Search - John Carpenter :: Assault on Precinct 13

Crank it up

N. P. Stathoulopoulos | Brooklyn, NY | 01/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Finally, an offical release of Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 sees the light of day.



This is a bit expensive, but it is the offical product from Carpetner, sounding better than any of the bootlegs and way better than any of those 'The Music of John Carpenter' discs that featured re-recordings of the director's famed cues.



Do note that the disc is very short, around half an hour. Carpenter admitted to writing this score in about three days. It's spare, minimal, and very fitting for the stark, Rio Bravo update. We have big, fat, warm synths, mid-70s style (the kind you had to warm up) and that constant swishing, chattering percussion that keeps things tense (the stalking of the ice cream truck by the gang, the gang's appearance from nowhere as they descend on the police station). Highlights are the title, of course, and The Windows, which features another big, fat synth line. Some may find it all cheesy, but Carpenter fans will appreciate what the maverick director could do with a low budget and his own wits. You will also find lots of repetition among the many tracks here, as in other early Carpenter scores (Halloween, The Fog), but the cues are effective and an important part of the film.



Highly recommended for Carpenter fans. I doubt it'll be in print for very long, so it's worth picking up."

People, this is the score for 'Assault on Precinct 13.'

pasfroid | Austin, Texas | 05/09/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There are not as lot of cues, and it's pretty short; but it's got interesting textures. Monotonous but never tedious -- sort of like Can or Neu! My wife hates this stuff. But she can also name that tune in less than two notes... It's a bit expensive, but if you like the Escape From New York disc, then this will be right up your alley."