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Posted: |
Jun 25, 2013 - 5:45 PM
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By: |
OnyaBirri
(Member)
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I love Mancini's stuff from the 1960s and some from the 1970s, but I am not a completist. I have all of the RCA LPs that I care about - stuff like "Peter Gunn," "Mr. Lucky," etc., while skipping stuff like "The Academy Award Winners, "What Did You Do in the War, Benito" and "The Great Race."
As for CDs, I have picked up stuff like "Wait Until Dark," "The Thief Who Came To Dinner," "Days of Wine and Roses," "Charade" (film version) and "Hatari" (film version), while skipping stuff like "Santa Claus," "The Thornbirds," "The Great Pepper Detective," etc.
How badly do you think I want/need "Bachelor in Paradise?" I listened to the samples, and they sound good, but most sound like variations on the main theme, which is already on one of his early RCA albums.
The CD is paired with John Williams's "Penelope." I have that on LP. Are the film music versions of the Penelope music good enough to push me over the edge to get "Bachelor?"
I realize this is subjective, but I want your opinions.
Thanks in advance.
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Posted: |
Jun 26, 2013 - 7:21 AM
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By: |
MusicMad
(Member)
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Thanks for the reply.
How do you think I should read the lack of responses? Do you think only Williams completists bought it for "Penelope" and no one cared about the Mancini album?
I love a lot of Mr. Mancini's scores/albums but I'll readily acknowledge that they're not all great listens. I have commented before (and been shot at  ) that he knew very well what he was doing back in the early 1960's ... producing highly effective, great listening albums. I believe he knew that some of his scores did not warrant such treatment and, more so, that the full score releases just do not work (as well).
So it is with Bachelor in Paradise ... just how many times do you want to listen to that lovely tune ... because, in essence, that is the score. Of course, it's good to hear the tune without the lyric/choral rendition, as per the cut on Our Man in Hollywood, but don't buy thinking it's a top-class score.
I, for one, bought the FSM release for this score, John Williams' Petulia being the bonus. I like that album a lot and, having separated out the album from the score (as well as keeping Bachelor in Paradise separate, too) I listen to the album much more often than the score. The song The Sun is Gray is my favourite track.
Mitch
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How do you think I should read the lack of responses?
Part of the difficulty is reading what exactly you admire in Mancini's music. I don't know what to make of it when you exclude "The Great Race" and "What Did You Do In The War, Daddy?" (both of which have a lot of very attractive ballad pieces and exciting full band tracks). Mancini in the '60s was at his inspired best. As for the the later years, Mancini considered "The Thorn Birds" a unique and very special musical project, but again you have excluded that as well.
It's a matter of personal taste. Perhaps the only advice I could give you is to listen to the samples again and go with your gut feeling.
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I love Mancini's stuff from the 1960s and some from the 1970s, but I am not a completist. I have all of the RCA LPs that I care about - stuff like "Peter Gunn," "Mr. Lucky," etc., while skipping stuff like "The Academy Award Winners, "What Did You Do in the War, Benito" and "The Great Race."
As for CDs, I have picked up stuff like "Wait Until Dark," "The Thief Who Came To Dinner," "Days of Wine and Roses," "Charade" (film version) and "Hatari" (film version), while skipping stuff like "Santa Claus," "The Thornbirds," "The Great Pepper Detective," etc.
How badly do you think I want/need "Bachelor in Paradise?" I listened to the samples, and they sound good, but most sound like variations on the main theme, which is already on one of his early RCA albums.
The CD is paired with John Williams's "Penelope." I have that on LP. Are the film music versions of the Penelope music good enough to push me over the edge to get "Bachelor?"
I realize this is subjective, but I want your opinions.
Thanks in advance.
In 1961 Mancini scored 3 films. "Breakfast at Tiffany's", "Hatari and "Bachelor".
It's a light, basically mono-thematic score similar to "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" (1962) and "Man's Favorite Sport" (1963).
The song "Bachelor In Paradise" was nominated for an Academy Award and was performed at the ceremony by Ann Margaret.
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Posted: |
Jun 26, 2013 - 6:11 PM
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By: |
OnyaBirri
(Member)
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Part of the difficulty is reading what exactly you admire in Mancini's music. I don't know what to make of it when you exclude "The Great Race" and "What Did You Do In The War, Daddy?" (both of which have a lot of very attractive ballad pieces and exciting full band tracks). Mancini in the '60s was at his inspired best. As for the the later years, Mancini considered "The Thorn Birds" a unique and very special musical project, but again you have excluded that as well.
A very valid question.
I cannot address "The Great Race" or "What Did You Do In The War, Daddy?" in any substantive way, because it's been ages since I dragged them home from the thrift store, did some needle drops, and dragged them right back to the thrift store. I can say that, in a general way, the music struck me as corny and over-the-top, and nothing close to, say, "Peter Gunn" or "The Blues and the Beat."
As for later stuff like "The Thorn Birds," Mancini's plummet from doing suave, jazzy scores for Audrey Hepburn to doing B-list stuff like 70s TV miniseries is heartbreaking. I prefer to leave intact my image of Mancini - the hip, postwar swinger - and forget about the goofy guy with the combover scoring "The Great Mouse Detective." I realize I may be missing some great music, but I can live with it. A moment spent listening to the "The Thorn Birds" is a moment I could have spent listening to "Dreamsville" or "Fallout."
Based on other replies, I will probably pass on the "Penelope"/"Bachelor" twofer unless I find it in the budget bin, which is not unheard of in these parts.
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Posted: |
Jun 26, 2013 - 8:12 PM
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By: |
sdtom
(Member)
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I love Mancini's stuff from the 1960s and some from the 1970s, but I am not a completist. I have all of the RCA LPs that I care about - stuff like "Peter Gunn," "Mr. Lucky," etc., while skipping stuff like "The Academy Award Winners, "What Did You Do in the War, Benito" and "The Great Race."
As for CDs, I have picked up stuff like "Wait Until Dark," "The Thief Who Came To Dinner," "Days of Wine and Roses," "Charade" (film version) and "Hatari" (film version), while skipping stuff like "Santa Claus," "The Thornbirds," "The Great Pepper Detective," etc.
How badly do you think I want/need "Bachelor in Paradise?" I listened to the samples, and they sound good, but most sound like variations on the main theme, which is already on one of his early RCA albums.
The CD is paired with John Williams's "Penelope." I have that on LP. Are the film music versions of the Penelope music good enough to push me over the edge to get "Bachelor?"
I realize this is subjective, but I want your opinions.
Thanks in advance.
Definitely one to skip in my opinion if you don't have to have every note he ever wrote.
Tom
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