Compilations: Rants, Ravings and Reviews #4

Film scores have always been a part of my music collection for the past 40 and better years. It is my observation that the music I loved faded except for film music and so I began to collect film music almost exclusively. One of the goals I set was to have a varied collection and for this purpose compilations are a godsend when time and money intervene.

My collection was lacking in what we will call the STONE AGE of film music -- the teens to the 1930s -- and also in the quickie western and serials. I will mention here four recent purchases that helped fill those slots.

Decca DL 9079

This LP features the orchestra of Jack Shaindlin who did such a fine job on Windjammer and Cinerama Holiday. Here he takes 13 cues that cover film music from the teens thru the 1950s and the selections are perfection. The first three cues feature the nickelodeon piano doing: 1: First Film Music Medly, 2: The Chase and 3: Slapstix. Cue 4, Newsreel, features a medly of music that went with all those floods, bathing beauties and horse races that paraded by in black and white. Cue 5 is an organ version of Charmaine to go with those lovely silent film closeups. Cues 6, 7, and 8 are If I Had A Talking Picture of You, Beyond the Blue Horizon and Carioca. These instrumentals are typical of the popular song score that set the tone of many a boy-meets-girl picture of the '30s.

The 5 cues on Side two are large orchestra themes for the '30s, '40s and '50s: King Kong Suite, The Informer, Spellbound, Medley of Intermezzo, Third Man Theme, Warsaw Concerto and last, Man With the Golden Arm. The album notes by Arthur Knight are a nice condensation of film music history along with some interesting movie stills.

RCA LPM-2560

This LP features the recently deceased Gaylord Carter at the Grauman's Theater organ in LA playing many of those "cue sheet favorites" that brought more emotion to the extreme body language of silent films. Here we have the music that gave birth to film music with selections like Old Ironsides, Westward Ho, and Little Mother. Cues such as Estrellita, Romona, Perfect Song and The Big Chase give variety to somewhat dull organ arrangements. I found that I could almost picture my own scenes going on while listening to this LP -- a lot like radio. You could have fun taking this music and addding it to some home video.

Classic Music from Republic Pictures
Varese Sarabande VSD-5666 and 5658

Blessings be upon Varese Sarabande for the release of these two CDs. The memory rush for someone my age who grew up on that new picture box (TV) on Saturday and Sunday mornings and spent Saturday afternoon sitting in front row center for cartoons, serials, and westerns is wonderful. This music brings back every moment of the cowboy whose hat never comes off in a fight before he saves the ranch of the young girl and her father. How about those Chris Craft boats with the shiny wood and inboard engines cutting waves around the harbors of Southern California with the Coast Guard chasing the evil saboteurs? Give me a Ford Woodie to drive, a six-shooter that never runs out of bullets, the boulders and dirt valley backways of early California and I would like this music blasting from my radio.

These two CDs were put together by James King who was a good friend and collaborator of William Lava, one of the primary composers of the Republic sound. Other composers represented are Paul Sawtell, Arnold Schwarzwald, Victor Young, Cy Feuer, Mort Glickman, Karl Hajos, and Alberto Colombo.

MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com