This News Friday 6/12/98

by Lukas Kendall

Has everyone been able to get the new, expanded Living Daylights CD? It's really terrific, and it's a perfect demonstration of what Rykodisc is trying to do now with extra music and cool packages. I spoke to the product manager at Ryko, for whom I regularly offer help and info, and asked how I could "drum up" support among fandom (i.e. all of you). They already get lots of letters and feedback and basically the response I got was, tell people to buy the albums!

As a matter of practical policy, I do not tell people point-blank to go out and buy an album. I believe it is your money to spend and I don't have the right to insist that you buy something you do not necessarily want. However, in the case of Rykodisc, let's put it this way: I urge all of you to give strong consideration to some of these titles. I mean, if you're on the fence, spend the time to investigate the CD. Ryko is at a critical juncture where they have invested in extra music on some albums--most notably the new Living Daylights and Last Tango in Paris--and they are hoping to see it reflected in the sales reports. How these things do will affect their future releases, and the contents (extra music or not) thereof. They no longer need just letters or enthusiastic posts--they need sales, or so I am told.

But speaking of letters, here's a nice one:

From: Brinke Guthrie <brinke@fuse.net>

As a Bond fan, I fairly exploded when i got an advance copy of the new Ryko TLD CD. The bonus stuff is great, the packaging first-rate, and when i popped the CD in the CD-ROM drive, i get the movie trailer. And here's something about TLD.. it includes the "gun-barrel opening sequence" montage, which as we know, all 007 films have. Why would such a key element be left off the original LP/CD/cassette, which it was. Format time constraints for the CD?

I don't know why so many Bond albums have left off the gunbarrel music. I've been told that because that section of music is always credited to Monty Norman, composers haven't wanted to include it because they don't get royalties for it. I'm thrilled it's included on the new The Living Daylights bonus tracks. In case anybody is wondering, there are no current plans for any other Bond CD reissues because of rights problems.

But back to Ryko... the future is in your hands. Seriously, sales now will impact future discs, so please give your consideration to those albums in which you may be interested. Thanks!

Keyboard?

From: Topher Yorks <cay112@psu.edu>

I am interested in compiling a list of studio equipment that film composers use to score their work. This would include everything from acoustic instruments, synthesizers, samplers, sequencers, computers, software, guitars, recording equipment, and anything else that I may have forgotten. Do you, or anyone else have any information that could help?

Articles in magazines like Keyboard or Mix would be good places to start. We really ought to start covering this in FSM but don't have the manpower at the moment. If anybody knows of another good source for this info let me know.

Silver Age Update

Thanks for everyone's patience with our Stagecoach/The Loner CD. All of our outstanding orders have now been filled. We're crossing our fingers that we have shipped the discs securely. I pray I don't open the floodgates... but if your disc arrived damaged, e-mail me. At the least, it will help us get it right for the next time.

Gross Points Blank

From: "pac man" <pacman55@hotmail.com>

Within your Godzilla article you mentioned that Star Wars Episode I will not beat Titanic's world gross. Will you please dwelve into this statement and provide us with your thoughts. I personaly hope that it won't beat Titanic because Star Wars will be hyped like nuts which may turnout to be a mediocre film(or hell it could be damned good film - but then again what's with that 40% reshoot happening that launched the budget from 70 to 110 million) simply because when Titanic was launched, it was anticipated but not hyped. It had an OKAY opening weekend, but word of mouth, excellent reviews all because it was a damned good film of quality, not hype.

I can't remember my original comment, or even if I was the one who made it. I don't know if Star Wars Episode I will beat Titanic's world gross. If it's equivalent in quality to the original Star Wars and Empire, it will. If not, it won't!

Trailers

From: "Karolenko, John" <Karolenko_John@phh.com>

1) Can you tell me what is the trailer music for "The Truman Show"? I've heard it used on several other films and during the recent Olympics?

2) Do you know of a web site where I can look up additional trailers?

