Soundtrax is sorry to report the untimely death of Oscar- and Emmy-winning composer, music teacher, and noted author Fred Karlin, who died of cancer on March 26 in Culver City, California at the age of 67.

Over three decades, Karlin composed more than two dozen feature-film scores and nearly 100 television productions. In the science fiction genre, Karlin was best known for his scores to 1973's WESTWORLD and its 1976 sequel, FUTUREWORLD. He also composed the music for the macabre western, THE STALKING MOON (1969; which Karlin issued on a private promotional CD last year).

More prevalent, though, was Karlin's lyrical melodies for romantic dramas like YOURS, MINE AND OURS (1968), THE STERILE CUCKOO (1969), and LOVING COUPLES (1980). He wrote the song "For All We Know" (with lyricists Robb Royer and James Griffin), which became a top-5 hit for The Carpenters and is now considered a standard in American songbook literature. The song was written for LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS (1970), and won Karlin a Best Song Oscar.

He received both an Oscar and Grammy nomination for his song, "Come Saturday Morning," with lyrics by Dory Previn, written for 1969's THE STERILE CUCKOO. The song was a big hit for The Sandpipers. Other Oscar nominations were for the song score to THE BABY MAKER (1970), with lyrics by his wife Megan Karlin (under pseudonym Tylwyth Kymry), and for the song "Come Follow, Follow Me" from THE LITTLE ARK (1972), also with lyrics by Meg Karlin.

Karlin only dabbled in television music occasionally, but those rare excursions resulted in the strikingly original theme for the science-fiction series THE MAN FROM ATLANTIS (1977) and two jazz-oriented scores Ron Leibman's KAZ (1978) and James Earl Jones' PARIS (1979, an early Steven Bochco detective drama), for which Karlin's music received an Emmy nomination.

In addition to his film musical compositions, Karlin was also a respected author and educator, having taught the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop for over a decade. He lectured and spoke around the world on music and filmusical topics. His 1990 book On the Track: A Guide to Contemporary Film Scoring (co-written with Rayburn Wright, and recently published in a revised and expanded Second Edition) has become the definitive textbook for emerging film and television composers.

Karlin also wrote Listening to Movies: A Film Lover's Guide to Film Music (Schirmer Books, 1994), a remarkable examination of what makes great film music great, and how one can better appreciate it as an art form of its own. At the time of his death, he had just completed his third book called 100 Great Film Scores (to be published next year).

I had gotten to know Fred after On the Track came out and shared some background data from my composer interviews and research with him for both Listening to Movies and 100 Great Film Scores. Is love of film music was an evidenced in his correspondence and writings as it was in the music he wrote; and his sincerity and openness was refreshing amongst Hollywood personalities. I found him one of the friendliest and most earnest professional film music aficionados in the business; his death comes as both a shock and a great loss to film music scholarship and eloquent analysis.

A memorial service is being planned for September, with further details to be announced by the family.

For more biographical details, see the news report posted at:

www.filmmusicsociety.org/news_events/news_events.html

It's not a soundtrack per se, but it does serve to musically reflect and complement a moody and atmospheric creation already noted for its visual creativity and dark ambiance. Fungicide is the latest example of a rare form of experimental music known as a "book soundtrack," a unique and disturbing assortment of stylistically unpredictable and wildly eclectic dark fantasy music composed and performed by Pittsburgh musician Robert Devereux, inspired by and meant to reflect the stories by World Fantasy Award winning author Jeff VanderMeer, specifically the "Ambergris" stories collected in 2002's City of Saints and Madmen.

Devereux, who has scored a number of student films and whose electronic music has been performed at Carnegie Melon University, sought both to [IMG3R]emulate VanderMeer's stories in his music the same way a film score would enhance the filmic experience; while at the same time also intending to provide music to be enjoyed by fans of dark and experimental music, regardless of any familiarity with VanderMeer's writing. Two tracks include spoken word segments from the short stories: an abridgement of "The Transformation of Martin Lake" is read by Elizabeth Cromwell, while "The Exchange" is read in its entirely by the author, without music. Each track contains written introduction by Devereux in the CD booklet.

