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FILM MUSIC REVIEW - The Web
Magazine
![[Image]](pict197.jpg)
Previous CD Reviews -
Compilations
For past CD reviews, go to:
Previous Compilations (January - June 2000)
Previous Compilations (February - December 1999)
Previous Soundtracks (January - June 2000)
Previous Soundtracks (January - December 1999)
Review Rundown:
With so many new releases coming out these days, it is very difficult to review everything. So, only a selected bunch of compilations are reviewed here. Each month usually one or two compilations are highlighted as Editor's Choices for BEST OF THE MONTH.
No bootlegs or other illegal CDs are reviewed or discussed here. I don't recommend buying them because the composers or their estates lose any royalties they deserve.
The titles have been chosen to cover a broad range of new and vintage compilations. The comments and ratings are based on the whole CD package - recorded music, booklet notes and art design.
Ratings:
***** (Superlative)
**** (Excellent)
***1/2 (Very Good)
*** (Good)
** (Fair)
* (Poor)
Each month one or two compilations are selected for Best of the Month. These compilations are chosen on the date of the review, and not necessarily at the end of the month, and are those felt worthy of exceptional merit. These selected compilations have this heading above them:
| Editor's Choice - Best of the Month |
| Previous Reviews (July - November 2000) |
November:
*BEN-HUR: The Essential Miklos Rozsa (2 CDs) (Silva Screen) - Best of the Month
BRITISH FILM MUSIC, Volume II (Pearl)
October:
*INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS (Lee Holdridge & German songs)(Chapter III Records) - Best of the Month
September:
PRIME TIME - Original Television Music (Sonic Images)
August:
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (and other jungle pictures)(Monstrous Movie Music) - Best of the Month
SPACE3 - Beyond The Final Frontier (2-CD set)(Silva America)
July:
BEST OF STAR TREK, VOLUME 2 (GNP Crescendo)
ELMER BERNSTEIN: MUSIC FOR THE FILMS OF CHARLES & RAY EAMES (Amber Records) - Best of the Month
November Reviews
| Editor's Choice - Best Compilation CD of the Month |
BEN-HUR: The Essential Miklos Rozsa
2 CD set. The City of Prague Philharmonic, conducted by Kenneth Alwyn, Paul Bateman and Nic Raine; Crouch End Festival Chorus, David Temple, Musical Director. Produced by David Wishart and James Fitzpatrick. Executive Producer: Reynold da Silva. Associate Producers: Nic Raine and Paul Bateman. Album Design: Colin Parker. Sleeve notes: David Wishart. Chief Digital Recording Engineer: John Luard Timperley. Assistant Engineer: Jan Holzner. Dolby Surround and HDCD mastering: Gareth Williams and Ian Shephard.
Silva Screen America SSD 1117.
Rating: ****
Track Titles:
DISC ONE (52:19)
BEN-HUR (1959) - Suite
1. Prelude (3:42); 2. Love Theme (2:58); 3. Parade of the Charioteers (3:38)
PROVIDENCE ( 1977)
4. Valse Crespesculaire/ Finale (6:10)
JULIUS CAESAR (1953)
5. Caesar Now Be Still/ Finale (6:26)
EL CID (1961)
6. Overture (3:32); 7. LoveTheme (4:15)
SODOM AND GOMORRAH (1962)
8. Overture (5:03)
BEAU BRUMMELL (1954)
9. Prelude/ The King's Visit & Farewell (6:41)
SPELLBOUND (1945)
10. Concerto for Orchestra (9:34)
DISC TW0 (51:33)
THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1940)
1. Main Title (2:20); 2. The Love of a Princess (4:49); 3. Flying Horse Gallop (1:37); 4. The Market at Basra (3:02)
KING OF KINGS (1961)
5. Prelude (2:50); 6. The Lord's Prayer (2:44)
ALL THE BROTHERS WERE VALIANT (1953)
7. Main Title/ Finale (5:07)
MADAME BOVARY (1949)
8. Waltz (4:47)
THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1973)
9. Prelude/ Sinbad Battles Kali/ Finale (4:52)
QUO VADIS (1951)
10. Prelude (2:21)
11. Arabesque (5:22)
12. Romanza (6:37)
13. AveCaesar (4:52)
Over the years, Silva Screen has produced a number of fine 2 CD compilation sets for such composers as: John Barry, Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Herrmann and James Horner. This latest set is one of their best.
For those who love Rozsa's film music, and I'm one of them, this is an outstanding collection worth savoring for its many delights. There are 23 tracks from 13 different films covering the years from 1940 to 1977. Many of these are from Rozsa's epic classics, including: BEN-HUR, JULIUS CAESAR, EL CID, KING OF KINGS and QUO VADIS. Both discs have much to enjoy.
The first disc opens with a suite from probably Rozsa's greatest score, BEN-HUR. I chose this as No. 2 just behind Herrmann's CITIZEN KANE on my list of Top 100 Film Scores of the Century. The three tracks provide a good sampling of the riches found in this breathtaking score, from the majestic Prelude to the gorgeous Love Theme and on to the memorable Parade of the Charioteers. Next follows two cues from one of Rozsa's last scores. The Valse Crespescilaire is especially beautiful. Following JULIUSCAESAR and EL CID with two tracks apiece, there is a wonderful Overture to SODOM AND GOMORRAH and two emotion drenched cues from BEAU BRUMMELL. The first disc closes with the Concerto taken from themes in SPELLBOUND, for which Rozsa received the first of three Academy Awards.
Disc two has more delights. It begins with the suite from THIEF OF BAGDAD, a wonderfully entertaining Arabian Nights fantasy. Especially enjoyable are "The Love of a Princess" (beautifully played) and the whimsical "Flying Horse Galop." The other tracks are all worth having. The Crouch End Festival Chorus sings with great fervor on the KING OF KINGS and QUO VADIS cues.
The playing by The City of Prague Philharmonic is mostly quite good, under the direction of three different conductors, who have each made many recordings for Silva.
The CD notes by David Wishart are succinct and very informative. For once the album design doesn't detract much from reading Wishart's finely crafted notes. Oddly enough, the notes that are hardest to read are those for the title score, BEN-HUR. But even they can be read if your eyesight is strong enough.
