Film Score Monthly have announced two new titles: Bruce Broughton’s rockin’ score for the ’80s low-budget adventure comedy The Ice Pirates (complete, chronological, in stereo from Broughton’s elements and limited to 3,000 copies) and a straight CD reissue of John Williams very popular, but very scarce The Accidental Tourist (no quantity limit).

Some necessary press release blurbs:

Composer Bruce Broughton—one year before exploding on the feature scene with Young Sherlock Holmes and Silverado—did his best to capture The Ice Pirates’ wild shifts in tone with a blend of Korngoldesque fanfares, exciting action music (primarily for brass and woodwinds), driving ‘80s pop/rock percussion and keyboards, and a haunting, electronic love theme. The film benefited from a strong thematic approach and Broughton’s consummate skill—the main theme is darn catchy. Faced with limited resources, Broughton devised an orchestra that consisted primarily of brass, winds and pop/rock rhythm section in order to give the music as much heft as possible, while capturing the film’s wild shifts in tone from adventure to comedy. Children of the 1980s, your Ice Pirates ship has come in—and fans of Broughton and sci-fi should pay attention as well.

Williams’s score for The Accidental Tourist relies on a single theme, albeit one comprised of three parts: an A theme for the main character (often played by piano), a syncopated B theme, and a four-note motive derived (often for French horns) from the opening phrase of the A theme. The orchestra is relatively small, with a subtle sheen of electronics to convey the emotional detachment of the main character. When the main character finally chooses to follow his heart, Williams’s musical catharsis is remarkable in its emotional flowering while remaining faithful to the understated approach of the picture.

For more information, sound clips and to order: screenarchives.com.