StreamingSoundtracks.com - The British Years

#	Track Listing	Length	Played
02	My Beautiful Laundrette Hans Zimmer	3:39	24
04	World Apart - End Title Hans Zimmer	4:58	11
00	Burning Secret - Suite (Part 1) Hans Zimmer	6:13	9
00	Burning Secret - Suite (Part 2) Hans Zimmer	7:18	9
00	Burning Secret - Suite (Part 3) Hans Zimmer	10:25	11
00	Fruit Machine (Part 1) Hans Zimmer	9:45	11
00	Fruit Machine (Part 2) Hans Zimmer	10:20	9
00	Fools Of Fortune - The Island (Part 1) Hans Zimmer	13:11	29
00	Fools Of Fortune - The Island (Part 2) Hans Zimmer	4:44	13

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Reviewers Rating

1 review done for this album.

There was a time when a german composer wasn't so famous

By:	tudor_19071990
Date:	21 Sep 2011
Rating:

During Christmas of 2005 Milan Records released two Hans Zimmer compilations aimed for collectors. The first one is a compilation of scores that Zimmer composed when he worked in London as a composer for British films between 1985 and 1990. The second consists of scores from Zimmer's first years as a Hollywood film composer.

We are dealing with the first volume. Now, this is before Remote Control Productions and the collaboration with other composers and conductors. This is from the time when Zimmer worked alone at Lillie Yard Studio in London after he finished the studies under his mentor, the late Stanley Myers. What's better is that, with the exception of "A World Apart: End Titles", all the tracks contained on the CD haven't been released commercially before. These aren't some of the best scores that Zimmer has ever written and the respective films are long forgotten, but it gives us an idea of how he began to combine the sound of synthesizers with the sound of orchestra over 20 years ago.

The first track is a long 25 minutes suite from "Burning Secret", which gives us a hint of Zimmer's ability to score dramatic films. The simple strings combined with the sound of the panpipes and rolling piano creates a lush yet dramatic sound. It's a really enjoyable suite but it hasn't got anything spectacular or notable. It's just a plain, simple suite.

"My Beautiful Laundrette" is the oldest track from the compilation, written in 1985 in collaboration with Stanley Myers. It's important to point that this is not a score track but a song, written in the specific 80's synth-pop. It's not anything special and you can easily skip it.

"The Fruit Machine" is another 20 minute suite and is yet another dramatic score that is mostly string-driven. It's not entirely original, since it repeats quite often the theme from LLa bohème's "Che Gelida Manina" written by Puccini.

"A World Apart End Titles" is the only track that has been previously released. This is where Zimmer began to experiment with African rhythm and chants and also the percussion pattern he will use later in "Rain Man". "A World Apart" was an important score because it was virtually the score that brought Zimmer to Hollywood.

Lastly, we have "Fools of Fortune", a 17 minute suite from a 1990 film. And, again, it's another dramatic score. Not anything special but still better than "Burning Secret" or "The Fruit Machine".

Final thoughts: "The British Years" was aimed primarily at Zimmer collectors and it's a real treat for them. It's the perfect opportunity to hear from where he got the combination between synthesizers and orchestra, a sound that he will later improve and perfect. As I said above, these aren't some of the best scores that Zimmer has ever written but they're not bad either. They're just simple scores from the time Zimmer experimented with his new sound.

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