First off, thanks goes out to Jessica Stan for sending this in to be reviewed.
If there is one word that defines this soundtrack, it is: harmonica. Although it is not the only instrument featured, the harmonica dominates the score so thoroughly that very little else leaves a lasting impression. That overwhelming reliance on a single instrumental style makes for a score that quickly becomes repetitive, and sadly leaves it lacking in terms of highlights.
That said, on the topic of the best theme it’s the opening track, "Winter Green and Summer Blue," performed by Nancy Wilson. Fans of Japanese genre films may recognize her as the singer of the title theme from The Last Dinosaur (1977). Wilson delivers an excellent vocal performance here, making this easily the strongest piece on the disc. Unfortunately, the accompanying arrangement suffers from the same problem as the rest of the soundtrack, relying heavily on the same harmonica-driven style.
As for the best instrumental cue, it is "Prologue." It offers the greatest variety of instrumentation on the album, beginning with soothing strings before transitioning into a drum-backed section with a light jazz influence. Eventually, however, the harmonica appears, serving as an early preview of the musical direction the remainder of the score will follow.
Elsewhere, there are occasional glimpses of variety, but they rarely last. "Joy" is one of the more upbeat tracks, yet it still leans heavily on the harmonica. "Gentle Snow" opens with an elegant introduction that briefly suggests a different musical direction before the harmonica enters only about ten seconds in. "Black Overcoat" delays its arrival much longer, roughly a minute and a half, but the music leading up to it is unfortunately rather unengaging.
At just under 38 minutes, the album is also relatively short by modern standards. However, this was common for soundtrack CDs of the era, as many mirrored the running times of their original LP counterparts.
Overall, this is not a soundtrack I would recommend. Unlike some scores that simply repeat the same melody throughout, this one features different themes that nevertheless sound remarkably alike because of their shared instrumentation. Aside from the opening song and the somewhat enjoyable "Prologue," there is little that distinguishes one cue from another. The constant emphasis on the harmonica ultimately makes the album feel repetitive and leaves it far more forgettable than memorable. That said, if the harmonica is something you would consider yourself a fan of, and it certainly has fans, then this soundtrack will likely be right up your alley. To be fair, there aren't a lot of soundtracks that focus on the instrument. So while it wasn't my cup of tea, others might find this a very interesting score just for that fact.
As a side note, most of this CD, from the track titles to the front cover, are in English. This includes using the spelling of “YaKsa” (with a capital K) as opposed to the international spelling for the film of Yasha. As another side note, the Japanese title for this disc is interesting, as technically the full name is “Toho Film Yasha Original Soundtrack”. |
