Xenomusic - Jerry Goldsmith's Alien

A long dive into Jerry Goldsmith's brilliant score for Alien - how it came about, why it works so well, and why you've never heard most of it...
Alien is copyright © 20th Century Fox
Music transcribed and isolated by Chris Geddes
/ chrisgeddesmusic
Voice of Jerry Goldsmith by Scott Carroll
profile.php?...
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LINKS
The Alien Minute Podcast:
www.alienminute.com/
Strange Shapes:
alienseries.wordpress.com
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SOURCES
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[Music]
Alien - Complete Soundtrack
store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id...
Nostromo - Alien
Jerry Goldsmith - Planet of the Apes (1968)
Jerry Goldsmith - Patton (1970)
Jerry Goldsmith - The Omen (1976)
Jerry Goldsmith - Freud (1962)
[Videos]
Alien (1979)
Record Background
www.beachfrontbroll.com/
Alien - (BBC Proms)
• Alien - (BBC Proms)
Alien A Biomechanical Symphony (2009)
• Video
Bill Mott's Piano Medley of Alien
• Alien.avi
Prometheus (2012)
VHS Glitch
• VHS Glitch - Volume 1 ...
Classic Hovis Advert
• Classic Hovis advert
Jerry Goldsmith Film Music Masters
• Video
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Patton - Trailer
• Patton | #TBT Trailer ...
The Omen - Trailer
• The Omen | #TBT Traile...
Freud Trailer
• Freud: The Secret Pass...
My Bloody Valentine - Only Shallow
• Video
Adobe Audition Tutorial
• Adobe Audition - Basic...
Echoplex 3 EP-3 tape echo
• Maestro Echoplex 3 EP-...
Shankha (Chonch) Blowing
• Amazing Conch Blowing ...
Douglas Yeo plays the Serpent
• Douglas Yeo plays the ...
David Hudson - Making & Playing Didgeridoo
• Video
Paul Hogan Tourism Advert
• Paul Hogan Ad 1984

[@deanwalker870]

He wrote this and Star Trek The Motion Picture in the same year. Two of the finest scores in film history. Genius.

[@watamatafoyu]

Same music as TNG

[@beckyzwhite]

Indeed he was a genius. Only now getting the recognition he deserved.

[@thegood9]

Loved that Soundtrack so much.

[@davidcunningham9282]

interesting coincidence that james horner ended up doing aliens and the wrath of khan

[@thegood9]

@@davidcunningham9282 yes it is...loved his scores as well. Did he also do "Battle Beyond the Stars"? I loved that soundtrack.

[@GraveyardPoet]

Jerry Goldsmith was a genius. Alien (1979) is his scariest, most stunning soundtrack. Influenced by genius Gustav Holst's Saturn and Neptune.

[@FifthContinentMusic]

I see absolutely no influence by Holst. #JohnStevenLasher.

[@democlips1]

His scariest? For me, that was the Omen. Brilliant soundtrack

[@jorriffhdhtrsegg]

No, its influenced by Stravinsky's right of spring and firebird moreso with Ligeti/Penderecki for the soundfield parts

[@44excalibur]

And yet the only one who didn't think it was a masterpiece, was Jerry Goldsmith himself.

[@healingmomentum]

Unbelievably good video. Alien is my favorite film. Bravo! Learned a lot.

[@austenpowers]

Same ❤

[@RainbirdReads]

I stumbled upon this completely by accident and I'm very glad I did! Always loved the Alien score but had no idea about the two different versions. Now I can bore my friends with this arcane knowledge. Awesome video.

[@conzalez94]

Great video! Sad that most of Goldsmiths original score was cut, it is a masterpiece.

[@KevinStriker]

Thankfully, it's on the Alien Blu-ray as an alternate audio track. Funny how what they used for Ash's reveal in the final film was actually intended for Brett looking for Jones the cat.

[@HartmutJagerArt]

He is simply a genius, especially if you consider the many and variant movies and the soundtracks he made for them !