As usual with Silva recordings, the Dolby Surround sound on these two discs is superb. This compilation makes a nice companion to the marvelous Rhino set, "Miklos Rozsa at M-G-M."
If you want to hear re-recordings of score themes by one of the greatest film composers, then this compilation is about as good as you're likely to find anywhere. Rozsa's music deserves top notch playing and recording and that's what you'll hear on these two disc. I highly recommend this wonderful compilation.
--Roger Hall, 3 November 2000
For more information, go to: www.silvascreen.com
BRITISH FILM MUSIC, Volume II
Total Time = 79:31. Produced and transferred by Roger Beardsley. Notes by Roger Thomas and Jonathan Dobson.
Pearl Records GEM 0101.
Rating: ***1/2
Track Titles:
THINGS TO COME (Arthur Bliss)
1. Prologue (2:44)
2. Ballet for Children (3:44)
3. March (3:38)
4. World in Ruins (2:38)
5. Melodrama - Pestilence (2:09)
6. Melodrama - Attack (2:52)
7. Epilogue (7:07)
COASTAL COMMAND (Vaughan Williams)
8. Prelude (1:37)
9. The Sunderland Goes In Close (3:09)
49TH PARALLEL (Vaughan Williams)
10. Epilogue (4:21)
MALTA G.C. (Arnold Bax)
11. Opening Fanfare - Old Valetta - Air Raid (6:58)
12. Gay March (1:30)
13. Intermezzo (1:51)
14. Work and Play (4:33)
15. March (3:08)
DANGEROUS MOONLIGHT (Richard Addinsell)
16. The Warsaw Concerto (8:01)
THEIRS IS THE GLORY (Guy Warrack)
17. Men of Arnheim (3:47)
WESTERN APPROACHES (Clifford Parker)
18. Seascape (6:12)
LOVE STORY (Hubert Bath)
19. Cornish Rhapsody (6:10)
THE STORY OF A FLEMISH FARM (Vaughan Williams)
Since I missed hearing Volume I, I'm very glad to catch the second volume since it contains so many English film score classics of the 1930s and '40s. Nine of them are included on this compilation. Most of the seven composers represented made their mark both in films and in the concert hall.
The biggest find of this compilation are the original tracks from the first great sci-fi flick, THINGS TO COME (1936). Anyone who has seen this impressive and now somewhat dated film, based on a rather gloomy H.G. Wells story, will no doubt remember the forceful and uplifting music by Sir Arthur Bliss. Only three tracks (2, 5, 6) have been available before. The remaining tracks are available for the first time on CD. Highlights of the suite include the exuberant "March"; the frightening "World in Ruins"; and especially the rhapsodic "Epilogue." Even though the tracks are from the original masters recorded March 3, 1935, the sound is surprisingly good. All tracks feature the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bliss.
Ralph VaughanWilliams is generally considered one of the greatest English composers of all time and certainly a major force in 20th century concert music. Three of his film scores are included in this compilation: 49TH PARALLEL (his first one, 1941); COASTAL COMMAND (1942); and THE STORY OF A FLEMISH FARM (1943). Taking each one separately. 49TH PARALLEL has the noble Prologue, recorded in 1946 and performed by The London Symphony conducted by Muir Mathieson. COASTAL COMMAND features two tracks recorded in 1943, the short Prelude and "The Sunderland Goes in Close," with the BBC Orchestra conducted again by Mathieson. The third score excerpt, recorded in 1944, has the "Dawn Scene," performed by The London Symphony Orchestra under Mathieson's direction.
Besides the THINGS TO COME suite, the next longest one is Arnold Bax's score from MALTA G.C. It was recorded in 1943 and 1947 with both the BBC Symphony Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra performing, all under Muir Mathieson capable direction. I must say that this music is not as compelling as the Bliss and Vaughan Williams scores. The Bax score sounds too sentimental and fussy.
There are also single tracks from scores by Guy Warrack (THEIRS IS THE GLORY, 1945) and Clifford Parker (WESTERN APPROACHES, 1944). Both are appealing but nothing really special.
Then we come to two of the best known pieces from English films of that era: Richard Addinsell's "Warsaw Concerto" from DANGEROUS MOONLIGHT (1941)(title changed in the US version to: SUICIDE SCANDRON); and Hubert Bath's "Cornish Rhapsody" from LOVE STORY (1944). Both of these pieces have become standards in light classical or Pops concerts.
Naturally with score masters this old the sound is not always ideal. But the producer Roger Beardsley has done an admirable job of transferring these to CD. The same skill applies to the informative notes by Roger Thomas and Jonathan Dobson (who found the THINGS TO COME test pressings in the collection of Sir Henry Wood).
A very good collection of classic British scores made from the original pressings in the 1940s. If you're a fan of British film music, then you'll definitely want this CD.
--Roger Hall, 3 November 2000
October Review
| Editor's Choice - Best Compilation CD of the Month |
INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS - Stories of the Kindertransport (2000)
Total Time = 42:32. Music from the Documentary Film. Original Music Composed and Conducted by Lee Holdridge. Produced by Lee Holdridge. Orchestrations by Lee Holdridge, Ira Hearshen, James Sale. Performed by Seattlemusic. Soloists: Laura DeLuca, clarinet; Charles Butler, trumpet; Meade Crane, piano. Songs performed by Bambini Di Praga, Kinderchor des NDR and Vienna Boys Choir. Album Produced by Deborah Oppenheimer. Executive Album Producer: Randy Gerston. Executives in Charge of Music for Warner Bros.: Gary LeMel & Doug Frank. A&R Directrion: Amy Rosen. Album Art Direction: Peggy Zier. Album Production Coordinator: Vicky Houston. Mastered by David Mitson. Sound Designer & Re-Recording Mixer: Gary Rydstrom. Post Production Sound Services: Skywalker Sound.
