Intrada Soundtrack Forum

May 01, 2001

Really Rare Soundtracks
Various Composer and Labels

Someone once asked me what were the rarest soundtrack CDs. There are books for this stuff, based on various criteria, but I figured the topic would be okay for some future rainy day.

Well, it's raining.

What's rare and sought isn't necessarily by major composers. Nor is it necessarily any good. Obviously promo discs, composer vanity discs and whatnot are limited. Bootlegs and CDRs are meaningless. But I think this guy wanted to know about real stuff you could once just walk into stores and buy and now you can't. Stuff people pay top dollar for.

Some sources name WITCHES OF EASTWICK and COCOON and LINK and SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW and stuff like that. Sure they're pretty hard to buy at your local Tower but I know too many people with copies to make them really rare. They may get pricey, they're certainly not "rare".

So here are ten random titles I think are rare. I may list different stuff than you would, but these are hard to find in my orbit. In no particular order either.

What's my criteria?

Pretty much what you'd expect. Stuff Intrada's been asked for over the years that doesn't come around. Soundtracks that were manufactured somewhere and you could buy someplace once. It's mostly old stuff, made in the mid-eighties when CDs were still babies.

One of these came out in 1988, made in France on the EVB label. If you've got one it's certainly rare. The title is LE SPECIALISTE (a.k.a. Gli Specialisti) ET AUTRES WESTERNS D'ANGELO FRANCESCO LAVAGNINO. Six western scores by Lavagnino with anywhere from 3 to 5 tracks per score. You can get lots of this music elsewhere now. Just not this edition.

Also from France, this time on CBS from 1990. MUSIQUES PAR PHILIPPE SARDE POUR LES FILMS DE LAURENT HEYNEMANN. Philippe Sarde music for five movies made by Laurent Heynemann. It's stuff not available anywhere else. Styles range from jazz to full-blown London Symphony Orchestra.

Milan issued a CD to RUNAWAY TRAIN by Trevor Jones when it was a new movie but didn't keep it around very long. The music's electronic, not the greatest, but the composer certainly got big.

Maurice Jarre has one. TOKYO BLACKOUT came out in Japan on the Bourbon label and never was easy to get. It's really hard now.

Michael Kamen has a really hard one to get. THE KRAYS came out in England on the Parkfield Music label. It wasn't even around in stores much in the U.K. when the movie was new in 1990. If you were collecting soundtracks and you lived in Brazil, for example, you can imagine how obscure it was to find there!

Another British title that just didn't get around much was THE BLOB, the 1988 version scored by Michael Hoenig. It's on the Filmtrax label and has its moments.

As common and prolific as CAM titles are one was filtered out one copy at a time. It's known as THE ANGEL WORE RED over here and was sold by CAM under the Italian title LA SPOSA BELLA. The music was written by Angelo Lavagnino. It's obscurity might be due CAM shipping so few copies to stores. One could consider it a true limited edition I suppose.

BLIND DATE wasn't around much. Bruce Willis was just getting recognized, it was 1987, Rhino made the CD. Henry Mancini's contribution is represented by three tracks. Brief, but good.

Varese Sarabande has some rare stuff. I read about SERPENT IN THE RAINBOW but somehow I just know too many people with copies. It's supposed to be one of their most limited releases but there are copies around. I find POLTERGEIST III much tougher to spot. Joe Renzetti composed it in 1988, but after two previous Goldsmith scores his electronics are a letdown.

That's nine so far. That leaves one more. It's ROVER DANGERFIELD.

Okay, there's a catch. ROVER DANGERFIELD without a hole punched through the darn thing. David Newman put it together in 1991 and Rodney Dangerfield sang on it. The thing died faster than a dog can whiz on a fireplug. Copies had holes punched through them as soon as they hit the shelves. Finding one without the hole is rare. You may not want to take time to do this however.

Anyway, if you've got some of these you're pretty hardcore. If you've missed them all you might try finding one or two.

Just skip the one with Rodney Dangerfield.

