Thorne's Superman II score, a variation will be adapted to represent the three Kryptonian villains (tracks 12 and 21). A very moving sequence is then heard as Jor-El bids farewell to his son, Kal-El (Lee Quigley); a burst of the Superman fanfare plays over the craft breaking free of the doomed world. As the planet meets its inevitable doom, Williams introduces a new twelve note 'personal' motif built from elements of the fanfare and bridge portions of the march that he will revisit in a completely different context (tracks 14 and 19) and that Thorne and Ottman would both use in their respective scores (tracks 22 and 16). My original intention was to actually use "Krypton Destroyed" from Superman Returns because it incorporated a choir, but I found once I had the cue that the horns (which are my favorite part) disappear towards the latter portion of the track. This is the only case where two tracks from the same film abut one another on the mix, something I try to avoid as much as possible but which I found worked in this particular case.


3. SMALLVILLE Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
   Kal-El is rocketed to Earth, where he grows up in rural Kansas. The track is a combination of "Back in Time" and "Pow!," which in which Courage adapted "Jonathan's Death" from Superman to evoke Clark's hometown. This theme is actually more characteristic of Williams' work before Jaws on such films as The Cowboys, The Reivers and Conrack, and fits perfectly with the images of pure Americana from that film, and it allowed me to briefly introduce the theme before "Leaving Home."



4. LEAVING HOME Superman
   The eerie 'crystal' motif is heard once again as Clark (Jeff East) is drawn to a mysterious green crystal originally seen being placed in Kal-El's ship by Jor-El. This then leads to a full statement of the Kent family theme as he reveals to his adopted mother Martha (Phyllis Thaxter) that he must leave. The final crescendo has always had some distortion on it that has thankfully been minimized by the remastering job done on the Blue Box.


5. YOU’RE NOT ONE OF THEM Superman Returns
   One of Ottman's most haunting compositions is his "personal" theme for Superman (Brandon Routh) that sets aside all of the pomp and glory of the march and concentrating instead on the more intimate aspects of the character. The Superman we see in Superman Returns has to come to terms with the consequences of his choices, and Ottman's yearning theme represents his maturity.


6. THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE Superman
   A questing motif leads to quiet statements of the Krypton fanfare as Clark heads north for reasons even he does not fully understand. The 'heritage' motif is heard as he removes the green crystal from the bag and, to an orchestral and choral crescendo he hurls it into the snow, where jagged brass and an atonal sequence score the actual construction of the Fortress itself, which is completed to a proud statement of the Krypton fanfare. Clark enters the building and so begins a beautiful sequence as a hologram of his father reveals himself and explains who Clark is and where he came from. This segment is based on the Krypton material and is scored for electronics and strings. This is a rather long track, but it plays out in its entirety as I believe it to be one of the most arresting pieces of film music I've ever heard (it also appeared almost complete on my Vistas compilation). The cue closes with a bold statement of the Superman fanfare as he is seen in his classic costume for the first time.


7. NORTH, MISS TESCHMACHER, NORTH Superman II
   Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) and Eve Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine) track down the Fortress whereupon Lex discovers the existence of General Zod (Terrance Stamp) and his followers Ursa (Sarah Douglas) and Non (Jack O'Halloran). The wintry adaptation of the "March of the Villains" theme heard in "Lex and Miss Teschmacher To Fortress" and "Lex Plans Partnership" forms the bulk of the track (the former appeared on the original Superman II album, but not the latter). The title comes from Lex's indelible encouragement to Miss Teschmacher to mush. "I am mushing!"


8. DYING WISH Superman Returns
   A distant music-box melody accompanies the death of wealthy matron Gertrude Vanderworth (television Lois Lane Noelle Niell) as she signs her entire fortune over to Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey). This piece, whicih is not included on the album, was the introduction to Ottman's Lex theme.