Dan Goldwasser to the rescue:

From: "Dan Goldwasser" <dsg@soundtrack.net>

The music in question is DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY (Edelman), but keep in mind the long trailer for TRUMAN SHOW used the following music: Four Rooms (1995), Talking Heads: "Once in a Lifetime," Powaqqatsi (1988), Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)

The best site for trailer music lists is: http://www.filmmusic.com/music/trailer.html

Also, referring to a more recent trailer...

From: Robert Delaney

I've seen several different commercials for The Truman Show using different pieces of music. One of them used Anthem from Powaqqatsi by Philip Glass.

From: "Laine, Shannon" <laines@soundtransit.org>

I was wondering if anyone knows what music is used in the second and third "X-Files" movie trailers. Specifically I'm trying to locate the piece that sounds like a choral mixed with a techno beat, it's used during the "action" shots near the end of both trailers.

Anybody?

Six Days, Seven Nights Sneak Peek

From: james benjamin green <95031670@95.humber.ac.uk>

Just thought I'd let you know that we had previews of 6 Days, 7 Nights in the UK this weekend - before the US release hurray! Fans of Romantic Action Comedies (think Romancing The Stone & Jewel of the Nile) are going to enjoy this one. The acting and story are fun and so is Randy Edelman's score. If you're going to have fun writing movie music this is probably the ideal assigment. Chase music, crash music and romantic music, nothing truely ground breaking as you'd expect, but it certainly adds to the flavour of the picture. Should do quite well, especially with people who don't want deeply serious or effects driven pictures.

We heard the album here at the FSM offices and it sounds like Randy Edelman's version of Medicine Man: broadly romantic with calypso sections.

Spellbound Responses

From: wcox <wcox@hertreg.ac.uk>

In response to this weeks "This News Friday" column, I have some details you might want to pass on to the gentleman asking about the Spellbound Suite by Rozsa.

The Selznick Studio Orchestra recording conducted by Rozsa is available on CD on the disk "The Film Music of Miklos Rozsa" which is put out by an English label "Flapper" who are an offshoot of Pavillion Records Ltd. According to the blurb on the back cover, Flapper records have a "reputation second to none in the field of historical reissues." The disk also contains the other, longer 7 track version of the Spellbound score recorded by the Rozsa with a Hollywood pick-up orchestra and a 25 minute suite from "The Jungle Book" with narration by Sabu. I only got hold of this last year so I assume the disc is still around.

From: "Tim Sika" <cdreams@wenet.net>

I have a Flapper CD (Past CD 7093) entitled "The Film Music of Miklos Rosza" that includes excerpts from the musical score of "Spellbound"--recorded in Hollywood 1945 with the Selznick Recording Orchestra plus Kipling's "Jungle Book" recorded NYC 24/3/42 with the Victor Symphony Orchestra; plus more music from "Spellbound" (8 tracks 24:44).

River Runs Through What?

From: David Morgan, Morgands1@aol.com

I understand Elmer Bernstein's score for "A River Runs Through It" was rejected, and that Mark Isham contributed a score which was ultimately nominated for an Oscar. However, the film was shown today (Sunday) on WTBS, and the opening credits listed Bernstein as the composer, and there was no mention of Isham at the beginning or end.

Is there perhaps a good explanation for this error apart from mere oversight? Have the credits for the film always been this way? Is there a reason they would never have been corrected? Or is some of Bernstein's score in fact still in the picture somewhere?

This is total news to me. Did anyone see this? I don't mean to call anybody a liar but maybe Mr. Morgan mis-remembered. (Maybe the version of A River Runs Through It he saw has the Biggs scenes.)

"In Pace" Answer

From: "Josh \"SBuckler\" Gizelt" <Josh.Gizelt@gte.net>

In response to Will Lim's question about the Sarah Brightman record: "In Pace" was composed by Patrick Doyle for Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. The original version was performed by Placido Domingo. It plays over the end credits of the film, and opens the album.

Convention?

