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•	2014 Album

A brass and percussion-heavy orchestral mix is augmented by unique sound design in Switchback, and the few cues that combine the composer's tendency to create strong rhythms with his electronics and let rip with muscular orchestral action over the top are the highlights. The brutally propulsive aspect of Poledouris' writing in these circumstances is quite entertaining, though you hear less of that sound in Switchback than you might expect. That circumstance, combined with a rather flimsy thematic design throughout the score (a surprising choice given the scenery in particular), creates a sufficient overall backdrop that is marginally interesting on album but nothing more. Poledouris uses a straightforward three-note structure as the thematic basis for the work, always progressing through the notes in the same major-key scheme but often involving the idea inside other fragmented statements. You hear this idea immediately on flute at the start of "Going West," and the most forceful permutations exist on blaring brass in "Buck's Sendoff" and "Rude Awakening." The simplicity of the theme afforded Poledouris easy functionality (a tactic that Jerry Goldsmith used for his stock action scores like U.S. Marshals at the time), but it doesn't provide for a particularly melodic listening experience. None of the three-note variations really has much time to sink in. During the conclusion of "Andy's Return," Poledouris does explore a more extended, lyrical idea, both at the start and end of that redeeming cue. The bold, harmonic statements by brass in Switchback are often ambiguous in theme, but they, like the rest of the score, compensate with the sheer power and size of the performing orchestra. The Seattle recording quality is better than some that came from that region at the time, and it is because of the elevated volume of the ensemble that Switchback is a functional score in its action sequences. Lesser motifs do tend, like the title theme variants, to get lost in the equation, sometimes swallowed by the generic wallpaper of larger sound.

Only once the "218" train (a character in and of itself) becomes involved well into Switchback does Poledouris kick the score into its highest gear, utilizing an impressive array of timpani, electronic rhythms, and brass for that inspiration. The use of drums and synthesizers to mimic the chugging of a steam train, a technique heard twice in the last moments of "The 218," is entertainingly creative. Several of the preceding cues in the middle portion of the album are disappointingly bland, however, with extended moments of slightly dissonant, ambient electronic droning that plays poorly on album. On the other hand, one positive aspect of the score's non-descript action cues and minimally textured conversational cues is the consistency that they create on album. Without one dominant theme or motif, the score has no particular high or low points; it meshes together for 40+ minutes of leveled background music. The product was the first volume in Intrada's long line of "Special Collection" releases, and it thus sold out relatively quickly. It established the reliably high production values that producer Douglass Fake has instilled on the entire series. For a complete listening experience, the outtakes and electronic cues of ambience from Switchback are presented in a suite at the end of the album, with only some slight rearrangement of previous cues for purposes of flow. Intrada finally made the same album presentation one of its standard commercial releases in a 2014 re-issue that only altered the product's artwork (no sound quality difference is noticeable). Ultimately, Switchback is a good score for appreciation by Poledouris collectors, but it doesn't feature the outward highlights that Starship Troopers, Under Siege 2, or others of the era contain in greater quantities. It may attract attention from fans of Jerry Goldsmith's conservative action scores of the same era. Don't expect to be overwhelmed by any part of it, particularly if you seek one a better example of the composer's merging of electronic elements into an orchestral palette.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Basil Poledouris reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.54 (in 35 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.3 (in 36,800 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.