I wish I could say I was not on one of those film score devotees whose interest began with Star Wars in 1977, but it would be untrue. I always had an interest in classical music and all that an orchestra was capable of, yet once my mother brought home the 2-LP release for The Empire Strikes Back I was hooked for life on music for film. This was 1980 and I was 7 years old. I not only became a John Williams fan but began to investigate any other composer whose music really engaged me. As a 10 year old, I got strange looks from the record store employee when I special ordered The Last Starfighter on LP.
When Film Score Monthly started out in 1990, I was there, in the process becoming more informed about the art and business of film scores, as well as reviewing the music, as a reader and writer. Once that music is on disc, it can be judged as a listening experience, but it's a fine line as the score's true intention is to support the film. Either way, the art form has yielded some phenomenal works, many of which I am proud to have in my collection and able to review here at SoundtrackNet.
E-mail Brian McVickar: brian@soundtrack.net