Intrada Soundtrack Forum

9/2/09

Trying to get more of those rare out-of-prints up on the site (see: One Of A Kind Items) as we unbox more stuff from that move a couple of months ago. As time permits (which remains unpredictable) we'll keep a flow of rare... and sometimes not-so-rare-but-still-one-of-a-kind CDs up for grabs. As they say, have fun.

9/11/09

We have two new Special Collection CDs coming up for Tuesday, September 15. Both'll be posted for ordering on Monday, September 14 and will begin shipping the following day. Both titles are pretty cool. With one we're giving an old friend a new facelift and with the other... well, suffice to say we're finally revealing one of the best kept secrets in film music.

9/15/09

They come and they go. But their moving picture images live forever.

Patrick Swayze lost his battle with cancer yesterday, at the age of 57. It affects me just a little bit more than the passing of many a fine actor.

To most of the world, Swayze will be remembered as Johnny Castle, dancing his way to Jennifer Grey's heart in the 1987 movie DIRTY DANCING. To me, however, he'll always be Jed, looking out for his younger brother Matt in MGM's 1984 hit RED DAWN. As a moving footnote here, Jed also falls in love with Toni, and the two of them share a very tender scene set amidst the horrors of WWIII. The actress playing Toni is none other than Jennifer Grey. While neither Swayze nor Grey survived the war, their love continued on screen as they three years later became the decades most memorable dancing duo.

An even smaller footnote is, of course: RED DAWN is how Intrada came to be.

Also, Patrick Swayze and I share the same age. So it kind of makes me pause and think about mortality. In the case of Patrick Swayze, however, I believe his indelible screen images assure him immortality.

9/22/09

Stromberg and Morgan. Two really cool names to see together on an album! Be it a release for Marco Polo, Naxos, RCA, Tribute Film Classics or whatever. Those two guys are just a great pair.

For no reason beyond fun, I spent a bunch of time over the weekend playing their stuff. I even picked a favorite. It'll probably surprise some of you. Maybe not. But anyway, I just couldn't get my fill of THE LODGER. John Morgan told me awhile ago that their Friedhofer CD was the weakest seller of all of the projects they had done. I guess my taste is a bit sideways from the general populace!

THE LODGER has such a great main idea. A twisted, angular line over cold, somewhat severe harmonies. In balance, there's a haunting idea that plays with a few notes over a minor chord, then moves everything up a step to cadence. It's a really simple little device but it plays in perfect opposition to the more austere main theme. That Friedhofer. He was a genius. If only more people understood what he was saying with his music. Or, at least, enjoyed what he tried to do!

Anyway, maybe some of you folks can pop over to the Forum and toss back your own William Stromberg & John Morgan favorite? One of the Herrmanns? A Steiner? Maybe... just maybe... the Friedhofer? Whatever. There sure have been lots of goodies over the years from those two guys to choose from!

9/25/09

Two new Intrada Signature Editions make their bow for release this coming Tuesday, September 29. They'll be posted on our site sometime Monday evening. One gives you an early taste of Halloween-time terror, the other's primarily an adrenaline rush. Both come from respectable composers with previous albums that none-the-less don't get the attention they deserve.

Each title is limited to 1000 copies so they may not be around for too long.