Main Title
I present to you a challenge: create the most American introduction ever. Military drums and a trumpet later, Horner introduces you to the theme of Apollo 13. A beautiful orchestral arrangement creates what can only be called one of the best introductions to a theme ever. 5/5
Lunar Dreams
Quiet strings and woodwinds give way to a wider orchestra theme. A very pleasant sound, “Lunar Dreams” sounds like a more mild version of the main theme. A strings rendition of the main theme plays softly here. It’s just a very pleasant listen. 3.5/5
A Son’s Worries And Simulator Crash
Oh my god, can you hear the “Avatar?” It’s not obvious at first, with the main theme introducing this track again. But at 1:25 in, you can hear the same sounds that Horner was clearly thinking of when he wrote the “Avatar” soundtrack. Slower, longer chords, and motifs take center stage with a harp backing. I’m doing a poor job of reviewing this one in a vacuum because all I can hear is the early influences that would become “Avatar.” Regardless, it’s a very pretty piece. 4/5
Night Visitors
It starts off like a lullaby track. A gentle piano with a soft string backing interchange back and forth as the main pieces on this one. Suddenly, the trumpets and horns come in as well as what sounds like a synth to top it off. 3/5
All Systems Go – The Launch
If there was ever a song to prepare you for anxiety during a space launch, this one is it. At 10 minutes and 19 seconds long, it’s the longest piece on this expanded score. It’s also the best, although vying for that title is “Reentry and Splashdown” as well. Horner fits the entire orchestra in on this piece. The chimes, periodic and infrequent as they are, dominate with an almost ethereal feel. The waves of emotion come in fits and spurts on this track. Tension somehow fills the air with something that is so hopeful.
At 3 minutes and 24 seconds, Horner introduces 8 seconds of silence. Our astronauts are loaded into the Saturn V module, and they are seated and ready to go. Horner continues with a rising action and series of pauses with a steady piano backing and a choir. It’s expertly done. He brings back the tension, and the countdown is on. At 5 minutes and 20 seconds, he somehow creates a sense of approaching zero but with a rising action to complement it. The themes reset several times in just a few seconds. At 6 minutes and 11 seconds, we have cleared the tower. The sheer sense of accomplishment is magnificent. As we fade into space, with another 3 minutes to go, I’m left with a sense of sheer awe. Horner brings back tension that would be perfectly fitting in a battle track on Pandora. Finally, he leaves us with a sense of wonder as we continue into the abyss. This is another perfect track, something that elevates everything around it to such a high magnitude. The choir, the orchestra, everything is perfectly timed and executed. 7/5
Docking
A bit of “Coraline” or “Casper” comes out here. It’s whispery, and it’s dark. It’s tense. The strings alternate between high and low notes, while the chorus sings in the background. Suddenly, the horns come into the fray, adding not patriotism but tension. A masterful track for what it accomplishes in 2 minutes, although not a great individual listen. 3.5/5
Into The L.E.M.
A slower introduction as we enter the LEM. The orchestra almost sounds off-key, for some reason. Then suddenly, the drums and the broader orchestra come in to tell us that something is wrong. We don’t know it yet, but something is wrong. Drums enter the scene 1 minute and 50 seconds in, and the tempo increases. It’s all off-key, not a mistake, but by virtue of a mistake. Something IS wrong, and we can tell. I can’t recall in the movie if it all starts going to hell at this point or not, but Horner is foreshadowing something of danger. 3.5/5
Master Alarm
A more intense sound immediately pops up, and again there’s a sense of serious stress. Agitated piano chords stumble in and out, and again, it’s just not quite right. But that’s the point. Something isn’t right, but we can’t see yet. The strings are just going out in the background there, and they’re complementing the actual alarms in the scene. Again, it’s a good song, just not a great individual listen. 2.5/5
Carbon Dioxide
Horner sets up this track with a period of relative calm before the orchestra begins a series of isolated hits. Strings in the backdrop are tense, not flowing at all. Horner alternates between loud and intense noises and periods of relative calm. It does sound like something out of a James Cameron epic. Horner continues to build a rising action as the track continues on, almost as if someone is undergoing hypoxia with periods of lucidity. 2.5/5
The Dark Side Of The Moon
Did you know that the singer on this album was Annie Lennox, of Eurythmics fame? It would stand to reason that she would create the heavenly, ethereal backing. Sweet dreams are made of these tracks, at least the better ones. That pun aside, Annie provides a backing to many of the tracks on this soundtrack, but she really dominates the show here. The dark side of the moon is a mysterious place, and the only thing familiar here is Horner’s use of the entire orchestra’s powers. As we cross the dark side of the moon, the orchestra comes back in to remind you of why you believe in the magic of space travel. Mind you, it’s not perfect. But it’s really, really, really good. 4.5/5
Manual Burn
In the dark of space, nobody can hear you burn. Also, without iPhones, you need to rely on a stopwatch to get the manual burn right. It’s an intense process that will only last a few seconds. Horner creates an odd track here, with odd random noises interspersed to make a broader sense of the tension. As an individual piece, though, it’s a hard listen. 1.5/5
Re-Entry And Splashdown
Clearly when Horner made this album originally in 1995, he knew that I would review tracks on a data-based review system in 2023. Why else would he make the best songs also the longest?
