The flow of the stories of the Back to the Future trilogy is something like the Star Wars trilogy. The first film was a sort of introduction to the characters and the situation was lighter in tone than those that would follow. The second was darker and more mysterious exploring the evil side of life, and the third still had dark elements but again returned to the lighter side. The Empire Strikes Back was the second film in its trilogy and it was much darker than its predecessor or its sequel, the same can be said of Back to the Future Part II. In the first film, Silvestri established his main theme and it was used quite frequently. While it was an exciting theme, for the second film, it would have been too light for the tone, so it is used a limited number of times.
This score is much more subdued that the previous one and as such it is much quieter and dark. That's not to say the beginning and the end of the CD are the only light points in the soundtrack. Both The Future and Hoverboard Chase are good pieces. The Future is heard when Marty explores Hill Valley in the year 2015 and highlights his exploration of his hometown, thirty years into the future. Hoverboard Chase is similar to the skateboard chase in the first film and as such the music is similar as well. On the whole the score is not as an enjoyable listening experience as I would have thought but it is worth listening to now and then. But if you're expecting music similar to the first film I think you're in for quite a shock.
Total time: 44:58
1: Main Title (2:17)
2: The Future (5:20)
3: Hoverboard Chase (2:46)
4: A Flying DeLorean? (4:27)
5: My Father! (2:01)
6: "Alternate 1985" (3:02)
7: If They Ever Did (3:53)
8: Pair O'Docs (1:24)
9: The Book (4:45)
10: Tunnel Chase (5:17)
11: Burn the Book (2:22)
12: Western Union (1:49)
13: End Title (4:34)