I'm really, really glad to hear that the new Friedhofer album is selling well. I've promoted it in a few non-Golden Age areas and I hope that's made three or four more people get copies who wouldn't have otherwise. It really is a gift from heaven.
Since this one is doing so well I was wondering how other Friedhofer albums have done in the past, and if there was a trend towards better sales. I know that early on, Friedhofer didn't sell, but I wonder if that is changing as more and more people are educated about Friedhofer and actually know who he is. With FSM and Intrada (and even Varese recently) championing Friedhofer has it made any change in the larger film music community's perception and awareness of him? I mean, I know it has, but how much of a change?
And if is becoming less and less the case that "Friedhofer doesn't sell," can we possibly expect more and more albums?
I mean, I know only so much is left that survives...how about a re-recording then? Who will be so daring? Morgan and Stromberg did a Friedhofer album, but IMO it wasn't one of their best. The original performances win out and I was disappointed that it was only a few selections from each score rather than, say, a complete Rains of Ranchipur (even more needed now that only four cues of the stereo original are revealed to survive). We need a new complete Friedhofer, and I second Doug's nomination of Joan of Arc -- how 'bout it, Doug? You're the one who brought it up, not me!
Yavar
P.S. The Sun Also Rises would also be nice. The original tapes are confirmed unusable and it's one of his most high-profile films, with surprisingly superb late-career performances by Tyrone Power and Errol Flynn (was this the only time the two former screen rivals worked together?) among others.