Varèse Sarabande release the original soundtrack for On Golden Pond, for the first time on CD. The album features original music composed by composer Dave Grusin (Tootsie, The Goonies) as well as dialog from the movie. Norman is a curmudgeon with an estranged relationship with his daughter Chelsea. At Golden Pond, he and his wife nevertheless agree to care for Billy, the son of Chelsea's new boyfriend, and a most unexpected relationship blooms. On Golden Pond was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including best picture, and won Oscars for Henry Fonda and co-star Katharine Hepburn. Dave Grusin’s memorable score also received a well-deserved nomination. It is unquestionably one of Grusin’s most effective and beautiful scores...

Dave Grusin's score for On Golden Pond is a subtle and rather beautiful affair. The main theme is sweet and rather sad. This album, however, represents more of a loving souvenir of the movie than a soundtrack in its own right, as dialog from the film is intercut between the tracks. Normally I'm not a fan of this sort of album, but here it works perfectly giving you an extra depth. This is a sweet story that works well because the cast is uniformly impressive. It's fantastic writing, but you really do grow to like Henry Fonda's Norman character. And of course the loons play a big part too.

I always thought it odd that Grusin never received the exposure he so rightly deserved. He was responsible for several incredible scores (the most notable for me is The Goonies) but he never really seemed to get the break he should have.

There are 11 tracks (41 min, 10 sec) and even if you already own the vinyl release from its original run, it's well worth picking up this CD reissue.

10

Darren Rea