Retro Fix–An Ode to James Horner, Star Trek II as Mondo vinyl LP

The great composer James Horner died last year in a plane crash, leaving behind a legacy of some of the biggest and most memorable soundtracks that defined nearly 40 years of film history. One of the most memorable for sci-fi fans is his score to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. To celebrate Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, Mondo–the guys known for their redux poster interpretations–are releasing an extended LP edition of Wrath of Khan with music never before available on vinyl. And the release includes Mondo’s killer level of artwork interpreting Khan and Kirk on Ceti Alpha V and the Genesis Planet.

But Mondo didn’t stop there. The vinyl albums reflect the look and colors of the Mutara Nebula, where the Enterprise and the Reliant faced off.

Horner’s work on Wrath of Khan is impressive and established Horner as a major film composer. His score adapts themes from Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky and Romeo and Juliet, and Horner would work cues from classical masters in many of his film scores over the course of his career. Order your copy of Horner’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 2-LP set today here at the Mondo shop.

Never heard of James Horner? You certainly have heard his work. His last score will be featured in the remake of The Magnificent Seven due in theaters September 23, 2016, but the variety of films he wrote for is unprecedented. He wrote themes that made many an actor look good–many in multiple films, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sigourney Weaver, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Matthew Broderick, Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts, and Brad Pitt, and collaborated on movies with the likes of big filmmakers, including Ron Howard, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Ridley Scott, Phil Alden Robinson, Wolfgang Petersen, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Michael Apted, Joe Johnston, and Edward Zwick.

These are just some of his works: 48 Hrs. (1982), Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983), Krull (1983), Gorky Park (1983), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Cocoon (1985), Commando (1985), Aliens (1986), An American Tail (1986), Project X (1987), Willow (1988), Red Heat (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989), Glory (1989), The Rocketeer (1991), Sneakers (1992), Patriot Games (1992), Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993), The Pelican Brief (1993), Clear and Present Danger (1994), The Page Master (1994), Legends of the Fall (1994), Braveheart (1995), Casper (1995), Apollo 13 (1995), Titanic (1997), The Mask of Zorro (1998), The Perfect Storm (2000), How the Grinch Store Christmas (2000), Enemy at the Gates (2001), A Beautiful Mind (2001), House of Sand and Fog (2003), Troy (2004), Apocalypto (2006), The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008), Avatar (2009), The Amazing Spider-man (2012), Southpaw (2015), and The 33 (2015).

Just look at Aliens, Field of Dreams, Glory, Braveheart, Apollo 13, and Titanic and you have some of the most memorable themes from the past century. Horner was nominated for ten Academy Awards but won only two, both for Titanic. Five of his films were nominated for the American Film Institute’s top 25 film scores from a nomination list of 250–Horner had more films nominated than any other composer. The climax of the track “Bishop’s Countdown” from his score for Aliens is the fifth most sampled soundtrack cue used in film trailers. Here’s that piece: