Die Hard (soundtrack)

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Die Hard: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Die Hard (soundtrack).jpg
Film score by
ReleasedFebruary 2002 (original release)
November 29, 2011 and March 31, 2017 (reissues)
November 5, 2018 (remastered edition)
Recorded1987–1988
Studio Twentieth Century Fox Studios, Los Angeles
Genre
Length77:04 (original release)
106:10 (2011 and 2017 reissues)
182:34 (remastered edition)
Label Varese Sarabande
La-La Land Records
Producer Michael Kamen
Die Hard soundtrack chronology
Die Hard
(1988)
Die Hard 2
(1990)
Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Nakatomi Plaza"1:50
2."Gruber's Arrival"3:40
3."John's Escape / You Want Money?"5:52
4."The Tower"1:49
5."The Roof"3:57
6."The Fight"1:07
7."He Won't Be Joining Us"3:53
8."And If He Alters It?"2:39
9."Going After John Again"4:33
10."Have A Few Laughs"3:29
11."Welcome to the Party"1:00
12."TV Station / His Bag is Missing"3:52
13."Assault on the Tower"8:16
14."John Is Found Out"5:03
15."Attention Police"3:38
16."Bill Clay"2:02
17."I Had An Accident"2:37
18."Ode To Joy"3:36
19."The Battle"10:15
20."Gruber's Departure"1:56
21."Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Instrumental Version)"2:00
Total length:77:04

Reissues

2011 reissue

La-La Land Records reissued and released the full score album on November 29, 2011, in a two-disc set. [12] [13] The album featured 39 tracks that included the score cues and few musical references heard in the film. The bonus tracks included variations of the score, that are either alternates or mono sources of the existing cues. [13]

Disc 1
No.TitleLength
1."Main Title (Mono Source)"0:38
2."Terrorist Entrance"4:05
3."The Phone Goes Dead / Party Crashers"1:51
4."John's Escape / You Want Money"6:00
5."Wiring the Roof"1:51
6."Fire Alarm"2:04
7."Tony Approaches"1:41
8."Tony and John Fight"1:11
9."Santa"0:55
10."He Won't Be Joining Us"3:01
11."And If He Alters It"2:39
12."Going After John"4:29
13."Have A Few Laughs / Al Powell Approaches"3:31
14."Under the Table"1:55
15."Welcome to the Party"1:09
16."TV Station"2:47
17."Holly Meets Hans"1:19
18."Assault On the Tower"8:35
Total length:49:41
Disc 2
No.TitleLength
19."John Is Found Out"5:03
20."Attention Police"3:54
21."Bill Clay"4:09
22."Shooting the Glass"1:05
23."I Had an Accident"2:37
24."The Vault"3:07
25."Message for Holly"1:07
26."The Battle / Freeing the Hostages"6:53
27."Helicopter Explosion and Showdown"4:00
28."Happy Trails"1:12
29."We've Got Each Other" (John Scott)1:56
30."Let It Snow" (Vaughn Monroe)1:43
31."Beethoven's 9th (End Credits Excerpt)" (Ludwig van Beethoven)3:54
Total length:40:40
Bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
32."The Nakatomi Plaza"1:45
33."Message for Holly (Film Version, mono source)"2:46
34."Gun in Cheek (mono source)"1:01
35."Fire House (mono source)"1:00
36."Ode to Joy (Alternate)"2:10
37."Let It Snow (Source)" (Michael Kamen)1:58
38."Winter Wonderland (Source)"0:20
39."Christmas in Hollis" (Run-DMC)4:49
Total length:15:49

2017 reissue

The album was again reissued by La-La Land Records and released on March 31, 2017. [12]

30th Anniversary Remastered Edition

In 2018, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the film's release, a remastered edition of Kamen's score was announced by La-La Land Records and set for release on November 5, 2018, in a three-disc set that contains 74 tracks. The album featured the full score, including cues and existing pieces of diegetic music referenced in the film, while multiple variations of the score which includes, source music, alternatives and mixes heard in the film being included in the album. It also included previously unreleased material from Kamen's score in full or partially heard in existing cues. [14]

