Special Notes:

When Cannon decided to film their Allan Quartermain diptych back to back, they seemed to have allotted most of the cash for the first film, King Solomon’s Mines (1985) rather than the dumber sequel, Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold (released in 1987).

Jerry Goldsmith composed a robust orchestral score for the first, and Michael Linn should’ve had a great opportunity to create his own material with marginal nods to Goldsmith’s theme had the producers not tracked so much of Lost City with cues from the first film, creating a discontinuity in spite of the theme periodic appearance.

As a solo composer, Linn’s experience with Canon included four films (Breakin’ 2: Edlectric Boogaloo, Rappin’, and American Ninja) over a few years, and his brush with Lost City at least gave him the opportunity to work with a broad orchestral palette. Portions of Linn’s score were previously released in a roughly 7 min. suite on one of Edel’s compilations of suites and themes from Cannon films, so this marks the first time the full score (a few hairs over a half hour) is available, with the occasional quotations of Goldsmith’s theme.

Linn’s best cues are the least reliant on Goldsmith’s theme, which tended to be more repetitive in King Solomon’s Mines in spite of its inherent heroism and brassy swagger. Linn’s “Quartermain meets Swarmi/Dumont Dies” is a fun riff on Herrmannesque triads, and there’s a nice balance between synth chimes, low brass, and woodwinds. Linn also uses very clean transitions in his writing, particularly for a short mystical motif that glides from one instrument to another, before an eerie finale with low brass tones.

Light touches of chromatic progressions also appear in soft cues such as “The Ruse,” and more humorous touches are well orchestrated in the breezy “Jesse Fingered,” although the lack of heavy action cues in his score indicates how the producers relied on the original Goldsmith cuts for the film’s action sequences, and Linn’s music as necessary bridge material, which includes several lighthearted and romantic cues (“Umslopogaas,” and “Dumont’s Gold City”) plus mercurial cuts like “Agon Wants Revenge” which swirl between comedy and suspense.

To Linn’s credit, the orchestra’s performance was close-miked, resulting in a robust, crisp sound and broad sonics, and La-La Land’s mastering is first-rate. The booklet liner notes explain Linn’s tough dilemma in scoring within a highly restrictive budget and competing with a chop up temp track comprised of Goldsmith and Linn’s own cues.

Some very good music was written for Cannon Films before the company imploded in 1993, and Linn’s music certainly proves how far a composer could transcend the limits of a cheap sequel. While this CD may be of chief interest to Goldsmith completists, it’s also a fitting sample of a little-known composer who deserved further solo projects.

© 2009 Mark R. Hasan