A bold score for a famous 70s astronaut film – penned by
Jerry Goldsmith with almost the same sort of drama he might bring to a war thriller! The story itself is pretty dark – as the astronauts don't make it to space, but are forced into a Air Force base – and
Goldsmith's music really follows suit – a really dominating set of orchestrations, with turgid rhythms at the bottom, blaring horn parts on the top, and offbeat instrumental phrases that sort of cascade down, almost in a claustrophobic way. There's less of the funkier or groovier moments you might know from earlier
Goldsmith scores, but the soundtrack's still a great one, with a surprising amount of power, even away from the film. Titles include "Break Out", "The Message", "No Water", "Bedtime Story", "The Snake", "Kay's Theme", "The Letter", and "The Celebration".