Zimmer's recurring action motif is a true foreshadowing of masculine pounding to come, but it makes a somewhat strange entrance on his trademark 1980's synths and marimba effects in "Burnt Out Beamer." It receives its due chopped string formation after a heroic anthem that comes together in "Mannequin Fire" and eventually thrives in "Final Fire." Those two massive action sequences for the set firefighting scenes offered Zimmer the chance to explore several secondary lines of action that ramble through both cues, including a common, slower, pulsing passage for strings, drums, synths, and choir that drives the melodrama through the roof. Ancillary to this material is a rolling ascent and descent motif for the fire itself that opens "The Real Thing" on low strings and threatens in a few other cues as the fire is referred to as an "animal." The suspense element in this score is somewhat underdeveloped, the synthetics not always lending effective power to the film's mix. Perhaps the most intriguing cue attempting this technique is "Who Doesn't Love Fire?" Generally, though, the heavy, electronically-driven portions of the score are more interesting than the stock, more brazenly synthesized orchestra hits that would come later in Zimmer's preferred methods. While never resorting to a harsh electric guitar, Zimmer uses abrasive and grinding electronics during scenes glorifying the fires. The balance in tone here seems to be more accomplished than in most of his subsequent works, perhaps a stroke of beginner's luck or owing, perhaps, to an editor's mixing talents. Still, in the action motif's performance early in "Final Fire" ("Burn It All," a cue used in several trailers for other films at the time), the rambling keyboarding does clearly emulate Black Rain. That score tends to bleed through the most in the secondary action material Zimmer was instructed to make hyper-emotional by Howard, led by the aforementioned pulsating choral passages. There's a reason this cue is almost identical to the end of "Charlie Loses His Head" on the commercial Black Rain album (more accurately titled "Outburst of Rage" on that score's bootlegs); Howard used that cue as a temp track over his trial footage of dramatic fire behavior for this film and fell in love with it.

Zimmer was inclined to take the score in a fresh instrumental direction, and he still did, especially with the utilization of an array of sound effects early, including the tingling electrical sound of a burning circuit. Several of the conversational or lightly suspenseful cues in Backdraft rely upon that kind of creative ambience to carry what is otherwise mundane material. Underachieving is "What's This Job All About?" ("The Arsonist's Waltz"), with a rhythm that barely qualifies as a waltz and a tone that neither takes advantage of the explosiveness of the crime nor the mystery of its perpetrator in the story. Also struggling at times is the keyboarding of the brothers' theme in emerging from dreary environments. When the film's tensions inevitably rise, though, the outward instrumental creativity does return. Percussion is critical to this score, and its mix varies substantially between the original film version and the longstanding album alternative. The clanging of an ax is imitated by chimes, inserted at certain points to help maintain action rhythms. The same chimes, among other metallic strikes, underline several heroic deeds late in the film. For the militaristic aspect of the story, Zimmer emphasizes the most important instrument of them all: the snare drum. Fans will have a hard time remembering a score so dominated by one percussive instrument, but the snare is a perfect representation of the fire truck and the hailing of emergencies throughout the film. It, along with various medium-range drums (real or on the pads, it doesn't really matter), create the memorable ambience of a giant pinball machine, adding excitement while also yielding a sense of urgency, duty, and battle that the concept relies upon. All of these neat effects are highlights of the score's distinct mix apart of the film, though the album situation for Backdraft was long a major frustration for fans. The original Milan product of 1991 was mixed by legendary Beatles producer George Martin at Zimmer's request and the blessing of the filmmakers, and he gave the score a strikingly different balance that is noticeably different from the film's mix. Generally, his approach to the score reduced the presence of the electronics while boosting the choir and especially the percussion. For the funeral procession and final call to action cues at the end of the film ("Funeral" and "Hard Lesson to Learn"), Martin really cranked up the snare drum, accentuating the pinball machine effect for better or worse.

