Release Date: September 7, 2024

I always had my sights set on releasing Goldsmith’s score to Air Force One. It’s one of those classic 90s scores for an edge-of-your-seat action film. The timing felt right now to publish it, despite my long-time admiration. I figured I’d released Poltergeist, Star Trek, and Total Recall—three outstanding masterpieces—why not tackle a unique score in his oeuvre? And this one stands out because of the situation. Jerry had leaned on Fred Steiner in 1978, but not quite this heavily. For AFO, he asked Joel McNeely to help write thirty minutes, which is more substantial. Engraving Air Force One—and digging into a score as I do—allowed me to reverse engineer Goldsmith’s process. By looking at what Jerry wrote, as compared to Joel’s cues, one thing became crystal clear to me: Jerry Goldsmith is organized. While Joel dramatized the scenes with some original ideas, the bulk of the material was all Jerry. And we’re not talking just themes. Joel grabbed rhythms and melodies, textures, and orchestration, all of which Goldsmith wrote very quickly from day one. It demonstrated to me how Goldsmith conceives a score in minute detail almost immediately. Luckily, I could talk with Joel over the phone, and he further elucidated exactly how the process went. With all the themes and at least one sketch (the hijacking sequence), the young amanuensis was easily able to write music that would match Goldsmith’s style.

Air Force One is non-stop, full of thrills and suspense. It features expert direction, an A-list cast, and some of the most brass-heavy action music by Jerry Goldsmith, who was hired to replace Randy Newman. Because of time constraints, Joel McNeely was tasked to elaborate on Goldsmith’s themes to keep the planned release date. The results speak for themselves: 90 minutes of action music that matches the suspense perfectly.

327 pages, 9X12 inches. Paperbound, printed in U.S.A

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