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Posted: |
Jul 15, 2017 - 6:40 AM
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By: |
Graham Watt
(Member)
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With HOUR OF THE GUN, I think it's the same situation as PAPILLON. A good strong track to kick off the LP. Whether they were then used in supermarkets or whatever is kind of beside the point in the sense that that was never the intention. I'm not sure we're on the same wavelength here Rory. I'm not suggesting that you are an inferior species, but do clear up what we're on about please.
I think the Papillon theme track is essential to start the CD. With the subsequent brief references to the theme, it all works in a "Theme and Variations" kind of way. Otherwise, it would sound like a lot of variations without having established the central theme. Maybe that would be fine in the film, but not as a listen.
And the Papillon theme track is nothing like the flavor of the Hour of the Gun theme. Papillon sounds very much as one with the rest of the soundtrack in terms of instrumentation and feels like it's part of the same recording session. The Hour of the Gun theme track sounds more like a deliberate re-invention using different instrumentation that could as well be different players performing at a different time in a different place.
I agree with you Basil in that the PAPILLON theme sounds like it's part of the original recording session, and perhaps it was. It didn't really need much in the way of a facelift to make it an appealing opening to the old LP. No need for pop rhythm sections or anything. HOUR OF THE GUN though "did" (probably) need a little bit of tampering to give the album a good kick-off. The way it's presented in the film wouldn't have done the job for the LP market back then. Which is one of the reasons (not the only one of course - there's the costs thing too) that so many soundtracks were re-recorded, and very often with a catchy, listener-friendly version of the Main Theme as Track 1.
However, that's not really the issue we were addressing earlier. We still have to establish if those pieces were arranged for that sole purpose, but you'll have to scroll back to Rory's posts to see where we were differing.
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In my research on director Franklin J. Schaffner (for Simians & Serialism and other stuff to come), I came across many memos and contracts related to the going's-on with PAPILLON. Here's the scoop on the PAPILLON soundtrack:
PAPILLON was an independently produced film (no studio involvement or studio strings/commitments attached).
Producer/Financier Robert Dorfmann had two problems: Controlling Costs and Promoting the Film.
Production was way over budget, but Dorfmann needed as many tools for promoting the film as he could—and way back then, LPs were just promotional tools.
Dorfmann shopped around the LP release rights and Capitol Records was eventually the taker.
The important points in the deal were: 1, Capitol Records got the worldwide distribution rights in perpetuity; 2, Capitol Records paid for the recording sessions (done in Italy for 3 primary reasons: music-related strike in US, cheaper orchestra, not as cost-prohibitive Re-use fees); 3. Capitol Records required a “Theme from Papillon” track to both open the LP, to use on the radio and as a single (released in France, UK, Italy and Japan, the “Theme from Papillon” was paired with “Survival” on a 7” 45rpm record). It was NOT an alternative “End Title.”
The other vocal versions were done later as “covers” with no input from Goldsmith or anyone from Dorfmann's side of the production and are not directly related to the Soundtrack recording sessions. However, since these “covers” were licensed, they did give additional revenue to producer Dorfmann.
Please note that all the labels around the world that originally released the PAPILLON soundtrack in the 1970's were subsidiaries of Capitol (i.e. Capitol Records in the USA, Odeon/Toshiba in Japan, EMI,Angel in the UK, Pathé in France, Odeon in Spain, etc.).
Capitol Records and its subsidiaries were bought by Universal Music Group in 2012, which now controls everything related to the PAPILLON soundtrack.
For reference, this kind of Producer/Record Company deal is not unusual at all. Arthur P. Jacobs did it with his APES scores and THE CHAIRMAN (that's why they're all with different labels—best deal, best bidder!). Paramount made a similar arrangement with the STAR TREK-THE MOTION PICTURE deal to aid in the spiraling production costs. Columbia Records (now Sony) paid for all the recording sessions in exchange for rights in perpetuity (and that's how Bruce Botnick met Goldsmith—He was an in-house Columbia Records producer).
BTW, the new CD is great. Terrific work by all.
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PAPILLON was an independently produced film (no studio involvement or studio strings/commitments attached)
Now that explains the perplexing opening titles of the film, which mention McQueen and Hoffman and the movie's title... and THAT'S IT. This would have been against any Academy/Union/Hollywood studio contractual regulations regarding opening credits.
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Posted: |
Sep 15, 2017 - 8:06 AM
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By: |
leomichel
(Member)
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In my research on director Franklin J. Schaffner (for Simians & Serialism and other stuff to come), I came across many memos and contracts related to the going's-on with PAPILLON. Here's the scoop on the PAPILLON soundtrack:
PAPILLON was an independently produced film (no studio involvement or studio strings/commitments attached).
Producer/Financier Robert Dorfmann had two problems: Controlling Costs and Promoting the Film.
Production was way over budget, but Dorfmann needed as many tools for promoting the film as he could—and way back then, LPs were just promotional tools.
Dorfmann shopped around the LP release rights and Capitol Records was eventually the taker.
The important points in the deal were: 1, Capitol Records got the worldwide distribution rights in perpetuity; 2, Capitol Records paid for the recording sessions (done in Italy for 3 primary reasons: music-related strike in US, cheaper orchestra, not as cost-prohibitive Re-use fees); 3. Capitol Records required a “Theme from Papillon” track to both open the LP, to use on the radio and as a single (released in France, UK, Italy and Japan, the “Theme from Papillon” was paired with “Survival” on a 7” 45rpm record). It was NOT an alternative “End Title.”
The other vocal versions were done later as “covers” with no input from Goldsmith or anyone from Dorfmann's side of the production and are not directly related to the Soundtrack recording sessions. However, since these “covers” were licensed, they did give additional revenue to producer Dorfmann.
Please note that all the labels around the world that originally released the PAPILLON soundtrack in the 1970's were subsidiaries of Capitol (i.e. Capitol Records in the USA, Odeon/Toshiba in Japan, EMI,Angel in the UK, Pathé in France, Odeon in Spain, etc.).
Capitol Records and its subsidiaries were bought by Universal Music Group in 2012, which now controls everything related to the PAPILLON soundtrack.
For reference, this kind of Producer/Record Company deal is not unusual at all. Arthur P. Jacobs did it with his APES scores and THE CHAIRMAN (that's why they're all with different labels—best deal, best bidder!). Paramount made a similar arrangement with the STAR TREK-THE MOTION PICTURE deal to aid in the spiraling production costs. Columbia Records (now Sony) paid for all the recording sessions in exchange for rights in perpetuity (and that's how Bruce Botnick met Goldsmith—He was an in-house Columbia Records producer).
BTW, the new CD is great. Terrific work by all.
Thanks for this very interesting post. A small correction, however : Capitol, as well as the other foreign record labels you mention, were all subsidiaries of the British company EMI and not the other way round.
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