An attractive "Ron Howard Passions and Achievements" retrospective compilation album from 1997, also released by Milan and remaining in print for decades to follow, contains an arguably superior mix of those properly merged final two cues, with better balanced percussion and choir presented in an extended suite format that is really a lovely 6-minute overview of the score and possible substitute for the original soundtrack album at the time. Some creative editing was done on that compilation cue, leading to an awkward volume change in the last sequence of the suite at about 4:00, but listeners were treated to an even more vibrant percussive role that clearly defines the intent that Zimmer had when preparing the music for the film. The original Milan album also had badly mislabeled tracks, less-then-stellar sound quality, and a presentation of cues out of film order. (The two closing cues of the film as just mentioned were labeled as "Fahrenheit 451" and "Show Me Your Firetruck.") In the action passages, a dull mix causes the oft droning bass elements to overwhelm some of the trickier and more interesting high range percussion. Aside from the merely average Bruce Hornsby songs at the start and end of the product, about 30 minutes of Zimmer's score was provided in the composer's standard, lengthy suite format. In 2005, Milan revisited the album and pressed a re-issue that unfortunately solved none of the original product's problems and arguably made them worse. The selling points of the 2005 album were a remastering of the score and the inclusion of a 9-minute Zimmer interview about the music conducted in retrospect. The interview is fine, and it illuminated some of the Black Rain issues that specifically plagued Backdraft. But the remastering, while it does better emphasize some of the treble elements that got swallowed up by the bass in the previous presentation, has a terrible time managing gain levels. The volume is cranked up so high at times that audible distortion is heard repeatedly in the second half of the score. It actually becomes embarrassing in "Burn It All." The clarinet solo near the end of "You Go, We Go" (whether real or Zimmer's remarkable Diving Miss Daisy incarnation) is downright nasal because of this frustrating soundscape. In the process of toning back the bass in "Fahrenheit 451," a certain amount of tape hiss effect is heard, too, causing the entire piece to consequently sound tinny.

Even more disappointing about the 2005 Milan reissue was the absence of the original film version of the "Fahrenheit 451" and "Show Me Your Firetruck" combination of closing cues already available on the 1997 "Ron Howard Passions and Achievements" compilation, likely the result of a licensing complication. (Re-issues often don't allow for fiscally viable expansion of the music by even rights-owners). Listeners already in possession of the original 1991 album and/or the 1997 Howard compilation with Zimmer's supposedly preferred mix of those highlights had no reason to flock to the surprisingly disappointing 2005 re-issue. The same can't be said of Intrada Records' 2024 full expansion of the score, though, which finally provides the film version of the score's mix largely intact and with sensible track titles. More importantly, the product offered both the film's mix of the score and a cleaned-up version of George Martin's alternative, with an extra alternate mix of "Backdraft Main Titles" that highlights the electronics' depth to a greater degree. Listeners still scratching their heads in bewilderment over Milan's presentation will find some peace in Intrada's expansion, though the product is short on alternate takes and mixes, and the 1997 compilation edit remains missing. Neither of the Hornsby songs nor any of the other multitudes of source placements appears on this product. Be prepared to encounter several very short cues on the expansion, a circumstance that Zimmer himself loathed but was made necessary in this case by the film's tendency to drop a sudden, brief piece of score into the narrative without much context. The full presentation of the music reveals just how wise the condensing of material truly was for the 30-minute alternative from Milan; while the narrative is better appreciated on the 2024 album for enthusiasts of the movie, it isn't the same nonstop thriller of a listening experience in its second half in its longer form. Some collectors may find the Intrada presentation of this score to be roughly as satisfying as the label's equivalent treatment of The Rock, as the approaches to both expansions are similar and don't provide any significant revelations. Still, in a bittersweet sense, Backdraft is a nostalgic trip back to the days when Zimmer was a refreshing deviation from the standard Hollywood sound, and in part because of his unfortunate rash of originality problems in the decades to follow, it remains a sentimental favorite.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download