"The Rocketeer" Score Blasts Off from Intrada

“The Rocketeer” Score Blasts Off from Intrada

One of comics’ most underrated heroes–and one of the late James Horner’s crowning score achievements–is back in flight. Intrada has reissued and expanded the score to the ambitious period superhero flick The Rocketeer.

Based on the acclaimed comic by the late Dave Stevens, The Rocketeer is the story of Cliff Secord, a dashing pilot in pre-World War II California who unwittingly discovers a jetpack. He uses it to perform extraordinary and heroic deeds, but it isn’t long until forces of good (the pack’s owner, Howard Hughes) and evil (a secret Nazi agent) are looking for The Rocketeer.

With a winning cast including newcomer Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin and Timothy Dalton and a winning Art Deco period style that ushered a third consecutive year of stylized comic-based blockbusters (after Batman in 1989 and Disney’s Dick Tracy the year before), critics enjoyed The Rocketeer enough, but its troubled production (under the guidance of director Joe Johnston, fresh off his directorial debut Honey, I Shrunk the Kids) and poor box office performance wouldn’t let it soar much higher than cult status. But it still retains a strong following among certain Disney fans, and it’s not hard to imagine Johnston’s can-do style anticipating his work some 20 years later on Captain America: The First Avenger.

If there’s a real high point, it’s Horner’s score. One of the composer’s own favorites, The Rocketeer is classic Horner, full of bright, hummable themes and stirring action cues. And for the first time, the complete score is available, mastered from the original 48-track session masters as mixed to two-track digital stereo by Shawn Murphy. The presentation spills just over into a second disc, after which the original Hollywood Records album, featuring unique mixes, edits and different takes and personally assembled by Horner, kicks off in thrilling fashion! A typically stunning package by Joe Sikoryak (with two fantastic covers based on key art from the original publicity campaign) and notes by Tim Grieving round out this special set.

The Rocketeer is blasting off from Intrada right now!

The Rocketeer: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Intrada ISC 357, 2016)

Disc 1: Original film soundtrack

Main Title
The Gizmo
Finding the Rocket
Neville and Eddie
Testing the Rocket
Lothar Gets Wilmer
The Helmet
The Laughing Bandit
Neville Eavesdrops
The Flying Circus
A Hero is Born/Bye Bye Bigelow
Begin the Beguine
Jenny’s Rescue
Love Theme (not featured in film)
Cliff to the Club
Cliff the Waiter
When Your Lover Has Gone
South Seas Send Up
Neville Sinclair’s House
Cliff Caught
Rendezvous At Observatory

Disc 2: Original film soundtrack continued (1-2) and original album (Hollywood Records HR 61117-2, 1991)

The Zeppelin
End Title/End Credits
Main Title/Takeoff
The Flying Circus
Jenny
Begin the Beguine – Melora Hardin
Neville Sinclair’s House
Jenny’s Rescue
Rendezvous At The Griffith Park Observatory
When Your Lover Has Gone – Melora Hardin
The Zeppelin
Rocketeer to the Rescue/End Title

Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, having written at and worked for all three major catalogue music labels and contributing to Allmusic, Billboard, Discogs, City Pages and Ultimate Classic Rock. He's penned liner notes for Verve, Chess, Mondo and Soul Music Records.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.