Alan Silvestri

"It was interesting because the schedule was so tight and Bob had so many things to be doing that the first day of scoring, unlike anything I've ever done before, Bob, nor anyone else, had heard any one note of anything. Nothing, not a theme, no whistling on the phone, nothing."

—Alan Silvestri

Alan Silvestri

Alan Silvestri (born on March 26 1950) is an American music composer. He created the score for all three parts of the Back to the Future trilogy. With a 98-piece orchestra (which he dubbed The Outatime Orchestra), the largest assembled to that time for a motion picture score, Silvestri's music underscored the first film and its sequels. His first work was for the 1972 film The Doberman Gang, and he composed original music for episodes of television shows like Starsky and Hutch, CHiPs and Manimal. Silvestri's breakthrough came when he was hired by Robert Zemeckis to compose for the 1984 film Romancing the Stone. In addition to the trilogy, Zemeckis enlisted Silvestri's aid on subsequent films, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, and most recently, Beowulf.

Although disc-length scores of Part II and Part III were released concurrent with the release of those movies, originally only two of Silvestri's compositions for the first movie -- the main theme and the overture -- were available, as part of the soundtrack. However, on November 24, 2009, Intrada Records released a 2-CD recording of Silvestri's complete score of the first movie, made from the multi-track scoring session masters housed at Universal Studios. The first CD includes the complete score as used in the movie, including two original source cues heard briefly in the film. The second CD includes an earlier version of Silvestri's score, recomposed after the recasting of Marty McFly.

In 1999, the Varèse Sarabande label released The Back to the Future Trilogy compact disc, with John Debney conducting the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in a performance of eight cues from the first movie, seven cues from Part II and music from The Ride. Additionally, four cues were taken from the original motion picture soundtrack of Part III, conducted by Silvestri. A bootleg recording of the score of the original movie has existed for several years but several tracks are of poor quality.

Track listing of Intrada Special Collection: Back to the Future

Disc 1: Complete Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

1. Logo (0:20)
2. DeLorean Reveal (0:46)
3. Einstein Disintegrated (1:22)
4. ’85 Twin Pines Mall (4:43)
5. Peabody Barn; Marty Ditches DeLorean (3:09)
6. ’55 Town Square (1:18)
7. Lorraine’s Bedroom (0:47)
8. Retrieve DeLorean (1:15)
9. 1.21 Jigowatts (1:37)
10. The Picture (1:09)
11. Picture Fades (0:17)
12. Skateboard Chase (1:39)
13. Marty’s Letter (1:20)
14. George To The Rescue – Pt. 1 (0:50)
15. Marvin Be-Bop (2:25)
16. George To The Rescue – Pt. 2 (2:34)
17. Tension; The Kiss (1:33)
18. Goodnight Marty (1:31)
19. It’s Been Educational; Clocktower (10:30)
20. Helicopter (0:19)
21. ’85 Lone Pine Mall (3:46)
22. 4 x 4 (0:40)
23. Doc Returns (1:14)
24. Back To The Future (End Credits) (3:16)

Disc 2: The Creation Of A Classic... Alternate Early Sessions

1. DeLorean Reveal (0:40)
2. Einstein Disintegrated (1:25)
3. Peabody Barn (2:17)
4. Marty Ditches DeLorean (1:56)
5. ’55 Town Square #1 (Trumpet Open) (1:35)
6. ’55 Town Square #2 (Trumpet Mute) (1:35)
7. Retrieve DeLorean (1:16)
8. 1.21 Jigowatts (1:36)
9. The Picture (1:08)
10. Skateboard Chase (1:40)
11. George To The Rescue (4:13)
12. Tension; The Kiss (1:42)
13. Clocktower (11:02)
14. ’85 Lone Pine Mall (3:50)
15. Doc Returns (1:19)
16. Bonus Track: Ling Ting Ring (2:01)

Track listing of Back to the Future Part II: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (MCA)

1. Main Title (2:17)
2. The Future (5:20)
3. Hoverboard Chase (2:46)
4. A Flying Delorean? (4:27)
5. My Father! (2:01)
6. "Alternate 1985" (3:02)
7. If They Ever Did (3:53)
8. Pair O' Docs (1:24)
9. The Book (4:45)
10. Tunnel Chase (5:17)
11. Burn The Book (2:22)
12. Western Union (1:49)
13. End Title (4:34)

Track listing of Back to the Future Part III: Original Motion Picture Score (Varèse Sarabande)

(Note: the tracks on this disc are not in the same order as in the movie.)

1. Main Title (3:05)
2. It's Clara (The Train Part II) (4:33)
3. Hill Valley (2:20)
4. The Hanging (1:40)
5. At First Sight (3:12)
6. Indians (1:10)
7. Goodbye Clara (2:57)
8. Doc Returns (2:50)
9. Point Of No Return (The Train Part III) (3:45)
10. The Future Isn't Written (3:35)
11. The Showdown (1:28)
12. Doc To The Rescue (0:51)
13. The Kiss (1:51)
14. We're Out Of Gas (1:15)
15. Wake Up Juice (1:11)
16. A Science Experiment? (The Train part I) (3:05)
17. Doubleback (1:30)
18. End Credits (4:34)

Track listing of 1999 Varèse Sarabande release

The names of the pieces are as listed on the 1999 release, and are presented based on their first appearance in each film, rather than the order on the discs.

Back to the Future

1. Main Theme
2. Clocktower Pt. 1
3. Skateboard Chase
4. Marty's Letter
5. Clocktower Pt. 2/Helicopter
6. '85 Lone Pine Mall
7. 4 x 4
8. Doc Returns

Back to the Future, Part II

1. Hill Valley, 2015
2. Burn the Book
3. He's Gone
4. The Letter
5. I'm Back
6. End Logo
7. The West (Part III teaser)

Back to the Future, Part III

1. Main Title
2. Indians
3. Point of No Return
4. End Credits

The 1999 release also includes the music composed by Silvestri for the Universal Studios's Back to the Future: The Ride.