May 08, 2001

Aliens Deluxe Edition
Composed and Conducted by James Horner
London Symphony Orchestra
Varese Sarabande 302 066 241 2
Total Time = 75:44

The other day I got asked what's a great action score? There's the RAMBO trilogy, THE CHALLENGE, CAPRICORN ONE, TOTAL RECALL, some others. Then I got asked what's a great action score that isn't by Jerry Goldsmith?

ALIENS came to mind.

You've heard music from ALIENS, even if you don't have the other album Varese Sarabande made in 1986. It's been used a whole lot in trailers, especially ones for action movies.

ALIENS finds Horner at his most ferocious. Pumped up, mad as a hornet, percussion be damned. In fact, it's that very group of wackers, bangers and beaters that get the biggest workout.

So exciting is Horner's score, Fox used a chunk of it again for DIE HARD a couple of years later. It worked okay, though it was distracting for anyone familiar with it.

ALIENS is a sequel, superior to the first film. ALIEN is good, has outstanding music by Goldsmith, but the sequel is just a better movie. This happened to Horner earlier when he did STAR TREK II. Again the sequel is better than the first STAR TREK movie, ironically also scored by Goldsmith.

Percussion is central to music in ALIENS. Not a vast array of unusual sounds, rather a massive wall from very basic ones. Snare drum, bass drum, cymbals. Sometimes Horner adds steel drum. Often times just snare drum, bass drum and that's it.

Horner starts his score quietly, brings the snare and bass drum in early. They play a short figure, a tattoo, associated with the military. Appropriate since this movie features Marines. It's also appropriate since, as Nick Redman points out in superb liner notes, it plays like a Vietnam war story with Americans fighting in strange environments against enemies familiar with the terrain and all that stuff.

When violins enter they play a high zigzagging melody associated with space. The line recurs at various intervals in the score, particularly noticeable at the start of "Bad Dreams" on solo clarinet and imitated on bassoon.

There's an abundance of lean material in the score, cold and icy. It provides contrast with thick low brass clusters during more intense moments. And always those drums not far behind.

Interestingly, all these elements play a role in establishing music for colony "LV-426". The space melody, lean icy writing, low brass chords, drums all contribute early. It's a cue previously unreleased, which is amazing since it brings so many important elements together into one piece.

Another strong new cue is "Combat Drop". Here brass chords take on more importance, becoming something of a melody. As woodwinds introduce a repeating rhythmic figure, strings take the brass melody to higher levels. And always those drums. With steel drums in the mix, percussion literally pound a wall of sound behind the orchestra. Again, it's interesting the cue was omitted from the earlier album (and movie!) since it builds a foundation for the one remaining element of the score - action music.

That last element's the real star in this one.

Lots of composers write action music. Busy stuff with lots of notes and speed and volume. But Horner elevates the playing field considerably. His action music isn't just busy or fast or loud. It's built from a primary element in his score, established from the beginning. The pounding wall of percussion.

ALIENS has lots of story going on before any action arrives, then once things go bonkers nothing lets up. Certainly a musical challenge to avoid being top heavy. By reducing his array of ideas to one common element, Horner addressed two unbalanced halves. His common element - those drums.

Since "Combat Drop" wasn't used in the movie, Horner's action music starts with "Ripley's Rescue". Oddly, this cue was mostly dropped from the movie too. Hearing it on album, in the order conceived by Horner, it grows out of material established in "Combat Drop" and ties to everything overall by the neverending percussion. It's interesting how Horner builds excitement here not by emphasizing dissonance but by doing exciting things with standard major and minor chords. The stars again are (big surprise) drums. They're holding it all together. Strings flourish, brass chords pound, trumpets snarl with triplets. Whatever, drums remain a constant. Their cadence pounds from start to finish.

"Futile Escape" is where lots of the action occurs. Sort of. In the scene it's composed for lots of it gets dropped. Part of it gets used again during Ripley's rescue. No matter. On album it becomes the setpiece. Percussion glue it together, of course. But also note terrific use of the original space melody about six and half minutes in, on trombones.

