WARRIORS OF DESTINY

“How we love to love things for other people; how we love to have other people love things through our eyes.” WARRIORS OF DESTINY: Track One Song: Main Title Artist: Rachel Portman Album: The Cider House Rules (Original Score) Quote: John Irving/The Cider House Rules Welcome to WARRIORS OF DESTINY! This is one of the oldest Mixes on the Channel, made way back in 2003. The only other Mix that pre-dates it is STRIDER, which I'll be upgrading in the (hopefully) near future. Back in those days I only made Mixes on CDs for myself, usually as a way to help work through whatever it was I had going on in my life at the time. Because I had no inkling that I would ever share this Mix with a wider audience, I changed many of the song titles to reflect how the music made me think and feel at the time. Of course I don't do this anymore, but this particular Mix had a LOT of title changes. I'll go through what they were in the descriptions just to give a little insight into what was going on in my head when I made it. So what is it all about? Oh, I don't know. Well actually I do...but I'm more interested in what YOU think it's all about. We'll explore that as we go through the music. This first song, the opening credits for The Cider House Rules, is a beautiful composition by Rachel Portman that sets the tone for the rest of the Mix. I originally had changed the name of the song to "Follow Your Heart" which seemed to me at the time to be more fitting than "Main Title". Rachel Portman is a fantastic composer known for her subtle and moving scores, my personal favorite being the soundtrack to The Joy Luck Club. There will be another track from The Cider House Rules later on in the Mix so we'll talk more about her then. Ok then, I hope you'll follow along as I put this old Mix up again. It's a Hybrid Mix, meaning it blends movie scores with actual lyrical songs. There's some great stuff on here from Sting and Cory Hart and other older artists like that so I hope you'll stay tuned! Later!

"Keep your face always towards the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you." WARRIORS OF DESTINY: Track Two Song: Low Sun Artist: Chicane Album: Behind the Sun Quote: Walt Whitman When I made this mix 23 years ago I called this song "The Rules of the Game". What game? THE game. Hah, those sure were some crazy times. But the actual title of this song is "Low Sun" by Chicane, no stranger to this Channel for sure. Behind the Sun is a perfect album, every song on it is beautiful and meaningful in a way only Chicane could pull off. Somehow it speaks even when there are no words. There's more music from Chicane on WARRIORS OF DESTINY so if you're into it be sure to keep tuning in!

"We place our bodies in God's keeping. We go into battle honorably, full of confidence with His Name on our lips." WARRIORS OF DESTINY: Track Three Song: To the Boys Artist: James Horner Album: Legends of the Fall Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Quote: Samuel (Henry Thomas)/Legends of the Fall When I first made this Mix I called this song "The Shadowlords". They are three malevolent entities that appeared in the game Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny, the box art of which I used as the cover for the Mix (I hope Lord British doesn't mind). I've always thought of the Shadowlords of Malice, Falsehood and Cowardice as a demonic unholy trinity whose dark influence on the human race has brought destruction and despair since time immemorial. They act as the forces of Darkness throughout the Mix, the adversaries we stand in opposition to. As for the song itself, we have none other than James Horner back at it again. LEGENDS OF THE FALL is one of his most lush and romantic scores and is considered by many to be his finest work. It complements the movie perfectly, going from the gorgeous and melodic main theme to a much more desperate and frantic tone as tragedy after tragedy befalls the Ludlow family. TO THE BOYS perfectly encapsulates this idea as the three sons are swept into the madness of World War I. I placed the Shadowlords into the visuals to maintain the spirit of the Mix, as their presence against the backdrop of that hellscape of a war seems completely appropriate. There's more LEGENDS OF THE FALL coming up soon so please keep tuning in! Peace.

"I need a place where I can hide, where no one sees my Life inside" WARRIORS OF DESTINY: Track Four Song: The Girl I Mean to Be Artists: Daisy Eagan, Marsha Norman, Lucy Simon, Kate Maberly Album: The Secret Garden Original Broadway Cast Recording Quote: Mary Lennox/The Girl I Mean to Be You might be forgiven for thinking that so far WARRIORS OF DESTINY has turned out to be a…shall we say…schizophrenic collection of music. After all, so far we’ve heard two full orchestral movie scores, a fantastic trance/electronica song, and now….The Secret Garden? But I promise you there’s a method to the madness. All of the artists so far featured have additional roles to play as the Mix rolls on. The Secret Garden in particular has a vital role much later on in the lineup. So if you are enjoying the music but feeling sort of confused, please just trust me. It will all make sense in the end. Back in the day I called this song “The Secret”. I LOVE The Secret Garden. I’ve never read it. I’ve never actually even seen the musical. But I know it, oh yes, I know it. THE GIRL I MEAN TO BE is the opening song of the 2nd act and is such a short little song to carry such an amazing message. For visuals I decided to use images from the movie versions of the story, featuring two actresses who played the title role of Mary Lennox on the big screen; Kate Maberly (who played the role in the 1993 version) and Dixie Egerickx (who recently played the part in the 2020 reimagining). But that in NO way should suggest that I am overlooking the incredible Daisy Eagan who originated the role on Broadway and whose stunning vocals and performance earned her the Tony, the youngest actress ever to receive that highest honor at just 11 years old. A classic in every sense of the word, The Secret Garden is a treasured story of friendship, healing and redemption that people of all ages can relate to and find joy in.

"Take your rite of passage through the dune where you can draw your Water from the moon." WARRIORS OF DESTINY: Track Five Song: Water from the Moon Artist: Cory Hart Album: Boy in the Box Quote: Lyrics Just go with it.