TOKYO BLACKOUT or SHUTO SHOSHITSU,
to give the film its Japanese title, contains a
musical score that is not only an interesting one
but also one that is something of a notable
anomaly within the genre of soundtrack or film
music. Interesting because it was created by the
award winning and world renowned movie music
composer Maurice Jarre and an anomaly
because it is somewhat unusual for a Japanese
movie to be scored by a composer from outside
of that country. Jarre combines endearing and
dramatic orchestral colours with synthetic textures
and sounds, the composer fusing elements from
these sources and interweaving them to create
a work that contains numerous appealing,
memorable and exciting moments. The score
is certainly more of a synthesised work than a
symphonic one, as the use of electronic outweighs
that of conventional or traditional instrumentation.
This however does not detract anything from the
overall quality of the work, as the composer
created not only a serviceable score which
enhances and supports the picture well, but also
penned a collection of themes that combine to
become a fluid and pleasant listening experience.
The soundtrack was originally released on to
compact disc in Japan in 1987 and has been long
out of print, thus has become something of a rarity
for soundtrack collectors, so this new edition
will be welcomed amongst Jarre devotees. New
mastered and 8-page booklet with text and
commentary by John Mansell.
1. Tokyo Blac kout (I) 4:22
2. Delight (I) 2:08
3. AGAINST THE DANGER (I) 1:56
4. AGAINS THE DANGER (II) 5:53
5. BALLADE OF LOVE 1:38
6. AGAINS THE DANGER (III) 1:12
7. DELIGHT (II) 3:53
8. FIGHT 1:02
9. TOKYO BLACKOUT (II) 4:05
10. DESPARATION 5:04
11. THE DAWN OF HOPE 3:14
12. CLOUDS OF DARKNESS 1:04
13. TOKYO BLACKOUT (III) 5:03
14. BALLADE OF LOVE 2:40