Chapter III Records CHA 1006-2
Rating: ****
Track Titles:
1. Main Theme (Lee Holdridge)(2:32)
2. Four songs (Bambini Di Praga)(2:54) - arranged by Jan Hala
3. "Alle Vogel sind schon da" (Kinderchor des NDR)(1:41) - arranged by Erich Bender
4. "Hanschen klein ging allein" (Kinderchor des NDR)(1:37) - arranged by Erich Bender
5. "Wenn ich ein Voglein war" (Kinderchor des NDR)(1:48) - arranged by Erich Bender
6. "Gathering Daydreams" (Lee Holdridge)(4:38)
7. "Last Goodbyes" (Lee Holdridge)(3:50)
8. "Woll'n heimgehn" (Kinderchor des NDR)(1:01) - arranged by Erich Bender
9. "Als under Mops ein Mopschen war (Vienna Choir Boys & Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Uwe Christian Harrer, condcutor)(1:40) - arranged by Helmuth Froschauer
10. "Celebration" (adapted from "Simon Tov") - arranged by Lee Holdridge and Ira Hearshen)(1:46)
11. "Somewhere To Belong" (Lee Holdridge)(4:07)
12. "Living With The Past" (Lee Holdridge)(5:28)
13. "End Title" (Lee Holdridge)(5:41)
14. "Kycera, Kycera" (Bambini Di Praga)(1:00) - arranged by Bohumil Kulinsky
15. "Und in dem Schoengebirge" (Kinderchor des NDR)(2:25) -
Every so often a soundtrack comes along with an especially impressive selection of music. This is one of those soundtracks. Like the Elmer Bernstein collection of music for films of Charles & Ray Eames (Best of the Month for July), INTO THE ARMS OF CHILDREN has a similar childlike innocence. In this case it has 11 children's songs, beautifully sung by Kinderchor des NDR and Bambini Di Praga. Plus there is also a wonderful score of about 26 minutes by Lee Holdridge that makes this soundtrack even more worthwhile.
The music is from an outstanding documentary from producer Deborah Oppenheimer and writer/director, Mark Harris. It concerns the children from Germany and elsewhere who during World War II were sent to safety in England. In many cases they never saw their parents again, since the Nazis sent them to concentration camps. The producer writes in her notes that her own mother never talked about losing her parents after she was sent to England. It was only after her mother died in 1993 that the family found her letters from her parents. So this is highly personal material. And the stories portrayed in the film need sensitive underscoring.
The Main Theme is a lovely piece which begins with a simple piano and harp motif which is expanded upon with the chamber orchestra and also solo instruments. The theme is childlike but not childish. Then there are a series of 7 delightful children's songs, although their message is also quite poignant. Take, for example, the song "Wenn ich ein Voglein war" (If I were a little bird/ And had two little wings too/ I could fly to you/ But because this can't be/ I'll stay right here). This heatbreaking song, sung by a little child soloist, expresses the sadness the children must have felt about being separated from their parents. In his score, Lee Holdridge wisely picks up on this irony and includes a brief quote from this children's song in track 7, "Last Goodbyes." Arranged for a chamber ensemble, it is beautifully scored. This is one of the strongest cues in his score. Another one is track 6, "Gathering Darkness," where he used a more dissonant style reminscent of the atonalists. As Holdridge writes in his interesting CD booklet notes: "The development of the atonal music of Webern, Schoenberg, and Berg has always struck me as paralleling the darkening political and social events of the time." There is also happier music portrayed, such as the infectious "Celebration" - a great arrangement of the tradional tune, "Simon Tov."
The attractively designed 20 page booklet has notes by Deborah Oppenheimer, Lee Holdridge, and Gary Rydstrom (Sound Designer and Re-recording Mixer), plus black & white stills of the children from the documentary. Rydstrom writes that this documentary "is about memories and emotions. The sounds of the film - both Lee Holdridge's music and the sound effects - are meant to help us hear these stories through the perspectives of the children who grew up to be the storytellers." You can hear the sounds of distant trains on parts of this soundtrack. And the music is obviously an important aspect of these emotional stories. Lee Holdridge has done a masterful job with this task. Just listen to track 12, "Living With The Past" and see if you can't feel the pain that is shared by these storytellers.
But as Holdridge writes in his notes: "In the end the film is very hopeful to me. The fact that people gave of themselves and sheltered and cared for children of total strangers, in the face of war and uncertainty, is a testament to the ultimate triumph of humanity over evil." And his inspired music is a reflection of those noble acts of heroism.
This is a rare combination of songs and score that work perfectly together. Both the children's songs and Lee Holdridge's sensitive score are skillfully accomplished on this CD. I recommend it highly.
--Roger Hall, 4 October 2000
For more information, go to: www.chapteriii.com
September Review
PRIME TIME - Original
Television Music
Total Time = 57:38. Compiled by Nicolai Ugrinsky. Mastered by Chas Ferry. Design by Wolfgang Fenschel.
Sonic Images SID-8922
Rating: ***
Track Titles:
1. THE OUTER LIMITS (Remix) (3:33)
2. PACIFIC BLUE (Main Theme - Just Another Day in L.A.)(1:10)
3. As Good As She (from THE SENTINEL) (3:42)
4. RAVEN (Theme) (1:15)
5. See The Light (from RAVEN) (3:31)
6. POLTERGEIST (Techno Legacy)(3:35)
7. LOIS & CLARK (Extended Remix) (4:38)
8. CHICAGO HOPE (Main Title - Second Season)(0:51)
9. New Hope (from CHICAGO HOPE)(3:24)
10. LOIS & CLARK (Main Title Theme)(1:03)
11. LONESOME DOVE (Main Title)(5:15)
12. The Magic Wind (from CONAN)(2:37)
13. CRUSADE (Main Title)(1:21)
14. BABYLON 5 (Main Title - Second Season)(1:27)
15. BABYLON 5 (Main Title - Fifth Season)(1:32)
16. Spirit Thief (from POLTERGEIST - THE LEGACY)(5:21)
17. THE SENTINEL (Theme)(0:38)
18. Bus Chase (from THE SENTINEL)(6:27)
19. Legacy II (Rest in Peace - from POLTERGEIST - THE LEGACY)(2:38)
20. Clark In The Country (from LOIS & CLARK)(1:41)
21. Volunteers/End Credits (from EARTH: FINAL CONFLICT)(1:52)
This compilation of music from television series has some good tracks and some bad ones too. That's my opinion as a reviewer listening carefully to the flow of the various tracks.
