Rambo: First Blood Part II

New release Intrada

At long last, Jerry Goldsmith's Asian-tinged, action-packed score to Rambo: First Blood Part II joins First Blood and Rambo III in the Intrada catalog. Goldsmith's schedule in 1985 was no less action-packed than Rambo's latest outing, including Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend, King Solomon's Mines, and Explorers, all filled with action and wonder. But it was this film that kicked off the summer movie season in May of 1985, with a CD that thundered into players shortly after. Since then, collectors have clamored for a complete release of the score -- but that proved trickier than expected. When Rambo II was first expanded, not all source elements were available, and while nearly complete, the release was still missing some moments, as well as important pick ups and featured some unusual mixes that weren't quite right.

After poring through some 150 reels of 35mm magnetic film of the various audio elements (dialog, sound effects, outtakes, rejected audio mixes, radio spots, demos, etc.) Intrada located everything (save “The Map” and “Home Flight”) from the first-generation three-channel scoring session mixes recorded by Mike Ross-Trevor at CBS Studios in London and subsequently remixed by Bruce Botnick at The Record Plant in Los Angeles. The sound was not as vibrant as the analog-to-digital elements Botnick had prepared (presented on CD 1) but it was still clean and free of major imperfections and because these elements presented a nominally different sound to the more familiar elements in existence, they appear on a CD 2. Also unearthed were the 24-track elements for the summer of 1984 Rambo II teaser trailer. Although previously released on the First Blood album, that was sourced from 1/4' elements, and this new mix allows Intrada to present it in the best possible sound, along with an alternate version. The CD also includes Goldsmith's Carolco logo, which integrates the Rambo theme.

Appearing now for the first time is the brief but crucial “Pre Lift Off” that immediately precedes Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) taking off in his helicopter after having just defeated his nemesis, Russian Lt. Col. Podovsky (Steven Berkoff). Another tiny piece now included is the brief but powerful percussion outburst that plays at the end of “Stories,” when the film cuts from Rambo to a shot of the American military base camp.

The grail to include in this expanded release was the mysterious original end title. As with the other two films in the series, Goldsmith's end title was replaced with a vocal, but in this case the end title was not included on any prior soundtrack album. Goldsmith had composed a brand new theme to meld with the Rambo: First Blood Part II theme. The result was a stunning piece that develops both of the melodies into a single rousing medley, unfolding over the familiar Rambo rhythms until everything climaxes with a powerful fortissimo coda. Alas, stereo masters were completely elusive, to the point where they may have been discarded or erased. However, a promotional cassette from 1985 still existed, and while not optimal, allowed Intrada to include this rare recording as a bonus on CD 2.

Intrada's decades long journey to present all three Rambo scores is complete, and for now the presentation of Rambo II is about as definitive as it can get. This 2-CD set has a total playtime of 140 minutes.

Track list

CD 1 Complete Original Soundtrack
01. Carolco Logo (0:19)
02. Main Title (2:16)
03. The Map (0:59)
04. Preparation (1:18)
05. The Jump (3:12)
06. The Snake (1:44)
07. The Pirates (1:30)
08. Stories/Percussion (Overlay) (3:28)
09. The Camp (1:24)
10. Forced Entry (1:02)
11. The Cage (3:59)
12. River Crash (2:22)
13. The Gunboat (1:18)
14. Betrayed (4:20)
15. Bring Him Up (1:17)
16. The Eyes (1:00)
17. Escape From Torture (3:30)
18. Ambush (2:40)
19. Revenge (6:16)
20. Bowed Down (1:06)
21. Pilot Over (1:55)
22. Village Attack/Helicopter Fight (4:54)
23. Pre Lift Off/Home Flight (3:25)
24. Day By Day (2:06)
25. Peace In Our Life (Performed by Frank Stallone) (3:17)
CD 1 Total Time: 61:39

CD 2 Original Soundtrack – 35mm Three-Channel Mixes
01. Carolco Logo (With Slate) (0:34)
02. Main Title (2:16)
03. Preparation (1:18)
04. The Jump (3:21)
05. The Snake (1:54)
06. The Pirates (1:30)
07. Stories/Percussion (Overlay) (3:28)
08. The Camp (1:24)
09. Forced Entry (1:03)
10. The Cage (3:59)
11. River Crash (2:23)
12. The Gunboat (1:17)
13. Betrayed (4:26)
14. Bring Him Up (1:17)
15. The Eyes (1:00)
16. Escape From Torture (3:43)
17. Ambush (2:40)
18. Revenge (6:18)
19. Bowed Down (1:06)
20. Pilot Over (1:57)
21. Village Attack/Helicopter Fight (4:56)
22. Pre Lift Off (0:25)
23. Day By Day (2:08)
Total Time: 54:57

The Extras
(Unused Cues – 35mm Three-Channel Mixes
24. Stories (Trumpet Stripe Only) (3:28)
25. Percussion No. 1 (0:07)
26. Percussion No. 2 (0:06)
27. Ambush (Early Take) (2:48)
28. Revenge (Early Mix) (6:43)

1984 Trailers
– 2' 24-Channel Mixes
29. Rambo Promo No. 1 (Original) (1:05)
30. Rambo Promo No. 2 (Revised) (1:05)

Carolco Demo Cassette
31. The Map (Alternate) (0:59)
32. Helicopter Fight (Alternate) (4:17)
33. End Credits (Original) (3:11)
Total Extras Time: 23:38
CD 2 Total Time: 78:42