Disc 1
No.TitleLength
1."Main Title"0:43
2."Seeing Holly"1:07
3."Terrorist Entrance"4:06
4."The Phone Goes Dead / Party Crashers"1:53
5."John's Escape / You Want Money"6:01
6."The Nakatomi Plaza (Takagi's Death)"1:45
7."Wiring The Roof"1:51
8."Approaching The Vault [a] "0:48
9."Fire Alarm"2:04
10."Tony Approaches"1:42
11."Tony And John Fight"1:13
12."Santa"0:57
13."He Won't Be Joining Us"3:02
14."And If He Alters It"2:40
15."Going After John"4:32
16."Have A Few Laughs / Al Powell Approaches"3:32
17."Under The Table"1:59
18."Welcome To The Party"1:10
19."Yippee Ki-Yay [b] "0:45
20."Holly Meets Hans"1:20
21."Assault On The Tower"8:34
22."John Is Found Out"5:04
23."Attention Police"3:54
24."Bill Clay"4:09
25."Shoot The Glass [b] "2:20
26."I Had An Accident (Extended Version) [b] "2:56
Total length:70:07
Disc 2
No.TitleLength
27."The Vault (Film Edit)"3:07
28."Message For Holly (Film Edit) [b] "3:13
29."Gun In Cheek (Extended Version) [b] "1:20
30."The Battle / Freeing The Hostages"6:53
31."The Fire Hose [b] "1:24
32."Helicopter Explosion And Showdown"4:02
33."Happy Trails, Hans [a] "1:42
34."Aftermath – Powell's Comeback [a] "2:52
35."Let It Snow (Vaughn Monroe)"1:44
36."Beethoven's 9th (End Credit Excerpt)"3:53
37."Main Title (Alternate) [a] "0:40
38."The Nakatomi Plaza (Takagi's Death) (Alternate) [a] "1:47
39."Approaching The Vault (Alternates) [a] "2:33
40."Tony Approaches (Alternate) [a] "1:43
41."Yippee Ki-Yay (Extended Version)"2:48
42."Assault On The Tower (Alternate Excerpts) [a] "3:44
43."Attention Police (Pick Up Opening) [a] "2:04
44."The Vault (Alternate) [a] "2:52
45."The Vault (Alternate Performance)"2:11
46."Message For Holly (Original Version) [b] "2:52
47."Message For Holly (Revised Version) [b] "2:58
48."Happy Trails (Tracked Film Edit)"1:13
49."We've Got Each Other" (From the movie Man On Fire; written by John Patrick Scott)1:56
50."Resolution and Hyperspace (Excerpt)" (From the movie Aliens; James Horner)2:47
51."Wild Percussion [a] "2:16
52."Roy Rogers Meets Beethoven's 9th (Source)"1:33
53."Winter Wonderland (Source)" (written by Felix Bernard and Dick Smith)1:26
54."Let It Snow (Source)" (Performed by Michael Kamen; Written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne)1:58
55."Christmas In Hollis" (RUN-DMC)2:58
Total length:72:29
Disc 3
No.TitleLength
56."Main Title (Film Edit)"0:36
57."Seeing Holly (Film Mix)"1:05
58."The Phone Goes Dead / Party Crashers (Extended Opening) [b] "2:22
59."The Nakatomi Plaza (Takagi's Death) (Orchestra Only)"1:47
60."Wiring The Roof (Film Mix Excerpt)"0:58
61."Tony Approaches (Film Mix)"1:44
62."Going After John (Film Mix)"4:33
63."Al Powell Approaches (Film Mix)"2:32
64."Al Powell Approaches (Alternate) [a] "2:37
65."Under The Table (His Bag Is Missing) (Film Edit)"1:25
66."John Is Found Out (Film Mix)"5:54
67."Bill Clay Pt. 1 (Film Mix)"2:08
68."Bill Clay Pt. 2 (Extended) [b] "2:08
69."Shooting The Glass"1:08
70."Message For Holly (Original Version) (Orchestra Only) [b] "2:53
71."The Battle (Alternate Excerpt) [b] "1:19
72."Wild Take [a] "1:29
73."Roy Rogers Meets Beethoven's Ninth (Alternate) [a] "1:36
74."Hip Hop Christmas (Source) [a] "1:44
Total length:39:58
Notes

