Intrada Soundtrack Forum

Even though this may not be the greatest achievement by this composer, second-rate Newman is often better than the best efforts of a lot of composers (and perhaps he can be excused to some extent by his declining health at the time). His very last Western score (and as with NEVADA SMITH, for a dark vision of this genre), and one of his very last period. Considering the stature of the composer, and the relatively recent date of the musical elements, I'm a little concerned that they may have been lost or damaged, or no longer available from the Warner vaults.

Whoa, whoa, whoa...this may not be one of his sublime masterpieces, but this score is by no means "second-rate"! It's a superb dark western score. I think getting premieres out of Warner Bros. has just been a bit complicated the past several years (expansions are easier, which is why we have all the older Batman scores except for Batman & Robin, which never had a commercial release). Eventually if the recording survives I suspect a label will get this out to us.

Fingers crossed for Nevada Smith as well!

Yavar

Count me in as well for this and Nevada Smith. Both are high quality efforts; Alfred Newman's final 10 credited scores draw me in much more than the vast majority of his earlier work.

Count me in too!

Maybe about 10 years ago Lukas asked for comments at FSM and should he do it. So it sounds like the elements were still there. He never did do it for whatever reason.
It's a dark film and score, the main title is robust and reminds me a little of his Nevada Smith main title. I'd love to have it along with Nevada Smith. WB approves of only a few CDs here and there. Some people have said they don't have enough employees. It's a shame, there is WB Steiner, Waxman, Tiomkin etc. yet to be issued!

I didn't actually say that this was a second-rate score, but second-rate Newman. I'm not really being pejorative. Anyway my assessment was based on the score as it appeared in the final film. Newman's original conception may have been far more worthwhile. (I recall around the same time that Warners also tinkered with Jerome Moross' music for THE VALLEY OF GWANGI.)