Transformers: Age of Extinction – The Score is a two-part soundtrack album for the 2014 film of the same name. The score was written by Steve Jablonsky, with help from fellow composer Hans Zimmer and additional music by alternative rock band Imagine Dragons. An EP was released on June 30, 2014, which features four suites, and serves as a teaser for the score, which was released on July 3, 2014. Both albums were released through the film's distributor Paramount Pictures.
| Transformers: Age of Extinction – The Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Film score / EP by | ||||
| Released | June 30, 2014 (EP) July 3, 2014 (score) | |||
| Recorded | December 2013 – June 2014 at Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 19:33 (EP) 77:42 (score) | |||
| Label | Paramount | |||
| Transformers film soundtrack chronology | ||||
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Background
editAs with the previous three films of the franchise, Steve Jablonsky handled the film's score, and it is his sixth collaboration with director Michael Bay.[1] Jablonsky and Bay worked on the score from December 2013 to June 2014, one month before the film's release, which exhausted Jablonsky.[1] The two focused on creating themes for the film's new characters, although the two mutually decided to incorporate some of the themes of the first trilogy.[1]
Jablonsky also collaborated with fellow composer Hans Zimmer and alternative rock band Imagine Dragons in the score, as well as the film's theme song, "Battle Cry".[2] Bay wanted to work with Imagine Dragons after being "drawn to the emotion of 'Demons' and 'Radioactive' the first time [he] heard those songs, and [he] knew [he] wanted that same energy and heart for this movie."[2] About his collaboration with the band Jablonsky said, "It immediately hit me more than some of the previous ones [I] had done...it was a much closer collaboration than I've had in the past," compared to his previous collaborations with bands Linkin Park and Goo Goo Dolls.[1] Imagine Dragons had finished touring for two years their debut album, Night Visions (2012), and wanted to work on their next studio album, before Bay called them to work on the film's score.[3] The band felt that working on the film could increase their music's exposure worldwide.[3] Imagine Dragons was brought to Los Angeles for the collaboration; Jablonsky also traveled to the band's studio in Las Vegas, Nevada to record with the band. The band's lead singer Dan Reynolds recorded vocals,[1] while drummer Daniel Platzman played the viola.[4] Composer Joseph Trapanese also provided additional music for the film.[5]
On June 30, 2014, Jablonsky released an extended play featuring four tracks as a teaser for the official score, which features variations of the four themes.[6] On July 3, 2014, three days after the EP's release, the official score was released on iTunes, although Jablonsky stated that physical copies will "[take] a bit longer."[7]
On October 7, 2014, the score was released on CD by record label La-La Land Records. It is a limited edition of 3000 units.
On November 20, 2014, Steve Jablonsky commented via Facebook that the score would no longer be sold on iTunes after it had reached its limit of 15,000 units before re-use fees would have to be paid. Jablonsky personally expressed his own disappointment in the turn of events, hoping there would be a way to eventually re-release the score, along with the score to Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which also had been removed on iTunes several months prior when it also reached the 15,000 unit limit.[8]
