Music from A Prehistoric Planet

By: Randall D. Larson
Date: Thursday, May 12, 2005

THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS

Lalo Schifrin's score for 1981's prehistoric comedy, CAVEMAN, is a wonderful amalgamation of jazz sensibilities, rich symphonic melodies, satirical musical quotations, and a quirky, percussive, and primitive orchestration that lent the perfect flavor to the film's antiquated amusements. The score has been re-recorded for release on CD for the first time by Schifrin's label, Aleph Records (032). The re-recording is faithful, although lacks some of the sparkle of the original when compared closely, and not all of the original's cornucopia of bizarre sounds has been reproduced in the new recording. Additionally, not all of the original score's more dramatic and action-oriented cues have been included. The result remains, however, a potent and likable recording of a unique score.

While best known for his jazz-driven scores to action shows and films like MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, DIRTY HARRY, BULLITT, and ENTER THE DRAGON, Schifrin is not unaccustomed to crafting strange sounds for films. His groundbreaking score for THE HELLSTROM CHRONICLE (1971; released last year on Aleph), for example, created a stunning orchestral musical miasma for insects) and may have led to his assignment to score a dialog-free film about prehistoric man, along the lines of ONE MILLION B.C. As Jon Burlingame describes in his liner notes, it was late in the process when Schifrin found out the film was intended to be a slapstick comedy. The composer decided to do a symphonic variant on the Mack Sennett and Charlie Chaplin comedies, and the result is a charming and provocative score that features some of Schifrin's most inventive scoring especially in the scene where the cavemen are shown inventing music ("how do you write the first song ever done?" Schifrin asked himself as he approached this cue). Burlingame describes the creation of this cue (a version of which appears on CD only in "End Title") in detail.

The score is as rich in comedy as it is in orchestral poignancy. Schifrin's music for the dinosaurs takes on a quasi-comic tonality as the nicely 3D-animated denizens of 1 Zillion BC are depicted in quite comic form. An occasionally recurring underlying ostinato of rhythmic percussion forms the score's basic environment, while the orchestra is used to generate both emotional resonance and bolster the energy of the action scenes. The percussion material also enhances the film's comic sensibilities, as does a primitive vocal rendition of the main theme, performed by a caveperson chorus, which closes out the 10.5-minute Main Title track.

A cute scherzo for woodwind that appears midway through the 10.5-minute Main Title track (actually a variety of cues combined to form this cue on the Aleph rerecording), a delightfully tuneful motif. "The Kissing Giant" is a poignant and very lyrical composition for strings and winds, as tender a love theme as a movie involving cavemen and dinosaurs could probably have. "Tyrannosaurus Rex" opens into a deliriously energetic classical orchestral romp, a terrifically controlled compilation of chaotic motifs, melodies, and phrasings. "March of the Cavemen" is a pulsating cadence for percussion and brass, a terrific martial variation on the score's main theme.

References to other musical works appear throughout the CAVEMAN score for comic effect a take on "Bolero" as Atouk (Ringo Starr) stalks the fetching cavebabe Lana (Barbara Bach) in "The Horn Lizard," a clever reference to 2001's "Also Sprach Zarathustra" in "Homo Erectus," which also includes a whistled "Colonel Bogey March" (from BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI) as the cavemen haul away a giant pterodactyl egg, and a full rendition of the "William Tell Overture" when Atouk leads the caveteam to find his missing cavefriend, Lar (Dennis Quaid).  www.alephrecords.com

FILM MUSIC NEWS

Varese Sarabande will release the soundtrack to GEORGE A. ROMERO'S LAND OF THE DEAD, the acclaimed director's long-awaited return to the horror genre he invented, beginning with the seminal NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and continuing with DAWN OF THE DEAD and DAY OF THE DEAD. In this new tale, Romero creates a harrowing vision of a modern-day world where the walking dead roam an uninhabited wasteland and the living try to lead "normal" lives behind the walls of a fortified city. The film's "terrifying and contemporary score" is by the composers of RUN LOLA RUN, Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek. Varese will release the soundtrack on June 21st the film opens on the 24th.

The Film Music Society web site has posted an excellent story by Jon Burlingame highlighting Dennis McCarthy's score the final episode of ENTERPRISE. The episode marks McCarthy's 255th original score for TREK, including music for TNG, DEEP SPACE NINE, VOYAGER, ENTERPRISE and the 1994 feature film STAR TREK: GENERATIONS. The April 29th session at Paramount's legendary Stage M marked the end of an era for STAR TREK and for McCarthy, who more than any other single composer has musically chronicled the exploits of Picard and Riker, Sisko and Kira, Janeway and Chakotay, Archer and T'Pol. "I hate to see it end," said McCarthy moments before the 2 p.m. downbeat. "It's been fantastic. I just wish it could have gone on forever." For the full story, see: http://filmmusicsociety.org/news_events/news_events.html

John Ottman (X2, EIGHT-LEGGED FREAKS, GOTHIKA) is scheduled to score Tim Story's THE FANTASTIC FOUR, based on the popular Marvel comic. The film will be released on July 8th. No word yet on which label will release the soundtrack album.