Reception

Robert Lockard of the Deja Reviewer mentioned "The music in Die Hard is adequate, but it's nothing special. It's ironic for a film that took so many chances and got so much right to go so middle-of-the-road with its soundtrack." [15] Mfiles wrote "It's a rare action score that blends sincerity and self-parody in a manner that never compromises its respective movie, although one suspects McTiernan dialled down some of Kamen's more eccentric flourishes for that very reason ... This review is a testament not only to a great Christmas movie and score, but also to both of their formidable legacies." [16] James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "it's easy to see why it came about – Die Hard in particular is a fearsomely complex work that (somewhat against the odds, for reasons explained later) works simply brilliantly in the film and became one of the most influential scores of its time." [17]

Jonathan Broxton believed Die Hard to be one of Kamen's best action music compositions. He praised "the clever combination of the themes, the interpolation of the classical music and the songs, and the rich and vivid action set pieces". Broxton summarised it as "an iconic 1980s action score which demands attention." [18] Neil Shurley of AllMusic called it as an "outstanding presentation of a seminal score". [8] Soundtrack Beat wrote "Kamen's score masterfully builds suspense, propelling all the plot's high-octane action while enriching the characterizations." [19]

Filmtracks.com wrote "Kamen's score is defined by a series of repeated, pseudo- Western and pseudo-oriental riffs on acoustic guitar and lightly jingling bells representing the holidays ... Kamen's music for Die Hard doesn't translate well onto album ... Only once the party really begins, and the Plaza is under siege by the ineffectual police and FBI force, does Kamen's score begin to hold its own. The same applies to the score's revisitation of that mode in its end credits ... the weak early and middle portions of the Die Hard score function to basic degrees in the film, sometimes as mere sound effects, and the movie might have succeeded just as well with outright parody adaptations of Christmas carols." [7]

Personnel

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References

Citations

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  2. 1 2 Shivers 1995, p. 13.
  3. Smith, Giles (January 20, 1994). "POP / Interview: The Man Who Gets All The Credits: When The Composer Michael Kamen Gave Us 'Everything I Do', It Hung Around For Months. Now 'All For Love' Looks Set To Do The Same. Can We Forgive Him? Giles Smith Thinks So". The Independent . Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Durnford 1995, p. 16.
  5. Stilwell 1997, pp. 568–569.
  6. Kirk, Jeremy (July 19, 2011). "31 Things We Learned From The Die Hard Commentary Track". Film School Rejects . Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Filmtracks: Die Hard (Michael Kamen)". Filmtracks.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Vlastelica, Ryan. "Allmusic Review By Neil Shurley". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Stilwell 1997, p. 561.
  10. Lichtenfield 2017.
  11. Hart, Ron (December 21, 2017). "Run-D.M.C.'s 'Christmas In Hollis' At 30: Darryl McDaniels On Keith Haring, Die Hard & His 'Real' Rhyme". Billboard . Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Die Hard [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] - Michael Kamen | Releases | AllMusic , retrieved January 6, 2023
  13. 1 2 "DIE HARD: LIMITED EDITION RE-ISSUE (2CD SET)". La-La Land Records. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  14. "DIE HARD: 30th ANNIVERSARY REMASTERED LIMITED EDITION (3 CD SET)". La-La Land Records. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  15. Lockard, Robert (December 11, 2018). "Does Die Hard Have a Good Soundtrack?". Deja Reviewer. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  16. "Die Hard by Michael Kamen - film score soundtrack review on mfiles". www.mfiles.co.uk. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  17. "Die Hard soundtrack review | Michael Kamen | movie-wave.net". December 3, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  18. "DIE HARD – Michael Kamen". MOVIE MUSIC UK. August 16, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
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Works cited