Unfortunately, the opening track is the worst one on the CD. The "remix" just sounds too heavily techno and offers nothing except weirdness. The main theme song from PACIFIC BLUE by Christopher Franke has a certain rock bounciness to it. But the next track has a song, "As Good As She," with no singer identifed. It's nothing much. Tracks 4 and 5 have excerpts from RAVEN, with music by Franke. Both tracks sound well grounded in the rock & jazz-rock idioms. But the next two tracks from POLTERGEIST (music by John Van Tongeren) and LOIS & CLARK (music by Jay Gruska) are pretty thin in their ideas. The two tracks from CHICAGO HOPE (track 8 by Mark Isham; track 9 by Jeff Bona) are both good ones, especially Bona's effective use of guitars and keyboard. Then there is the great theme by Basil Pouledouris from LONESOME DOVE, a truly memorable main title. The main title from CRUSADE by Evan H. Chen is totally forgettable. The two main titles from BABYLON 5 (tracks 14-15) are both exciting. The remainder of the tracks are okay but nothing special.
The foldout booklet design is very colorful, with information about who composed each piece and which Sonic Images album it was taken from.
If you don't already have these TV soundtracks and like this type of action music, then you might want to pick this up as a handy sampler.
--Roger Hall, 8 September 2000
August Reviews
| Editor's Choice - Best Compilation CD of the Month |
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (and other jungle pictures)
Total Time = 64:06. Radio Symphony Orchestra of Slovakia (Bratislava), Masatoshi Mitsumoto. conductor. Music restored by Kathleen Mayne. Produced by David Schecter and Kathleen Mayne. Recording Engineer: Hubert Geschwandtner. Slovakian Digital Editing: Vladimir Valovic and Hubert Geschwandtner. Digital Editing and Mastering: Thomas Bartke. Design: Jade Imaging. Covert art: Robert Aragon. Liner notes: David Schecter. Recorded April 14-25, 1998 in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Montrous Movie Music MMM-1952
Rating: *****
Track Titles:
The M-G-M Tarzan Films (5:07)
1. Fanfare (Snell)/ A Cannibal Carnival (Levy)(1:35)
2. In the Woodland (Stothart)(1:16)
3. Tarzan Montage (Snell)(0:26)
4. End Title (Amfitheatrof)(0:13)
5. New End Cast (Stothart)(0:30)
6. My Tender One (Axt)(1:07)
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954)(35:34)
7. Main Title (Stein)(1:17)
8. Prologue (Stein)(1:48)
9. The Webbed Hand (Stein)(0:33)
10. The Diver (Mancini)(1:07)
11. Marine Life (Mancini)(0:30)
12. Almost Caught (Salter)(1:19)
13. Digger's Failure (Mancini)(0:48)
14. Unknown River (Mancini)(1:09)
15. Tale of the Mermaid (Dolan)(1:06)
16. Salvage of the Lady Luck (Rosen)(4:05)
17. Duke's Little Helper (Mancini)(0:340
18. Kay and the Monster, Part 1 (Stein)(2:35)
19. Kay and the Monster, Part 2 (Stein)(1:52)
20. Tony Visits Port Royale, Part 1 (Stein)(1:50)
21. Brad Rescues Tony, Part 2 (Rosen)(1:22)
22. Henry's Trap (Rosen)(0:50)
23. Clay Meets a Badman (Rosen)(2:25)
24. That Hand Again (Stein) (1:02)
25. Monster Caught (Mancini)(1:04)
26. Minyora's Plan (Mancini)(0:59)
27. Monster Gets Mark, Part 1 (Mancini)(2:14)
28. Monster Gets Mark, Part 2 (Mancini)(2:49)
29. End Title (Salter)(1:54)
30. End Cast (Stein)(0:27)
THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE (Irving Gertz, 1959)(16:16)
31. Main Title (2:00)
32. Truth Serum (1:51)
33. Shocker, Part II (0:47)
34. Dark Memories (0:59)
35. The Swamp (1:12)
36. Cobalt Bomb (1:11)
37. His Mother (1:05)
38. Shocker, Part 1 (1:24)
39. Get That Gator (0:21)
40. Alligator Head (1:54)
41. Paul's Death, Part I (0:46)
42. Paul's Death, Part II (0:57)
43. The End (0:17)
44. Alligator Piano (1:28)
BONUS TRACKS
45. Unknown River (complete)(1:17)
46. Main Title (2:00)
47. His Mother (1:07)
48. Alligator Head (1:59)
49. Paul's Death, Part 2 (0:56)
This is the third in a series of marvelous fantasy scores from the 1950s. The previous two were: "Monstrous Movie Music" (THE MOLE PEOPLE/ THEM!/ IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE/ IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA) and "More Monstrous Music" ( TARANTULA/ THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS/ THE MONOLITH MONSTERS/ GORGO). The third CD expands its horizon a bit and goes into the jungle in search of music from Tarzan films of the 1930s and '40s. It also includes two other jungle related scores from the '50s, with most of the CD devoted to CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. The other score is Irving Gertz's lesser known one for THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE. I'll discuss each in the order they appear on the CD. Most of the references are courtesy of David Schecter's incredibly detailed CD notes.
The 6 tracks devoted to music from the M-G-M Tarzan films are mostly quite brief. The first track has an appropriate "Fanfare" by David Snell, which he originally composed for GOLD RUSH MAISIE, a 1940 comedy starring Ann Southern. Then follows a cue called "A Cannibal Carnival," originally written in 1920 by Sol Levy, which became one of the best remembered Tarzan themes. Following that first track are several short ones used in various Tarzan films, often at the end of the film. The best of these is William Axt's "My Tender One," which first appeared at the end of TARZAN AND HIS MATE (1934). This tender theme had originally been used for the M-G-M film, ESKIMO, from a year earlier. As David Schecter points out in his notes: "The Tarzan movies owe little of their success to their music scores...This has nothing to do with the music's quality, but rather its scarcity." Even though there is only about 5 minutes in the Tarzan suite, it's just plain fun to listen to.