[@markgriffiths8786]

I bought this soundtrack in 1979 prior to seeing the movie , it was the best thing I ever heard (especially the End title) and it still is my favourite score ! .......as with 'Legend' , Jerry will never win the argument !

[@prpwnage9296]

mark griffiths so did you notice that some of the score had been cut from the film and if so, were you annoyed?

[@coltseavers6298]

OK. I am too curious now. Why would you buy a movie soundtrack back in the late 70's before you could hear samples of it on the Internet like we do now?

[@CaminoAir]

​@@coltseavers6298Back then film soundtrack LP's and cassettes often were released a few weeks before the film. At least this was the case here in Ireland (and I assume Britain). Major films were first released in one region and then (once publicity and film prints were prepared) in other regions. There could be several months between the various release dates.

[@northshore1000]

My friend, oh my gosh... I must tell you, this video you’ve made is one of THE MOST engrossing things I’ve ever caught on KZbin. I enjoyed it more than I can put in words, but I feel compelled to try! I use KZbin mostly when I’m at work, with earbuds, for something to listen to while I carry out my task. I’ve done this for many years and RARELY do I ever find something that makes me say, “Wait. I have to save this for later so I can watch it as well.” Your video did that; I had to focus on it completely! I’ve been a Goldsmith fan for 34 years, and Alien has always been one of my top favorite scores (Planet of the Apes being #1, actually the sound track that was my introduction to his music.) From the vinyl, I feel I know the music as I am familiar with the Happy Birthday song. But you... YOU brought a level of details I’ve never heard before! For example, I had always wanted to know what the instruments were that Goldsmith used for the many alien sounds. Wow! Now I know, thanks to you. The brilliance of that man has always blown my mind, but you took my appreciation to the next level. In some parts of your video, hearing the music with the education you gave, listening to the music with the visuals, I felt near to tears. A few times I felt my scalp tingling!!! How crazy is that?!? I simply must thank you for this video. You gave me more reason to cherish the man who brought me so many years of joy with his impossibly glorious music!

[@davecorry7723]

I remember hunting for this CD for years back in the 90s. Excellent stuff.

[@jkoblivion4175]

This is precious. All the detail in this doc is outstanding. 7 years late and still relevant. Thank you so much.

[@TheWaterfallprincess]

Goldsmith = Genius

[@mii481]

I love the score when they find the space jockey. Others would have probably put some epic music there but the score in the movie makes it haunting, surprising and refreshing, even after 44 years.

[@amuddymoose]

Those 2 cords…omg send shivers down my spine!

[@McLarenMercedes]

There was a disco version of the Alien theme?? :) Wish I had been alive back in those days. I always loved the suble score for Alien. As far removed from the overly bombastic (and generic) Zimmer scores as possible and perfectly fine on its own even for those who never have seen the movie itself. This was a very thorough analysis. Rare these days. Kudos to you.

[@johnd.obrien6838]

I owned that Meco "Star Wars" album when I was a little kid..it came out a year or so after the movie (yeah, I'm that old, lol) but I don't ever remember the Alien one... I had the Star Wars Christmas album too, that was a riot (I had that "Wookiee" song on a freakin' 45 single (!)

[@abdool1972]

Hope you get a million-billion subscribers. This was very interesting !

[@oaktree2406]

Dirka dirka! Islamic jihad!

[@TheBarbahaba]

@@oaktree2406 bakala

[@jenssylvesterwesemann7980]

What a beautiful love letter to Jerry's work!

[@roli8]

Your detailed work about the fabulous film ALIEN open my brain . Jerry Goldsmith was realy the greatest composer in the history….

[@soylentcompany5235]

Came here from the german youtuber behaind who recommended this in hist last video about Alien 👍👍

[@5lexicon]

Quite possibly the best soundtrack ever. Hauntingly beautiful, scary , atmospheric. Great content cheers.

[@PWALPOCO]

I always wondered about the two divergent versions I had been hearing and what the story was behind them - thank you for this analysis of what happened for this iconic movie and score...

[@alanfaulkner1311]

The intro to Alien is superb.

