SUPERMAN III - THE MUSIC

1. Main Title (The Streets of Metropolis) 5:23
2. Saving The Factory-The Acid Test 6:09
3. Gus FInds a Way :58
4. The Two Faces of Superman 2:50
5. The Struggle Within-Final Victory 4:16
6. Rock On - by Marshall Crenshaw 3:35
7. No See, No Cry - by Chaka Khan 3:18
8. They Won't Get Me - by Roger Miller 3:20
9. Love Theme - Helen St. John 3:14
10. Main Title March 4:20

"Music By Ken Thorne, Original Songs Composed by Giorgio Moroder. Original Superman Themes by John Williams."

CASSETTE AND LP OUT OF PRINT

With little creative imagination, the Salkind producers were on their way to making another instalment of the man of steel films. For the soundtrack, they   noticed the market was changing, and with the arrival of teen audience based films, it seemed that the exclusive emphasis on a film score seemed 'so passe'.

If you were smart, you would attempt to grasp hold of this pop music and synthesisers market. You needed to be with the in crowd, and not yesterdays news. Fashion comes first over art. It was the early 1980s, synthersisers and new romantics were dominating youth culture,Wham! Culture Club, Eurythmics etc. Were ruling the waves with synthesiser sounds. If you knew what you doing, you would contact Tangerine Dream, the founders of the electronic revolution.

But, you also want a name synonymous with pop music too, right? Queen maybe? They demonstrated their knack for movie music on Flash Gordon, another superhero film, where their stunning synthesiser performances created easy access to the pop world. But these were just players in the market. You really need to be on the level where popularity obliterates quality......You need the most fashionable guy in town, the one who only does the REALLY high profile blockbusters. Someone who record executives lick the boots of, someone who would intimidate the ordinary film producers with ease... Screw art, you want   ego......You want someone who the public buys no matter what the quality
is.....You want someone with an Oscar, the one who celebrities always name-drop at the big parties..... . If you were a real, big-shot, then Giorgio Moroder was THE MAN.

Also of note, it was Moroder's work on Midnight Express that beat John Williams Superman to the 'Best score' Oscar in 1978. With that in mind, team Salkind contacted his agent. With their 'he's the best, so we cannot fail' attitude, many a naught was drawn on the check book and team Salkind secured Moroder's title of 'Original songs composed by'.

Here we have an album sleeve that has 'I am a target for the bitterly cynical' written all over it. This is, like the film it accompanies, a harmless cash in on the fashions of the year it was produced.

A textbook Superman soundtrack, by the expectations of die hard fans, has the hero/ the hero's trademark 'S' emblem smacked across the cover with a sense of wonder and pride. It contains an extensive musical score played by traditional masters such as the London Symphony Orchestra. To a Superman fan, this IS art. Superman 3's sleeve cover does present itself as an authentic Superman product (TM), but prioritises popular comedian Richard Pryor above the name of popular musician Giorgio Moroder. Catering for the market? Commerce obliterating art?
Hmm.

Even worse is the fact that the actually skillful song compositions and music are NOT directly the work of Moroder. The unsung hero of Moroder's glory is Keith Forsey, an unfamiliar name who actually provided the musical talent. It is sad that Moroder receives the credit for Forseys work, and even moreso that Forsey was never really recognised as being a capable musician for film producers. Forsey provided the actual Moroder music hits including 'Flashdance' and 'Top Gun', but he remained in the shadows of Moroder. Many believe the Moroder Superman effort was a disgrace, and this is heightened by the awful synthersised main march, a piece Forsey had NO involvement in. Contrasting this to Forseys solo production of 'The Breakfast Club' soundtrack in 1985, a soundtrack with rich instrumentals and no basic-sounding embarrasments, one can happily admit that all of the good synth music is Forsey's.