Over half this CD is devoted to one of the best monster films of the '50s: CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. I had the great delight of seeing this classic when it opened back in 1954 and saw it in 3-D as well! But you don't need those special 3-D glasses to follow this very evocative score. Fortunately, Schechter has provided a detailed rundown for each track in the suite.
The cues came from five different composers: Herman Stein, Henry Mancini, Milton Rosen, Hans J. Salter, and Robert Emmett Dolan. The opening "Main Title" by Herman Stein features the memorable Gill-Man Creature theme, which Schecter correctly identifies as sounding like "Bah-Bah-Bahhh!" (that's two sixteenth notes leading to a three note dissonant chord). This theme is used anytime the Gill-Man is seen on screen. It may be overused, as Schecter suggests in his notes, but it's very effective in building suspense. The same technique was used by John Williams twenty one years later in his JAWS theme.
It was typical for Universal International movies in the '50s to have just one name listed in the credits: "Music Direction by Joseph Gershenson." He was not the composer, but instead head of the music department. So, how do you know who wrote which cue in CREATURE FROM THE BLAC LAGOON?
All you need to do is look at the CD booklet and case where all the tracks are clearly identified. In his notes, Schecter further breaks down the 44 cues originally used in CREATURE this way: 29 composed for this film (Salter = 12; Mancini = 10; Stein = 7) and 15 composed for previous Universal movies (Rosen = 6; Stein = 4; Mancini =2; Salter = 2; Dolan=1). So if you add these all together, then the three composers with the most cues are: Salter, Mancini and Stein. There was a limited edition LP put out by Tony Thomas back in 1978 titled: "The Classic Horror Music of Hans J. Salter" which has a 15 minute suite from CREATURE. So not much of Salter's music is included on the MMM CD. The 35 minute suite doesn't provide all 44 cues, but instead presents all the previously unreleased music from the movie. Of the 24 cues, the breakdown is: Mancini =9; Stein = 8; Salter = 2; Rosen = 4; Dolan =1. Twenty one of the cues are available for the first time on CD.
What is readily apparent from listening to these cues is how subtle most of the score turns out to be, with only occasional interruptions from the Gill-Man theme, such as Salter's "Almost Caught" (track 12). Two of the most exciting cues are by Mancini: "Monster Gets Mark, Parts 1 and 2" (tracks 27-28). And he contributed some softer themes as well. For example, "Marine Life" with its appealing combination of flutes and clarinets; and "Unknown River" with French horns and woodwinds providing the love theme for Kay (Julia Adams) and David (Richard Carlson). The next track, Dolan's "Tale of the Mermaid," was originally composed for the 1948 film, MR. PEABODY AND THE MERMAID. It fits this CREATURE setting equally well. As does track 16, "Salvage Of The Lady Luck," with prominent use of horns, Novachord, vibraphone, harp, and low woodwinds. This cue was originally written for CITY BENEATH THE SEA (1953). It's amazing how well these aquatic cues can be inserted into another movie without much alteration. That's an indication of how well these composers applied their craft of film scoring. With the "End Title" by Salter and "End Cast" by Stein, this suite is brought to a grand and triumphant conclusion. This score is as good an example as you're likely to hear of a successful patchwork score.
Moving on to THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE. Let's face it - this isn't one of the best '50s monster flicks. Yet the score by Irving Gertz is a most impressive one. Like the one composed by Stein for CREATURE, Gertz has composed a "Main Title" in a kind of '50s modernistic style. In that same track is what Schecter calls the "swamp/alligator motif" - using an electric violin (played by Terry Glenny). The next track, "Truth Serum," is especially eerie, sounding like music from an episode of THE TWILGHT ZONE. It features vibraphone, marimba, harp and Novachord. The rest of the tracks continue with the suspense of this often silly story of man turned into an alligator. Examples of this suspense are found in such cues as "Shocker (Parts I and II)" and the really weird sounding "Alligator Head," which Schecter writes "is possibly the most aptly titled cue in the history of film music." But it definitely has a certain stylish '50s flair to it. After the two short cues for "Paul's Death" and "The End," there is a wonderful track called "Alligator Piano" (played by Valeria Kellyova) which ends abruptly. This cue has the unused version written by Gertz.
As if we don't get enough goodies, there are also 5 bonus tracks. The first one (track 45) is a more complete version of a Mancini cue (track 14). The other four tracks are from THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE, as Schecter explains, "the electric violin obscurs a lot of interesting orchestrations so these four tracks present the music without the solo overdubs."
The 40 page booklet is overflowing with fascinating background about the films and the music, rundowns on all the cues, a few well chosen score illustrations and some candid composer photos and bios about them as well. The cover artwork is beautifully done by California artist, Robert Aragon. Kathleen Mayne is to be congratulated for her excellent music restorations. Along with John Morgan of the Marco Polo series, she continues to do high quality restoration work.
And make sure to read the extensive liner notes. Schecter's research is really thorough and provides lots of laughs too. What other CD producer spends so much time writing such informative notes? Most just dash off a few words of praise for their composer pal. Schecter gives us lots more than that.
This CD is a real treasure and should be part of every film music lovers collection.
Find out what was going on with some great monster scores from the '50s.
Buy this CD!
--review by Roger Hall, 16 August 2000
================================================================
Important Note:
This CD is not available in stores, but you can get it directly from the record company.
For ordering, send an e-mail to: monstrous@earthlink.net
To read more about the CD, go to: www.mmmrecordings.com
Mailing address: Monstrous Movie Music, P.O. Box 7088, Burbank, CA 91510-7088
Also still available and highly recommended:
MONSTROUS MOVIE MUSIC (MMM-1950)
MORE MONSTROUS MOVIE MUSIC (MMM-1951)
SPACE3 - Beyond The Final Frontier
The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra; Crouch End Festival Chorus, David Temple, Choir Master; Conducted by Paul Bateman and Nic Raine. Produced by James Fitzpatrick. Executive Producer: Reynold da Silva. Associate Producers: Rickie Clark and Ford A. Thaxton. Chief Recording Engineer: John Luard Timperley. Assistant Engineer: Jan Holzner. Orchestra recorded at Smecky Studios, Prague, September 1999 and February 2000. Choir recorded at Whitefield Street Studios, London by Mike Ross-Trevor. Mastering: Gareth Williams and Ian Shepherd. Recorded in Dolby Surround. Art Director/ Album Design: Colin Parker. Sleeve notes by James Fitzpatrick.