[@JeffBarberDigideus]

I always felt the music to this movie was the reason you felt such foreboding as it plods on. the droning and screeching of the strings added with the echoplex really draw out the dread in the sounds. Interestingly the Trailer has completely different music (if you can call it that)! by far the scariest trailer for a movie in the 1970s! Great work tho. this was really interesting to watch

[@andrzejkopalnia]

German KZbinr BeHaind brought me here! Great stuff!!!

[@PeterSmith-go9ef]

Jerry Goldsmith absolute GENIUS!!

[@baxtardboy]

Fucking amazing film mate. Makes me want to watch the Jerry Goldsmith cut.

[@SirSmoldham]

As a Jerry Goldsmith fanatic I needed this. THANK YOU! I have a personal intrest in this movie and recently did a fan-edit with unused footage and the full score. It's definitely a completely different beast.

[@DragonsFrogs]

Funny, this is my favorite movie of all time, and my favorite scene in the movie is Dallas in the vent. One of the main reasons for this is the score during this scene. I’m so happy they didn’t use the original score, maybe it’s technically consistent with theme or whatever, but from an uneducated viewer’s POV, someone who has loved this from a young age, the Freud score during this scene (and pretty much everywhere else they used it) is SUCH the right move.

[@austenpowers]

Couldn’t have put it better myself mate 👍👊

[@LauraSusanJohnson]

Between the original score and the Rawlings choices that ended up in the final film, I can't decide. Goldsmith, imo, was a genius, so to me, any score of his is creative, innovative, richly textured with every imaginable emotion. It's modern classical music, always a thrill to hear. I love it all. You shared some amazing info about different instruments he implemented... The didgeridoo???!!! That is awesome! Wonderful video!

[@boneeatingsilicate580]

Those windy sounding conches were perfect

[@sfperalta]

It's hard to second guess the director and film editor's scoring choices, but Jerry Goldsmith's music is also magical and mysterious. I'm glad there's comparisons out here like this video to make us aware of these choices and their effects on the final cut.

[@supermarioworldE]

Oh thank God this video has been brought back. One of the most informative and entertaining film score analysis videos

[@fiveways]

This is fantastic. The wall of sound part is A+. That song always puts a smile on my face.

[@jslasher1]

This is an excellent analysis of Jerry's score. Much appreciated.

[@DeadAbeVigoda]

"The Alien Planet" is one of the creepiest score cuts ever written.

[@richardadesmond]

When that satirical Newcastle accent came up from "Cut out" Ridley Scott Iaughed my ass off....quality.

[@philiplawson7402]

Can't lie, I prefer the reviewed 'eerie' opening theme in the context of the film's intended delivery. Atmospherically it is superior in portraying the emptiness of space and the echo-ey void of 'out there', making the background feel much emptier. The discordant clashing of the strings and the arco through the echoplex land perfectly the atmosphere. Musically, however, the original theme was unique and oh-so-memorable, and, thankfully, themes from Goldsmith's original occur throughout the brighter scenes of the film. Both Ridley and Jerry had differing visions for this movie's atmospheres at times, and, in my opinion, although the 'Freud' themes that play during the 'Acid Blood' scene and when Dallas navigates the tunnels before his demise is disappointing in terms of lack of originality, Goldsmith's sounds, even with his negative view on the 'borrowing' of music, sounds great in the cut. Ridley may have been out of line, but the final cut is FLAWLESS.

[@jslasher1]

Well, that's your opinion about the final cut, which I do not share.

[@iantaylor2331]

Totally agree.

[@astevenson90]

Fascinating analysis. My favorite Jerry Goldsmith score.

[@Christopher29m]

It came out perfect! nothing should be changed...

[@rexlongfellow]

You deserve waaaaay more likes and views. This was an incredibly fascinating watch!

[@nielslauridsen2323]

Wow, half an hour just flew by. This was incredibly fascinating. I never knew Goldsmith's original version of the score would have actually worked much better in some cases.

[@kthx1138]

That shock when the face hugger dropped onto Ripley's shoulder WOULD'VE been scarier WITH Goldsmith's score!

