The Pebble and the Penguin (soundtrack)
The Pebble and the Penguin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the 1995 soundtrack to the Don Bluth animated feature film, The Pebble and the Penguin. The music for the soundtrack was handled by Barry Manilow, and the lyrics for the songs were all written by Bruce Sussman. The songs were all arranged and produced by Manilow, and the soundtrack was produced by Manilow and Marc Hulett. The soundtrack includes various artists with actors singing their parts for the film, including Martin Short, Annie Golden, Tim Curry, and James Belushi among others. The songs and score for the soundtrack were both performed by the Irish Film Orchestra and the Irish Chamber Choir.[2] This soundtrack is currently out of print.
| The Pebble and the Penguin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
| Released | April 11, 1995[1] |
| Recorded | 1994–1995 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Length | 43:08[2] |
| Label | Rhino |
| Producer | Barry Manilow Marc Hulett |
Singing Cast
- Hubie (Martin Short)
- Rocko (James Belushi)
- Drake (Tim Curry)
- Marina (Annie Golden)
- The BeachMaster (Jon Joyce)
- Narrator (Shani Wallis)
The Penguins
- Randy Crenshaw
- Will Ryan
- Kevin Bassinson
- Louise Vallance
- Yvonne Williams
- Sally Stevens
- Bob Joyce
- Joe Pizullo
- Kevin Dorsey
- Maggie Roswell
- B.J. Ward
- Hamilton Camp
- Jon Joyce
- Maxine Waters
- Tampa Lann
- Stephen Amerson
- Steve Lively
- Andrea Robinson
Track listing
From AllMusic:[2]
| Track number | Name | Performers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Prologue/Now and Forever" | Shani Wallis/The Penguins | 5:19 |
| 2 | "Sometimes I Wonder" | Hubie (Martin Short) | 4:17 |
| 3 | "The Good Ship Misery" | The Captive Penguins | 2:37 |
| 4 | "Helpless, Hopeless Romantic" (deleted song) | The BeachMaster and His Wives (Jon Joyce) | 4:15 |
| 5 | "Don't Make Me Laugh" | Drake (Tim Curry) | 2:07 |
| 6 | "Sometimes I Wonder (Reprise)" | Marina (Annie Golden) | 2:29 |
| 7 | "Looks Like I Got Me a Friend" | Hubie (Martin Short) & Rocko (James Belushi) | 3:30 |
| 8 | "Now and Forever (Finale)" (featured twice on album) | Company | 1:04 |
| 9 | "The Mating Ceremony" [score] | The Irish Film Orchestra | 1:19 |
| 10 | "Hubie Finds the Pebble" [score - includes "Now and Forever (Reprise)"] | Hubie (Martin Short) & The Irish Film Orchestra | 2:00 |
| 11 | "Hubie Gazes into the Pebble" [score] | The Irish Film Orchestra | 2:22 |
| 12 | "Humans at Play" [score] | The Irish Film Orchestra | 0:51 |
| 13 | "Full Speed Ahead" [score] | The Irish Film Orchestra | 0:45 |
| 14 | "Beneath the Ice" [score] | The Irish Film Orchestra | 2:55 |
| 15 | "Killer Whales" [score] | The Irish Film Orchestra | 3:36 |
| 16 | "Rocko's Return and Drake's Defeat" [score] | The Irish Film Orchestra | 2:43 |
| 17 | "Now and Forever (Finale)" | Company | 0:59 |
- The version of "Now and Forever" sung by Barry Manilow and Sheena Easton is not on the soundtrack, but was later put on Barry Manilow album Duets and a later reissue of this soundtrack as a bonus track when Kid Rhino reacquired the rights in 2012.
Critical reception
The album was given a rating of 2 and a half stars at Allmusic.com. Reviewer Peter Fawthrop wrote: "Barry Manilow's soundtrack would have upped the mediocrity on a better project, but The Pebble and the Penguin as a film was conceived with such dismal effort from the then struggling Don Bluth studio that the songs and score work on a somewhat passing level". It said that Martin Short stutters through "Sometimes I Wonder", Tim Curry belches out "Don't Make Me Laugh", and James Belushi "squeezes in some very minor singing talent" in "Looks Like I Got Me a Friend." It said "Now and Forever" is a "sweeping opener", but suggested it was an "attempt to borrow from the lyrical format of "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast", and therefore added "it does not match up to its grand ambition". It continued this comparison to the Disney film, stating that "The penguins are not as interesting as the characters in Beauty and segmenting the song's music with their speaking voices results in distracting a pretty good melody with meaningless dialogue". It found it odd that Sheena Easton and Barry Manilow's duet of "Now and Forever", which had the most "marketing value" and therefore "might have boosted the soundtrack" was surprisingly missing.[2]