Silva America SSD 1112 (2 CD Set)
Rating: ***1/2
Track Titles:
DISC ONE (62:58)
ALIEN INVADERS
1. ALIENS (Prelude/ Ripley's Rescue) - James Horner (5:54)
2. GHOSTBUSTERS (Main Title) - Elmer Bernstein (3:12)
3. IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (The Thing Strikes/ Desert Rendevous) - Henry Mancini (4:17)
4. STRANGE INVADERS (Suite) - John Addison (8:27)
SUPERHEROES
5. JUDGE DREDD (Suite) - Alan Silvestri (4:50)
6. ROBOCOP (Rock Shop/ Home/ Van Chase/ The Dream) - Basil Pouledouris (9:31)
TIME TRAVEL
7. THE TIME MACHINE (London 1900/ Filbey's Theme) - Russell Garcia (2:28)
8. BACK TO THE FUTURE (Main Theme) - Alan Silvestri (3:25)
9. THE CAPE (Main Theme) - John Debney (3:11)
TO BOLDLY GO...
10. STAR TREK: THE MENAGERIE (Suite) - Alexander Courage (8:27)
11. STAR FLEET ACADEMY (Opening) - Ron Jones (4:02)
12. STAR TREK: INSURRECTION (End Title Suite) - Jerry Goldsmith (5:06)
DISC TWO (68:09)
JOURNEYS INTO SPACE
1. THE LAST STARFIGHTER (Main Theme) - Craig Safan (3:08)
2. SILENT RUNNING (The Space Fleet) - Peter Schickele (4:09)
3. JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN (Main Theme/ The Sleeping Astronauts/ Finale) - Barry Gray (5:57)
4. LOST IN SPACE (End Titles) - Bruce Broughton (3:26)
5. GALAXY QUEST (Suite) - David Newman (7:11)
6. THINGS TO COME (The Children's Ballet) - Arthur Bliss (3:46)
7. THINGS TO COME (March) - Arthur Bliss (3:59)
8. THE MATRIX (Anything is Possible) - Don Davis (8:08)
DESTRUCTION FROM THE SKY
9. METEOR (End Titles Suite) - Laurence Rosenthal (5:03)
10. DEEP IMPACT (The Wedding) - James Horner (4:18)
11. ARMAGEDDON (Harry & Grace/ Launch) - Trevor Rabin (5:08)
STAR WARS EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE - John Williams
12. The Flag Parade (3:18)
13. Anakin's Theme (2:51)
14. The Adventures of Jar Jar (3:26)
15. Duel of the Fates (4:10)
As the title indicates, this is the third in a series of Silva 2 CD sets devoted to sci-fi scores. The previous sets were SPACE AND BEYOND and ALIEN INVASIONS: SPACE AND BEYOND II. Like those two sets, SPACE3 has lots of music and lots of score themes or suites - 23 in all. So that much is similar with all three sets. But SPACE3 puts too much emphasis on more recent scores already available in more complete versions.
Disc One has two '50s scores plus 10 more recent ones. Of the '50s scores, I think that the best one is the nostalgic "Filbey's Theme" from Russell Garcia's fine score for THE TIME MACHINE. With the exception of the awkwardly recorded Theremin, I also liked the two cues from Henry Mancini's portion of IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE. You can get a much fuller version of that chilling score by Mancini, Irving Gertz and Herman Stein on the very enjoyable CD, "MONSTROUS MOVIE MUSIC."
Other scores I liked on the first disc were John Addison's jazz-electronic-orchestral suite for SPACE INVADERS; the suite from ROBOCOP by Basil Pouledouris; and the suite from STAR TREK: THE MENAGERIE by Alexander Courage, which begins with the classic '60s ultra-lounge main theme. This suite was used for a two part episode in the first series of STAR TREK and it's overflowing with colorful music which is well performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic. The other two STAR TREK performances (Ron Jones and Jerry Goldsmith) are okay, but neither of them has the impact of the Courage suite. Both tracks have more sluggish performances than found on the original soundtracks, especially in the trumpets and horns.
Disc Two has more to offer the listener. Opening with the Craig Safan's noble main theme from THE LAST STARFIGHTER, and the next track has Peter Schikele (classical music fans also know him as PDQ Bach), who provides an impressive "Space Fleet" theme for SILENT RUNNING from 1971. I didn't care much for the suite from Barry Gray's JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN (aka: DOPPELGANGER) from 1969, which sounds better suited to a psychological melodrama, especially with its frequent use of the Ondes Martentot. I also did care much for the End Titles to LOST IN SPACE or the suite from GALAXY QUEST. Strangely, both main themes sound almost like they come from the same some.
That's not the case with the two cues from the landmark score by Sir Arthur Bliss are most welcome indeed. First is the charming "Children's Ballet" and that is followed by the famous "March." The Bliss score for the groundbreaking H.G. Wells story, THINGS TO COME, is a classic. Composed for the 1936 film directed by the visionary William Cameron Menzies, it is certainly the first great sci-fi score.
Of the remaining scores on the second disc, I didn't much care for the suite from METEOR. But I liked the ones from ARMAGEDDON and THE MATRIX (both with good mix of chorus and orchestra) and also the lovely cue, "The Wedding," from DEEP IMPACT. The four tracks from THE PHANTON MENACE are okay but are missing the intensity found on the original soundtrack, which itself is less than satisfactory.
The CD booklet is not very appealing with its silly "Biological Hazard - Warning Hazchem Multi-Storage Virus" label and logo on the cover. Once again the booklet notes are hard to read printed over a black background. I'm very tired of black outer space designs for sci-fi CDs. Can't we have a lighter background for a change so the notes can be read easier? Especially when they are so concise and informative like they the ones written by James Fitzpatrick for this compilation.