As our astronauts reenter the atmosphere, at over 35,000 feet per second, they are in for a ride. Horner provides periods of quiet to allow for dialogue in the scenes to flow but brings the heat back immediately and without a ramp. There are a few songs that feel like you are about to die. This is one of them. As our astronauts enter the blackout, Horner begins 4 minutes of calm. 4 minutes of relative silence. His orchestra is timed perfectly, with just enough action in the music to keep you entertained.
Fun fact, the reason why the Apollo 13 reentry was longer than expected was that they had taken a shallower angle than previous reentries.
The chorus comes in again and fills the void of what should be relative silence, as the strings and the piano work at creating a sense of true despair. The pitch rises, and the action falls. Horner, I don’t know how you did it. A repeating scaling pattern starts off where we started. Every time he gives you a little hope, he takes it away from you. Then at 4 minutes and 15 seconds, he gives you a reason to believe again. The orchestra comes back in full force, and we are left with just feelings of accomplishment. NASA is all of us, and we are NASA. As the track continues, it’s the conclusion to what has been a thrilling and tiring mission. The chorus comes back, and this time it’s only heavenly and hopeful. There’s no tension anymore. The main theme comes in spits and spurts. He leaves us with a perfect song, another one that elevates the music around it. 6/5
A War Story
Similar to the “Main Title,” “A War Story” begins with the theme in focus. In fact, this one is the theme. And it’s lovely. 4/5
End Credits
Oh Annie Lennox, will you marry me? For the way you open the opening credits, I can feel the hope radiating. Horner goes all out, as composers should, with the ending credits of the film. He showcases the range of what makes the album great. Horner has a history of using pop artists to finish his albums, but this time it’s a relatively obscure one. Annie and the general chorus create a sense of art as we leave the astronauts. Then, about 3 minutes in, he brings the main theme back in grandiose fashion. The more traditional chorus chimes in as well. 6/5
Four More Amps
The drumsticks lead this one off. It’s a clock. You can hear the second hand moving. General tension feels the air as the orchestra comes in with random poundings. It’s a lesson in tension. Then the strings come in, and the tension continues to build. 3/5
L.E.M. Jettison
Say goodbye to our friend, Lemmy. We hardly knew ye. The main theme comes in on this one again to start the track off. It quickly changes pace to something entirely different. 2.5/5
Marilyn’s Nightmare
Marilyn is not having a good time. It sounds like something out of a Hitchcock film. Again, not a good individual listen. 0.5/5
Canister Explosion
No, not a good piece. 0.5/5
Reactant Valves
While it’s better than the previous two songs, it’s not saying much. This one just doesn’t have anything going for it. 1.5/5
Out Of Control
Another song of tension, this one is a bit better and has a little more information than the previous three tracks. It’s jarring and disjointed. But as an individual listen, it doesn’t work. 1.5/5
Power Off
Slow, mournful strings start this one off. It’s a tense piece but again lacks information. 2/5
A Square Peg
Ahhh, the clockwork returns. Horner creates a sense of declining time as we enter this piece. This one is jarring, but the action is also rising. As it fades about halfway through, it feels like loss is converted to audio. The clock ticks continue. It’s actually quite good. It’s very emotionally shallow, yet the emotion is there. 3.5/5
Cosmic Connection
It sounds positively cosmic. 3/5
