Battle Beyond the Stars
Intrada Special Collection Volume ISC 496

Following closely behind the release of James Horner's Humanoids From the Deep, Intrada presents one of the most requested expansions from Horner's catalog: Battle Beyond the Stars (1980). The original vinyl program has been released several times on CD, but this is the first release expanded and restored from the complete 24-track recording sessions

Following closely behind the release of James Horner's Humanoids From the Deep, Intrada presents one of the most requested expansions from Horner's catalog: Battle Beyond the Stars (1980). The original vinyl program has been released several times on CD, but this is the first release expanded and restored from the complete 24-track recording sessions.

As with the earlier release of Humanoids, this new program features a level of detail not previously heard. Although there were many films released in the wake of Star Wars to try to capture an audience hungry for more, Battle Beyond the Stars rose above the rest, featuring clever casting, respectable special effects, and an epic space-faring score the likes of which had not been heard before.

Space adventure had a new sound. The distinctive sound and musical embodiment of space in music would form the basis for scores such as Star Trek II and Krull just a few years later.

While the performance of the original recording wasn't perfect, Intrada has been able to address some errors by leveraging different takes to improve the overall performances.
Following the complete score program is the newly remastered original album, preserving those edits made for the LP program as well as the album mix with which collectors have become familiar.

The score was meticulously restored by Douglass Fake and Chris Malone and will be available both on CD and digitally from Intrada. Shout!Factory will be releasing it on vinyl in the near future. Check out the trailer here.

The film takes a page from The Magnificent Seven: when ruthless conqueror Sador (John Saxon) comes to take the planet of Akir, the brave Shad (Richard Thomas) sets out in his planet's lone spacecraft to recruit a band of mercenaries (some played by such luminaries as George Peppard and Robert Vaughan) to come to Akir's aid. The tone is tongue-in-cheek and Sador ultimately meets his match.

Intrada ISC 496
Battle Beyond The Stars
Composed by JAMES HORNER

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World premiere of complete James Horner early space opera soundtrack! Following on the heels of Intrada’s expanded release of Humanoids From The Deep is James Horner’s wildly popular early outer space epic, scored in 1980 when the young composer’s career was literally just getting underway.

Highlights from the score were released on vinyl at the time, and that program has appeared numerous times on CD. Now Intrada is proud to finally present the entire score, newly expanded and remastered from the actual 2” 24-track recording session masters for the first time ever! Details in the recording come through with stunning clarity and power previously not available. In addition to the familiar cues, this new edition also offers many cues previously not released, including the powerful early cues for the “Hammerhead” and the “Sniper’s, Fire!” sequences.

Other exciting new pieces include “Dr. Hephaestus’s Station”, “The Destruction Of Umateal”, “Kidnapped!” and many others, all in splendid stereo sound. The performance on the original release was less than perfect, but with current state-of-the-art technology, engineers Douglass Fake and Chris Malone were able to meticulously address some of the errant notes, particularly in the high trumpet parts.

The complete score runs over an hour on CD 1. Intrada will be releasing it digitally as well. For fans of the popular original 1980 program, we have included that album as well, newly remastered on CD 2.
And vinyl collectors can enjoy this expanded edition from the Shout! Factory label. Jimmy T. Murakami & Roger Corman directed this outer space fantasy in the wake of the exploding popularity of Star Wars and the many imitations that followed. Drawing inspiration from the famous Seven Samurai and Magnificent Seven feature films, the script from John Sayles now set the action in outer space, with Richard Thomas, Robert Vaughn, John Saxon, Sybil Danning starring and George Peppard grabbing the spotlight as “Cowboy”.

Another asset: the special effects feature the imaginative early work of James Cameron. Initially released through Roger Corman’s New World Pictures, the movie was a modest box office hit. Trivia of interest: Bill Paxton was then working as a carpenter on the set.

Horner’s energetic score was literally a launch pad for his later Star Trek II and Krull scores. David Newman conducts the orchestra, James Horner composes. Intrada Special Collection 2-CD set available while quantities and interest remain!

( - Intrada Records - )

More info at: Official Web Site Intrada Records