Track listing
editTransformers: Age of Extinction – The EP
editAll tracks are written by Steve Jablonsky[9]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hunted" | 5:57 |
| 2. | "Tessa" | 5:45 |
| 3. | "Autobots Reunite" | 2:57 |
| 4. | "Lockdown" | 4:54 |
| Total length: | 19:33 | |
Transformers: Age of Extinction – The Score
editAll tracks are written by Steve Jablonsky[10]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Decision" | 4:20 |
| 2. | "Best Thing That Ever Happened" | 2:06 |
| 3. | "I'm an Autobot" | 5:06 |
| 4. | "Optimus Is Alive" | 2:17 |
| 5. | "Cemetery Wind" | 5:53 |
| 6. | "His Name Is Shane and He Drives" | 5:17 |
| 7. | "Hacking the Drone" | 2:05 |
| 8. | "Transformium" | 3:24 |
| 9. | "Galvatron Is Online" | 1:56 |
| 10. | "Your Creators Want You Back" | 3:26 |
| 11. | "The Final Knight" | 4:07 |
| 12. | "Punch Hold Slide Repeat" | 2:12 |
| 13. | "The Presence of Megatron" | 2:51 |
| 14. | "Galvatron Is Active" | 4:13 |
| 15. | "Have Faith Prime" | 1:29 |
| 16. | "Hong Kong Chase" | 1:43 |
| 17. | "The Legend Exists" | 1:16 |
| 18. | "Dinobot Charge" | 6:37 |
| 19. | "That's a Big Magnet" | 2:51 |
| 20. | "Drive Backwards" | 2:05 |
| 21. | "Honor to the End" | 5:18 |
| 22. | "Leave Planet Earth Alone" | 3:47 |
| 23. | "The Knight Ship" | 3:21 |
| Total length: | 77:42 | |
Complete score
editOn 21 December 2014, Paramount released the complete score for the film as part of their "For Your Consideration (FYC)" campaign.[11] This soundtrack contains the score as heard in the final film, featuring both unreleased tracks as well as film edits of previously released tracks. For unknown reasons, the track "The Legend Exists" from the standard soundtrack is absent. Two of the tracks ("Dogs Chase Tessa/Searching for Tessa" and "Weapons Room") are also listed in the tracklist but feature no audio.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Opening/Main Tile/The Past" | 2:52 |
| 2. | "History is About to Change" | 1:36 |
| 3. | "Didn't Make the Varsity Team" | 0:42 |
| 4. | "Hey Snakeballs" | 0:44 |
| 5. | "No Financial Aid" | 1:06 |
| 6. | "The Age of the Transformers is Over" | 1:50 |
| 7. | "Cade Brings Truck Home" | 0:35 |
| 8. | "Cade Works on Truck in Barn" | 0:33 |
| 9. | "Beer Bot Fails" | 1:07 |
| 10. | "Tessa Complains about Being the Only Adult" | 1:15 |
| 11. | "Ratchet Killed" | 4:58 |
| 12. | "Attinger Talks to White House Guy" | 0:40 |
| 13. | "Painter Bot Broken" | 0:54 |
| 14. | "Non Dating Household" | 1:14 |
| 15. | "Judgement Day" | 0:24 |
| 16. | "Lucas Arrives at the House" | 0:14 |
| 17. | "We Just Found a Transformer" | 1:11 |
| 18. | "Optimus Prime Lives" | 2:21 |
| 19. | "Attinger Talks to Lockdown" | 1:29 |
| 20. | "Attinger Sends Cemetery Wind to Cade Farm/Lockdown Gets into Position" | 2:30 |
| 21. | "Optimus Comes to Humans Defence" | 6:15 |
| 22. | "His Name is Shane and He Drives" | 1:49 |
| 23. | "Car Chase" | 0:57 |
| 24. | "Car Chase Continues Through Factory" | 2:39 |
| 25. | "Death of a Friend" | 1:57 |
| 26. | "Cade Take Matters into His Own Hands" | 0:35 |
| 27. | "Cade Takes Matters into His Own Hands Part 2" | 1:37 |
| 28. | "Monument Valley/Autobots Unite" | 2:29 |
| 29. | "Monument Valley Transition" | 0:34 |
| 30. | "Autobots Angry with Humans" | 1:25 |
| 31. | "KSI Chicago" | 0:54 |
| 32. | "Transformium" | 3:02 |
| 33. | "Fresh Breath When Making out with You Daughter" | 0:33 |
| 34. | "Galvatron at KSI/Joshua Gets Mad "Why Can't We Make What I want"" | 1:21 |