"Bishop's Countdown" and a previously unreleased cue, "Queen To Bishop", play side by side on the album. In the movie they're supposed to do this, but they're chopped up and used in other places too. The former cue is, of course, the very one familiar from countless movie trailers over the last fifteen years or so. Yep, it all started here.

Last time Varese Sarabande issued ALIENS it ran 41 minutes. This time it runs more than 75 minutes. The score is monkeyed with in the movie a lot but is presented here in the "composer's cut". Crisp sound, nice packaging, terrific liner notes. It's a great production, befitting a landmark score.

Nominated for an Academy Award, Horner's score for ALIENS has earned landmark status.

Fifteen years of trailers prove it.

May 15, 2001

The Mummy Returns
Composed and Conducted by Alan Silvestri
Played by the Sinfonia Of London
Decca Records 440 013 983-2
Total Time = 73:34

The Mummy returns to the ballpark, Jerry Goldsmith stays in the dugout.

So Alan Silvestri comes up to bat, hits a home run. Glad he took over, because he's energized, pumped up, ready to rumble.

Everything's big in this movie. That's not a good thing though, most of it's too big. Endless special effects (read CGI) and nonstop action numbed me. I got banged on the head for so long, by the time the climax came, I'd seen too much already. I didn't care anymore. Maybe scripting, more story would've helped, I don't know. I'm not the target audience. Bigger, louder than before doesn't mean better.

Thank heaven there's music. Lots of it. Wall-to-wall, full speed ahead. Music's the best thing about MUMMY RETURNS.

It's unusually well crafted for the genre. In spite of numbing sound effects, Silvestri manages to cut through, get his points across. By introducing themes gradually, he builds a widening spread. It's over-the-top stuff, loud and imposing. But not without shape.

Music establishes mood first, later specifics. Silvestri's got a large orchestra, chorus too. Much happens immediately on screen, all this stuff about a Scorpion King, big battles, CGI up the wazoo. There's dark music, parallel fourths and fifths, wide leaping intervals, minor chords, dissonance. Then a melody emerges, in part, for the Scorpion King. Just two tracks so far, already nine minutes of violent power.

An ascending motif (appropriate) in "Imhotep Unearthed" brings the bad guy up. More dark music, powerful, aggressive jabs, otherworldly shakes (quasi-trills) for French horn. Some suspense. Then, twelve minutes in, major chords finally emerge. Briefly though, and not without dissonance.

"Just An Oasis" introduces a gentle theme, major chords, some quiet ideas. And something else. Silvestri touches upon his main theme, cleverly disguised. So disguised in fact, you hear only the melodic extension that usually follows it. The first half, the real main theme, waits for another moment. Silvestri flirts with the tune, then moves back to previous material.

And the actual main theme. Well, there's actually two of them! More prominent, a rousing fanfare figure for Rick (Brendan Fraser) finally explodes during the sixth track, "Evy Kidnapped". After dark material, wide interval ideas from the opening, this new theme takes over. Triumphant, saber-rattling stuff. Silvestri's done a lot with his dark music, his monster music. Now he can charge in bright, new directions. First an edge to rattle your bones, then off to adventure.

The other main theme shows up considerably later, gets attention from then on. It's for the black-robed leader of the Medjai (Oded Fehr). Beefed up considerably for this chapter, Fehr's part gives credibility to the action. Fraser can swash, buckle, clown at will. Fehr anchors the gazillion fights in nobility and strength. Naturally, Silvestri makes the melody epic, sweeping. Like the other primary tune, this one's introduced in a disguise of sorts.

Major chords, an epic line close the eleventh track, "A Gift and a Curse". A new idea is born. One of the album's highlights, it also launches the next track, "Medjai Commanders". Soon, without notice, the other important theme just emerges, literally takes over. Emphasizing major chords, this soaring theme naturally becomes the heart of the score. Just as naturally, it's presented on that noblest of instruments, French horn.

By the time you're into "Sandcastles" and this tune's fully blown you realize you're getting into territory the likes of Rozsa. Massive stuff. Hope it's a sign of things to come.

Of course, there's action music in MUMMY RETURNS. That's really what it's about. That's what you want with scores like this. Leading that pack is "My First Bus Ride". In a word, it's a wow!

