The Black Stallion has something of a chequered history when it comes to music. Originally concert composer William Russo was to score it but he couldn't agree with director Carroll Ballard on the direction he should go in, so executive producer Francis Ford Coppola pulled rank and hired his father Carmine as composer. Carmine Coppola is often dismissed in film music circles as only having ever been hired because of his son, despite not really being up to the task of scoring films. This is very unfair. His work on The Godfather movies, while not as memorable as Nino Rota's, is superb; and his score for his son's segment of New York Stories is outstandingly beautiful.

Coppola wrote an inriguing score for The Black Stallion. Quite old-fashioned, it certainly highlights the film's landscape but beyond that it does offer insight into character. Even this music was ultimately deemed to be not quite the ticket and so Shirley Walker was brought in to re-write some of it. Her music may have worked better in the movie (I don't know) but it's inherently less interesting on album. Some other cues were actually written by some of the session musicians in the orchestra. Surprisingly, the music still holds together fairly well, though in truth the strongest cues are all the ones composed exclusively by Coppola.

For the sequel, editor Robert Dalva replaced Carroll Ballard in the director's chair, and he probably couldn't believe his luck when Georges Delerue agreed to score the movie. Delerue was still at the beginning of his career in America at the time, but his score bears all the hallmarks of the greatness that was to follow. Delerue was incredible, for my money the greatest melodist to have worked in film music, and this score doesn't disappoint in any way.

His main theme is beautiful, soaring, full of passion - wonderful stuff. A brassier action theme is heard in "Stowaway on the Clipper" and "Raj Comes Home" introduces the third theme, which sounds like a precursor to the composer's theme for Black Robe a decade later. Extraordinary stuff. This is a rousing work by a master - not to be missed.

This is a great album, a good tribute to two composers who are sadly no longer with us. Coppola's score is effective if unspectacular, Delerue's is a masterpiece, a great achievement. They complement each other quite well. Don't miss this one.

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