Alex North's 2001

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Free Music Notes for Alex North's 2001

Free Music Review: Kubrick rejected THIS?
Hit: 5 Stars

Which brings us to Alex North's 2001. North, the legendary composer and writer of the rock song "Unchained Melody", had previously scored Stanley Kubrick's SPARTACUS and had been recruited to score the first half of Kubrick's 2001. Sadly, Kubrick blindsided North by trashing his score and replacing it entirely with classical music. Which is both unjust and a total shame, because the classical music Kubrick used in the film (as well as in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE), while pleasant to listen to, just doesn't fit the film's story. North's score, on the other hand, does, and would have better suited the finished film.

The album opens with a powerful fanfare akin to Miklos Rosza's epic, heroic score to the Jesus biopic KING OF KINGS, which instantly invites the listener to a grander, bigger reality. From there, the album continues with chilling, savage music for primitive man, mysterious and eerie cues for the space sequences (enhanced by a spooky choral vocal and harpsichord undertones). Clearly, this music was designed to underscore everything Kubrick hoped to get across in the picture, and it succeeds wonderfully. It's a pity that North was only asked to write 35 minutes of music. It would have been lovely if he'd scored the film in its entirety. Sadly, North died prior to this album's release, but thanks to North's friend, the legendary Jerry Goldsmith, this finished recording is a fitting tribute to an old master...and a worthy preservation of a score that should never have been carelessly tossed away in the first place.

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