[@darrenelkins5923]

I think they got it right. Music helps the story telling of a scene that needs emotional direction. That scene did not need emotional direction. The audience is already on edge. it plays perfectly as ripley is naturally hyper reactive , but to an inert dead creature. Ripley screams, but no music hints that this emotion is flat to the creature being inert. reflecting the scene perfectly.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

Ultimately it's the director's decision on how the movie will look and sound and it's hard to argue that the end result was lacking. "Alien" will go down as one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time regardless of the drama behind the scenes. Jerry and Ridley are both geniuses.

[@deeasztalos2520]

I saw the movie when it first came out (I was 22). When the opening credits started I was already scared. The music is brilliant!

[@AlecRozsa]

I prefer the change in the acid floor sequence to the original. The small hint of mystery and wonder helped bring the whole movie together. It's flirting with familiarized style to represent the audience and the cast exploring something that has never been seen before. Without giving that contrast the whole movie would be so dark that every encounter with the alien would feel the same. I love how sometimes early on you get the feeling they are gonna make a big discovery or figure out what the alien actually is. No one has died yet! Why not sprinkle some curiosity and splendor into the soundtrack in key encounters!

[@simon4179]

A fantastic documentary. ... you should do more .. Thanks for your hard work on this !!

[@LostElsen]

I don't know, i like replaces in their entirety. Acid spit was more urgent, yes, but replacement also lets us feel ourselves in crew members shoes, starting slowly as realization comes that this stuff eats trough steel floor, being more... strange (i don't know how to decribe this) giving impression of perplexity of people who don't know what is happening and only told to follow the captain, and being more constant portraying not people's rush to lower decks, but constant movement of acid trough surfaces. Or vent theme - it fits just brilliantly! The strings seem to be calm, selling fake safety of vents, but also showing claustrophobia, lonliness, and knowledge of what waits ahead Yes, Goldsmith's tracks are much more interconnected and vivid, but replacements work just better. Scott knew how to do his job back in the days. I hope he remembers once it again for Blade Runner and Alien: Covenant

[@-Buckarooz]

OMG, I have to watch this movie again now, and its already 2am. It will be worth it though :)

[@robzilla730]

Buckarooz i NEVER get tired of this movie!

[@forteboston]

This was beyond fascinating. Thank you so much.

[@Kwijiboz]

Very nice video essay. Great job!

[@joanmartin-royo2704]

Fantastic video! Thanks for your great job!

[@SAGAR0606]

lots of thank u for making this

[@horrorfanandy4647]

That conversation between Goldsmith and Scott had me in tears. Brilliant video that aside!

[@rhondahoward8025]

"Goldsmith thought that it would be more interesting to start out with this romantic theme, and give no audible hint of the horrors that would eventually unfold." This is why scores like that of the original 1992 Candyman or 1980's Cannibal Holocaust haunted me on far more unnerving level than more conventional horror scores like John Carpenter's Halloween or Saw. I think it's the dissonance.

[@les4767]

It's hard to believe that Ridley Scott didn't go with Jerry Goldsmith's ideas. This soundtrack is magnificent. The film is still exceptional...but it could've been even better.

[@44excalibur]

Ridley felt that Goldsmith's original score was a bit too much, and lacked the ominous subtlety he was going for. Scott and Goldsmith came from two different points of view: Goldsmith felt his job was to project the emotion of a scene through music, while Scott felt that the emotion of the scene was created through the visuals and the music should reflect the mood, atmosphere, and visual themes that he was creating.

[@daveyt51]

Well this was just great. Many thanks, I got a lot of enjoyment from it.

[@avoiceinthewilderness4653]

bravo, appreciate sharing all these info

[@bpe-music]

Great job on the musical analysis and the enteraining way you brought over the whole story about Goldsmith's score to the film. Looking forward to see/hear more from you on this level ;-) #subscribed

[@juhi8123]

Excellent video and very informative. One of the top Alien analysis video on KZbin. You should really make more videos like this. Maybe music from Aliens analysed next?

