****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
"Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" differed from its three feature film predecessors in that it was the first to play primarily as a comedy, in the mode of such Original Series episodes as "I, Mudd" and "The Trouble with Tribbles." Hence, it's fitting that Leonard Rosenman's soundtrack for the film differs from the previous soundtracks provided by Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner.Gone is both the grandeur of Goldsmith and the nautical feel of Horner. Instead, Rosenman-who scored this film at the behest of his friend Leonard Nimoy, directing the movie in addition to returning as Spock-provides the most diverse musical experience of any "Star Trek" soundtrack.Rosenman's main title sets the stage for the film by blending both heroism and playfulness in equal measure. There's also "Chekov's Run," an energetic Russian polka accompanying Chekov's flight from Navy personnel aboard the real-life aircraft carrier USS Enterprise; the pure slapstick of "Hospital Chase;" the mellow, easy-listening jazz of "Ballad of the Whale," which complements perfectly Horner's Johnny Mercer medley from "The Search for Spock;" the jazz fusion of "Market Street," a piece about contemporary San Francisco which would not be out of place in a "Beverly Hills Cop" adventure (ironically, Catherine Hicks' role in "The Voyage Home" was originally written for "BHC" star Eddie Murphy); and even a punk-rock pastiche, "I Hate You," created by the film's associate producer Kirk Thatcher and sound editor Mark Mangini, which is heard on an album for the first time.In short, this soundtrack offers something for virtually every musical taste.Rosenman's spare score-only 40 minutes long because he and Nimoy opted for music only where they believed it would have impact-allows for 32 minutes worth of extra tracks in this single-disc presentation, including a stately rendition of Alexander Courage's Original Series theme which builds to the initial appearance of the alien probe that attacks Earth and alternate versions of four tracks from the film which show how Rosenman fine-tuned his already strong compositions for the movie's final cut.This is easily the most eclectic, and the most enjoyable, of the "Star Trek" film soundtracks.
