High Road to China
cover art for High Road to China OST cover art for High Road to China Re-recording

Original Soundtrack

1990

LP: A & R (Silva Screen)
CD: FILM 001(LARK INL 3561)
Limited Edition Gold CD: SCSE CD-2

  1. Main Title: Charlie Gets the Knife (2:50)
  2. Airborne (1:15)
  3. Love Theme (1:46)
  4. Waziri Village Attack & Escape (3:22)
  5. Farewell to Struts (2:52)
  6. O'Malley and Eve (2:15)
  7. Charleston (1:26) [by J. Jonson and C. Mack]
  8. Von Kern's Attack (1:50)
  9. Flight from Katmandu (1:38)
  10. Eve Finds Her Father (2:40)
  11. Raid on Chang's Camp (2:30)
  12. High Road & End Title (5:50)

Re-issue

Promotional CD: JBCD 01

  1. Main Title/A Nasty Headache (2:10)
  2. The Flying Lession (1:17)
  3. Look Out Charlie/A Hurried Exit (2:10)
  4. Onto Waziri/Khan (1:27)
  5. Escape from Waziri/Eve & Struts (3:18)
  6. On to India/Arrival in Katmandu/Souls Approaches (4:25)
  7. The Dogfight/Journey to China/Anymore Surprises/The General's Cannon (6:11)
  8. You'll Get Your Money/One Eye Open (3:06)
  9. Raid on Chang's Camp/Finale & End Titles (7:30)
  10. Momamet's Dance [John Barry] (1:43)
  11. Waziri Source [John Barry] (2:57)
  12. Salon Source (:46)
  13. Charleston (1:27)
  14. Love Me Tender (3:55)
  15. When the Saints Go Marching In (2:14)
  16. Jeanie (2:23)
  17. Mill Stream (2:29)
  18. Revelry (2:12)
  19. Swinging at the Riverside (1:49)
  20. Allermande from the Bach French Suite #5 in G-Major (3:30)

The Movie

This was another movie that seemed like a good idea but just didn't work. Bess Armstrong is the headstrong, bossy rich girl who berates a bush pilot, Tom Selleck, into flying her around in search of her missing father--and into and out of trouble. I don't remember much about the movie except that it had great potential but never paid off.

The Music

A typical Barry action/adventure score from the '80's. A full orchestra, a fair amount of energy. I'm particularly partial to "The Flying Lesson" -- Barry was always good at capturing something thrilling about flight.

Release Notes

The LP and CD came out at the time of the movie, and promptly disappeared. A second, limited edtion, numbered gold CD was issued and it too disappeared. A third CD was released as a special, "Promotional" CD and contains additional music. All of these CDs are hard to find and collectable.

A suite of the music is available on the compilation The Classic Film Music of John Barry, Volume II.

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