There is always debate about the best way to do compilations, should the suites be long or just the end title music? Voyages features a mixture of the two, the suites from Forrest Gump, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Predator 2 are long enough to feature most of the scores major ideas, but the rest are mainly end credit selections. The Gump suite is one of two re-recordings, sensitively conducted by Joel McNeely from the Hollywood '95 album and a great suite it is too, with all of the score's themes neatly packaged together. The second is the long suite from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? which, had it not been for the recent re-release of the score album, would have been the best way to sample Silvestri's score. The fine selection is conducted by John Scott and is remarkably authentic sounding; Scott manages to coax that crisp brass sound that so many Silvestri re-recordings fail to reproduce.
The other tracks are taken from original albums that sample most of his styles to date, light comedy is represented by short selections from Father of the Bride and the funky Soapdish - one of his less well known efforts. His playful propensity toward feather light kid's film scoring features in Richie Rich, even if scores like Mouse Hunt and Stuart Little have superseded this earlier effort. Some of the selections now seem a little unusual, Ricochet is an obscure thriller and the titles music sounds like Jaws crossed with more typical Silvestri action/suspense music and even at just over two minutes, threatens to outstay its welcome by the end, while Clan of the Cave Bear is a curious, but fairly effective percussion based effort. The partnership with Robert Zemeckis also features in the aforementioned end credits from Back to the Future III and the fun, but overlong Death Becomes Her.
The Abyss is given surprisingly short shrift, although the single track, Bud on the Ledge, is easily the highlight of the score. The lengthy suite from Predator 2 is effectively threatening, with propulsive rhythms and crushing brass hits and is surprisingly similar to Williams more recent The Lost World. However, his action music has come a long way since and compared to the swagger of The Mummy Returns or excitement of Judge Dredd, it might feel just a tad underwhelming. Being largely original recordings, the performance and sound are both excellent and the re-recorded suites fit in surprisingly well. The selection is generally reasonable and those which aren't quite top flight are still an enjoyable excursion into unfamiliar territory, that plus excellent liner notes, it makes the ideal Silvestri sampler.
Rating ~ 