Silvestri roots it in fragments of themes, material earlier established. Then he just goes over the top with it. Here's one of the busiest cues in memory. It challenges the Sinfonia of London! Mistakes are heard, no doubt Silvestri simply told the players to just "go for it".

He got it.

Note his percussion too. No busy stuff, rhythms, cadences, whatnot. Silvestri leaves all the fast stuff to everyone else. Percussion are used for punctuation. Big, loud exclamation points. Like huge hammers, they beat in large, unison strokes. An incredible effect.

The album's a masterpiece of sound, razzle dazzle, ground-shaking effects. But it also has my big pet peeve. My biggest one.

There's no ending to Silvestri's score. Just someone else's song. Silvestri grabs you for more than an hour, then just pulls the rug out. Actually, in the movie, there are two endings!! One's for the last scene, as it closes to a glorious finish. Then, as credits roll, a second ending (and rousing new variant on the Medjai music) takes over. This comes to a magnificent major chord finish as the title comes up.

I spoke to orchestrator Mark McKenzie about it. When I mentioned this last piece, a new perspective on the rich Medjai music, Mark happily took credit for orchestrating it. Too bad we can't play it on the album!

Maybe this is an album that was rushed into production before everything was recorded. As consolation, Silvestri edits several sections of the album highlights into a suite called "The Mummy Returns". It plays like a summary of the album and would've been fine had it not ended with the quiet, somewhat ambiguous final measures of "My First Bus Ride".

Then again, this is my pet peeve. Not yours.

THE MUMMY RETURNS is a rousing, dynamite example of current orchestral action music. Over-the-top music.

Music to resurrect the dead.

May 22, 2001

David Copperfield / The Roots Of Heaven
Composed by Malcolm Arnold
William Stromberg Conducts the Moscow Symphony Orchestra
Marco Polo 8.225167 Total Time = 62:06

If you were a hardcore fan collecting soundtrack LPs twenty years ago you looked for THE ROOTS OF HEAVEN. A little over half an hour of music was issued on a Fox LP in 1958.

You also looked for DAVID COPPERFIELD.

Both soundtracks were expensive, but around if you could afford them. They were collector's items, the former usually listed in the top ten or so albums being sought. The latter was actually available twice, packaged with color artwork or with text only. Even upon release in 1970 both the COPPERFIELDs were hard to get.

Only one Arnold soundtrack so far has shown up on CD. In the big heyday of collecting this guy was at the top. He had lots of albums, just about the most sought, most expensive stuff too. THE LION, NINE HOURS TO RAMA, THE KEY, ROOTS OF HEAVEN, INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS, TUNES OF GLORY, TRAPEZE, DAVID COPPERFIELD. These were all prizes in those days. There were others too. HEROES OF TELEMARK, BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI.

So which one's been reissued on CD?

Just BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI. His Oscar winner.

Sorry state for a composer with a full cycle of symphonies, a massive output of chamber music, one of the great brass quintets of all time. He's also dabbled in band music, both brass and symphonic. He's got marches.

And all this fabulous movie music, already recorded on LP. yet almost none of it on CD. What's up with this?

Well, Marco Polo has addressed the issue somewhat, giving us two of the good ones, albeit re-recording them. I'm okay on re-recordings, of course. Just wish some of the ones under Arnold's baton were out too!

THE ROOTS OF HEAVEN is one of my two favorite works by Arnold. The other isn't movie music though, rather the first set of his ENGLISH DANCES, specifically the "Allegro Risoluto". But that's another subject.

There's a theme in ROOTS OF HEAVEN that's just fabulous. Track four. It's a brief, dramatic tune for the elephants. Remove visions of Mancini and his wild e-flat clarinet swaggering a tune for baby pachyderms. Ditto any tuba solos, lumbering effects from the bassoon or whatnot. Here Arnold sees them as great and magnificent animals. The orchestra essentially pounds a pair of chords, back and forth, while a powerful melody plays above in horns. I'll digress into specifics for a moment, identifying what makes it my favorite Arnold moment.

