Trevor Jones / Randy Edelman ‎– The Last Of The Mohicans: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

(For the record, I have not heard the re-recording of the score, which I believe was done in part for the recent director's cut. So I don't know if that recording reflects the changes or was another project entirely. My sentiments are more attached to this initial release.)

Even if you've never seen the film, the music does what it's suppose to do: parallel the image and the emotion of the film. Thus it can serve as the soundtrack to your own film ... and yes, excerpts of the score were indeed used as trailer music for other films. I know for myself, my mother was a huge fan of this (and she is not the one to go to soundtrack albums ... that would be my father) and thus I grew up listening to it on cassette for quite some time. It was a few years ago when I got it as a Christmas present for her ... and I bought a copy for myself too.

I've read different takes on the split between Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman as to how they fit with the film. Since I'm more familiar with it as music sans film rather than the film, I tend to think of it as two distinct styles yet complement each other to form a cohesive whole. Jones is all about motifs to carry the story and the moment. There is variation between the various tracks but it does sometimes it does lead to the conclusion: "heard one, heard all". (That being said, my personal favourite is "Elk Hunt"). Randy Edelman on the other hand goes for atmosphere and mood and what lacks in strong thematic motifs, it makes up in illustrating mood. Because of this, I prefer Edelman's side of the score than I do Jones'.

I do like the Clannad addition, even though Mann thought differently later on when it was dropped in his re-cut.

The clean organization of grouping Jones' music together, Edelman's music together and Clannad's addition as a type of appendix does make it seem too artificial. But the flow within the sections make it work somewhat. But all in all, it's considered one of the better soundtracks in general and I enjoy it in its totality.