Intrada Soundtrack Forum

INTRADA Announces:



SALEM'S LOT
Music Composed and Conducted by HARRY SUKMAN
INTRADA Special Collection Vol. 256


Harry Sukman’s music for the 1979 miniseries Salem’s Lot is rooted in the decades-long conventions of traditional, gothic horror—transposing its sense of dread to Maine via stabbing percussion, church organ, creepy bell glissandos and shivering strings. Right from the “Main Title,” which stabs forth with full, orchestral fury before sequing into the raucous, rhythmically evil flourish of a danse macabre, listeners can tell they are in for a thrilling, fresh journey into terror. Main baddie Kurt Barlow is not seductively handsome like Count Dracula, and so Sukman plays these trappings of classic horror music without the dark, romantic flourishes.

Sukman composed and conducted some two hours of music for Salem’s Lot, including roughly 90 individual cues. Many of them were short, others were intended to be edited together during postproduction. He also wrote three source cues (only one of which was used) and arranged a Vivaldi work for source material as well. Intrada had access to the complete ½" three-channel stereo scoring session masters, vaulted by Warner Bros. in pristine condition. Since these elements included the January 1980 scoring sessions for the later edited-down version of the miniseries, Intrada is also able to present the additional three cues recorded specially for the edited versions of the movie, including the exciting “End Credits” cue Sukman composed.

The story of Salem's Lot originates from Stephen King's own nightmares, leading him to wonder what would happen if a European master vampire set up home “in a sleepy little country town.” That creature became Kurt Barlow, who takes up residence in the Marsten house, a death-filled dwelling long regarded as evil by the residents of Jerusalem’s Lot—especially by famous writer Ben Mears. The author has been drawn back to his old haunt to write about the “inherently evil” mansion now occupied by Richard Straker, who’s opening an antique shop for his absentee landlord and business partner, Barlow. But Straker’s real mission is to pave the way for Barlow to suck the life out of the town by unleashing a wave of vampire slaves -- monsters that only Ben and his small band of believers can stop.

INTRADA Special Collection Vol. 256
Retail Price: $29.99
Available Now
For track listing and sound samples, please visit
http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.8285/.f

Ordered! I may actually watch the mini-series tonight...

Thank you Roger and the gang for this wonderful title, may even be the best release from Intrada ever.

The sound clips sound fantastic, can't wait til it shows up in the mail.
Releases like this is what makes it fun to be a soundtrack collector.

I also think I'm going to pop my DVD and watch the Miniseries tonight.

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Most Wanted Unreleased scores:
Howard Shore's AN INNOCENT MAN (1989) Touchstone/Buena Vista
Richard Halligan's THE OCTAGON (1980) American Cinema
Sante Maria Romitelli's GOD'S GUN (1976) MGM/Cannon
Trevor Jones' FREEJACK (1992) Morgan Creek

The sound is out of this world. After years of only hearing those cues in the miniseries, it's thrilling to finally hear them remastered. You guys really did a terrific job on this one.

Good Lord, what an absolutely great score. Sukman channeled Bernard Herrmann about as well as John Williams did in The Fury. The furious brass heartbeat of the Main Title, the gently plucking strings as Ralphie Glick appears outside his older brother's window, scratching everlastingly on the glass with that demonic grin, the thunderous percussion: horror scores just don't get a hell of a lot better than this. It's a shame that you really don't hear anything quite like it anymore.

My father was a studio musician for years from the mid-seventies through the late nineties (aside from being in the LA Phil) - -everything from Star Trek -TMP to Masada to Jurassic Park. I played some of the opening samples for him, and he just said, "Wow."

Of course, he also waxed nostalgic about that period and said, "You know, we used to play music like that all the time... the scoring stages were always full ... five or six days a week... huge orchestras... really fun stuff to play..." Now most of those stages from Paramount to CBS Radford to Universal have been torn down. The legendary MGM scoring stage at Sony may be next.

Anyway, glad that Warner Brothers kept such great care of the master tapes and that Intrada preserved this on CD.

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Most Wanted: Moonraker - complete; Inside Moves (John Barry), Volunteers; The Hand; Brainstorm - complete (James Horner); MacArthur; Supergirl -expanded (Jerry Goldsmith).

Great samples & music I may say!
Mr. Sukman made fantastic job - his music is not very obsession (you know that this day in horror movies composers & directors use scary music every 2-3 min.).
But in case of Salem's Lot I don't have that feelings - music is just in right place, it's not cry: BOOOO!!! HERE THE MONSTER COMES!!! YOU NEED TO AFRAID IT!!!
Here music & visual makes complex impressions - they both scare you at same time, and don't prepare for that - and I like this types of movies & scores. I think that Changeling have something in common - sometimes you don't notice music ('cause all you attention is on screen action). But music works, and scary you at "subconscious level".

Will get this as soon as get money. And find other titles to make order little big (damn post costs! )

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My wish-list at this moment: any Barry score, PSYСHO, SPY HARD.
Not much, really?

Sounds great, will have to get it on the next order, but this one is a must for sure.

Thank you Doug, Roger & Co for what could be the best Halloween yet.

By the way, Roger or Doug - can you check track-list for Disc 2?
Seems that one track is missing, or it's mistake with track numbers:
12. And Now Jason 1:40
14. He's Gonna Do It 0:27

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My wish-list at this moment: any Barry score, PSYСHO, SPY HARD.
Not much, really?

I have seen this many years ago, as a teen. I don't particularly remember the music, but I remember that the TV-movie was pretty creepy in a good old fashioned way. I will order this just because I have rather fond memories of this eerie TV-movie and let myself be surprised by the score.

This must be the hottest title released this year and a great release during the spooky month...Thanx Boys (and girls if any) for this awesome release. This will not be changed in the player until the release of A Return to Salem´s Lot (I guess never in that case )

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I´VE COME HERE TO DRINK COCONUTS AND *censour*...AND I´M ALL OUT OF COCONUTS...

I´m a dirt merchant and a figure of your imagination

Although I also saw the film on tv when it first came out I also can't remember the music. I wonder if I'd like this one? I'm not big on horror scores. But it does look like a very tempting release? Not sure if I should take the plunge?

This is quite the masterpiece by the unsung Harry Sukman. Bravo, Intrada. Bravo, Sukman!

I gave this set a full listen and it's marvelous in every way. The sound is incredible and greatly enhances the score's atmospheric nature.

This is an album that Intrada should be most proud of.

What an indescribable joy it is to have this wonderful music at long last.

I really don't know what to say other than it's everything I hoped it would be, and thank you so much to all involved.