Record Label: Walt Disney Records
Genre: Film Score
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Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is about to come out this week and I’ve been listening to Hans Zimmer’s latest score just about everyday. Zimmer composed the last Pirates score and also composed most of the original themes for the first film as well. The composer has definitely composed a lot of memorable themes over the years, and I think he exceeds at composing action & adventure films the most like Pirates. Besides Dead Men’s Chest, my latest favorite score from Zimmer has to be the score to the Da Vinci Code. The one track I particularly love is “CheValiers de Sangreal.” But after listening to the third Pirates score, there are a few tracks I will be listening to over & over again.

The score starts off with some pirate song called “Hoist the Colours” and i’m not sure how I feel about it just yet. The words don’t really rhyme or go all that well together. But this song is prominent in the movie so perhaps I’ll like it better once I see the film this week. That theme is used throughout the score, but just as an instrumental motif. The track “Singapore” is great, and gives me goosebumps towards the end of it because the old Pirates theme kicks in. I don’t know if Zimmer or Klaus Badelt composed that theme but it really has become a really recognizable theme. A lot of these tracks are action cues, some tracks are quirky Jack Sparrow cues, and a lot of tracks have a love theme to them. But I’m noticing sort of a western sound to some of these themes as well and I dig it (ie. “Parlay”). I thought I read somewhere that Gore Verbinski thinks this last movie as a western. I could be wrong though.

I think the best track on the whole album is “Up Is Down.” It has a folk/Celtic flavor to it and I’m just wondering if there will be a bunch of Pirates doing a jig on the screen? God I hope not! But anyway, after the folk version of the track, it goes into another direction. Towards the end of the track, there’s this cool action cue that I wish was longer. I believe it might be a different version of the overall love theme? The score for ‘At World’s End’ is different from the rest because it seems far more complex and not just a straight up swashbuckler score. There’s a lot of mood themes, where you won’t necessarily like the tracks as much as the other ones until you see the movie. There aren’t that many returning themes on this CD but i’m sure they will pop up in the movie. You do hear the Davy Jones theme once or twice, you hear the Jack Sparrow quite a lot but the overall theme is the ‘Hoist the Colours’ instrumental & choir versions. I actually love the choir theme of it, which you can hear in “What Shall We Die For.” That just seems like a song where you see all the Pirates ship mustering together before a big battle. I’m probably right…Another terrific action song is the track “I Don’t Think Now Is a Good Time.” It’s about ten minutes long and I’m just really looking forward to hearing this song along with the movie! You hear quite a few themes from the movies in this track. This song definitely gives me goosebumps when I hear the Davy Jones theme. Rounding out the film score is “One Day” and “Drink Up Me Hearties.” “One Day” sort of starts out like the Da Vinci Code’s “CheValiers de Sangreal” and then goes into the Pirate theme. The last track has that quirky Jack Sparrow theme but done with an accordion, and then the track serves as an End Credits theme. You get to hear all these great themes from the Pirates films in one track. To end this very long CD review, I love all the Pirates scores and I honestly can’t say which one I like the most. They are all equally great in their own way. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End has a lot of excellent score tracks, and I seriously hope they make more Pirate movies just to hear more of these themes again! Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum!

Bottom Line: What can I say, yet another brilliant Hans Zimmer score!
Notable Tracks: Singapore, Up Is Down, I Don’t Think Now Is a Good Time, One Day, Drink Up Me Hearties
Overall Rating: