1. King Kong
2. A Fateful Meeting
3. Defeat is Always Momentary
4. It's in the Subtext
5. Two Grand
6. The Venture Departs
7. Last Blank Space on the Map
8. It's Deserted
9. Something Monsterous... Neither Beast Nor Man
10. Head Towards the Animals
11. Beautiful
12. Tooth and Claw
13. That's All There is...
14. Captured
15. Central Park
16. The Empire State Building
17. Beauty Killed the Beast 1
18. Beauty Killed the Beast 2
19. Beauty Killed the Beast 3
20. Beauty Killed the Beast 4
21. Beauty Killed the Beast 5
Amazon.com
James Newton Howard reportedly got the King Kong gig as a last-minute replacement for Howard Shore (who of course had worked on King Kong director Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings series). The good news is that Howard still managed to write an honorable score; the bad news is that it's no more than honorable. For some, the biggest disappointment may be that Howard didn't find more inspiration in the film's 1930s setting. Once in a while he inserts a vaguely jazzy flourish (the brief clarinet passages in "Defeat Is Always Momentary" for instance) but the period detail is kept to a minimum. Having more may have helped give the score a shot of much-needed individuality. Action scenes, for instance, are set to the opulently orchestrated, frantic percussive rumble that is Hollywood short-hand for, well, action scenes. "Head Towards the Animals" and "Beauty Killed the Beast III" are just the most typical examples of that style: Howard gives these bravura numbers the requisite pounding intensity, but can we be blamed for feeling that we've heard them dozens of times before? Similarly, the composer sticks to the expected when he needs to get more contemplative, as on "A Fateful Meeting" (soothing strings, soothing clarinet) or "Beautiful" (flutes to suggest the exotic locale). In short, this album is everything you expect it to be. Which sometimes isn't quite enough. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
Album Description
Known for his robust orchestral scores laced with lush sounds, James Newton Howard's compelling music for King Kong is a treasure destined to become another classic in his rich catalogue. Tracks such as "A Fateful Meeting" and "Defeat Is Always Momentary" take the listener on an urgent voyage to an undiscovered land, while "It's Deserted" and "Beautiful" evoke the lyrical beauty of the landscape created by Jackson and inhabited by the films memorable characters. Howard perfectly compliments the feeling of suspense, love and compassion the film so powerfully conveys.James Newton Howard is one of Hollywood's most versatile and prolific composers, with more than 90 films to his credit. He has received six Oscar nominations, two Golden Globe nominations and one Grammy nomination. In addition, he has won 28 ASCAP Awards for film and television shows scored from 1994 to 2005. His credits include films as diverse as The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Fugitive, Pretty Woman, The Prince of Tides, Grand Canyon, Dave, Primal Fear, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Devil's Advocate, and Dinosaur. Howard's more recent projects include Batman Begins; The Interpreter; The Ring 2; Miss Congeniality 2; Collateral; The Village, for which he received his sixth Oscar nomination for Best Original Score; Hidalgo; and the live-action Peter Pan.
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King Kong: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
- Audio CD: 0 pages (2005-12-13)
- Publisher: Decca
- Label: Decca
- Format: Soundtrack
- Studio: Decca
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 32 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #38374
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Exactly What You Are Asking For... 2008-09-07
Comment: You get what you want from this. All of the epic music from Peter Jackson's 2005 King Kong film. Highly recommended to hardcore fans.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Too Much Pulse-Pounding Action For Restful Listening 2008-03-16
Comment: While I expected a certain amount of powerful action music--in keeping with the fact that King Kong is an action film--I felt this cd soundtrack focused excessively on action music, and that the touching and beautiful selections in the film's more tender scenes were woefully ignored. They are there, but in what feels to be abbreviated forms, as though the powers behind the cd decided to add them as a brief afterthought. If you found the more sensitive music in the film is what drove you to consider the cd (as I did) then you'll find this cd too abrasive for too long to just enjoy easy listening. The quality of the musical compositions is not lacking--it's good action music--but this is not a cd comfortable to listen to for long periods. If you are producing a back yard play, and need some pounding action music that goes on and on, then this cd is for you. They ought to release a secondary cd that contains only full-scale versions of the beautiful instrumentation present in more sensitive scenes. Now THAT'S a cd I'd enjoy.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Hail to the KING 2008-03-15
Comment: I watched the Extended Deluxe Edition of King Kong recently. When the opening credits ran I knew I HAD to get the soundtrack. I found it here and ordered it. When I recieved it I was very pleased. It has become one of my favorite scores by Newton Howard.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Beat Your Chest to Get This One 2007-02-28
Comment: After Lord of the Rings collaborator Howard Shore had his fully written score rejected due to the ever popular "creative differences" in Peter Jackson's film, James Newton Howard stepped in and had about a month and a half to write a monumental amount of music. He stepped up to the challenge and wrote a blowout score that awes and amazes at each turn. I can only imagine what kind of score he would have come up with if he had a much longer period of time to write the score, but in any case, he succeeds all the same.
King Kong has an established theme throughout the score, represented by a 7-note motif that is both ominous and bold. It is featured whenever the big ape is on screen, as well as when he is somewhere lurking about on the island. Since the film takes place in the 1930s, Howard wrote some period music in many cues of the first half of the score, which feature appropriate pianos and jazzy woodwinds.
As the crew makes their way to the island, the music shifts into a more ominous and more action-oriented approach, as they try to survive and capture the beast. The music throughout the majority of the second half of the album is awe-inspiring, resilient, and frankly breath-taking. The orchestra is strident, the chorus is bold, and the percussion is propulsive. "Tooth and Claw" is a very impressive action-oriented track with plenty of fast-paced, heavy brass lines, whirling strings, and racing percussion. The "awe-factor" is present in most of the cues, such as "It's Deserted", where you can only imagine viewing the island for the first time as the ship nears its destination.
The grand finale consists of "The Empire State Building" as well as "Beauty Killed the Beast" (not how the Disney film ended as you may recall...). Here the orchestra and chorus give everything they've got, building and building to an emotional and powerful climax as the great beast falls to his demise.
This is one of James Newton Howard's finest works, which proves that he is one of the best composers out there. A highly recommended score with 74 minutes of outstanding music. You would be a fool to pass this one up!!
4 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: To be honest... 2006-05-25
Comment: Not the best score I've ever heard. Certainly not bad, some tracks were very nice. Unfortunately, a good deal of them are too action-oriented for my liking, or simply boring. The best piece of music from the film, the beautifully haunting female chorus played over the spider pit scene (best part of the movie!), is sadly nowhere to be found on this disc. I don't doubt Howard's talent as a composer, but the music for King Kong, sadly, doesn't have the same bite as the movie.
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King Kong: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
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