Young Indiana Jones Chronicles II, The (German East Africa, 1916/London, 1916/The Congo, 1917)

With the original Raiders of the Lost Ark, John Williams created the most revered and imitated adventure score of its generation -- when the franchise moved to television with the series The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Williams handed the musical reins to the team of Joel McNeely and Laurence Rosenthal, and while neither composer proves content with merely rehashing what came before, Williams' shadow looms impossibly large over their efforts. The second entry in Varese Sarabande's four-volume The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles retrospective continues the site-specific approach that would become the show's musical calling card -- McNeely's "London 1916" borrows liberally from British folk traditions, while Rosenthal's "Vienna 1908" adapts classical Austrian themes, and even throws in a waltz for good measure. What's surprisingly absent is the kind of rousing adventure one expects from the Indiana Jones brand -- Rosenthal's two-part suite "German East Africa 1916/The Congo 1917" incorporates military themes to striking effect, but by and large the music favors atmosphere over action to diminishing returns. ~ Jason Ankeny|