Early Man: (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album composed by Harry Gregson-Williams and Tom Howe for the film of the same name and released by Mercury Records on 26 January 2018.
| Early Man: (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
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| Film score by | ||||
| Released | 26 January 2018 | |||
| Recorded | 2017 | |||
| Venue | Abbey Road Studios | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 60:57 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Harry Gregson-Williams chronology | ||||
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| Tom Howe chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Early Man (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
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Development
editHarry Gregson-Williams, who previously scored Aardman's Chicken Run (2000), Flushed Away (2006) and Arthur Christmas (2011) was assigned to compose for Early Man.[1] Since Gregson-Williams was already working on The Meg, he had a short duration to score the film which led him to recommend Tom Howe, who was working under his tutelage, to the producers so that he can be a co-composer in the film as he was interested in scoring animated films.[2] Since the producers were unaware about him, they had to search through online regarding his filmography where his theme tune for the television baking competition series called The Great British Bake Off had impressed the producers and eventually agreed to his involvement.[3]
Gregson-Williams and Howe split the work, where the former would compose the themes and Howe would develop and modify it. The scoring process began in late-October to early-November. Recording for the score commenced for a week at the Abbey Road Studios where the London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices performing the orchestra and choir respectively. The score utilizes instrumentations and orchestra which were considered to be strange, quirky and colorful highlighting the tone of the film.[3] Howe also recalled that he utilized the sounds of spanking and caveman yelling sounds in order to be true to the story.[4]
Release
editThe score was released internationally by Mercury Records on 26 January 2018.[5] The single "Good Day" was released ahead of the soundtrack on 22 January 2018.[6] The single "Tiger Feet" was released a month after the soundtrack on 28 February 2018.[7]
Reception
editJonathan Broxton of Movie Music UK wrote "One of the main drawbacks of Early Man is the fact that, if you’re not listening closely, some of this clever thematic writing and intelligent dramatic application may slip past you. Although Dug’s theme is literally all over the score, it never quite grabs you by the ears and makes itself really memorable, which may result in some listeners finding the score a little generic, especially when compared to the outstanding thematic content in previous Aardman scores."[8]
Andrew Collins of Radio Times described it an "energetic work by composers Harry Gregson-Williams and Tom Howe".[9] James R Whitson of Animated Views wrote "The score by Harry Gregson-Williams and Tom Howe is very hit-or-miss: sometimes a great compliment to the on-screen action and other times not much better than just keeping quiet."[10]
Accolades
edit| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Awards | Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production | Harry Gregson-Williams and Tom Howe | Nominated | [11] [12] |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Original Song – Animated Film | "Good Day" – (written and performed by New Hope Club) | Nominated | [13] [14] |
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Good Day" (New Hope Club) | 1:46 | |
| 2. | "Hope" (The Vamps) | (Album Only) | 3:15 |
| 3. | "Tiger Feet" (New Hope Club) | 3:41 | |
| 4. | "I Predict A Riot" (Kaiser Chiefs) | 3:51 | |
| 5. | "Dug's Theme" (Tom Howe and Harry Gregson-Williams) | 2:40 | |
| 6. | "Prehistoric Prologue" (Howe and Gregson-Williams) | 3:42 | |
| 7. | "In The Valley" (Howe and Gregson-Williams) | 1:27 | |
| 8. | "Meet Dug" (Gregson-Williams) | 0:41 | |
| 9. | "Meet The Tribe" (Howe and Gregson-Williams) | 2:12 | |
| 10. | "Rabbit Ambush" (Gregson-Williams and Howe) | 1:02 | |
| 11. | "Bronze Attack" (Gregson-Williams and Howe) | 2:17 | |
| 12. | "City Of Bronze" (Howe and Gregson-Williams) | 1:04 | |
| 13. | "Dug In Bronze Land" (Gregson-Williams and Howe) | 0:51 | |
| 14. | "Stadium Chase" (Gregson-Williams and Howe) | 0:39 | |
| 15. | "The Ancestral Call" (Howe and Gregson-Williams) | 1:04 | |
| 16. | "The Message Bird" (Gregson-Williams and Howe) | 1:57 | |
| 17. | "Giant Badlands Duck" (Howe and Gregson-Williams) | 3:10 | |
| 18. | "Stealing Footballs" (Gregson-Williams and Howe) | 1:04 | |
| 19. | "She Shoots, She Scores" (Gregson-Williams and Howe) | 0:45 | |
| 20. | "Challenge The Champions" (Howe and Gregson-Williams) | 1:45 | |
| 21. | "Harp Escape" (Gregson-Williams and Howe) | 1:59 | |
| 22. | "They're Not A Team" (Howe and Gregson-Williams) | 0:46 | |
| 23. | "Message From The Queen" (Howe and Gregson-Williams) | 1:05 | |
| 24. | "Foul Play" (Howe and Gregson-Williams) | 1:18 | |
| 25. | "Revelations In The Mine" (Gregson-Williams and Howe) | 5:04 | |
| 26. | "Royal Game Day" (Gregson-Williams and Howe) | 1:40 | |
| 27. | "Forfeiture And Humiliation" (Gregson-Williams and Howe) | 2:10 | |
| 28. | "Do It For The Valley" (Howe and Gregson-Williams) | 2:08 | |
| 29. | "The Final Game" (Howe and Gregson-Williams) | 4:40 | |
| 30. | "Chief Is Down" (Gregson-Williams and Howe) | 0:54 | |
| 31. | "Hognob In Goal" (Howe and Gregson-Williams) | 3:34 | |
| 32. | "Mousing Around" (Howe and Gregson-Williams) | 1:07 | |
| 33. | "Trophy Presentation" (Gregson-Williams and Howe) | 1:34 | |
| Total length: | 60:57 | ||
References
edit- ↑ "Harry Gregson-Williams Scoring 'Early Man'". Film Music Reporter. 13 November 2017. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ Lowes, Adam (2 December 2019). "Tom Howe: an interview with the Farmageddon and Early Man composer". The HotCorn. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- 1 2 Collins, Andrew (25 January 2018). "Behind the scenes on 'Early Man' at Abbey Road". Classic FM. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ Abrams, Bryan (2 February 2018). "Early Man Co-composer on Collaboration & Finding The Right Caveman Yells". Motion Picture Association. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ Various artists. "Early Man: (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Amazon. Archived from the original on 21 February 2025. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ↑ New Hope Club (22 January 2018). "Good Day". Vevo. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ New Hope Club (28 February 2018). "Tiger Feet". Vevo. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ Broxton, Jonathan (13 March 2018). "EARLY MAN – Harry Gregson-Williams and Tom Howe". MOVIE MUSIC UK. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ Collins, Andrew (14 January 2018). "Early Man review: at the top of Aardman's evolutionary tree". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ Whitson, James R. (2 March 2018). "Early Man". Animated Views. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (3 December 2018). "Annie Awards: 'Incredibles 2,' 'Ralph' Lead Feature Nominees; 'Mary Poppins Returns' Also Nominated". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (3 February 2019). "Annie Awards: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Wins Best Animated Feature". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ↑ Yang, Rachel (16 October 2018). "'Black Panther,' 'A Star Is Born' Lead 2018 Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominees". Variety. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ↑ Xu, Linda (17 October 2018). "'A Star Is Born,' 'Black Panther' Lead Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.