It's the bass line, two notes immediately starting the piece ("The Great Elephants"), hammered on sturdy trombones. They play on the beat, trumpets play a major seventh chord above. The first trombone note is at the root of chord one, the second trombone note drops a tri-tone, becoming the middle of chord two. As a general rule, this emphasis on the middle (or third) of the chord, isn't done, especially in bass lines. Thirds are the strongest part of chords, easiest for the ear to hear. Add that Arnold's melody during all of this also emphasizes thirds in each of the two chords and you get a strong, incredibly bright "third-heavy" sound.

Ah well, so much for music theory 101.

Another digression, this time just something odd. Marco Polo identifies this most impressive of cues, in admittedly bravura liner notes, as a "first recording", a cue not used in the movie.

Sorry to contradict here, but this masterpiece is on the original soundtrack album, note for note, as the second half of the Main Title. I grew up with it, continue to enjoy it. My thrill isn't in correcting the good people at Marco Polo, rather it's alerting fans familiar with the original recording to enjoy this greatly improved take on the piece. On the Fox record (crediting the London Royal Philharmonic) the effect is diminished in a world of shrill, pinched mono sound. On this new performance by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra all parties concerned nail it. And in stereo!

There's more to the score, of course. A rousing "Overture" sets things in motion, touches on a warm theme for Minna, introduces the exciting elephant motif. There are also two cues scored by Alfred Newman for the final reel, using Arnold's material.

DAVID COPPERFIELD goes off in a different direction. It's melodic, sad, soaring, dramatic. Minor key music. There are lighter moments, jaunty figures, a waltz. But towering above all is the main theme, an incredibly rich tune, somber, instantly memorable.

Happily, everything about this new recording seems an improvement over the original. This is not always the case. Ironically, the vinyl pressings did in the first version. Noisey throughout, clicks and pops everywhere. Here, William Stromberg gets nice, emotional playing, while a crisp Marco Polo recording does everything justice.

If you're familar with Arnold's concert music only, this'll be a treat. If you're familar with Arnold's movie music and have some (or all) of the old albums, this'll be a treat. If you just like strong, melodic movie music with drama and passion, this'll be a treat.

In other words, get this one.

It's a treat.

May 29, 2001

All The Pretty Horses
Composed by Marty Stuart, Kristin Wilkinson and Larry Paxton
Conducted by Suzie Katayama
Sony Classical/Sony Music Soundtrax SK 89465
Total Time = 48:56

Everyone seems to have overlooked this one. Not many people went to see it at the movies. They didn't take a chance on the album, either. So I ask people about it.

A common response. Isn't it just a bunch of songs? Country and western music?

That tells me they didn't see it, haven't heard it.

Published in 1992, Cormac McCarthy's novel ALL THE PRETTY HORSES was an instant success. It's a modern day western, a coming of age story. Striking, evocative language, rich detail. And characters that you recall long after putting the book down.

John Grady Cole and Lacey Rawlins. Best friends, cowboys, heading out on their own. A kid joins the trek, they reach Mexico, land a job. And real trouble. It's a story of honor, and the price you pay for it.

Ted Tally fashioned the story into a script, Billy Bob Thornton filmed it.

The movie isn't without problems. Everything with Lucas Black (the kid) is stunning, lead players Matt Damon and Henry Thomas are terrific. So's the look, the feel. But the love story between Damon and Penelope Cruz is badly truncated, stuff with Sam Shepard, Bruce Dern, Robert Patrick seems too brief.

There's a longer cut, three hours, maybe more, that Thornton made and he promises to show it someday. I'd like to watch it.

Anyway, the two hour version is available on DVD.

It’s easy to see why collectors hesitate on the soundtrack album. You see three names on the cover and you don’t recognize any of them. With names like Marty and Larry you expect country and western songs. Since it’s a movie you didn’t check out at the theater you’ll just play it safe and pass on the CD.

Sony doesn’t help matters. There’s nothing on the packaging to indicate an orchestral score. Suzie Katayama’s conductor credit is buried inside. And cue titles like “Purty Dad-Gum Goodâ€