artist: Toto & Brian Eno country of origin: USA/UK style(s): Soundtrack, orchestral, ambient, choral essential releases: Dune soundtrack (1984, Polydor)

David Lynch's 1984 film of Frank Herbert's cult sci-fi novel Dune was deeply weird, but then so was the book. Stranger still is that chart-topping adult-orientated rock combo Toto - with a little help from Brian Eno - created an orchestral-rock-ambient hybrid for the soundtrack that succeeds beyond anyone's expectations in capturing the spirit of Herbert's story. That's ironic considering the film's fate. From the moment director Lynch signed onto the project he never had final cut; that privilage was retained by producers Dino and Rafaella De Laurentis. The result was a brilliant-looking and occasionally visionary film trimmed to the point of incomprehension which flopped spectacularly at the box office (though the 3 hour extended TV edit, disowned by Lynch, is considerably better).

But whatever them film's shortcomings, the soundtrack is superb. Dramatic rock and orchestral passages contrast perfectly with the evocative atmospheric and ambient sections, the wordless choral sequence early in the album’s second half being particularly ravishing. Toto composed all of the music except for Brian Eno’s single contribution, the intensely beautiful beatless ambient piece “Prophecy Theme”, one of his finest pieces ever. Beware some of the CD re-issues, which inexplicably omit Eno's contribution.

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