| 35. | "Cade Gets Badge/Sneaks Into KSI" | 0:56 |
| 36. | "Attacking KSI" | 5:40 |
| 37. | "Respond" | 0:48 |
| 38. | "Galvitron" | 1:32 |
| 39. | "Highway Battle" | 1:20 |
| 40. | "Galvitron Chases Optimus" | 0:48 |
| 41. | "Angry Optimus" (Plays between tracks 36 and 37 in the film) | 1:15 |
| 42. | "Galvitron vs. Optimus" | 1:24 |
| 43. | "Lockdown" | 3:08 |
| 44. | "Tessa Taken" | 1:01 |
| 45. | "The Knightship/Racing to the Knightship" | 3:13 |
| 46. | "Engage Dark Matter Drives" | 0:34 |
| 47. | "Enter the Knightship" | 2:02 |
| 48. | "Dogs Chase Tessa/Searching for Tessa" (No audio on this track) | 1:17 |
| 49. | "Weapons Room" (No audio on this track) | 2:07 |
| 50. | "Knightship Gunfight" | 0:39 |
| 51. | "Reunited" | 0:49 |
| 52. | "Highwires" | 1:43 |
| 53. | "Fighter Chase" | 2:10 |
| 54. | "Autobots Find Prime" | 1:14 |
| 55. | "Presence of Megatron" | 3:26 |
| 56. | "KSI to China" | 0:47 |
| 57. | "Lockdown Goes after Prime" | 0:31 |
| 58. | "Galvitron Activates Prototypes" | 4:40 |
| 59. | "Cade Talks to Optimus" | 1:37 |
| 60. | "Hong Kong Motorcycle Chase" | 1:58 |
| 61. | "Elevator Fight" | 1:31 |
| 62. | "Prototypes Entering Hong Kong" | 0:29 |
| 63. | "Prototypes Arriving in Square" | 0:36 |
| 64. | "Prototypes Search for the Bomb" | 0:35 |
| 65. | "Battle of Hong Kong" | 1:28 |
| 66. | "You Want Me" | 1:04 |
| 67. | "Hong Kong Footchase" | 1:40 |
| 68. | "Apartment Fight" | 1:11 |
| 69. | "Hiding in the Glass House" | 1:00 |
| 70. | "Dinos" | 6:38 |
| 71. | "Knightship Comes into Hong Kong" | 1:06 |
| 72. | "The Magnet" | 1:47 |
| 73. | "Driving Backwards" | 1:33 |
| 74. | "Magnet Picking Up Dinobots" | 1:51 |
| 75. | "Cade Sends Tessa Away in Bumblebee" | 0:51 |
| 76. | "Lockdown Surfs Down Building" | 2:36 |
| 77. | "Cade Charge" | 0:56 |
| 78. | "End Fight with Lockdown" | 2:47 |
| 79. | "We Don't Have a Home" | 1:34 |
| 80. | "Leave Planet Earth Alone" | 2:42 |
| 81. | "Pebbles" | 2:08 |
| 82. | "Bumblebee vs. Stinger" (Plays between tracks 70 and 71 in the film) | 1:36 |
| Total length: | 2:19:10 | |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Newman, Melinda (June 26, 2014). "Composer Steve Jablonsky on 'Transformers: Age of Extinction': 'This was the craziest film of all'". HitFix. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ a b "Imagine Dragons Will Perform At 'Transformers 4' World Premiere in Hong Kong". Michael Bay Dot Com. May 13, 2014. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
- ^ a b "Imagine Dragons: 'Transformers' Soundtrack Could 'Open Up' More Opportunities". Inquisitr. June 14, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
- ^ "Steve Jablonsky Tweet". Twitter. June 25, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Joe Trapanese: The Art of Going Unnoticed". Consequence of Sound. July 1, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Steve Jablonsky EP Post". Facebook. July 1, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Steve Jablonsky LP Post". Facebook. July 1, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Steve Jablonsky LP Post". Facebook. November 20, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
- ^ "Transformers: Age of Extinction (Music from the Motion Picture) - EP". iTunes. Apple Inc. June 30, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Transformers: Age of Extinction (Music from the Motion Picture)". iTunes. Apple Inc. July 3, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Paramount Pictures | Transformers: Age of Extinction | Score". December 25, 2014. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