9. THE BIG RESCUE Superman
   The original Superman album was a masterful presentation of that score. While there were some alterations made, it was a generous set (2 LPs worth) and wasn't overly shuffled about. However, the omission of this cue was a major disappointment. This is, after all, one of the most iconic moments in the film, and ties into the mythic aspects of the Superman character. Harsh horn calls and prime Williams action writing (similar to that heard in The Empire Strikes Back) and fragments of "Can You Read My Mind" are heard as the helicopter Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) is riding in is disabled and balances precariously on the edge of the Daily Planet building (slightly abridged for this album). The "danger" motif heard here would form the basis for much of Thorne's action music in the second and third films. The ostinato and fanfare theme play as Clark changes into Superman to rescue her, leading to a humorous moment in which Lois falls (with the music no longer is playing to the danger she's in) as she is captured by a strange man in a blue costume. "Don't worry, Miss, I've got you." "You've got me... who's got you!?!" The helicopter then falls off the side of the building; Superman captures it to the first appearance in the score proper of the primary Superman theme. This theme is only ever heard in accompaniment to the full costumed Superman figure. This is followed by one of the most rousing presentations of the fanfare theme.


10. THE STREETS OF METROPOLIS Superman III
    While Thorne's Superman scores are mostly variations on Williams' themes, this delightful Dukas-inspired cue consists of primarily original material. The titles of Superman III play out over a comedic sequence of urban chaos. There is a moment in the film when Superman appears where Thorne re-arranged the appearance of the primary Superman theme from the previous track, which has been edited out here. I found this cut actually works to the track's advantage, as it is now more of a self-contained piece.


11. I SPENT THE NIGHT WITH SUPERMAN Superman
    "You will believe a man can fly" was the tagline of Superman: The Movie,and it is this sequence, filled with the sense of freedom unfettered flight would offer, that serves both to sell that idea, and also to show what is the most successful yet cheapest date in cinema history (Supes doesn't spend a dime on Lois). The twelve note motif heard towards the conclusion of track 2 is heard as Superman heads towards Lois' apartment for an interview; this is from "The Terrace," and segues into the opening of "The Flying Sequence." Variations of the"Can You Read My Mind" theme accompany Superman enticing Lois to come flying with him, and they take off to a rapturous setting of the theme.This is an extended musical sequence in the film that leads into another movement with vocals by Margot Kidder; this portion of the cue has been edited out (the complete track - sans vocals - appears on my Flight compilation). The cue closes with a wistful version of the Superman fanfare. The track name comes from the title of Lois' resulting article.


12. DISARMAMENT Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
    This suite encompasses many of the major thematic material from Superman IV; it opens with Lacy's (Mariel Hemingway) theme as heard in "For Real," then proceeds to the forbidding "The Class," which concludes with Jeremy's (Damian McLawhorn) theme, both among the three new themes penned by Williams for this film. There are a lot of developments of the B Superman theme as Big Blue addresses the "United Nations" and pledges to rid the world of all nuclear weapons. Courage's own 'Soviet' motif is heard leading up to a triumphant statement of the A Superman theme, which I dovetailed into the conclusion of the Superman IV end title.


13. LITTLE SECRETS Superman Returns
    Lois drops her bag and Clark helps her, thus realizing that she is going upstairs to smoke (track 16). A sweet version of "Can You Read My Mind" is heard as he watches her go up the elevator with his X-ray vision. This is a very short but sweet moment, perfectly capturing the longing one can feel for someone currently inaccessible.


14. TRIO OF TRAITORS Superman II
    The forbidding fanfare from "President Kneels Before Zod," heard as the villainous Kryptonians enter the Oval Office opens this track, which then segues to (the redone version of) their trial ("Villains in Zone"), which features a sour arrangement (with the final note trailing off) of the crystal motif and percussion. Thorne's adaptation of an unused portion of the trial scene from Superman as Non prevents a moon lander from taking off. A burst of the aggressive version of the Krypton fanfare is heard from "East Huston Battle." The action then returns to "President Kneels..." as Zod realizes the man supplicating himself (Tony Sibbald) is not, in fact, the President (E. G. Marshall).


15. CRIME OF THE CENTURY Superman
    A militaristic passage leads to several entertaining variations on the "March of the Villains" theme as Lex puts his diabolical plan into effect. As Ottman points out when discussing why he didn't carry over this theme to Superman Returns, it is much more illustrative of the bumbling Otis (Ned Beatty) than it is the fiendish Lex. Here, however, it serves as a pleasant interlude before the unbridled fury of...


