Free Sample Friday

Hello everyone...if you have never seen a copy of FILM SCORE MONTHLY -- the actual hardcopy magazine we publish, which features articles and news completely independent of our web content -- IT'S YOUR LUCKY DAY!

We do this once every two years or so because it's always a lot of work on our end, but it's...

FREE SAMPLE DAY!

We sort of work on the honor system for this. Here are the criteria:

1) If you like our website and like film scores but have never seen a copy of our actual magazine (newsstand distribution is rather limited) --

and/or

2) If you have seen our magazine but not for a while, or you're a lapsed subscriber, or you just have meant to subscribe but haven't...

Then email me your name and address for a free copy of our latest edition, Vol. 6, No. 4 (now reaching regular subscribers). You may be anywhere in the world, it's totally free, and we will not be sending you any other junk mail or doing anything with your address.

We look forward to hearing from you and sending you a copy of our mag. This offer is valid for a reasonable period of time -- in other words, it applies to this weekend (6/22-25) and thereabouts, but if you're reading this column archived a year from now, you can ask very nicely, but there are no guarantees...

We have warned you...now it's real. We are SOLD OUT of the John Barry: A Life in Music coffee table book, EXCEPT for less than 10 copies in sort of "knocked around" condition. We've appropriately knocked down the price of these last copies -- this book is out of print and becoming very hard to get -- and we're selling them on a first-come, first-serve basis. Here's the link to order. If you want one of the remaining copies -- which are basically in acceptable condition, except the corners are a little banged up from the transcontinental shipping -- please place an order right away. We will notify you if you are in time to get one, or conversely if you are too late (in which case obviously we will not process the order).

Also, this is a good time to boast of our FREE GIFT specials being offered with any order of over $50. We have an assortment of Sonic Images releases (given to us in lieu of payment for magazine ads) or we are offering our Price Guide free of charge for orders over $50 (excluding subscriptions). The ordering mechanism on the site will prompt you to select your free gift if you are eligible. So, it's basically a way of getting four CDs for the price of three. Go here for complete details.

Finally, we have created a backissue collection of solely the John Williams-themed issues we have done over the years. We often get orders for just these issues, so we figured we would assemble them into their own collection for one low price.

Columbia Records will be releasing a Carter Burwell score album on July 3rd to A Knight's Tale, separate from the song-oriented soundtrack CD.

Jeff Berkwits writes to tell us: "Radio Spirits (www.radiospirits.com) recently released a comprehensive 30-CD set called "The 60 Greatest Old-Time Radio Shows from Science Fiction Selected by Ray Bradbury." Among the shows are two 1956 episodes of CBS Radio Workshop ("Season of Disbelief and Hail & Farewell" and "A Pride of Carrots"), both featuring original music by Jerry Goldsmith! I don't know how rare these works are, but for Goldsmith completists, it's certainly an opportunity to get some very, very early Jerry on CD." Sounds neat! We've ordered our FSM office copy and we'll report on these rarities when it arrives.

Here's a response to Jerry Goldsmith's new SACD Telarc recording:

From: Arthur Lintgen <ablintgen@home.com>

The good news is that the sound is absolutely unbelievable on SACD. There has never been a Goldsmith CD that sounded like this. It is truly a pleasure to hear his music in truly great sound. The bad news is that this is basically the same tired old concert of all too brief excerpts that he conducts over and over and over again. The extremely short excerpts effectively remove the music from its proper dramatic context. This eliminates the dynamic and emotional contrasts inherent in the scores. I believe Jeff Bond addressed this subject a while ago. Goldsmith needs to conduct new music with longer Suites that do his music justice. For example, it would have been simply overwhelming to hear the 16 minute Suite from The Blue Max in this sound rather than still another rehash of the bland music for television medley.

From: Mike McCrann <mmccrann@libpubinc.com>

Hi. I just received my cds of A MAN CALLED PETER and UNTAMED. They are both wonderful. Being an Alfred Newman fanatic, having the Catherine theme in such abundance is great. I personally think this one theme is the most moving piece of music Newman ever composed and I am glad he used it in so many films. It seems to fit each one as if it had been written for that particular picture. I know these cd's do not sell like the Williams and Goldsmith ones but bless you for bringing them out.

Thanks! Actually our Golden Age titles are doing great! It's very gratifying...

From: Dennis Cannon, DPCJ44@aol.com

I agree if you can get the original soundtrack then i am happy. Nothing is like the original but i will settle for a rerecording by anyone who does the original with respect to the music. My favorite soundtrack is THE ROBE for years what we had of that music was not the original soundtrack but was done by ALFRED NEWMAN after the film was completed. I liked it but something was missing. Until Fox Film Score came out with the original a few years ago now i have what is complete. I am very happy with what Film Score Monthly is doing to make to make the original soundtrack snobs happy by releasing such wonderful soundtracks. The scoring of movies today is not what it was. Most soundtracks today are full of old rock and roll songs or old popular songs not much original score. I would like to be able to walk out of a movie today like i did years ago humming the main theme but that never happens any more.

Well, take care and thanks again for all your wonderful work in making THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK SNOBS happy.

Dennis, that's the name of the game around here.

OK, it's nice to hear from happy readers, and I hope we have a lot more happy readers after we send you your free sample copies.

Sample@filmscoremonthly.com