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"Who" is Time Records, Inc.? I can't find any information about them on the world wide web. Time Records was the "parent" company of Mainstream Records. Both were founded by Bob Shad (Time in 1959 and Mainstream in 1964). Time specialized mostly in easy-listening, early stereo "spectaculars," but the label had at least one other tenuous connection to film music. It was their release of Toshiro Mayuzumi's Nirvana-Symphony (issued in 1962 with cover art -- I just noticed for the first time -- by Yoko Ono!) that inspired John Huston to hire the composer to score THE BIBLE. Find a bit more here: http://www.discogs.com/label/20318-Time-Records-3?page=1
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That was most helpful, thanks alot Frank! It gives me a clearer picture now. I read on Wikipedia that Judd Apatow is the grandson of Robert Shad. Judd's mother is Tami Apatow (née Shad), Judd's father is Maury Apatow. So the Apatow family owns the record label "Time Records, Inc." - or, at least, parts of it.
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WALK ON THE WILD SIDE is worth the price of admission This! The set would be cheap at twice the price.
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First, about those two dots. It's not a Swedish thing, per se, it's a pronunciation thing. Fred Astaire's daughter's name was and is pronounced: AH - vuh. As opposed to AY - vuh Gardner... If Astaire's occasional lyricist, Johnny Mercer, can start Capitol Records, why shouldn't Fred create Ava -- especially since it dealt in jazz and pop as well as film scores? I don't know when Fred first met Elmer, but Bernstein had scored at least one of Fred's two dramas on TV's GENERAL ELECTRIC THEATER, and the Columbia LP of G.E. Themes -- now, there's an Elmer album that still cries out for a CD release! -- includes the theme from one of them, "Man on a Bicycle." (Incidentally, the booklet from the CD of Elmer conducting Conrad Salinger arrangements for MGM contains a great snapshot of Fred and Elmer.) Dana Wilcox, as always, says everything I might want to say about Ava's MOCKINGBIRD. *HI, DANA!* And I'm obviously not the only Bernstein admirer for whom this entire box set is indeed a longtime dream come true. It even succeeds in finally, all these years since the original CARPETBAGGERS LP, confirming my suspicion that we're listening to jazz great Harry "Sweets" Edison blowing that eloquent trumpet in the "Carpetbagger Blues." So Thank you, Intrada, for putting together this treasure with such love. But, forgive me, please, for mentioning the one aspect of the collection with which I am definitely not pleased. Why, oh why, oh why, given the apparent necessity of coupling MOCKINGBIRD with the brassy, jazzy THEMES, didn't you simply program THEMES first and MOCKINGBIRD second? The tender, sensitive, dreamy MOCKINGBIRD transports the listener to another realm, but then a few seconds later, the THEMES land down like a proverbial ton of bricks, shattering everything Bernstein's masterpiece had just accomplished. (WHAT) WERE YOU THINKING?!
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PS: If MOCKINGBIRD leads you to SUMMER AND SMOKE, per Dana's excellent advice, may I subsequently recommend the pastoral Bernstein in GOD'S LITTLE ACRE, A WALK IN THE SPRING RAIN, DRANGO and, especially, DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS. All are on CD, and there are plenty of other worthy scores where they came from.
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But, forgive me, please, for mentioning the one aspect of the collection with which I am definitely not pleased. Why, oh why, oh why, given the apparent necessity of coupling MOCKINGBIRD with the brassy, jazzy THEMES, didn't you simply program THEMES first and MOCKINGBIRD second? The tender, sensitive, dreamy MOCKINGBIRD transports the listener to another realm, but then a few seconds later, the THEMES land down like a proverbial ton of bricks, shattering everything Bernstein's masterpiece had just accomplished. (WHAT) WERE YOU THINKING?! I don't know, I rather like the choice - to me, the "Themes" album feels like the summative moment of the set, a sort of "condensed history of Bernstein," for lack of a better phrase, encapsulating everything in Bernstein's career up until that time. It's almost as though all of the previous albums, taken together as a holistic piece, were all building up to this moment of retrospection and celebration. It also, as pointed out by Intrada in a few places, offers a nice bit of musical symmetry. The "Themes" album ends with an arrangement of "Walk on the Wild Side," thus offering the sense of coming "full circle" with the set. Still, I more than understand your view here.