From: Jeffswim@aol.com

What a great idea to have a film score convention! I know it may sound a little like those Star Trek conventions, but in this case no one dresses up in kooky costumes. It would be great to have a host get about three or four composers to talk about their film scoring expereinces (my wish list would be John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Alan Menken and Danny Elfman in that order) and how they come up with such memorable music. Then a Q&A from the audience and, of course, an autograph session. What a great weekend that would be!

It sure would, and if this country wasn't so geographically large, and if I wasn't so poor, it might happen.

Lost in Space Jet-Pack Flight Music

From: mschramm@ftw.nrcs.usda.gov (Michael K Schramm)

The John Robinson jet-pack flights were tracked with music from Bernard Herrmann's "Beneath the Twelve Mile Reef". The cue occurs twice in the film, both times as establishing shots on the open ocean of a ship from which sponge divers prepare to take a deep sea dive. This particular cue (one of my all time favorites of any film) really showcases Herrmann's genius as it portends danger and excitement where little follows in the film. Hopefully the cue will be available on the upcoming Varese Sarabande release for Herrmann's 20th Century Fox film scores.

In case people are wondering, Varese does not know yet what will be on that Herrmann set, since it hasn't been assembled yet.

Pollyanna to the Rescue

We often gripe and groan here on the FSM site. But for once, here's a positive letter:

From: Henrik Jordan <henrik.jordan@berlin.snafu.de>

I have to point out my honest appreciation of all the good things that have happened in terms of re-issues so far this year.

I mean, it's a little bit like heaven these days: First, there was this truly incredible new edition of John Williams'CLOSE ENCOUNTERS of which you guys have spoken so long in advance and which indeed did live up to every expectation. For my personal taste, the album features everything a good soundtrack release should offer: Completism, chronological sequencing and beautiful sound quality. And of course, wonderful and imaginative music.

But the best was yet to come: I appreciated the reissue of TAXI DRIVER even more, because in its original form it gives us not only an insight of the character of Travis Bickle but also of Bernard Herrmann himself who knew that death was just days away when he wrote this score. I can't remember any other soundtrack which ever sent so many chills up my bones like this one. An unique experience and a true voyage into the heart of darkness.

Afterwards Joel McNeely's brilliant recording of TORN CURTAIN which is definetely an improvement over the old LP version conducted by Elmer Bernstein. Seems like McNeely is again very faithful to Herrmann's work. Now it would be interesting to watch TORN CURTAIN again with the original music. Maybe some future DVD Edition could make that possible...

Then THE WILD BUNCH and the STAGECOACH / LONER CDs arrived. Again one big Wayne & Garth - like "We're Not Worthy" bow down: What you FSM guys have done so far is incredible: Not enough with having your fingers onto the Ryko releases, the old STAR WARS 4CD boxes, the RAIDERS rerelease, your own Retrograde CDs and the Varese Fox Classics: This new series you started with STAGECOACH and THE LONER (Especially THE LONER is a real treasure) should get everybody nervous with anticipation, the announced Williams - double feature sounds very exciting. It's difficult to remember the old times (Maybe five years ago?) where things like these did rarely happen. And we do not want to have them dark ages back, so please keep on performing miracles!

Last not least THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS arrived yesterday. And being a Bond music fan of a nearly manical manner to put it frankly, the half an hour of unreleased material was, as I anticipated, a complete knock-out, especially the Gibraltar sequence, which was always one of my favourite musical pieces in the Bond films. Of course that wets the appetite for more.

Finally one question: The british film magazine EMPIRE wrote something about George Lucas having appointed a certain Jonathan Cohen for writing the music for the first or all of the three STAR WARS PREQUELS. What happened? Did not John Williams already sign for the first one? And who is this Jonathan Cohen? Does anybody know anything about him or this whole thing?

This Jonathan Cohen business is complete news to me. Frankly, I doubt it. I looked up Jonathan Cohen in the Internet Movie DataBase and there was like one credit, a TV movie from 1976. As far as I have been led to believe, John Williams is doing the movie. Then again, I have not investigated this one bit (not enough time, it's midnight already, gotta post this!) so what do I know?

Thanks, everybody, for your comments and questions! MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com