Here's a fantastic and sadly underrated score from French film composer Frederic Talgorn. A sequel to the classic animated rocker Heavy Metal (with score by Elmer Bernstein), Talgorn was handed a film that perhaps works best in the mind's eye of his music, which is suitably expansive, instantly evoking the dark reaches of space... (i.e., it was pure shit).

The music is incredibly reserved in emotion, but is so professionally written it's no surprise that Talgorn enthusiasts bemoan his absence from the Hollywood film music scene for the last ten years.

While Talgorn continues to write top notch music in his native France, Heavy Metal 2000 remains his last major Hollywood effort, which, if you haven't heard until this point, will surprise you with rich, evocative orchestrations ("Julie & Kerrie) and enough rage-filled action scoring to keep things interesting ("Julie's Journey").

This promotional disc was released in 2001 by Super Tracks, and has since burnt up into out-of-print oblivion like an asteroid entering the gravitational pull of the sun. How's that for a lame space metaphor?

Link inside...

Wow, a bit of a vacation there. Let's resume the posting, shall we?

Up next is a pair of Mouse House titles, Joel McNeely's Pooh's Heffalump Movie and Don Harper's The Lion King 1 1/2, both released as promotional albums by their composers.

Neither score has been released in any significant form. Only Heffalump received a few scant minutes of space on Walt Disney Records' Best of Pooh and Heffalumps, Too album, which was released to conincide with Heffalump's theatrical run and was dominated by Carley Simon tunes.

Harper's Lion King 1 1/2 felt even less love, completely ignored on a quickie soundtrack release that featured songs performed by Raven, and Vinx (who?).

Both scores are entertaining and animated (er, like their films). McNeely's is a traditional orchestral score that is both unassuming, gentle and sweet. Certainly inline with the work of a composer with considerable strengths for melodic, listenable film music.

Harper, who has carved a career for himself writing additional music for Trevor Rabin, continues where Hans Zimmer's Oscar-winning score for The Lion King left off, those this time tipping the balance towards the orchestral/choral, with plenty of ethnic touches, and African-style vocals.

Links in the comments.