“I’m Alan Howarth. Here we go.” So starts the composer’s live album, recorded at Portland, Oregon’s Hollywood Theatre in October of 2014. The concert begins with the beamed message of warning from They Live, and then moves into Halloween III‘s main titles and Chariot of Pumpkins. The Halloween franchise is well-represented, with five of the album’s tracks coming from there, including the excellent Haddonfield Streets suite of music from Halloween II on the first side, and another suite of music from the original 1978 film on Side 2.
The fact that Howarth doesn’t stick to main title themes is what makes this an album, rather than a compilation. Christine Attacks, from Christine, and Big Trouble in Little China‘s Airport Abduction are two such tracks which represent the fact that the composer’s music works well independently of the imagery to which they’re tied, making one wonder if at any point during the concert were people dancing in the aisles.
Live at Hollwood Theatre is a masterful overview of the films on which Alan Howarth has worked, and the way it sounds – big, bold, and loud, with certain tracks loaded with enough power to vibrate one’s whole house – really demonstrates just how excellent a musician Howarth is. Some of the high notes push the red line just a touch, and the low end can get a touch too resonant, but that does help turn this from a record listen into a live concert in one’s home, which is a fair trade-off.
The liner notes by Dennis Dread cover Howarth’s career via an excellent interview with the musician. Howarth shares stories of how he came to music, his work both with and after his Carpenter collaborations, and looks openly and honestly about the successes and failures of some of the films on which he worked.
The packaging is excellent, with concert photos from Shaun Astor giving a hint of the experience had by the sold-out crowd in attendance several years ago. The photo of the pumpkins on the rear of the jacket, with Howarth performing in the background, is the sort of thing worth framing. A better package, one couldn’t hope for.
LIVE AT HOLLYWOOD THEATRE / COMPOSER: ALAN HOWARTH / LABEL: WYRD WAR / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
