Published on Sep 16, 2000
Flash!………….Ah-Aaahhhh!!!
Saviour of the Universe
Flash!………….Ah-Aaahhhh!!!
He save everyone of us
One of the things I remember from childhood is going to watch
this B-movie masterpiece and loving every minute of it. From the
over-the-top performance by Max Von Sydow to the über-coolness
of the Hawkmen to the very insipid acting of one Sam J. Jones as
the lead character, this became one of my favorite movies as a kid.
Of course, as I saw it again on TV, I saw the high levels of queso
(that’s cheese for y’all) that permeated every scene of this movie.
However, one thing has remained as cool now as when I first heard
it back then. That is, of course, the soundtrack to this movie
created and performed by British rockers Queen.
Flash!……….Ah-Aaahhh!!!
He’s a miracle!
Outside of a rare song appearing on a soundtrack, the members of
Queen had never done music exclusively for a movie. But producer
Dino DeLaurentis felt that this movie would be completed with their
music throughout out. So Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, Roger Taylor
and Brian May went and created what’s become B-movie folklore.
Now a warning: Unlike most other CDs, you cannot truly review
this soundtrack track-by-track, though I will try. To fully
appreciate this music, you will have to hear it from start to
finish. This is the type of CD that you do have to experience
completely to get.
The first thing that shocked me in hearing this album is the
extensive use of synthesizers. For a band that had until a year or
two before this album proudly declared “No Synthesizers!” in every
album, this is somewhat of a shock. Every member of the band is
credited with use of the synths! And believe me, they do use the
synthesizer to its maximum.
The second thing that confounded me was that along with the
music you will find pieces of movie dialogue spliced in. And I
ain’t talking about small snippets at start and end. No, I mean
they cut into the music with pieces of the movie’s dialogue. Every
now and again this does get annoying, but you get the sense that
this was meant to deliver sort of a mini-version of the movie. Like
I said, I wouldn’t have as big a problem with it if it didn’t cut
into several tracks here and there. (But you have to hear the
wedding vows Ming takes. They are truly hilarious. Maybe those were
the ones you should have taken, Chris!)
[Editor’s note: Just wait ’till
you
get married, Al!]
Okay, now with all that out of the way, let’s talk the music
itself. The album kicks off with the hit “Flash’s Theme.” Yep, that
great piece best known for the “Ah-aaahhh!!!” If you were my age or
about there when this movie came out, you remember it. It
encompasses the B-movie aspects of the character perfectly. It
appears and reappears throughout the score, particularly in “Flash
To The Rescue,” “Marriage Of Dale And Ming” and “Flash’s Theme
Reprise.” It also gets remixed into the Hero theme, which is
basically a longer and more rock-oriented version for “Battle
Theme” and “The Hero.”
But there are two other major themes in this soundtrack. One is
for the evil Ming the Merciless. Featuring a greater use of the the
synths, “Ming’s Theme” is minimalistic and spare, but fits his
character well. It gets remixed in “The Ring” and reappears through
other cues. The other major theme is for Vultan, the leader of the
Hawkmen. Also relying greatly on the synthesizer, “Vultan’s Theme”
is featured throughout the second half of the soundtrack. It’s
great fun, even if you do mind the synth overuse.
What’s great to hear is the way that each member of Queen shines
in here. John Deacon’s bass is stellar, particularly on the main
theme. Roger Taylor owns the second half of “In The Space Capsule,”
with his rhythmic drums. Brian May delivers perhaps the best rock
take on “The Wedding March.” (Now you know how
I want to walk down the aisle!) And Freddie Mercury uses his
piano playing to master the synth and deliver the fun, if cheesy,
“Football Fight.”
What’s not so great to hear is the bonus (and I use that word
loosely) remix of Flash’s Theme. Remixed by Mista Lawnge, this is
the longest track here and, without a doubt, the worst of the
bunch. It’s not even bad, it’s terrible – ranking alongside the
remix of “We Will Rock You” done by Rick Rubin. Avoid it at all
costs!
So, who is going to buy this album? Are you a fan of this cheesy
movie? Are you a hardcore Queen fan? If so, you will enjoy it.
Anyone else – even fairweather or new fans – would do best in
avoiding this neo-classic. This is for the initiated and for the
goofballs. Now everybody sing:
Flash!………….Ah-Aaahhh!!!
King of the Impossible!