This week composer Brian Tyler was at the scoring stage at Todd-AO to record the music for his new film, THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED. Directed by Bill Paxton, for whom Tyler scored FRAILTY, the film is a golf drama based on the true story of 1913 U.S. Open, where 20 year-old caddy Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf) defeated reigning champion Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane). The score ranges from sweeping emotional themes, to tense pounding action. For a full report and photos from the scoring session, see: http://www.filmmusic.com/news/article/?id=597

On June 12th, Lalo Schifrin's Aleph Record label will issue, for the first time ever, the complete score for the second Dirty Harry movie, MAGNUM FORCE. This CD includes all of the original music recorded for the film.

Dan Goldwasser at Soundtrack.net reports on the speculation regarding some of the ambiguously announced "bonus tracks" that are available through select retailers. "Back in 2002, Sony Classical teamed up with Wal*Mart to release a different version of the soundtrack to STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES, which was a pressed CD including a bonus track, "On the Conveyor Belt," Goldwasser reports. "While many fans were disappointed with this move, in which an actual score cue was limited to a particular retailer, this time around, Sony is doing things better." There will be two bonus tracks for EPISODE III. Both will be available digitally the pressed CD in all stores is the same (including the bonus DVD) but separately. If you buy the soundtrack through Wal*Mart, you get a digital download of an interview with John Williams. If you buy the soundtrack through Target, the album comes with a DownloadCard, which will allow you to access a radio-edit of "Battle of the Heroes," which has dialogue and sound effects. via http://www.filmmusic.com/news/article/?id=595

Silva Screen Records has released a soundtrack CD to Wes Craven's new lycanthrope horror film, CURSED, which was scored by Marco Beltrami. Unfortunately, only 5 minutes of Beltrami's score is included on the CD, in favor of a typical collection of songs heard in, or "inspired by" the film, an unfortunate practice from a label so long supportive of preserving film scores. The label has also released a soundtrack to CLEAN, a drama starring Maggie Cheung (HERO) as a faded singer aiming to "clean" up her drug dominated lifestyle and become a good mother. The film's "score" is made up of recycled atmospheric music from noted electronic/ambient pioneer Brian Eno, along with a variety of songs, four of which are performed by Cheung.

Film Score Monthly announces its May specialty releases: The Golden Age Classic is David Raksin's score for TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN (1962) was an unofficial companion film to THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, which Raksin also scored. Although not an actual sequel, Raksin treated TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN as a virtual "part two," reusing several of his themes from the earlier picture while composing an original creation with a whole new set of intricate character themes. TWO WEEKS is a deeply melodic, romantic and sophisticated score, with size enough to glamorize the movie business, but an intimate focus on the moods and desires of human beings. FSM's premiere CD of Two Weeks in Another Town score features the complete score in stereo, remixed and remastered from the 35mm three-track recordings.

The companion Silver Age Classics release consists of two vintage television scores paired on the same CD: JERICHO (1966), a short-lived CBS WWII adventure series scored by much of the staff from THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (The theme and second episode were scored by Jerry Goldsmith, replacing a theme by Lalo Schifrin who had scored the pilot. Goldsmith's and Schifrin's efforts are presented along with other scores by Morton Stevens, Gerald Fried and Richard Shores and THE GHOSTBREAKER (1965), a aborted pilot scored by John Williams, who wrote "a dynamite theme that compares favorably to his TV work for Irwin Allen, and a creepy score including harpsichord and solo soprano." The CD is in monaural sound with authoritative liner notes by Jon Burlingame and Jeff Eldridge. www.filmscoremonthly.com

Music From The Movies reports that Dave Grusin hasn't written a theatrical film score for six years (the last one was RANDOM HEARTS), but now he is back in the game again. He has been assigned the musical responsibility on veteran director Mark Rydell's new film JUMP SHOT, a serious story about gambling addiction starring Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, Ray Liotta, Forest Whitaker, Tim Roth, Carla Gugino, Jay Mohr and Nick Cannon. Dave Grusin has worked with Rydell before, scoring ON GOLDEN POND and FOR THE BOYS. musicfromthemovies.com 

In addition to its new score by Harry Gregson-Williams. Ridley Scott's new epic KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, features credited cues from Graeme Revell (THE CROW), Marco Beltrami (BLADE II) and Jerry Goldsmith (THE 13TH WARRIOR). Given Scott's history with Goldsmith (the butchered ALIEN, the rejected-and-later-restored LEGEND), the composer's inclusion in the final release of KINGDOM is ironic to say the least.