[@iainkitching3715]

Excellent work. Definitely do more!

[@MrChrispy777]

What is equally amazing to me, aside from how great a score Goldsmith created, was that he hated the dynamic of the crew. The major part of his inspiration to write film music, according to his own words, is derived from the characters, and their emotional attachment to each other, or to someone...anyone. "Alien" had none of this. These were hired hands, forced to co-exist in deep space, who were underpaid, overworked, and unloved. Still, Goldsmith pulls a great score out of his proverbial arse, with a depth of haunting mystery, trepidation, and horror, that only the masters of his craft can achieve. I loved the choice of ending with Hansen's 'Romantic.' It offered a much-needed release from all the tension that Ridley Scott inflicted on his audience.

[@mr.bluebird9769]

This is the best review of a classic Masterpiece Score ever, well made, very good explained for musicians as well as and non-musicians - good job! we don't have any of this here except bayern 4 cinema show on the radio and there only gets a composer recognized if he or she has a birthday jubilee. Please do some more of this!

[@TheRubberStudiosASMR]

This video is phenomenal! I think what we found in final film couldn’t be topped.

[@Uploadenator]

aaaand subbed! You did an impeccable job!!

[@willy4594]

Amazing work ! Very interesting video for soundtrack lovers. The 2 CD's album of Alien is a must have because it contains alternate cues too

[@burtingtune]

A very well made and entertaining video - thank you.

[@CVsnaredevil]

Amazing video!!!!! Thank you!

[@GaryBonaducci]

Thank you very much for this!!!! I watched your video analysis yesterday during my lunch break, prior to watching Alien:Covenant later last night. (minor spoiler to follow?) This worked out perfectly, because as it turns out, Goldsmith's original Alien soundtrack is used quite a lot in the latest movie. It's almost as if Ridley Scott was trying to make amends to the late Jerry Goldsmith for having edited out much of the original soundtrack in the original movie. I couldn't help but be very moved by hearing Goldsmith's original score in Covenant, especially knowing what I learned in your video. Kudos to a job well done sir!

[@ScoringStageDe]

thanks for mentioning Bela Bartok, I just noticed that JG must have loved his tune since he use it in various scores.

[@isuriadireja91]

Wow..!!! THANK YOU, for this. I've just listened to all the parties involved in this matter..but, your video really helped me understand it even more. and man...how could they do that to such an established, Oscar-winning professional, who..judging from his actual intended score for the movie..actually delivering the REAL goods..and would definitely elevated the film. To me, while like you said, what is used in the final film worked..it never really stayed with me. It didn't sound distinguished enough for me..and I've seen the film quite a number of times. and while I agree that Ridley and the editor were right to NOT use the score and opt for no music on some scenes (shown in this vid)..the rest..I think Jerry's original Alien score would've worked PERFECTLY for the film. Plus..NOT consulting him was just SO F-ing unprofessional on the part of both Ridley and that editor of his. I mean...so F-ing disrespectful, man. Sure..the director would get the final say over the composer, but, c'mon..show some professional courtesy..especially to someone of Goldsmith's stature, at the point in time. I just don't see anyone doing that to John Williams..especially newbies, like Ridley and the editor, around this time of their respective careers. If most of his Alien score was used I would definitely have noticed it more..and even considered it one of the best ones of the 70's cinema. Thanks again for this. 🙏🏽

[@FotogInkArt]

Amazing breakdown and deserves a place on the official release blue ray etc. Well done.

[@HeathcliffBlair]

Nice score breakdown... and good fun! Thanks. :)

[@NetTubeUser]

That was really interesting, captivating, and informative. Thank you very much!

[@richardsimmons9880]

Brilliant video - Thank you !.. And the Geordie Ridley Scott / Cockney Terry Rawlings had me rolling about (>_

[@danielherrin]

wonderful video, thank you

[@robinblankenship9234]

Very enjoyable and informative. Making movies is such a messy process. It is amazing that they ever get done at all. My money is on Goldsmith's version.

