Well done, Mr. Giacchino

I'd never heard of Michael Giacchino prior to The Incredibles and my hands-down favorite Pixar movie came with an incredible and unexpected gift: A score unlike anything I'd heard in many years. A sound which not only fit the movie perfectly, but was able to capture the spirit of spy films with a fresh, updated sound. Nothing I've heard of his since has touched me the way this score has. When the album was released I'd read how Pixar had tried to get John Barry to score it, and that Michael had simply borrowed from the genre to create his sound.

But how do we really validate that it was a success?

Growing up my father had this double-album by Roland Shaw and His Orchestra - The Return of James Bond in "Diamonds are Forever" and other Secret Agent Themes that I enjoyed throughout every level of my musical development, as it never went out of style (though it does admittedly sound *slightly* dated now). That big band jazz sound playing a plethora of secret agent themes from not only the James Bond movies, but also the popular television shows during the spy heyday never really gets old does it? Knowing my love for this particular album, about a year ago, my father had it converted to MP3:




( Track Listing )

Driving to my folks this weekend for Mother's Day, I slipped the disc in the player. My son asked, "Is this fireplace music?"
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"Fireplace music." He repeated. I was perplexed, so started down my normal path (schpydurx is intimately familiar with this routine...)
"We have a fireplace, son, but there's no music involved." I offered.
"No, is this music for fireplaces?" My eight-year old tries to clarify.
"What makes you ask?"
"It sounds like when you make a fire in the fireplace."

I finally get it. You see, the first track is the worst for the pops associated with needles and records - after that, it smoothes out considerably. His age does not include any information whatsoever about LP's pressed on vinyl; the nearest association was the crackling of wood on the fireplace when I build a fire.

My father played a variety of music while I was growing up, but the majority of it was classical, broadway, and scores. I am no different. We were about halfway through the album when my son asks, "Dad, is this The Incredibles?"

Well done, Mr, Giacchino.

You have been validated.