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THE SAND PEBBLES
Music Composed by JERRY GOLDSMITH
Conducted by LIONEL NEWMAN

INTRADA MAF 7116

The 1966 20th Century Fox film The Sand Pebbles features one of Jerry Goldsmith's most significant scores. Just five years into his film career and already a double Academy-aware nominee, the opportunity came to him as "an accident" when Alex North dropped out. Goldsmith was slated to score MGM’s Grand Prix, but Fox stole him away. Goldsmith constructed his score around two love themes­one "American" (which became a much-recorded popular song with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, "And We Were Lovers") and one "Chinese." In addition to the strong love themes, Goldsmith crafted a score featuring a dramatic infusion of military, action, and Asian influences, leading to a powerful work that remains one of his finest, even considering the decades of Goldsmith's film scoring that succeeded it.

Intrada presents the definitive release of The Sand Pebbles, including alternates in this comprehensive 2-CD set. The process of this restoration began with recalling the 2 24-track protection masters made from the original 35mm multi-track magnetic elements in the 1990s. Retransferred at 96k/24 bit resolution, this facilitated the repair of each separate track of audio and the finessing of balance, equalization and stereo steering to bring out the dynamic brilliance of the Fox scoring stage and the studio orchestra's consummate performance under the exacting baton of Lionel Newman. The original ¼ 1966 album master thankfully provided a stereo version of the cue "Repel Boarders," which survived in the Fox material only as a monaural dub. Previously unreleased cues fill out the first-ever complete presentation of the score on Disc 1, while a second disc features album versions, alternates and six pieces of period source music recorded for the film.

The Sand Pebbles tells the story of Jake Holman's (Steve McQueen) service on board the San Pablo, an American gunboat patrolling the Yangtze River in 1926, during a time in which China was "ravaged from within by corrupt warlords … oppressed from without by the great world powers … a country of factions trying to unite to become a nation … through revolution."

INTRADA MAF 7116
Retail Price: $24.99
Available for Pre-Order
For track listing and sound samples, please visit
<http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.7333/.f>http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.7333/.f

Ordered! Listened to the sound samples, only got to track one and I was hooked, thanks Intrada!

Great stuff! I knew this would be re-released at some time & was hoping it would get the Intrada treatment. One of Jerry Goldsmith's best (& that's saying something), when you think of all the fantastic music he wrote in the 60's, what a decade!

Fantastic! A classic Goldsmith back in print for the long-haul. Thank you, Jerry for writing it, Lionel for conducting it so beautifully, 20th Century Fox, Mr. Redman, Julie Kirgo, Michael Matessino, Joe Sikoryak for his beautiful artwork restoration once again, and of course everyone at Intrada for releasing this stunning set. Happy Holidays to all involved.

Fantastic! I missed the VCL release of this, so I'm ecstatic to be able to finally get this score, with extras!!!

Thank goodness I traded away my Varese copy years ago, othersie I couldn't have gotten what I did.

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"Questions are a burden to others; answers a prison for oneself"
"Unlike me, many of you have accepted the situation of your imprisonment and will die here like rotten cabbages."
"Everyone votes for a dictator."
THE PRISONER

Words almost fail me! Just incredible. Another thorough restoration which puts Varese in the shadows. The detail. It's all in the detail.

Well done to all at Intrada, and thank you!

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Jason Needs
Webmaster, Jerry Goldsmith Online

Goldsmith has composed so many masterworks that it is difficult to pick my top 5, 10, or even 50. However, I think I could conclude that "THE SAND PEBBLES" would be in my top 5, it is that good!



Just a warm thank you to Doug, Roger, Jeff, for this wonderful score on CD.

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Robert M Eastman

Superb release of one of the finest film scores ever written. The Intrada CD sounds outstanding. Just a side note. Just wondering, in the Main Title the blocks are very prominate eminating from the left channel in the LP release. The subsequent Varese and Intrada mix the block percussion is distant not prominate at all. Why the big differance??

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Robert M Eastman

My apologies to Lionel - who actually conducted it - for me thinking it was Alfred. My earlier post has been corrected.

Another huge milestone in the accomplishment of what I hope goes down in history as "The Intrada Sound."

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Randy Wilson
Dallas, TX

I've been away for Christmas & was happy to find the little Intrada cardboard box waiting for me when I got back. I've just played it, the sound is fantastic, I'm really happy with it. I had the mono LP back in the 60's, & then bought the cassette when Silva Screen re-released it, & waited for the promised CD (along with Patton & Flint), alas they never came. I'm listening to one great cue after another, thinking, why didn't this make onto the album? Interesting to read that Jerry Goldsmith was taken off Grand Prix to score this (& replaced by Jarre on Grand Prix), just think, if Fox hadn't been able to get Goldsmith, then they may well have used Jarre for The Sand Pebbles. We'd have two very different scores, but I'm sure equally as fine.

Great 1/10/12 column Doug - I also LOVE LOVE LOVE this score, am waiting to do
a big order and get a copy.....but I did notice that main title theme, and it's brief
usage in the score. Great to finally read an opinion on this, and why Goldsmith
used it this way, however! Timeless stuff.

Yeah, those main titles have a real cool beauty to them. It's great that Fox went with such low key title music to a big film like this one. And then two years later came The Planet Of The Apes! I suppose they learnt with Bernard Herrmann, that if you hire someone brilliant it's best to let them get on with it.