[@CaminoAir]

I read an interview with Howard Blake, who had scored Scott's first film 'The Duelists' and who Scott wanted to score 'Alien'. Blake said that there were two composers under contract at 20th Century Fox at that time: John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. "And that was the end of that", said Blake.

[@KiteFlyingRobot]

Well done sir. Very interesting stuff. Love it.

[@stevemoore9509]

Thanks so much for this video I love Alien we were first to see it in 1979 after work in Hollywood I will never forgot that day the line was going around the corner.

[@AncientOfDays]

Great work.

[@irina1296]

I adore Jerry Goldsmith's music and I really love his original versions for Alien BUT I still prefer the final cuts. They worked better. Anyway, Alien will always be my all-time favorite movie.

[@Kalecommando]

Great video!!!

[@zerokomma]

Awesome vid sir. Jerry was the best. Thanks.

[@gothamcitizen5520]

Thanks !!!! Great video & info !!!

[@FifthContinentMusic]

One of Jerry's finest ever scores. How unfortunate that R Scott tampered with it. The end credits, featuring the Charles Gerhardt recording of Howard Hanson's 2nd "Romantic" symphony is about as ludicrous as one can imagine.

[@danieldemayo6209]

Wow this was mind candy! Thx so much! Subbed!

[@markbarrett4440]

Your vocal impression of Terry Rawlings is hilariously accurate. “Cor! Love a duck!”

[@morag2808]

Thanks for the video, this was really interesting! And I looove this movie!

[@dogzroyale3389]

Brilliant analysis, please do more

[@federicodelmoral4259]

Amazing Video. You should do more.

[@restlessbohemian26]

Great video! Been a casual viewer of this movie over the years, watched it last night and noticed the soundtrack for the first time -- which lead me here. Thought the music over the credits wasn't appropriate for film but enjoyed the rest of the movie before knowing this fascinating story. Will check it out more.

[@johnnyhosey8899]

I feel so proud of you right now

[@jaquesdiogo]

Que video maravilhoso! Parabéns!

[@MiloDC]

+1 for the My Bloody Valentine reference. I'm a huge fan of Jerry Goldsmith and MBV. I think that Scott and Rawlings had the right idea to keep the music "ice cold horror," especially at the main title sequence. I think Goldsmith's music for the "Dallas in the air shafts" sequence works a little better than his _Freud_ music, but his music for the end credits is way too lush and triumphant. The Hanson music is calmer and less bombastic, it suits the movie much better. Goldsmith's cue for Ash's attack on Ripley is SUPERB, but again, I think it works better to have the music come in when Parker takes his head off. Scott and Rawlings made the right choice to have almost no music in that scene until then.

[@markbarrett4440]

As an 'interesting aside' Jimmy Shields who did the amazing work as A L I E N's sound designer is the brother of Kevin Shields, the sonic architect from My Bloody Valentine

[@ralfj.1740]

The scores used perfectly matched the scenes

[@marcosvelez4148]

Wow. This was very enlightening about a film I think is one of the best movies (not just sci-fi) ever made. It's difficult to divorce my ear from what I am accustomed to hearing when watching this film, but this analysis was quite compelling! Thanks!

[@fauxmanchu8094]

Scott and Rawlings choice for the opening credits score is a stroke of masterpiece. Eerie, creepy, haunting, scary, evocative of the horrors to come, and unforgettably great! I'm glad goldsmith was overridden. His choice smacked way too much of Hollywood grandiosity, reminiscent of superman scores. The concept of less is more is not big in Hollywood ( pun intended). A notable exception is gyorgy ligeti's atmospheres in 2001: a space odyssey, another masterpiece. Great commentary!

[@FifthContinentMusic]

Thank heavens you didn't work on this film. Had you done so it would have been a mess.

[@porflepopnecker4376]

This should have more views and likes.

[@monacaravetta]

Loved this! Alien will always be my all time favorite film.

[@austenpowers]

Wicked video pal, funny as and my favourite film, subbed. 👏👏👏 Mega accents as well, particularly Geordie Scott 😂😂