Good Days for Movie Music Collectors

By: Randall D. Larson
Date: Saturday, October 14, 2000

These are good days for soundtrack collectors. With most movie soundtracks available on CDs, and others often obtainable on composer-produced promotional recordings, and more and more movies being released on DVD with isolated scores, it's becoming increasingly possible for movie music aficionados to enjoy a score on its own merits, apart from the film.

News & Views

GNP Crescendo Records release of HIGHLANDER: ENDGAME (GNPD 8067) includes the full scores of both composers assigned to the film, Nick Glennie-Smith and Stephen Graziano. On film, their individual efforts were cut-n-pasted into the movie soundtrack; GNP's release allows both to be heard in their full glory. For information, see www.gnpcrescendo.com)

In the realm of older, classic film scores, Marco Polo has continued their trend of issuing superb, faithful new recordings of classic and previously unavailable film scores, with The Classic Film Music of Georges Auric, Vol. 3 (8.225070). The disk includes a 15:42 suite of music from Auric's score for the 1956 Anthony Quinn version of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (under its French title, NOTRE-DAME DU PARIS). The label recently released Alfred Newman's outstanding score for the 1939 Charles Laughton version, and this bit of music from the Quinn version nicely rounds out the classic Hunchback music on disk. Auric's score is understated and motivic...

Marco Polo has also released Classic Scores of Mystery and Horror by Frank Skinner and Hans Salter (8.225124), including lengthy suites from THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (45:13) and SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR (14:29), performed with their usual eloquent bombast by the Slovak Radio Symphony under the baton of William T. Stromberg, the vintage musical material reconstructed by Stromberg and John Morgan. These are grand 1940s' Universal monster music classics, and the team of Morgan and Stromberg continue to revitalize the music of this era in the most splendid fashion. The CD also includes shorter excerpts from the Salter/Skinner scores of SON OF DRACULA, BLACK FRIDAY, and MAN-MADE MONSTER.


Another classic score given a thoroughly thundering new recording is THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (Monstrous Movie Music MMM-1952). Supplementing Intrada's original soundtrack release of six years ago, which featured a 15-minute suite from the score, Monstrous provides a new recording (Radio Symphony Orchestra of Slovakia, conducted by Masatoshi Mitsumoto), with more than 35 minutes of the exotic and bombastic music of Herman Stein, Henry Mancini, Hans Salter, and other members of the 1954 Universal music department who contributed to the score. The CD, subtitled And Other Jungle Pictures also contains music from Irving Gertz's THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE (a truly wonderful score, here preserved at 16:15 mins) and a 5-minute suite of themes from MGM's Tarzan films (music to swing on vines to)

Available from Supertracks (www.supercollector.com) is the first-ever release of Basil Poledouris' music for the live-action Universal Studios Theme Park attraction, THE ADVENTURES OF CONAN: SWORD & SORCERY SPECTACULAR (STCD 100), which was launched a year after the John Milius CONAN THE BARBARIAN feature that first propelled composer Poledouris to notoriety in the film music world. Poledouris' music, while not specifically derived from his CONAN score, is lavish and adventurous. The 20-minute show was scored virtually wall-to-wall with the music performed by the London Studio Symphony Orchestra (not the London Philharmonic, as stated in the inside booklet, although that may just be a semantic issue, as the Studio Symphony is a pickup band comprised of members of the London Philharmonic). The score is provided twice on the Supertracks CD, once including the booming narration and dialog included in the show, and then again without the overdubbed voices.

While we're on the subject of scores for attractions, a number of notable IMAX film scores can be had on CD. T-REX: BACK TO THE CRETACEOUS, A 3-D IMAX film from VIRTUOSITY-director Brett Leonard, received a thunderous adventure score by William Ross. Melodic and suitably bombastic, the score has been preserved on a promotional CD by the composer. The CD is elusive but well worth seeking out.