If you don't already have these scores and want a sampling of them, especially the more recent ones, then this compilation should serve that purpose nicely. As always there is superb Surround Sound on these Silva CDs. But the City of Prague Philharmonic does better with the vintage scores, like THINGS TO COME, rather than with a recent score like THE PHANTOM MENACE.
With over two hours of music, this compilation is a very good value.
--review by Roger Hall, 16 August 2000
July Reviews
THE BEST OF STAR TREK, Volume Two
Total Time = 63:44. Executive Album Producer: Neil Norman. Associate Album Producer: Mark Banning. Creative Consultant: Ford A. Thaxton. Digitally Transferred and Mastered By Charlie Watts. CD Art Direction: Mark Banning. Liner Notes: Randall D. Larson.
GNP Crescendo GNPD 8061.
Rating: ***1/2
Track Titles:
[* = cue not used in program]
[** = previously released track]
[+ = contains theme from STAR TREK TV series by A. Courage]
STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES
1. Theme from STAR TREK - Season 1 (A. Courage, arr. F. Steiner)
2. Suite from THE CORBOMITE MANEUVER (F. Steiner)
3. Suite from BALANCE OF TERROR (F. Steiner)
4. Suite from WHAT ARE LITTLE GIRLS MADE OF (F. Steiner)
5. BALANCE OF TERROR: "In Chapel" (F. Steiner)
6. STAR TREK - Theme (Lounge Mix) (A. Courage)
STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
7. ** Theme from STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - Season 4 (D. McCarthy)
Suite from WAY OF THE WARRIOR (D. McCarthy)
8. Dry Run
9. Medieval Harp Source
10. Evil Empire [note: this track is not listed on the CD case and booklet]
11. "Yo!"
12. Work II
13. "Fever" from HIS WAY (J. Davenport/ E. Cooley - arranged by J. Chattaway) - performed by Nana Visitor
STAR TREK: VOYAGER
14. ** Theme from STAR TREK: VOYAGER (J. Goldsmith)
Suite from BRIDE OF CHAOTICA (D. Bell)
15. Begin Chapter 18/ Presenting...Arachnia
16. Confinement Rings/ Seque To Torres
17. Chaotica Is Defeated/ Distortions
18. Chaotica's Last Words/ The End?
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
19. Theme from STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 2 (A. Courage/J. Goldsmith)
Suite from ALL GOOD THINGS (D. McCarthy)
20. *Here Comes The Judge II/ + To the Rescue
21. Primalosity
22. Courage
23. Saved Again
24. +I Have A Gun
There are legions of STAR TREK fans who should enjoy this new release. But even if you're not a fan, this is still a very good sampling of cues from four different shows: THE ORIGINAL SERIES (TOS), THE NEXT GENERATION (TNG), DEEP SPACE NINE (DSN), and VOYAGER (VOY). I'll discuss the music from each one separately.
Appropriately, the CD opens with the classic STAR TREK theme by Alexander Courage, as arranged by Fred Steiner for the first season. When listening to the several suites from TOS which follow, what is apparent is the effectiveness of the scores by Fred Steiner, who scored more episodes in TOS than any other composer. He has given them a very impressive sweep, as in Track 2: THE CORBOMITE MANEUVER - with a few TWILIGHT ZONE thematic motifs thrown in for good measure. He also provides necessary sensitiivty to the subject material, as in track 4: WHAT ARE LITTLE GIRLS MADE OF. It would great to have a whole CD of just Steiner's music from TOS. After the suites, there's a very cool "Lounge Mix" (track 6) of the STAR TREK theme by Alexander Courage.
Next on the CD is music from the third in the series, DEEP SPACE NINE. It opens with a rather bombastic but appealing theme by Dennis McCarthy. Then there is a suite from WAR OF THE WARRIOR, which is okay but sounds too much like formula stuff, not nearly as original as Steiner's music for TOS. According to Ford A. Thaxton, Creative Consultant for this CD, there is a missing track in this suite (track 10 should be: "Evil Empire)." All the other tracks in this suite should have one higher number. Randall D. Larson points out in his very good notes that "Yo!" (track 11) has "some of the most audaciously bombastic battle music heard in a TREK episode." Well, okay, but is it very memorable? To me it wasn't. Larson also mentions the bonus track with Nana Visitor's sexy vocal for the song, "Fever" which he writes "is sure to melt any human's or shapeshifter's heart." No argument there.
Following that suite is another main theme and a suite from the fourth in the series, VOYAGER. The theme is by Jerry Goldsmith, known especially for his superb film score to STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE. The theme for VOYAGER is pure Goldsmithian pomp and power - very well done indeed, with a fine horn theme reminiscent of what John Barry has done in DANCES WITH WOLVES or OUTR OF AFRICA. The suite which follows by David Bell, hearkens back to the 1930s era of FLASH GORDON serials. It very effectively presented and loads of fun for those of us who remember those old serials.
The last theme and suite on the CD are from THE NEXT GENERATION (my favorite series of them all). It starts off with the excellent theme featuring music by Alexander Courage and Jerry Goldsmith. Larson explains in his notes that "Goldsmith's sturdy movie theme [ for STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE ] was merged with Courage's fanfare to create an apt musical summation of STAR TREK, old and new." I would go further and say that it's the most effective one of all the STAR TREK themes, successfully bringing together both the film and TV versions to a higher plateau than the DSN or VOY. The suite by Dennis McCarthy is better than the one included on the CD from DSN. This one has more variety to it and includes a track not used in the program (track 20 - "Here Comes The Judge"). The final track ("I Have A Gun") has a short quote of the classic Courage theme for STAR TREK, leading us back to beginning of this long-running and enormously successful TV phenomenon.
It's too bad that the tracks are not assembled in the same order as discussed in the CD booklet, which covers each program in the proper sequence. With the one track that was left out, that just makes it harder to match up the tracks with the CD booklet. Artwork is very good with small film stills from each series and the notes can be read easily, unlike the garish backgrounds of other CDs. Sound quality is nothing spectacular but certainly more than adequate.
If you do purchase this CD, I'd recommend copying this review or some other one, so you'll have the correct track sequence.
This is another fine release in GNP Crescendo's ongoing series of music from STAR TREK TV programs and films.
