Transformers: The Score

Transformers: The Score is a soundtrack that features the musical score by film composer Steve Jablonsky for the 2007 live-action film Transformers. It was released October 9, 2007, on Jablonsky's 37th birthday. According to the back of the CD cover, 11 of the 20 tracks are arranged differently from what is heard in the actual film, resulting in extended but accurately complete soundtracks.

History
Transformers: The Album did not contain any of the instrumental music (score) composed by Steve Jablonsky featured in the movie, instead featuring only 12 songs from various rap and rock music groups; four of those songs did not even appear in the film itself. Sony Music Entertainment announced early in July that, "at this time, there are no immediate plans regarding the release of the Transformers soundtrack score". This received criticism from some fans of the movie. An unofficial online petition was set up at The Knight Shift to persuade Sony Records to release just Jablonsky's score as a CD soundtrack. (Warner Bros. Records, however, actually owned the rights to the music.) At the end of the opening month for Transformers in July 2007, the petition had over two thousand signatures. At the end of August, when Warner Bros. Records announced that a CD containing the score was going to be released (only two months after the petition had been created), 5,505 signatures had been registered.
 * July 25, 2007 – Chandra Cogburn, the score engineer who worked on the Transformers score, announced via email to The Knight Shift that "there will be an album of Transformers score coming out soon. I do not know the details, as I am not working on it. Thanks so much for appreciating the music, and all our hard work!..."
 * August 6, 2007 – Sony BMG Customer Service confirmed in an e-mail that they "...have no information because this is not a Sony BMG release". Also, Diamond Select confirmed not to be associated with a score release on the 2007 score. According to Michael Bay's official website in late July 2007, there were plans to release the score sometime in the future, though probably not by Sony Music since this was a Paramount/DreamWorks film. The possible source of this confusion may be that Sony owns the rights to the 1986 Transformers animated film, but they do not own the rights to the 2007 Transformers live-action film. Thus, previously-mentioned Sony releases may refer to the 1986 score.
 * August 26, 2007 – The Knight Shift first reported and confirmed that Transformers: The Score would be released on October 9, 2007 by Warner Bros. Records.
 * September 2, 2007 – Steve Jablonsky submitted an e-mail to the owner of The Knight Shift, thanking the website and everyone who signed the petition for their support. In the message, he mentioned that a CD containing his music was always in the works, but had simply taken longer to get out. This message can be found on the front page of the online petition, though it was not along the inside of the cover art for the soundtrack disc itself as was rumored before its release.
 * October 9, 2007 – Steve Jablonsky's score was released. It debuted as the 32nd best selling album on Amazon.com and was the third best selling soundtrack. For unknown reasons, the score just as quickly went out of print, causing prices to skyrocket as scalpers cashed in on the overwhelming demand. Bootleg copies also popped up occasionally on online auctions and dealers.
 * April 24, 2008 – A second petition requesting a reissue of the score from Warner Bros. Records was initiated, in view of the high demand for this album. On the first day alone, over 100 signatures were logged.
 * The score continues to be available for purchase online from the iTunes Store and from Amazon.com's MP3 store.

CD track liasting
Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 18, and 20 are marked (*) on the CD cover, case backing, and inner booklet with a subtext of "different version in film". This may refer to the fact that these tracks, though complete on the CD as originally scored, are not heard in their entirety in the film or are broken up.

Other unreleased music
Approximately one month before its release, ten soundtracks were provided free of charge as a downloadable file over the Internet, requiring the use of DirectX software to be heard. However, with the exception of the track that would become Track #19: "Optimus vs. Megatron", they were all altered, shortened, or mixed-together and of what would be released onto the official CD, though indeed containing original score music heard in the film:


 * Aftermath (Track #20: "No Sacrifice, No Victory")
 * Blackout Attacks (Track #8: "SOCCENT Attack")
 * Bumblebee Captured (Track #16: "Bumblebee Captured")
 * Scorponok (Track #10: "Scorponok")
 * The Final Battle (Track #17: "You're a Soldier Now")
 * The Final Battle, Part 2 (Track #19: "Optimus vs. Megatron")

Four tracks included in this file were not included in any way at all in the official CD release:


 * "Autobots to the Rescue" – played right after Optimus Prime rips the roof off a Sector 7 truck, and all of the Autobots come to take Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes away.
 * "Barricade" – played during the scene where Decepticon Barricade confronts Sam Witwicky in the parking lot overpass, and Bumblebee arrives to carry him and Mikaela Banes away from the police car 'monster'.
 * "Bumble-Stumble" – just after Starscream shoots at the Autobots in Mission City and Bumblebee has lost the use of his legs; it also covers Brawl's opening attack, and ends just before Ironhide transforms in slow-motion.
 * "Soldiers Arrive" – played during the scene where the soldier Captain William Lennox and his team land on the Soccent Airbase in Qatar.