1. Main Title (The Streets of Metropolis) 5:23

Unarguably, being the first 'Super' film Lester and Thorne had complete control on, what we get is "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Daily Planet". More interesting however is the similarities between Superman 3s opening titles and music and those of the alternate version of Hitchcock's 'North By Northwest'. For that film, Bernard Hermann had provided an alternate opening piece, called none other than, "The street". The same brass, strings and
woodwind can be heard in both of these opening pieces, and both demonstrate the same pace and rythm associated with a busy working city morning. The advent of the main theme has a pleasing build up, maintaining the John Williams legacy, with some stirring strings that leave the goosebumps bulging.The following main march is also majestic and utterly heroic. You can always depend on Superman.

2. Saving The Factory-The Acid Test 6:09

It is in this piece that one realises the intentions of the producers to milk the tried and trusted. While nothing more than a regurgitation of original Williams material, it proves just how irreplacable his themes were. Notable is the apparent emptiness of the orchestra which actually does Thorne a favour in portraying his and Supermans antics of a one-man-show.

3. Gus Finds a Way :58

A lovely pastiche of the Henry Mancini Pink Panther themes, the music has a sense of light-comedic history to it that would not be out of place in a Bob Hope film or any other classic Hollywood screwball comedy. As it is also a theme for the Richard Pryor character, it is a reminder of the comedians existence as an American comedy institution.

4. The Two Faces of Superman 2:50

Quite a dark rearrangement of a Williams piece that Thorne had originally brought back in Superman 2. While the origins of the piece are pure Williams, its Thornes alternative interpretation that makes it unique sounding, and darker than it had ever sounded before, chilling but sadistic and sleazy. The tubular bells open the track, adding a soberness to Clark Kent confronting the intoxicated evil Superman. Some very bizarre instruments can be heard for when Superman has fallen into acid, and its at this point we hear an eerie homage to Jerry Goldsmiths 'Alien' score.

5. The Struggle Within-Final Victory 4:16

Atmospheric and sleazy, the struggle is expertly juxtaposed with Final victory in creating the instant triumph of a hero you only find in a comic book.

6. Rock On - by Marshall Crenshaw 3:35

Sounding like 1984s 'Footloose', Country pioneer Crenshaw has been tastelessly sampled into a rock and synths pop/rock party tune.

7. No See, No Cry - by Chaka Khan 3:18

Whitney Houston mentor Chaka Kahn provided the vocals for this post disco track, and the song captures the Black culture influence developing in the early 80s quite well. One only has to hear this to think of Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy, Michael Jackson, the disco Motown hangover. It is part of Gus Gormans world. Credit to Keith Forsey for simulating some authentic motown sounds.

8. They Won't Get Me - by Roger Miller 3:20

Many fans believe this track to be the highlight of the S3 soundtrack, and indeed, maybe it is. The voice manipulation of Country and western Legend Miller in tandem with some masterful Forsey synths creates the perfect audio metaphor for a "modern" Smallville. Whenever heard onscreen the song alone provides a flawless Kansas atmosphere. Kudos to Keith Forsey.

9. Love Theme - Helen St. John 3:14

Highly derivitive of Vangelis' work on 1982s 'Chariots Of Fire', this unused love theme is tender-sounding in retrospect, but cynics may find themslves convinced that this is no more than a corporate Vangelis cash-in.

10. Main Title March 4:20

Giorgio Moroder could have belched the Superman march and the producers would've have given him money regardless. Commerce obliterates art in this basic, skill-less insult to the 80s synthesisers. The half-assed ego trip shown by Moroder here is living off of reputation rather than making music, and the basic, flaccid key board sound is primitive by early 1970s standards. DON'T be convinced that this was "good for it's time, but has since dated", because to compare this to any other 1983 synth work is insulting. Tangerine Dream's work on 'The Keep' and 'Risky Business' had far more developed beats, even Moroder's work on 'Flashdance' and 'Scarface' from the same year are superior.

CONCLUSION

Did Moroder CARE for the legend he was contributing to? Did he realise the ethics of cheating the producers for that screen and poster credit? Well, no. His 'Flashdance' Oscar was nothing but inevitable and he had the colourised 'Metropolis' to rescore in the coming year. Perhaps he ruined one Metropolis too many...
That said, this album could have been used to showcase the impressive original compositions of Ken Thorne, why his love theme was replaced on the album with Moroder's is a mystery. Hopefully an expanded soundtrack can be seen in the future.

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