One of the more depressing aspects of the endless quest for cheap television is the Top Hundred Best/Worst type show, but when it comes to worst lists, many of the entries seem to songs or films that were extremely popular for a time and now everyone feels guilty for liking so much. Three movie songs have fallen victim to this, Love is All Around from Four Weddings and a Funeral (can anyone actually name another Wet Wet Wet song?), My Heart Will Go On from Titanic and perhaps the epitome of the hit movie song, Everything I Do from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves which spent (if memory serves) an unprecedented sixteen weeks at number one in the UK charts. With that much exposure, it's hardly a surprise that nobody wants to hear it again, but it's certainly not the terrible song it's sometimes portrayed.

Kamen's score opens with the now famous Overture that builds from a bouncing 'cello figure that extends throughout the orchestra before exploding with the simple, but memorable and effective fanfare theme. There is a horn passage that always sounds like the player(s) is only just about keeping his head above water due to its speed and complexity, but the players of the Greater Los Angeles Orchestra play with enough verve and energy to pull it off. Once the excitement of the Overture subsides, things take a turn for the eerie with strange string and other exotic instruments as the heroes escape the crusades to return to England - "Tonight I will sup with my father in Nottingham." Despite being ripe for an exciting adventure score, Kamen was somewhat pushed for time in the composition (twelve orchestrators are named) and so some of the action music has a tendency to simply mark time. Repeating string figures with bits of brass and percussion are fine for a while, but ultimately become a little tiresome, although the occasional insertion of the main themes doesn't hurt.

The romantic music makes good use of the song melody, indeed it often sounds much more convincing than in its vocal treatment. Cues such as Maid Marian and Marian at the Waterfall have a timeless delicacy that belies the origin of the melody. Kamen adds a wistfulness that suggests misty glades, only occasionally allowing the tune to bloom into a full romantic onslaught. Perhaps the score's biggest disappointment is the Final Battle which opens with reasonable, if not entirely inspired suspense music, but fizzles out before ever becoming truly exciting. Still, the finale, which reprises the Overture ideas briefly, leaves the feeling of a solid resolution before the two songs that close the album. As mentioned, Kamen didn't have a great deal of time to compose the score and it's a testament to his skills that it has so many fine moments and great themes. I suspect that with a little more time, Kamen could have done more with his themes and it could have been a great modern swashbuckler. Still, an enjoyable romp and remember, Everything I do, I do it for you.

Rating ~

1. Overture - Prisoner of the Crusades (8:27)
2. Sir Guy of Gisborne - Escape to Sherwood (7:27)
3. Little John - Band in the Forest (4:52)
4. The Sheriff and his Witch (6:03)
5. Maid Marian (2:57)
6. Training - Robin Hood (5:15)
7. Marian at the Waterfall (5:34)
8. The Abduction - Final Battle (9:53)
9. Everything I Do, I Do it for You (6:38)
   Performed by Bryan Adams
10. Wild Times (3:12)
    Performed by Jeff Lynne

Total Time ~ 60:18