The music is truly experimental and assorted moving freely from the earthy human reverberations of Tuvan throat singing to otherworldly computer created sound and a vast array of acoustic sounds reprocessed electronically in diverse means and measures. Some cues are direct sonic interpretations of specific stories, others are meant to suggest the music one would hear if one were actually present in VanderMeer's Ambergris, such as the antiquated march, "Festival of the Squid." All of it achieves a slightly unreal feel in order to establish the general ambiance behind City of Saints and Madmen. Other cues are subtly designed to reveal nuances from the stories that might not be readily evident, such as the cue inspired by VanderMeer's "The Exchange," wherein Deveruex deciphers his instrumental textures into vocal samples, thereby subliminally suggesting the vocal tonalities created by the story's first-person narrator.

Fungicide is mood music for alien landscapes and grotesque antiquity. There are no real themes that are developed, Hollywood style, to reflect growth and change in the characters or storyline; instead the music reflects individual moments and moods inherent within VanderMeer's literary imagination, each cue stating a specific mood, which is then modified and distorted to achieve a recurring tension and a nightmarish mood of unreality and unease. This is musical accompaniment for the ghouls who prowl the haunted streets of Ambergris.

For information on Robert Devereux or to order a copy of Fungicide, see:http://www.robertdevereux.com/.

A limited quantity of one of the rarest of private, limited film music recordings released in recent years has been unearthed. The Society for the Preservation of Film Music Tribute to Jerry Goldsmith, a unique collection of tracks from four of Goldsmith's lesser-known film scores, is now available in small supply to members of The Film Music Society. Archivists at the Society's Film Music Center recently discovered several dozen original units of the much sought-after compact disc while organizing a collection of rare movie sheet music donated in the early 1990s by composer Fred Karlin and his lyricist-wife Megan.

Produced by Intrada Records' Douglass Fake on behalf of the SPFM (now the FMS) as a Limited Edition of 500, the CDs had been numbered and offered as gifts to attendees at the organization's March 5, 1993 Career Achievement Award dinner honoring Goldsmith. "We were surprised to uncover more of these discs in storage," FMS President Christopher Young said, "because we thought all copies had been distributed back in '93." Young speculates that the newly found CDs must have been overage, a standard industry practice to allocate replacements for occasional flawed CDs. "It's a great bonus for Society members who've been trying to find a copy of this CD for the last 10 years."

The Goldsmith Tribute CD includes selections of three scores from Twentieth Century-Fox: THE FLIM-FLAM MAN (1967), TAKE A HARD RIDE (1975) and MAGIC (1976), all of which have since been released in full on CD. But selections from the fourth score, Walt Disney Pictures' BABY: SECRET OF THE LOST LEGEND (1984), remain unavailable through any other legitimate source. For more information, or to join the society and purchase one of these rare CDs (and also to learn how to spot the legitimate release from one of several bootlegged editions), see:

www.filmmusicsociety.org/news_events/news_events.html

Expanded LOTR Music: The news is out an expanded nine-disc CD set of Howard Shore's music for the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy is planned for release in 2005, following the expanded DVD release of the RETURN OF THE KING in November.

Howard Shore's Oscar-winning scores for the

Composer Howard Shore and his wife Elizabeth poses on arrivals at the premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King copyright Sue Schneider

© 2003 Sue Schneider

Therie is also word that part of the RETURN OF THE KING expanded DVD set may feature material covering Shore's recent transfer of the trilogy's music to a live concert setting, The Lord Of The Rings Symphony. "The DVD would also potentially have a 45-minute documentary which we shot on the making of the Symphony and full performance of it done with the Montreal Symphony," he added.

"It's very gratifying to see the see the music from [the films] find a new life on the concert stage." said Shore. "I don't think there's ever been a full concert piece of this size devoted to one particular film or series." Shore also confirmed to Empire that a two-disc CD release of the Royal Albert Hall concert is also in the works for release next year. - www.empireonline.co.uk/site/news/newsstory.asp?news_id=15807

Music from the Movies reports that the forthcoming sequel to Jim Carrey's THE MASK (1994), while it won't stars Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz or director Chuck Russell, but its original composer will reunite with the character to compose the new film. Randy Edelman has been hired to score SON OF THE MASK, directed by Lawrence Guterman (CATS AND DOGS). The film, which stars Jamie Kennedy, Alan Cumming, and Bob Hoskins, will premiere on 18th February 2005.
Edelman will also score another sequel: MISS CONGENIALITY 2 starring Sandra Bullock. The first film, from 2000, had a score by Edward Shearmur. The sequel is directed by John Pasquin (THE SANTA CLAUSE and JUNGLE 2 JUNGLE). As Music from the Movies revealed earlier, Randy Edelman will also score Rob Cohen's STEALTH together with BT, and also SURVIVING CHRISTMAS. www.musicfromthemovies.com