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What is the definite version of To Kill A Mockingbird? It looks like this new Intrada release is more incomplete compared to other releases. If by definitive you mean "among all available re-recordings, the one most like the original soundtrack performance of the score as heard in the film," then the Ava recording (featured in this new Intrada release) wins hands-down. Probably the best combo of "most like film score" and "most complete" would pair the Ava and FMC recordings. The Varese re-recording is a more passionate, larger orchestra rendition of the music which abandons the smaller, more delicate and childlike performance that was heard in the film and reflected in the Ava and (to a lesser extent) the FMC release. This is true and spot on. Both recordings are very much worthwhile, it's definitely not an "either or issue". The Varese recording is a completely different ballgame. I got to know the score trough the old Ava recording, then heard it all over again on the Varese re-recording. It is great to have the Ava recording available again with much improved sound, but I'd never part with my Varese recording either. Both are beautiful and a wonderful demonstration of how to different approaches to the same musical material can be valid.
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Posted: |
Mar 27, 2014 - 10:50 AM
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By: |
Dana Wilcox
(Member)
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First, about those two dots. It's not a Swedish thing, per se, it's a pronunciation thing. Fred Astaire's daughter's name was and is pronounced: AH - vuh. As opposed to AY - vuh Gardner... If Astaire's occasional lyricist, Johnny Mercer, can start Capitol Records, why shouldn't Fred create Ava -- especially since it dealt in jazz and pop as well as film scores? I don't know when Fred first met Elmer, but Bernstein had scored at least one of Fred's two dramas on TV's GENERAL ELECTRIC THEATER, and the Columbia LP of G.E. Themes -- now, there's an Elmer album that still cries out for a CD release! -- includes the theme from one of them, "Man on a Bicycle." (Incidentally, the booklet from the CD of Elmer conducting Conrad Salinger arrangements for MGM contains a great snapshot of Fred and Elmer.) Dana Wilcox, as always, says everything I might want to say about Ava's MOCKINGBIRD. *HI, DANA!* And I'm obviously not the only Bernstein admirer for whom this entire box set is indeed a longtime dream come true. It even succeeds in finally, all these years since the original CARPETBAGGERS LP, confirming my suspicion that we're listening to jazz great Harry "Sweets" Edison blowing that eloquent trumpet in the "Carpetbagger Blues." So Thank you, Intrada, for putting together this treasure with such love. But, forgive me, please, for mentioning the one aspect of the collection with which I am definitely not pleased. Why, oh why, oh why, given the apparent necessity of coupling MOCKINGBIRD with the brassy, jazzy THEMES, didn't you simply program THEMES first and MOCKINGBIRD second? The tender, sensitive, dreamy MOCKINGBIRD transports the listener to another realm, but then a few seconds later, the THEMES land down like a proverbial ton of bricks, shattering everything Bernstein's masterpiece had just accomplished. (WHAT) WERE YOU THINKING?! Back atcha, Preston! Happily second the motion on a release of the GENERAL ELECTRIC THEATER album. My personal favorite on that one is Elmer's "Lavender Waltz," a lovely but off-kilter piece that reminds me of the theme he wrote for Alma's senile mother in SUMMER AND SMOKE. Would appreciate it if you could drop me an email -- check my profile for the address. Thanks!
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I've just given Walk on the Wild Side its first play, the set having arrived earlier today. The sound is magnificent () and I'm so pleased I decided to buy this even though I already have recordings of the other albums, save the Movie and TV Themes collection. I owned a copy of the Mainstream vinyl LP (a re-release) for many years ... it's wonderful to hear the score again ... and in superb sound. I shall compare the sound quality for Baby, Caretakers and Carpetbaggers later this week and junk the older copies. As for Mockingbird, the notes indicate that this is a smaller orchestra, almost chamber-style, and I'm looking forward to hearing this since the two later recordings - brilliant as they are - have never quite hit the mark with me (Bernstein is my second favourite composer). Mitch If the notes indicate that this is a smaller orchestra, almost chamber-style - it's really not quite accurate - the original orchestra on the actual soundtrack would not have been much bigger than this recording, if at all. It wasn't like today back then - very few soundtracks were recorded with more than fifty players, and Mockingbird was not a score that required even that number. But there's nothing chamber or small about the sound on the Ava recording - it's a great orchestra and is the best recording the score has ever had. And might I add that if there are people who have not picked up this set you should just turn in your soundtrack card - this is an amazing release of some of the best film music recordings ever done. One only hopes that the rest of the Ava/Choreo catalogue is issued. I would especially appreciate a great-sounding David and Lisa. It would need something with it, but it's a score I love. Anyway, if you're a soundtrack fan you really should not be passing up this collection - no, you should get off your butt cheeks and purchase immediately. I don't usually go in for these big ol' box set things, but this is as good as it gets.
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