The Ring - Jerry Goldsmith

"I think that the great part of creativity is overcoming fear. Fear is a given. When you sit down and have to begin something, don't be afraid to be filled with fear, because it goes with the turf."

THE POWER OF THREE: Track Eleven

Song: The Ring
Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
Album: Legend OST
Quote: Jerry Goldsmith

The three greatest movie score composers of our age team up in THE POWER OF THREE! John Williams, James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith at their very best in fifteen different movies spanning back to 1980. Buckle Up.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that not very many of you listening have ever heard this song. But it's quite possible that you have seen the movie Legend. The troubles Legend had when it first came out in 1985 were, quite frankly, legendary. The movie apparently had such terrible test screenings that the producers tried just about everything they could to make it more appealing to the audience. Scenes were cut, dialogue changed, you name it. And THEN the decision was made to strip the movie of the score that was written specifically for it by Jerry Goldsmith. That score was replaced with a new one by Tangerine Dream which is what i'm sure 99% of all people who have seen the movie remember.

Now....this is the ONLY time you will EVER hear me say anything like this. I like the score from Tangerine Dream more than the Jerry Goldsmith score. I think they made the right move. It could be nostalgia, it could be because I was 11 years old at the time. But for whatever reason, the Tangerine Dream score just "works" better for Legend. But that in NO way diminishes the incredible work that Jerry did on the first score. This song, THE RING, plays at the end of the movie when Jack (Tom Cruise) dives into the lake for the lost wedding ring and puts it on Lily's (Mia Sarah's) finger. Jerry's score is much more whimsical, less "cool" i suppose, and yet it has some incredible themes in it, the Unicorn Theme being a standout. These days you can watch either the Theatrical Version with the Tangerine Dream score or the Director's Cut with Jerry's score. If you haven't experienced it before, give the Director's Cut a try. But, if you are like me, you will gravitate to the Theatrical release and listen to Jerry's score on your favorite Internet Music Mix Channel to experience it's legendary brilliance.