Aliens

The score to the 1986 James Cameron film Aliens was composed by James Horner. The score itself includes musical references to Gayane's Adagio from Aram Khachaturian's Gayane ballet suite, which had been used in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). The score also uses musical motifs, sound treatments and excerpts from Jerry Goldsmith's original soundtrack to Alien (1979). Additional cues taken from Jerry Goldsmith's Alien score were used in the climax of the film when Horner was unable to finish some cues to Cameron's satisfaction. The film's editors also reportedly altered the score's chronological flow, sometimes looping, truncating or removing the music and placing it in fragmented form in the film out of context. Despite production issues, it was nominated for an Academy Award in 1986. It was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The soundtrack album was released the following year, in 1987.