RACE TO ATLANTIS, a thrilling 3-D IMAX motion ride currently playing exclusively at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, contained a rich score for orchestra and voice from composer Gary Guttman. A 15-minute, 4-track CD of the complete score was issued and sold for a mere $6 at the souvenir stand outside the theater. I haven't seen it offered elsewhere, but if you're in Las Vegas it's worth picking up if you like grand, expansive symphonic and chorale music. Or see the IMAX Soundtrack web page for information on obtaining it by mail from Caesar's Palace: www.soundtrack-station.de/imax/imax_race.htm

Scores on DVD

The trend in adding extra features to DVD releases is making lots of film music fans very happy. More and more DVDs are beginning to feature isolated scores and even supplemental commentaries by their composers, which can be selected and heard while watching the film. PLEASANTVILLE and THE MATRIX were two of the first notable releases to feature composers describing their music in between cues heard without sound effects or dialog. PLEASANTVILLE also included alternate cues that were not used in the final film. New releases to continue this trend include EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and FINAL DESTINATION, with Danny Elfman and Shirley Walker, respectively, describing their music throughout the length of the film. Walker's is especially good to have, since her moody score was not put on a CD release at all.

Warner's DVD release of George Pal's THE TIME MACHINE includes Russell Garcia's score, isolated from other sound elements. Criterion's new release of De Palma's SISTERS, while not including isolated score, does feature an article by De Palma on working with composer Bernard Herrmann in the DVD's accompanying booklet. Touchstone's Special Edition DVD of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS includes all the features from the boxed edition laserdisc release, which includes plenty of Danny Elfman in the behind-the-scenes making-of documentary.

Particularly exciting news for Jerry Goldsmith fans is the coming 2-disc special edition release of Ridley Scott's LEGEND, due out on Nov 21st on Universal. The release will include both the US theatrical release, with the Tangerine Dream music that replaced Goldsmith's original score, as well as the extended director's cut with a restored Goldsmith soundtrack, plus audio commentary from Scott. In one of the most notorious examples of studio interference in recent years, studio executives excised Goldsmith's music and insisted on a more marketable score by Tangerine Dream for the film's US release. Only overseas was the film seen with the original Goldsmith soundtrack. An elusive Japanese laserdisc edition was released a few years ago, and Goldsmith's music was available on an import vinyl disc (in the days before CDs took over), but now the new DVD will allow both versions to be heard and compared.

Forthcoming Scores and CDs in Brief

*John Williams is slated to score HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCEROR'S STONE, as well as Steven Spielberg's A.I. (Artificial Intelligence), both due for release in 2001.

*Alan Silvestri (CONTACT, PREDATOR) will score THE MUMMY RETURNS. Jerry Goldsmith, who composed THE MUMMY, turned down the assignment.

*Carter Burwell (GODS AND MONSTERS, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH) will score BLAIR WITCH 2: BOOK OF SHADOWS, scheduled for release on Halloween. A soundtrack CD is due from Pacific Time Entertainment on October 24th.

*GDI in England has just released a soundtrack CD with James Bernard's ferociously romantic score for SCARS OF DRACULA. GDI's commitment to releasing complete scores from Hammer films will continue with CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB (Carlo Martelli), and THE LOST CONTINENT (Gerald Schurmann, the best moments of which were never heard in the film). A vampire music collection is also planned.

*GNP Crescendo has just released a score CD to Rockne S. O'Bannon's science fiction TV series, FARSCAPE, with music by SubVision and Guy Gross, and will soon release a score CD to the Canadian sci-fi series, LEXX, with music by Marty Simon.

*Varese Sarabande Records will release Jan A.P. Kaczmarek's score for LOST SOULS, Janusz Kaminski's horror thriller starring Winona Ryder and John Hurt. Varese also just released a terrific collection of Robert Cobert film music, including long-awaited suites from THE NIGHT STALKER and its sequel, THE NIGHT STRANGLER, as well as other notable TV fare by Cobert. Other new Varese recordings include a new recording of John Williams' JAWS score (just released by Decca last month with an expanded original soundtrack version; Varese's release, recorded by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by film composer Joel McNeely, includes some previously unreleased music), and original soundtrack releases of THE WATCHER (Mario Beltrami) and URBAN LEGEND: FINAL CUT (John Ottman).

*Michael Kamen will compose new music for the restored version of Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS, which will be premiered at the Berlin Film Festival early next year. No word yet on a soundtrack CD.

*Percepto Records, which just released a terrific Ronald Stein CD last month, will shortly issue a compilation of previously unreleased film music from Vic Mizzy, including such favorites as THE GHOST AND MR CHICKEN, THE RELUCTANT ASTRONAUT, THE NIGHT WALKER, and many others, plus themes from THE ADDAMS FAMILY, GREEN ACRES. Percepto will also soon release a limited archival release of original music from THE ADDAMS FAMILY on a single CD.