Mark Snow (X-FILES, SMALLVILLE, MILLENNIUM) is scoring the new film from directors Tim Daly and Clark Mathis, BEREFT, making its world premiere Thursday, May 6 (with additional screenings May 8 and 9) at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. After her fiancé's fatal hit-and-run, amateur photographer Molly (Vinessa Shaw, Eyes Wide Shut) refuses to travel by car. Yet in many other ways she becomes dangerously careless while grappling with life without love in her once-comforting Vermont town. Featuring assured performances by Shaw, Tim Blake Nelson (O Brother, Where Art Thou), and co director Daly (Wings, Diner).

Alan Silvestri's score for Stephen Sommers' much anticipated VAN HELSING theatrical feature is being released by Decca Records this week (read my review in last week's column). But there's another Van Helsing movie in the works, skulking forward in the shadows of the big budget movie. Universal's animated short film, VAN HELSING - THE LONDON ASSIGNMENT, is a prequel to the theatrical film, featuring the voice of Hugh Jackman among others. This film has been scored by John van Tongeren (CREATURE, THE CHEETAH GIRLS). Decca Records has announced that they will release a 32-minute CD (the film is only 33 minutes!) with van Tongeren's score on June 8^thas a companion piece to the more ambitious release of Alan Silvestri's score that came out on May 4th.

Inon Zur, the award-winning composer whose video game credits include SOCOM II: U.S. Navy Seals and Shadow Ops: Red Mercury, has recorded the original music soundtrack for Men Of Valor, the upcoming historical first-person shooter developed by 2015 and published by Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games), on the Eastwood Scoring Stage, Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

VU Games Director of Sound Christian Johnson said, "This outstanding orchestra and auspicious soundstage was the perfect complement to Inon's thoughtful, moving score." Men Of Valor is a historical action experience that portrays infantry combat during the Vietnam War. Combining the latest Unreal technology with the gameplay expertise of 2015 (developers of the award-winning Medal of Honor: Allied Assault), the game immerses the player in the humid jungles of Southeast Asia in the most controversial conflict of the modern era. Men Of Valor will ship to stores in North America in October 2004.

Men Of Valor Executive Producer Stephen Wickes added; "I was blown away by the performance and can't wait to share this music with the world when MEN OF VALOR ships this October."

Inon Zur composes and produces award-winning dramatic music for film, television and video games. In February 2004, Zur's main theme for SOCOM II: U.S. Navy Seals was honored as finalist for Best Original Instrumental Song in the Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards. As well, his epic score for Icewind Dale II was nominated for 2002 Music of the Year Award by The Game Audio Network Guild and 2002 Soundtrack of the Year Award by Game Industry News. GameSpot described his music as "a stirring, impressive symphonic soundtrack filled with soaring strings...Inon Zur does a truly fantastic job," while IGN praised his talent for composing "movie quality music." Zur has also been honored by G4 TV for excellence in cinematic music for games and his anthemic orchestral score for Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal was recognized in GameSpy's Best Music Awards.

Composer/Devo founder Mark Mothersbaugh (RUGRATS, THIRTEEN, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, THE LIFE AQUATIC, and the newly released ENVY) will receive the BMI Lifetime Achievement Award for his efforts on movie and TV music. The award will be presented on May 12 in Los Angeles at the annual black tie BMI Film and Television Awards Dinner. BMI, the US performing rights organization, will honor the composers of the top-grossing films of the past twelve months as well as the composers of the music for the top-rated prime-time network television series and cable programs. More than 100 Awards are scheduled to be presented at the dinner.

Filmscoremonthly.com notes that the Hollywood Reporter's latest Film & TV Music Special Issue is now on the stands and features an interview with Marco Beltrami on his score to HELLBOY, as well as shorter pieces on STEPHEN ENDELMAN (DE-LOVELY), Chad Fischer (GARDEN STATE), Harald Kloser (THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW), Robert Rodriguez (KILL BILL VOL. 2), Carlo Siliotto (THE PUNISHER) and John Swihart (NAPOLEON DYNAMITE).