--review by Roger Hall, 12 July 2000
To find out all the CDs and Tapes of STAR TREK scores, go to: www.gnpcrescendo.com
| Editor's Choice - Best Compilation CD of the Month |
ELMER BERNSTEIN: MUSIC FOR THE FILMS OF CHARLES & RAY EAMES
Music Composed and Conducted by Elmer Bernstein. Narrations by Charles Eames. Executive Producer: Robert M. Urband. Package design by John Heiden for SMOG, with the Eames Office. All photos from the Eames Office. Liner Notes by Eames Demetrios and Elmer Bernstein.
Limited Edition CD (Amber Music AMB-2001)
Rating: ****
Track Titles:
1. Toccata for Toy Trains (1957) (13:31)
2-7. Six Pieces for the Polavision Movie Camera (1977)(15:30)
House: After five years of living (1955)
8. Prologue and Elements (0:54)
9. Setting (2:00)
10. Living Room (2:00)
11. Upstairs (1:45)
12. Studio (1:45)
13. Conclusion (1:58)
14. Reflections (0:46)
15. Westinghouse in Alphabetical Order (1965) (12:16)
This is the first volume, hopefully many more to come, on a new label featuring the music of Elmer Bernstein. Ever since I began collecting his series of Filmmusic Collection LPs back in the '70s, I have wanted more music from this film music master. He has been composing film scores for five decades now and celebrates his 50th anniversary next year. He's been around longer than any other Hollywood composer. He is one of what I call the Major Triad of Film Composers, the other two being Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams. All three are masters of film scoring and they all began in the 1950s. And that's the decade represented in several suites on this new CD.
Rather than begin with the scores, I'd like to comment first about the beautiful jacket design by John Heiden. The CD is enclosed in a most attractive cardboard case with a slipcase inside which holds the attractive booklet. It isn't anything like the poorly designed, flimsy 3D "Dinorama Package" for THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK in 1997. This CD is a real beauty in its tasteful artwork.
It shouldn't be surprising that this release of music for the films of the husband and wife team of Charles and Ray Eames was designed with the support of the Eames Office. They are the firm which has carried on after the passing of Charles in 1978 and his wife, Ray, in 1988. In the CD booklet is a loving tribute by Eames Demetrios, Director of the Eames Office, about the husband and wife team and their skill with furniture design and many unusual short films. Also in the booklet is a handy summary of Elmer Bernstein's music career, and notes by EB himself about the scores included on the CD. Let's look at each suite separately...
The first suite is "Toccata for Toy Trains" and opens with a brief narration by Charles Eames. As with all the suites on this CD, the scoring is for chamber ensemble. As EB writes in his notes about these scores, "the musical groups seldom consisted of more than ten players." His music appropriately accompanies the visual images - in this case the toy trains, most of which from the Eameses own collection. . One of EB's trademarks from the 1950s was the prominent use of percussive piano motifs which are carried over into the other instruments as well. A rhythmic syncopated technique is heard throughout this suite. There are also touches of tenderness, which he used later on in his masterful score for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Ironically, besides looking forward, the Toccata suite also hearkens back to EB's terrific score for one of the worst films of all time, ROBOT MONSTER from 1953 - a favorite score from my youth. But that's just an observation and has little bearing on the toy trains music. The "toccata" is a delightful suite, full of childlike delight and wonderment.
The second suite is "Six Pieces for the Polavision Movie Camera." As EB describes it in his notes, "the music accompanies six visual vignettes, each approximately two and half minutes long." The film itself was made to demonstrate the possibilities of the instant movie camera developed by Land in the early 1970s. Each of the six pieces has a different character - from martial to romantic to somber. EB points out that in this case the films "were assembled to the music." Since each little film was different (the six titles are not identified in the CD booklet), the music is also different. And it's all light and wistful, with EB's rhythmic flair always shining through.
Returning to the 1950s era, the third suite is "House: after five years of living." This film shows the individual rooms of the Eameses home located in Pacific Palisades on Santa Monica Bay in California. EB explains that his score "was composed as a divertimento for piano, flute, harp and cello, the smallest of the groups we ever used on a film." All of the cues are short, a bit Coplandesque, and utterly enchanting.
The fourth and last suite is probably the most unusual one of all. It's titled: "Westinghouse in Alpabetical Order." It was made in 1965 for a board meeting of the Westinghouse corporation. Once again, referring to EB's description, "realizing that most stockholders had little or no idea of the many different products the company made, Ray and Charles Eames decided that the most straightforward way to rectify this was, in some clever way, just to list them all." So they put together an alphabetical list of Westinghouse products. EB initially showed some concern about, since "it was difficult to get terribly excited about electric knives, knife sharpenters and coolers." What resulted was what EB calls "a kind of pastiche cantata to accompany the visuals." The singers sing the list Westinghouse products in alphabetical sequence, including "C is for computers" - that's in 1965 folks! I must admit that this suite would probably work better with the visuals, while the other three suites can be enjoyed without the visuals. But where else can you hear a twelve minute commercial for the many Westinghouse products? It's just pure fun, even if it doesn't make you want to run out and buy one of their products.
How many chances do you get to hear music from short films these days? When I interviewed Virgil Thomson back in the 1970s about his documentary scores for 1930s films, he said he preferred the documentaries to many of the feature films he had seen. That was because the filmmakers made sure that the music was heard just underneath the visuals. That's not true in today's films, where the music often overwhelms the visuals.
So if you're looking for something different, here's an opportunity to hear four suites from inventive little films made by Charles and Ray Eames. Both the music and the films are clever and made with style and grace. It's an ideal pairing of composer and filmmakers, which we can now enjoy on this beautifully designed CD release.
I highly recommend this compilation of original chamber-like film scores by Elmer Bernstein. Let's hope that the new label will be putting out more of EB's vintage scores in the not too distant future.
We need more film music like this available for soundtrack collectors everywhere!
--review by Roger Hall, 12 July 2000
To read more about Elmer Bernstein's film music, go to: www.elmerbernstein.com
For other reviews, go to:
Previous Compilations (January - June 2000)
Previous Compilations (February - December 1999)
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3 November 2000
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