Do not buy this CD expecting a Poledouris standard score. by Shawn Watson (February 8, 2004)
Only a few tracks are worth listening to. The rest is just indistinct noise and filler sounds. The Robocop Overture (Track 1) is amazing. A jolly and highly memorable tune that will delight and excite. It's not the brooding cyborg cues Basil Poledouris created but a cheery hero type tune. Worth buying the CD just for this track definitely.
Robo Cruiser (Track 4) begins with much the same music and then suddenly ends just as it gets good. A shame. Robo and Caine Chase (Track 8) is slightly exciting but that, unfortunately, is where the good of this CD runs out. The remaining tracks fail to do much apart from matching the action on screen without being melodic or thematic or emotional.
Leonard Rosenman includes a description of each track in the liner notes and explains what he intended with each segment of music. It really is up to you to judge whether he succeeded or failed but I say he could have done a lot better.
I understand that, for a film that was simultaneously dark, lighthearted and violent, it must be VERY hard to score Robocop 2. Rosenman made a wonderful theme with the Robocop Overture. Why he never exploited that and took advantage of it is beyond my understanding. It's a shame. But pick this one up cheap for the 3 decent tracks.