(With eternal thanks to Dearest Friend of the blog Cee for visual assistance with the physical media. And also many thanks to everyone who has helped spread the word about my coverage of Trevor. I truly appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read the blog and also provide engagement via links and other comments on social media.)
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And that applies to the last disc, as I had published an entry on this release in its' original form as part of my Collector's Corner series in 2015.
I would definitely name this disc as one of the collector's holy grails given its' previously rare status (and, reflecting that, high price) and so its' inclusion in the boxset is a nice gesture to fans. Admittedly, I was gratified to be able to discuss my analysis of the promo's raison d'être with Trevor (who, for the record, didn't disagree with my comments) because it is a very interesting artifact of his scoring career in my estimation.
And as it stands, this may be the only curated compilation of Trevor's scoring work we will be able to own and enjoy. I hope that is not the case, but one never knows.
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As I asserted in the original essay, this promo has a specific purpose to it but also is representative of the early years of Trevor's career as a film scorer in Hollywood, specifically 1997-2002; and so in a way it makes sense that beyond the inciting events I mentioned, this disc was envisioned to provide Trevor further coverage as regards the potential of his overall career. After seven years (if we say Trevor took that path beginning in 1995) and 17 films (on which he was the principle composer or co-composer) there was still time not to be entirely typecast within the industry.
As has been noted in previous fandom discussion, the disc itself is rather short, but the purpose of a promo is to provide an introduction to a scorer's work, either from a general viewpoint or related to work on a particular film. So this compilation gave those in the industry making the decisions a chance to hear a different aspect of Trevor's talent, just enough to potentially influence their decisions if the selections as a whole achieved the goal.
And we would have to presume from the way "Aftermath" is labeled that it was already happening to an extent - it's all about context. So as with the previous entry regarding the Jack Frost promo, I want to discuss these themes/cues in the context of emotive, lyrical pieces of music - do they portray Trevor the composer in a more sensitive light?
I would also reiterate as Trevor was the one selecting the material, he did himself a disservice in not including "Frostbite" or anything from Whispers: An Elephant's Tale, although that might not have been possible for whatever reason.
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My annotations on each track are the result of a couple years of research, as by that point (circa 2013) I had collected many of the score promos/DVD rips of Trevor's music (as regards those scores not officially released) as well as official releases, although in the case of The Banger Sisters I had to watch the film a few times to determine the source of those inclusions in this promo.
Remember the Titans (2000)
"Grace"
"Banger Sisters"
"Prague"
"A Beautiful Mind Trailer"
"Remembrance"
"Friendship"
"Sunrise"
"Gettysburg"
The score for this film contains a fair amount of stirring music as well as more reflective selections, and this piece would fall into the latter category, but it's quite lyrical. It does quote "Titans Spirit" just a bit as well. If anything the selections from the film on this disc make a good case for the score to finally receive a physical/digital release by a boutique label.
"Grace"
(an edit of "Harry and Grace Make Peace" with additional elements from the film's suite)
Armageddon (1998)
I consider "Harry and Grace Make Peace" to be one of those beautiful themes I've mentioned in other essays. This edit is delicately emotional and majestic.
"Banger Sisters"
(an edit of the main themes)
The Banger Sisters (2002)
The primary motif of the main theme is really compelling even as it's quite simple. There's a really interesting use of percussion and guitar in this score, although the film has a lot of licensed music in it as well. But including two pieces from this score is another "proof of concept" kind of decision overall.
"Prague"
(a promotional mix which combines the theme "Prague Main Titles" with elements of "Welcome To Prague")
Bad Company (2002)
"Prague" is absolutely one of Trevor's best themes ever - so gorgeous! This is an interesting edit, really evocative, and in its' own way as affecting as "BMBBO." I didn't mention this in the YMP podcast episode, but Bad Company is also one of my favorites of Trevor's scores.
"A Beautiful Mind Trailer"
(aka "Aftermath")
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
I like to think that "Aftermath" and "Titans Spirit" were the themes which really got Trevor noticed in the film world itself; when you write a theme which can be applied to more than one visual then you know you've done it right. You may have only meant for your music to accompany a specific moment, but universality is indicative of a particular creative power.
"Remembrance"
(aka "Trisha")
Con Air (1997)
The oldest of the material included here, and it really is an emotional moment in a film full of obnoxious over-the-top bluster (not music-wise though). Trevor's playing is understated but evocative.
"Friendship"
(an edit of two separate cues)
The Banger Sisters (2002)
I really love the particular tones Trevor used on this score. Given its' subject it made sense that it was a tad more guitar-heavy.
"Sunrise"
(aka "First Kiss")
American Outlaws (2001)
Trevor scored two Westerns (released the same year), and I would say this score is somewhat more lighter in tone overall (especially as it shifts idioms throughout) with some reflective moments. It's actually a rather underrated score, in my estimation.
"Gettysburg"
Remember the Titans (2000)
I like the grandeur this particular cue exhibits, it would foreshadow his work on such films as The Great Raid and The Guardian.
Onto the booklet now...which is of course totally different from the one included in the original promo, save Trevor's quote which originally appeared on the back cover. I would take issue with a few points in the liner notes (which I assume were written by Rob Ayling), as I don't believe all the details are necessarily correct. With all the images included it would lead one to believe that this is a more inclusive compilation when in fact it only represents one particular period. I think it would have been a better idea to just include one-sheet images from those films actually represented in the selections. The list of career credits is basically a cut-and-paste from Wikipedia (Fair Game should have been omitted as Trevor was not the principle composer on that film) and sure, at least one era-appropriate photo was included but again - with that ghastly red filter! Also, including the one-sheet for A Beautiful Mind is somewhat disingenuous, because although "Aftermath" was used in the trailer, none of Trevor's music is actually in the film itself. But these kinds of things are only revealed through research, and it's clear that was not a consideration in the overall assemblage of this box set.
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Beyond the point in time which film music composed by Trevor Rabin represents, Trevor would continue to have a very successful career by most people's standards - eventually being selected as one of Variety's Billion Dollar Composers and the recipient of ASCAP's Henry Mancini Award (previously the Golden Soundtrack Award), given to composers for outstanding achievements and contributions to the world of film and television music. Other awards and accolades would also be bestowed. A piece of his scoring music provided the soundtrack for a moment of cultural zeitgeist which is still talked about to this day. 2006 could be considered his most successful year overall, with five films in release bearing his compositional credit. He worked in film and television as well as advertising and theme parks. In terms of longevity, relevance and opportunity I do believe anyone could make an argument for Trevor's overall performance in Hollywood. But taken in a larger historical context, this promo does hint at the possibility that success came at a particular price: populist but never quite serious, widely-known but never quite diverse, the guy writing music for bombastic popcorn flicks, even if it might have been the best popcorn ever.
And yet here we have evidence that Trevor was capable of passion and gravitas, it was always there even if perhaps it was never particularly desired on the part of those who employed him. It could be said that such a conundrum seems indicative of the external expectations regarding Trevor as an artist and a musician throughout his career. But this compilation does indeed contain music which is emotionally affecting and lyrical, as well as some of the best music of his scoring career overall.
There's an entire generation, at least, of fans who know Trevor Rabin as a film scorer and only later discovered that he had a prior career in rock music. Those fans deserve a more comprehensive score compilation, but also, if this particular part of Trevor's history is to be considered equally important as any other, then I would hope it is further illuminated in the future.
