Backdraft (1991) Expanded Original Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack [2xCD]

Intrada announces an expanded edition of one of Hans Zimmer’s most beloved film scores, the 1991 Universal Pictures epic Backdraft. Zimmer was relatively new on the scene, having most notably scored the Rain Man, Bird on a Wire and Days of Thunder prior to Backdraft. When some of the Black Rain score was placed into test footage of Backdraft, director Ron Howard felt compelled to pick up the phone and bring in Zimmer. Film scoring was evolving as movies transitioned from the ’80s to ’90s, and Zimmer’s work had a defining hand in crafting that direction. Interestingly, Zimmer was also working with a large orchestra for the first time, with Shirley Walker as his lead orchestrator. The result is a large-scale, dramatic score where even the fire is treated as its own, emotional character.

At the time of the film’s a release, an album on the Milan label was released featuring 30 minutes of score and two vocals by Bruce Hornsby (not included on this new release). That album was mixed by the iconic George Martin, who interestingly chose to mix down or remove much of the electronic soundscape of the score. For this new 2-CD release, the first disc includes the complete film score as heard in the film, with all electronics intact. The second disc features the original Milan album and George Martin’s special album mix.

The story revolves around two estranged firefighter brothers (Kurt Russell and William Baldwin), who confront their troubled past while investigating a series of deadly fires in Chicago. As they delve deeper into the arson cases, they uncover a sinister conspiracy that tests their loyalty and puts their lives in jeopardy.

This release is in memory of Donald Sutherland.