Fortune shined on me recently when a good friend offered me the 2004 expanded Intrada CD for Bandolero! at a reasonable price. I've had the ole Project 3 release for a number of years and was excited to get my paws on the expanded release. Gotta tip my keyboard to Mr. Fake and all involved who put this wonderful album together. The sound quality is a vast improvement, and all those extra cues are a treat to hear (I unfortunately have not seen the movie). And ya know what I dug the most? Silly as it may be, it was the rock demo of the main theme! That was just wacky and fun, particularly for me because I find the theme from Bandolero! to be one of Goldsmith's catchiest. It's been in and outta my head for years, and when it starts up, it's stuck for days. Walking to the elevator, waiting for a computer to boot up, recycling some paper, taking a leak...whatever the mundane life moments may be, there's a triangle in me skull and a whistle on my face as Bandolero! westernizes my daily grind. In fact, about 10 days ago when I made the deal to get this CD, the theme already permeated my guts and it's been going daily until the CD arrived a couple days ago. There may be mixes of other themes in my cranial jukebox, but they all have to make way for a Bandolero! invasion when it happens.
It's obvious to me that a lot of love and care went into this album, and I appreciated Mr. Fake's detailed notes about how the album came together in regard to the challenging choices that had to be made. Including the complete score followed by the demo tracks and the original album arrangement was certainly the best way to go for all. I consider it the ideal template for expanded or archival score releases. It just makes sense and it satifies both the craving for previous glory days of pre-CD album listening experiences, and the desire to experience the music in a cinematic chronology. And man, those demos were just awesome. This album is a firm reminder to me of why Intrada (and FSM) are at the top of the game. I have nothin' but love and gooey feelings for ya, Mr. F & Mr. F. A thousands thanks to you for this release of Bandolero!.
DSS
PS 1 - I noticed that the CD was "Dedicated to the memory of Jerry Goldsmith". Was this the first Goldsmith CD Intrada released after his passing? If so, it makes the release a tad more meaningful.
PS 2 - Mr. F & Mr. F, I still have faith that you are the right gentlemen to get a complete version of my favorite score of all time out there, Goldsmith's PSYCHO II. I just have to drop my compulsive reminder on this subject whenever I have yer eyes and ears for a sec. Forgive my insolence.
