Marvel’s INFINITY WAY and ENDGAME in a 6xLP Vinyl Release
Lend an ear to SPINEMA: a column exploring all movie music, music related to movies, and movies related to music. Be they film scores on vinyl, documentaries on legendary musicians, or albums of original songs by horror directors, all shall be reviewed here. Batten down your headphones, because shit’s about to sound cinematic.
After ~20 movies, three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) delivered a one-two punch of action that as stated in my reviews for Infinity War and Endgame “redefined the blockbuster with epic stakes and relentless entertainment”. An impressive climax to the Infinity stones saga that impressively introduced and interwove a sprawl of characters and plot-lines. Along the way, the Avengers films marked bigger events, to pull things together and push towards a confrontation with the looming big bad of the series, Thanos.
The Score
I’ll admit I was initially underwhelmed by the original Avengers score, yearning for something more iconic, but over the course of all these movies, its resonance, usage, and reworking has endeared it to me all the more.
Much of the Infinity War score is imbued with an ominous feel, appropriate given how Thanos feels like the lead at times. He gets a rumbling, foreboding theme first highlighted in Travel Delays, successfully reworked for his various lackeys, and used to great emotional effect in Even for You, deployed during the encounter between the Titan and his daughter Gamora on Voromir. These tracks adds much to deepen the character of this villain, and underline his emotional state and impact on the other characters.
Help Arrives feels more like the classical Silvestri trademark, rousing composition, driven by brass and percussion, that echos in the rest of the score to mirror the valiant efforts of the team. The main Avengers theme offers some of the only real consistency to the series and is worked well into the Infinity War score. Knowing the outcome of the film, it’s unsurprising that there is a more bitter and poignant element to the work.
A violin solo in Undying Fidelity and the dramatic use of strings in We Both Made Promises the standouts. It is a shame that aside from a few nods to Ludwig Göransson’s Black Panther score, there isn’t any more done to draw from the numerous other works and anthems for the franchises of the MCU (Michael Giacchino’s Doctor Strange score, for instance).
Endgame is another step up for Silvestri. The emotion of Infinity War carries over for the first act, lighten up the assortment of instruments to simplify and solemnify the compositions. Sadness persists until the action kicks in, and a return to the bass and brass, successfully marrying the heartfelt and the bombastic. The time heist portion of the film is given some more jazzy riffs and playful melodies. Some returning themes are very well worked in, notably the impactful return of Thanos’ theme in Tres Amigos, and the crowd pleasing great use of the Captain America theme in Worth It.
Perhaps the standout track is Portals, a truly rousing affair that matches the visual impact of that final act.
Silvestri got off to a slow start with The Avengers, but delivered the goods with these closeout scores to the Infinity Saga
The Package
Pressed on 180 Gram vinyl, the coloration of the 6 discs reflect the different Infinity stones; Reality, Soul, Mind, Time, Space, and Power. These colors are exclusive to this box set, which being currently sold out, might suggest a black/alternate colorway for a future re-pressing? Having some experience with Mondo posters and previous vinyl releases, this set represents one of their most impressive presentations enlisting Matt Taylor for the artwork.
The albums come housed in a hard slipcase, each side depicts the two versions of the loaded Infinity Gauntlet seen in each film. The front covers of each album draws from his previously released artwork for Infinity War and Endgame posters. The interiors, gatefold, liner notes, etc, all use other artwork from the artist.
Avengers Infinity War
Avengers Endgame
Tracklist
Avengers: Infinity War
1. The Avengers
2. Travel Delays (Extended)
3. Undying Fidelity
4. No More Surprises
5. He Won’t Come Out (Extended)
6. Field Trip
7. Wake Him Up
8. We Both Made Promises (Extended)
9. Help Arrives (Extended)
10. Hand Means Stop / You Go Right (Extended)
11. One Way Ticket
12. Family Affairs (Extended)
13. What More Could I Lose? (Extended)
14. A Small Price
15. Even for You
16. Morning After
17. Is He Always Like This?
18. More Power
19. Charge!
20. Forge
21. Catch
22. Haircut and Beard (Extended)
23. A Lot to Figure Out (Extended)
24. The End Game (Extended)
25. Get That Arm / I Feel You (Extended)
26. What Did It Cost? (Extended)
27. Porch
28. Infinity War
29. Old Tech
30. End Credits
Avengers: Endgame
1. Totally Fine
2. Arrival
3. Where Are They?
4. Becoming Whole Again
5. I Figured It Out
6. Perfectly Not Confusing
7. You Shouldn’t Be Here
8. The How Works
9. One Shot
10. Snap Out of It
11. So Many Stairs
12. Watch Each Other’s Six
13. I Can’t Risk This
14. He Gave It Away
15. The Tool of a Thief
16. The Measure of a Hero
17. In Plain Sight
18. Whatever It Takes
19. Not Good
20. I Was Made For This
21. Tres Amigos
22. Worth It
23. Portals
24. The One
25. You Did Good
26. The Real Hero
27. Go Ahead
28. Main On End
The Avengers Infinity War/Endgame 6xLP Box Set was available via Mondo, check out their store for current and future releases!