Stephen King’s IT Soundtrack [1990-2011]

If one man could help give the 1990 Warner Bros. Television miniseries Stephen King's It a truly terrifying weight and create an atmosphere of nostalgia and dread, it was composer Richard Bellis. Coming in at over 100 minutes, Bellis’ score is astonishing in its thematic complexity and instrumentation. Segueing from demonic circus music to lyrical bonding, big band jazz to eerie sound design, and piercing horror synths to lush orchestral adventure, Bellis’ soundtrack is as much a masterwork of storytelling as is King’s book. Each of his numerous motifs inseparably link one traumatized character to the other, as well as to their tormentor. The past and present are one in the numerous themes that flow from Derry’s troubled streets to the haunted sewers below.

Richard Bellis made judicious use of the miniseries’ limited music budget, arranging four days of orchestral recording with various ensembles (up to 55 players) to record about an hour of music. Bellis then seamlessly integrated much of the orchestral performances with the electronic elements, which had been recorded at Ray Colcord’s home studio. The premiere release of Bellis' score is featured on this generous two-CD set from Intrada.

Set in the fictional Maine town of Derry, Stephen King's It imagined a group of seven bullied youngsters finding the courage to unite against evil incarnate, only to face the shape-shifting monster thirty years later as adults. While It’s child-hating fiend can transform into any creature — from a mummy to a teenage werewolf—its favored form is a twisted clown named Pennywise. Since time immemorial, It has emerged every three decades in “the dirty little town” of Derry to wreak havoc, taunting his innocent victims with their most terrifying nightmares. The miniseries featured a large ensemble cast, including Seth Green, Richard Thomas, John Ritter, and Annette O'Toole.

Track listing
Disc 1
01. Main Title I (01:53)
02. Enter the Clown (03:05)
03. Georgie Dies (04:18)
04. Ben Gets the News (00:52)
05. Punks (02:18)
06. I Hate It Here (01:55)
07. Bedroom Jazz Source (02:25)
08. The Slap (01:46)
09. Die If You Try (04:03)
10. Richie's Talk Show Play-Off (00:35)
11. The Beast/First Encounter (02:06)
12. Mike Remembers (00:58)
13. Mike Joins the Group (05:08)
14. Pennywise (00:40)
15. Circus Source (01:11)
16. Target Practice (02:52)
17. The Sewer Hole (03:14)
18. Stan Gets Nabbed (04:27)
19. The Fog (03:24)
20. The Pact (01:44)
21. Stan's Suicide (00:49)
22. End Credits I (01:02)
Disc 2
01. Main Title II (01:52)
02. The Graves (01:49)
03. Library Balloons (02:54)
04. Ben's Flashback (00:36)
05. Skeleton on the Pond (00:41)
06. Guillory's Muzak (01:29)
07. Hydrox (02:50)
08. Audra (01:45)
09. Fortune Cookie (01:54)
10. Silver Flyer (02:22)
11. Leftover Stan (01:53)
12. Henry and Belch (02:20)
13. Every Thirty Years (01:54)
14. Audra Arrives (02:03)
15. This Time It's for Real (04:25)
16. The Smell of Death (01:59)
17. Something's Coming (03:59)
18. The Spider's Web (05:12)
19. Hi Ho Silver (04:33)
20. End Credits I (01:01)

Enjoy