At a glance:
Geek Score: 100
Total Minutes Of Excellence: 42.2
Album Excellence: 100%
How are the scores calculated and what does it mean?
The plot in this film is beyond ridiculous and yet, whenever I turn it on (and it happens quite a bit), I am in love with it, story or not. The characters, the goofballs that are Bill & Ted is a staple of my childhood. I still love it after all these years. It never gets old. It really was the last gasp of the 80s, the glorious 80s. And then there’s the music, and no I’m not talking about the Wyld Stallyns, I’m talking about the score by David Newman, a fun score if I remember correctly and Intrada brought use the score (finally!) in 2014. The score opens with ‘History Lesson’ which starts in a more “classic” mode with famous American tunes and then goes onto a more Bill & Ted mode with a cool suave 80s sequence. ‘Future Bill & Ted Leave’ is another gem and it brings back the memories, not just of Bill & Ted, but the 80s in general. Gorgeous synth music! Rufus the man from the future has his own celebratory theme in ‘Rufus Lands’ and it’s an orchestral one, but mixed with Bill & Ted’s theme. It’s another winner. Can’t get enough of it.
See it’s not all synths either. In many cues, Newman uses the orchestra well like ‘Austria, 1805’. Ok, the ending was synth, but the rest of the music is orchestrally sound and great to listen to. Also, since it’s time travel, Bill & Ted gets to travel to various eras like the wild west and that is an excellent opportunity for David Newman to dust off his trumpets and do some western and he does and it’s great! Check out ‘Old West’ if you don’t believe me. There are plenty for you orchestral music lovers to get some great vintage David Newman. I can’t get over how good that guitar is sounding in ‘Thank You San Dimas High’. Wow. This is a gem for lovers of 80s synth music and David Newman orchestral excellence. Stunning stuff. Get it!
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. History Lesson
2. Future Bill & Ted Leave *
3. Rufus Lands
4. A Lot More Than That
5. Austria, 1805
6. Short Dead Dude *
7. Old West *
8. Saloon Tack Piano
9. Billy The Kid
10. Brawl And Ancient Greece
11. Medieval England
12. Meet The Princesses
13. Execute Them! (With Hoo-Hahs)
14. Bag Freud
15. Prehistoric Pit-Stop
16. Thanks Rufus
17. Napoleon Hesitates
18. Mall Mayhem
19. Wild Speech Montage *
20. Jailbreak
21. America The Beautiful
22. Thank You San Dimas High *
EXTRAS
23. Saloon Tack Piano (Alternate End)
24. Execute Them! (Orchestra)
25. Trumpet Fanfare
26. Go Faster (Film Version)
28. Fleur De Lis
29. William Tell Overture