Intrada has announced the next in their Special Collection series. The second volume of their NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PRESENTS series features two scores by Oscar-winning composers -- THE LAST VIKINGS by Ernest Gold from 1972, and DR. LEAKEY AND THE DAWN OF MAN by Leonard Rosenman from 1966. The CD, which may be ordered now, will be limited to 1500 copies and will be available around June 7th. www.intrada.com

On May 24th, the BuySoundtrax label will release a limited (1000 copies) edition of Blake Neely's score to the 2005 romantic comedy THE WEDDING DATE, which starred Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney. www.buysoundtrax.com

On June 7th, Superb Records will release Alexandre Desplat's score for HOSTAGE in the U.S. Gut Records has already released the CD in the United Kingdom, though copies are hard to come by.

On June 3rd La-La Land Records will release BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: SEASON

ONE, the original soundtrack from the first season of Sci Fi Channel's critically acclaimed television series. Composer Bear McCreary's "dynamic score ingeniously melds orchestra, vocals and synth into an emotional experience that ranges from full-throttle action to soul-stirring drama," says the label. The CD contains more than 78 minutes of music, collecting the best musical moments from the sci-fi drama's first season, including both the British and American main title themes. Preorders of the CD now can receive the CD autographed by composer Bear McCreary at no additional charge. www.lalalandrecords.com

Chandos Records has again released les known or never released before music of a

well-known British composer. This time it's called The Film Music Of Stanley Black. The BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Barry Wordsworth, plays seven suites that were edited by Stephen Hogger. Amongst them are BATTLE OF THE SEXES (1959), SANDS OF THE DESERT (1960), STORMY CROSSING (1957), BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE (1958), JACK THE RIPPER (1959), THREE STEPS TO THE GALLOWS (1954), and THE YOUNG ONES (1961). The recording took place in the Watford Colosseum on 23 and 24 November 2004. http://www.chandos.net

On October 17, 2004 Christian Bruhn, composer of the popular German science fiction TV series, CAPTAIN FUTURE, celebrated his 70th birthday and for this occasion

Colosseum Records published an homage to his work on April 18, 2005 with a remix album, called Captain Future Re-Animated. 15 National and international artists and formations have created their own vision of Captain Future songs in the album, producing an album that illuminates all the facets of modern electronic music, placing them within the context of Christian Bruhn's compositions with great humor and wonderful frivolity. Two versions are available, a single-CD and a special limited edition double-CD. Colosseum also offers the CAPTAIN FUTURE original soundtrack cd. http://www.colosseum.de/colosseum/

FILM MUSIC ON DVD

The 2-disc DVD edition Joel Schumacher's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA musical includes a pair of hourlong documentaries detailing not only the creation and development of Andrew Lloyd Webber's original theatrical smash, but the adaptation of it into the feature film.

The extensive 16-part

documentary material included on both the rated and unrated DVD releases of BLADE TRINITY include a healthy 8-minute featurette on the creation of the film's musical score, a unique collaboration between Hans Zimmer-protégé Ramin Djawadi and rapper/KILL BILL score alumni The RZA. Djawadi composed the film's orchestral music, providing a number of potent themes for Blade, for Drake, and an overall theme for the film that is often associated with Abigail.

"I wanted The RZA's sensibilities interwoven throughout the soundtrack and the throughout traditional score," says writer/director David S. Goyer. "It was just halfway in between techno or urban and maybe a more traditional orchestral score."

"Blade is quite a twisted character," says Djawadi. "He's a hero but he's very tragic, half-human, half-vampire. So musically to find something that fits him, I think, is quite challenging.... The hard part is to incorporate orchestra and modern electronics. The orchestra starts to sound small, so the trick is to make the combination work."

"The previous BLADEs always had a techno sound, very, very strong, good music, but to me it never gave the urban of Blade, because Blade's a tough M-F'er, you know what I'm sayin'?" The RZA notes. "What makes Blade such a good hero is that urban toughness that comes out in some of the scenes, so my job was to try and find a few tunes that could complement that element of it that hasn't been maybe discovered by other composers or previous films. Ramin is kind of a super smart composer and I was able to learn a few things from him as well as bring my own flavor into it..."

"When you take two or three people who maybe have slightly different sensibilities, and if you can figure out a way to make them work together, I think the end result can be more interesting than what either of them would have done on their own," adds Goyer.

(The film's soundtrack album has been released by Silva Screen Records in the UK).

Recommended Soundtrack sources:
www.buysoundtrax.com  
www.intrada.com  
www.screenarchives.com  
www.footlight.com  
www.arksquare.com/index_main.html (Japan)
www.intermezzomedia.com (Italy) www.moviegrooves.com

For questions or comments, contact the author at Soundtrax@cinescape.com