X-Men: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

1. Death Camp

2. Ambush

3. Mutant School

4. Magneto’s Lair

5. Cerebro

6. Train

7. Magneto Stand Off

8. The X-Jet

9. Museum Fight

10. The Statue Of Liberty

11. Final Showdown

12. Logan And Rogue
Amazon.com – Michael Kamen has become one of the most respected movie soundtrack producers and composers of the modern age. And he’s never lost his connection with pop music, either: most recently, he conducted the orchestra for Metallica’s S & M. Juilliard-bred, Kamen has orchestrated work for David Bowie and Kate Bush, among others, and his work with Eric Clapton on the movie score for 1987′s Lethal Weapon merged his two worlds into one. The summer blockbuster X-Men is a perfect match for the man who brought both Terry Gilliam’s classic, Brazil, and Die Hard to life. Here, the battle of Professor X (Patrick Stewart), who must protect mutants born with unusual powers–they can mindread and fly–against the holocaust threatening their freakish existence creates massive tension that Kamen’s score elaborately fulfills. Using the L.A. All-star Orchestra at full throttle, Kamen is at his Wagnerian best for “Museum Fight” and “The Final Showdown,” and is noticeably more gentle with the epilogue, “Logan and Rogue.” Kamen knows how to action-pack a score for maximum effect. -Rob O’Connor

» X2: Original Motion Picture Score

1. Suite From X2

2. Storm’s Perfect Storm

3. Finding Faith

4. Sneaky Mystique

5. Cerebro

6. Mansion Attack

7. Rogue Earns Her Wings

8. It’s Time

9. Magneto’s Old Tricks

10. I’m In

11. If You Really Knew

12. Playing With Fire

13. Death Strikes Deathstryke

14. Getting Out Alive

15. Goodbye

16. We’re Here To Stay
Amazon.com – AS great as the first X-Men movie was, one of the weakest points was its score by Michael Kamen. While Kamen has written some beautiful and excellent scores, his X-Men work just didn’t fit the bill. A classic hero motif was underused and elctronic rattles and bangs paved the way of the score. In John Ottman’s score for X2, the bangs and rattles have been reduced and a largely orchestrational score installed instead. Ottman’s hero motiff is by far one of the best in the super-hero score community. It ranks right up with Williams’ Superman fanfare as well as Elfman’s Batman Theme. The biggest complaint I have for this score is that it is not in order. For me that is really annoying and does reduce what is in affect a great score. I really wish that amazon would give .5′s instead of straight numbers. Overall, Ottman’s score successfully captures the heroic qualities of the X-Men as well as the heroic sacrifice of Jean Grey and the traitorous decision of Pyro. Its an excellent score. -J. K. Moser “JKM”

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