Alien (soundtrack)
Encyclopedia
The iconic, avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....

 score to the film Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...

 was composed by Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring....

 and is considered by some to be one of his best, most visceral scores. Rather than focusing on themes, Goldsmith creates a bleak and dissonant soundscape that fits the film's dark and intense atmosphere, with only a few "romantic" cues.

Background

The music was performed by The National Philharmonic Orchestra
National Philharmonic Orchestra
The National Philharmonic Orchestra was a British orchestra created exclusively for recording purposes. It was founded by RCA producer Charles Gerhardt and orchestra leader / contractor Sidney Sax due in part to the requirements of the Reader's Digest-History:...

 and conducted by Lionel Newman
Lionel Newman
Lionel Newman was an American conductor, pianist, and film and television composer. He was the brother of Alfred Newman and Emil Newman, uncle of Randy Newman, David Newman and Thomas Newman, and grandfather of Joey Newman....

. However, the music was not originally used or heard as intended. The score was substantially cut for the released versions of the film, and some cues from other sources were added, notably portions of Goldsmith's original score for the 1962 film Freud
Freud the Secret Passion
Freud: The Secret Passion, also known as Freud, is a 1962 American biographical film drama based on the life of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, directed by John Huston. Montgomery Clift stars as Freud. The film was entered into the 13th Berlin International Film Festival.-Plot:This...

, and the second movement (andante) from Howard Hanson
Howard Hanson
Howard Harold Hanson was an American composer, conductor, educator, music theorist, and champion of American classical music. As director for 40 years of the Eastman School of Music, he built a high-quality school and provided opportunities for commissioning and performing American music...

's 1930 "Symphony No. 2, Romantic" for the film's end credits.

The complete intended score was first released as an isolated track on a 1999 20th Anniversary DVD edition on 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of the 20th Century Fox film studio. It was established in 1976 as Magnetic Video Corporation, and later as 20th Century Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video and FoxVideo, Inc....

 (it has subsequently appeared on budget DVD and Blu-Ray releases of the film). On November 15, 2007, Intrada Records
Intrada Records
Intrada Records is an American record company based in Oakland, California. Intrada Records is an American record company based in Oakland, California. Intrada Records is an American record company based in Oakland, California...

released this same intended score with additional alternate score tracks and the original LP program in a 2-CD set. This release is the first to publish Jerry Goldsmith's complete score remixed and remastered from the original 1" master tapes. Despite being called a "complete" soundtrack it does not include the tracked cues from Freud nor the Howard Hanson music.

Original track listing

  1. "Main Title" (3:30)
  2. "The Face Hugger" (2:32)
  3. "Breakway" (3:00)
  4. "Acid Test" (4:35)
  5. "The Landing" (4:29)
  6. "The Droid" (4:40)
  7. "The Recovery" (2:44)
  8. "The Alien Planet" (2:28)
  9. "The Shaft" (3:57)
  10. "End Title" (3:02)

Complete edition track listing

Disk 1
  1. "Main Title" (4:12)
  2. "Hyper Sleep" (2:46)
  3. "The Landing" (4:31)
  4. "The Terrain" (2:21)
  5. "The Craft" (1:00)
  6. "The Passage" (1:49)
  7. "The Skeleton" (2:30)
  8. "A New Face" (2:35)
  9. "Hanging On" (3:39)
  10. "The Lab" (1:05)
  11. "Drop Out" (0:57)
  12. "Nothing To Say" (1:52)
  13. "Cat Nip" (1:01)
  14. "Here Kitty" (2:08)
  15. "The Shaft" (4:31)
  16. "It's A Droid" (3:28)
  17. "Parker's Death" (1:51)
  18. "The Eggs" (2:24)
  19. "Sleepy Alien" (1:04)
  20. "To Sleep" (1:56)
  21. "The Cupboard" (3:05)
  22. "Out The Door" (3:13)
  23. "End Title" (3:09)
  24. "Main Title" (Rescored Alternate) (4:11)
  25. "Hyper Sleep" (Rescored Alternate) (2:45)
  26. "The Terrain" (Rescored Alternate) (0:58)
  27. "The Skeleton" (Rescored Alternate) (2:31)
  28. "Hanging On" (Rescored Alternate) (3:08)
  29. "The Cupboard" (Rescored Alternate) (3:12)
  30. "Out The Door" (Rescored Alternate) (3:02)

Disk 2
  1. "Main Title" (3:37)
  2. "The Face Hugger" (2:36)
  3. "Breakaway" (3:03)
  4. "Acid Test" (4:40)
  5. "The Landing" (4:31)
  6. "The Droid" (4:44)
  7. "The Recovery" (2:50)
  8. "The Alien Planet" (2:30)
  9. "The Shaft" (4:01)
  10. "End Title" (3:09)
  11. "Main Title" (film version) (bonus) (3:44)
  12. "The Skeleton" (alternate take) (bonus) (2:34)
  13. "The Passage" (demonstration excerpt) (bonus) (1:54)
  14. "Hanging On" (demonstration excerpt) (bonus) (1:08)
  15. "Parker's Death" (demonstration excerpt) (bonus) (1:07)
  16. "It's A Droid" (unused inserts) (bonus) (1:27)
  17. "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" (source) (bonus) (1:49)
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