16. KRYPTONITE CONTINENT Superman Returns
    The Lex motif gets a serious workout in the dire "Not Like the Train Set," in which he begins building his Kryptonite continent with the central six notes are built up with arpeggios. In a sequence excerpted from "So Long Superman," Kal-El confronts Lex on the growing island, unaware that it is threaded with Kryptonite. Several settings of Lex's motif are heard, but then overtaken by a despondent variation on Ottman's 'personal' theme as he and his henchmen beat down the weakened Superman. The suite then proceeds to "Saving the World" for an authoritative statement of Lex's theme. Williams' original 'personal' motif leads to the trademark ostinato, over which we hear Lex's theme played out in full before engaging the fanfare (a rather nifty device, that).


17. NUCLEAR ENCOUNTER Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
    The third theme Williams wrote for Superman IV was that for the super-powered antagonist Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow), created by Lex in order to "Destroy Superman" and open up the arms market once more. This silly but undeniably catchy melody is buttressed by an uncompromising rhythm in the two cues that make up this track, "Tornado" and "Volcano."


18. JUST FLY Superman
    The fanfare theme returns for this brief but rousing Air Force One rescue in Superman, excerpted from "Super Rescues." The engines on the airplane begin to fail but the craft is saved by Superman. The co-pilot looks out the window and can't quite believe what he's seeing, and when asked, he tells the pilot, "Fly. Just fly. We've got... something. I ain't saying what it is, just... trust me." Thorne would adapt this piece for the Eiffel Tower rescue in Superman II.


19. KNEEL BEFORE ZOD Superman II
    This track is a medley consisting of material from the climax of Superman II. It opens with a forbidding rendition of the 'personal' motif heard in tracks 2, 11 and 16 as Superman, realizing that continuing to battle the Kryptonians in Metropolis will only further endanger its citizens, flies off to lure them to the Fortress of Solitude. He flies away to variations on the theme Williams introduced in the "Prelude" (track 1), and downtrodden variations on the fanfare. Zod's variation on the crystal motif plays out as as Superman is forced to return to the molecule chamber that removed his powers. Once the process is complete, he is told to bow to the vicious dictator, whose confidence is shattered unexpectedly when Superman takes his hand and begins crushing it to a victorious rendition of the Superman fanfare. The B section of the theme is then heard as Lex puts together that Superman, being more familiar whom he was dealing with than Zod, had outsmarted everybody; instead of giving up his powers, he took them away from Zod, Non and Ursa. The source of the title of this track is an oft-quoted phrase of Zod's. None of the material comprising this suite was available on the original LP.


20. HOW COULD YOU LEAVE US? Superman Returns
    I decided that rather than an action climax to this album that I would have an emotional one instead. Lois sneaks up to the roof of the Daily Planet for a cigarette, where Superman meets her to explain where he had been for the past five years. The Krypton fanfare leads into a sequence that mixes Ottman's "personal" theme for Superman with some very loose variations on "Can You Read My Mind," leading to a gorgeous statement of that theme for strings. The sequence hearkens back to the one from the first film (track 11), only it is much more introspective and adult in tone.


21. SAVING LOIS Superman
    One of Lex's nuclear missiles hits the San Andreas fault, causing severe earthquakes throughout California. Although Lois survives the initial tremors, she is suffocated when her car is caught in an avalanche caused by the aftershocks. An intimate, despairing rendition of "Can You Read My Mind" is heard from "Finding Lois" as Superman uncovers her body. Then we hear the finale of "Turning Back the World," which features quotes of "Can You Read My Mind" and the Superman fanfare as Superman goes back in time to save Lois.


22. MAIN TITLE MARCH REPRISE Superman II
    The closing track is a combination of the main title and the finale of Superman II; it opens with an edit of "Happy Lois Back to Normal" and "Superman Replaces Stars and Stripes" to emphasize the 'personal' theme, but when the march begins, it segues to the main title march. In creating the edit of this piece, I inadvertently found that Thorne's direction is so precise that I could actually fit entire sequences from the end title over the analogous sections of the main title. This was done for the initial presentation of the A theme, the return of the A theme after the second quote of "Can You Read My Mind" through the two fanfare theme sequences, and finally over the last blaze of brass (along with the additional 'bumpety bump' that Thorne added to the Superman march for the end title of Superman II and III). This allowed me to retain the energy of Thorne's recording but still have a thunderous exit for the album.