Film Score Friday 9/8/00
by Lukas Kendall
Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 21st: the Society of Composers
and Lyricists are presenting "The Virtuoso Soloist in Film Music"
featuring some of the best instrumental soloists who have played on film
scores. Specifically, these are Joshua Bell (violin, The Red Violin),
Ralph Grierson (piano on a zillion film scores) and Eric Rigler (bagpipes
on Braveheart and Titanic). The forum will take place at
the Newman Stage on the Fox lot in Century City; admission is free to SCL
members, $25 to non-members ($10 students). For reservations, call 310-281-2812,
ext. 2.
The Exorcist is coming back to theaters in two weeks (September
22nd), tinkered with to include previously cut footage. It's the all-time
scariest movie and we've
got the limited edition soundtrack CD, otherwise available only with
the videotape box set of the movie -- get your copy while they last.
Bond Still in Action
Silva Screen's follow up to their re-recorded Bond Back in Action
CD will contain the following selections:
- The Man With The Golden Gun - Kung Fu Fight/Let's Go Get 'em/In
Search Of Scaramanga's Island
- The Man With The Golden Gun - Chew Me In Crisly Land/Hip's Trip/Return
To Scaramanga's Fun House
- The Man With The Golden Gun - Slow Boat From China/Nick Nack/The
Man With The Golden Gun
- The Spy Who Loved Me - Ride To Atlantis
- The Spy Who Loved Me - The Tanker
- Moonraker - Arrival At Chateau Drax/Freefall
- Moonraker - Miss Goodhead Meets Bond/Bond Lured To The Pyramids
- Moonraker - Flight Into Space
- For Your Eyes Only Main Theme
- Octopussy - Bond Meets Octopussy/Bond Look Alike/The Palace Fight
- A View To A Kill - Suite With Stacey/Fanfare/Snow Job
- The Living Daylights - Suite Koskov Escapes/Hercules Take Off
- The Living Daylights - Mujahadin/Afghanistan Plan
- The Living Daylights - Air Bond/Necros Attacks
- The Living Daylights - End Title (Alternative Version)
- Golden Eye Tank Drive Around St.Petersburg (Film Version)
Some good unreleased stuff in there -- let's hope the performance is
good. Volume One featured suites and themes (including unreleased cues)
from the first seven Bond films.
First Soundtrack Experiences
See Peter
Daley's column earlier this week -- and feel free to send in your early
soundtrack reminisces.
From: "Adam Harris" <wickywackyman135@hotmail.com>
My first experience involving film scores actually started with
my going to the movies at an early age of two.Yes-I actually saw Doctor
Doolittle on the big screen,although we were late and came in where Anthony
Newley was braying "My Friend the Doctor"-but I still remember
it to this day.My first real conscious memory of any movie music influence
was the movie company logo that would present the coming attractions and
the feature presentation-General Cinema Corporation was it for me.It was(as
I discovered many years later)the first three letters of the Co. in the
shape of a movie projector-very clever-and behind it was this red,slowly
moving design reminiscent of a kalediscope-with little multi-colored dots
coming out where the light comes out.The music was this really cool jazz-with
brushes,harpsichord and bass with top hat cymbals- as the "reels"
were moving. I was literally nuts about this-so I always anticipated this
when going to the movies-it was sad when they got rid of the old one and
replaced it with a new and less inspiring one.
I was nine when I heard my first soundtrack album(I'm 35 now).My
next door neighbor graciously asked me if I wanted to hear Jaws,and I immediately
panicked-NO!!!!I had never heard of a soundtrack album-so I assumed it
was the film on record-kind of like the book and record idea they did for
kids-Winnie the Pooh meets Jaws-but when he said it was just the music-I
had no real idea what I was in for-til I heard it.Now,people react differently
to music(obviously) but for me-listening to this score was like listening
to my first Wagerian opera-he put on the record and quickly left the room-leaving
me alone. My heart was pounding-and when the first ominous strings started-it
was really an electric door opening to new sounds-I was changed forever-eventually
getting my own copy and turning off the lights and playing this over and
over-I was hooked-never to be the same again.
From: John, Ranger7774@aol.com
I noticed your article writer was born the year after the soundtrack
craze really got started with those articles in the High Fidelity Magazine
and info on Bernstein's FMC club. The famous article by the grad student
is credited with many people getting into collecting and came at a point
when many baby-boomers and older folks were getting into collecting film
music. My personal interest in it began in late '50s from films shown on
old TV.
From: "Randy Derchan" <rderchan@visualdatainc.com>
Here's a story. My first soundtrack purchase was the album for "Diamonds
Are Forever". The funny part was, I was so disappointed there wasn't
any dialogue on the album. It was just music. I was nine years old. I wanted
to hear scenes from the film. Thus started my expensive hobby and future
career move.
MMM AgaiM
Everybody loves Monstrous Movie Music's new Vol. 3 of vintage monster
music, newly recorded:
From: "K Dick" <baleywick@tgn.net>
I know you are a busy guy running a film music empire, but you have
got to tell everyone of those generation X'ers out there always arguing
over whether James Horner or Hans Zimmer is the lesser of two levels of
mediocrity to stop and listen to the newest volume of MMM. This album rivals
Jason and the Argonauts in quality of sound recording ie good old-fashioned
close miking and should get equal attention. It faithfully captures some
incredible music "from the old days" that nobody else seems to
pay attention to. Tarzan is good, Creature from the Black Lagoon is great,
but the real jewel in the rough is The Alligator People. Herrmann himself
even didn't put an electric violin to such good use. It really soars, man!
My hat's off to the crew at MMM. I look forward the next volume.
From: Richard Bush, bustm <bustm@home.com>
Just a historical note regarding Kirk Henderson's praise of the
new Schecter album: Many 3D films were released in stereo sound. The dual,
synchronized optical prints necessary for polarized 3D images made it relatively
easy to have stereophonic optical audio (assuming that the theater was
suitably wired). While I don't know for certain whether "Creature
from the Black Lagoon" was originally released in stereo sound, it
is a possibility.
Schecter's new album is a model of how film score re-recordings should
be done.
Deconstructing Goldsmith
Here's a site that I spent a lot of time at last week -- and believe
me, I thought I was maxed out on movie music websites. "Deconstructing
Goldsmith" has some inane reviews but they have good RealAudio clips
of the vast majority of efforts in Jerry Goldsmith's filmography -- including
some stuff I had heard about but never actually listened to. And believe
me, I'm a fan. So it's a real treat to discover some of the composer's
lesser-known and otherwise unavailable themes, taken from the movie titles
or wherever. See www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/9059/scoresframe.htm
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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