Jerrold Immel — Megaforce( OST)

Here we have a much-deserved reissue of the soundtrack for 1982’s campy sci-fi action film Megaforce. The score is a nicely varied & often fairly memorable mix of formal orchestral score blended with electronics, campy romantic themes, marching dramatics, and generally heroic-to-cheese 1980’s scoring- all making for a highly enjoyable and replayable score. From BSX Records here we have a CD reissue of the score- ltd to just 1000 copies, so if you dig 1980’s sonic sound-tracking- you need to act fast.

The film's score was written by LA-based TV /film composer Jerrold Immel, whose biggest claim to fame was writing the theme for trashy US soap Dallas. He seemingly scored a fair few US TV shows like Knots Landing, The Twilight Zone, and Walker, Texas Ranger.  There are only really a few films( mainly TV films) in his sixty-three credits- taking in the likes of lesser-known B movies like 1974’s The House on Skull Mountain & 1981’s Death Hunt. That said the soundtrack to hand is handled competently enough, with Immel having a good ear for melody, atmosphere & dramatics.

The CD takes in sixteen tracks and forty-two minutes of music- the tracks/ cues/ film samples run between twenty seconds & six minutes, and as I mentioned in my introduction the score is nice & varied. Starting proceedings off we get a twenty-six-second sample from the film- with  a man  discussing the Megaforce- then we drop into first proper track “Megaforce Rolls Out” here we find moody-yet-slightly disco touched synth, electronics & beats mix, which features very dramatic & heroic orchestration rising around it.  By track four “No Welcome Committee” we’ve moved onto upbeat & militaristic scoring. As we carry on through the score we come to camp  mellow strings meets the tinkling piano romance of “Operation Hook, Line, and Sinker”, the manic & pulsing “Take Off” with its mix of choppy synth, deep electro bass throbs, and malevolent orchestra.  The woozy  “Aftermath” with its blend of darting electro gamelan,  high key synth simmer and the jaunting easy-listing meets light funk groove of “Ace Flirts”. Through-out the score remains varied, often surprising & enjoyable- and this is coming from someone who has no prior history with the film or the score before this release.

The CD  comes in a clear jewel case- this features great poster art/ tacky film quotes/ stills. Also with the release we get a twelve-page inlay booklet- this takes in a write-up about the film in general & its soundtrack, and of course a great selection of stills & poster art. So in finishing/ summing up - if enjoy either dramatic & cheese- bound 1980’s soundtrack or mixes of formal scoring & electronica you’ll be needing to pick this score up