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Posted: |
May 2, 2023 - 12:16 AM
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By: |
Amer Zahid
(Member)
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“RAT RACE: LIMITED EDITION”
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Limited Edition of 1000 Units
RETAIL PRICE: $21.98
STARTS SHIPPING MAY 9
https://lalalandrecords.com/rat-race-limited-edition/
La-La Land Records and Paramount Pictures present the world premiere release of legendary composer Elmer Bernstein’s (THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, AIRPLANE!, GHOSTBUSTERS) original unused score to the raucous 2001 big-screen comedy RAT RACE, starring Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg and Jon Lovitz, and directed by Jerry Zucker.
Having scored such legendary comedies as AIRPLANE!, ANIMAL HOUSE, GHOSTBUSTERS, STRIPES as well as many others, it’s no accident that Maestro Bernstein was initially the composer of choice for this madcap ensemble comedy in the vein of IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD. Now for the first time, and with the blessing of the composer’s family, Bernstein’s take on the film is here for us all to enjoy and it’s an orchestral comic delight – a rollicking wonder that embraces the film’s outlandish, desperate characters and overall cartoonish verve. The composer’s approach is as off-the-wall as it is classical – an impressively energetic and complex work of comedic scoring.
Produced by Dan Goldwasser and mastered by Doug Schwartz, this limited edition CD release of 1000 units features exclusive, in-depth liner notes by writer Daniel Schweiger, with new comments by the composer’s son, Peter Bernstein and the composer’s protégé, Bear McCreary, and zippy art design by Goldwasser.
TRACK LISTING
THE SCORE:
1. Eyebrow / Daughter / Psychic 2:03
2. Gamblers 0:34
3. News 0:34
4. Sand 0:29
5. Directions / Toilet 0:35
6. Hit 0:34
7. Downhill 1:07
8. Plans 0:47
9. Gas 1:29
10. Aria (for tenor) 2:49
11. Drifter 0:53
12. Rocket 1:02
13. Staggered / Sleep / Horse / Waltzing Away 2:45
14. Finale 3:18
SOURCE CUES
15. In the Hall of the Mountain King 2:33
16. I Love Lucy Theme 0:45
17. America the Beautiful 0:38
BONUS TRACKS
18. Brothers (Alternate) 0:20
19. Directions (Album Version) 0:32
20. Gas (Alternate) 1:29
21. Gas (Album Version) 1:29
22. Finale (Album Version) 3:29
TOTAL ALBUM TIME: 30:52
https://lalalandrecords.com/rat-race-limited-edition/
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It's hard not to make this sound like a complaint, but blimey, that's quite short! Given that there are alternates and album versions, I'm guessing that is in fact the sum total of what he wrote for the film. It seems surprising that barely 20 minutes of score was considered sufficiently detrimental to the film that they didn't just mix it low rather than go through the expense of hiring John Powell to write a replacement (who I'm not sure would have been an obvious replacement choice in 2001 for this kind of film?!). Still, look forward to hearing it, always up for some more Elmer.
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Powell score rights still belong to Beyond Records aka UME now. Too expensive to sublicense.
MV
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I’m checking out the new Bernstein Rat Race sound clips and really enjoying what I’m hearing.
I particularly love that gorgeous theme that starts up near the end of the first clip (and I hope there is more of it). But overall, to me this sounds almost like Elmer’s equivalent of Looney Tunes: Back in Action. It’s like Gold’s Mad Mad World mixed with Carl Stalling but filtered through Elmer’s own style, with multiple callbacks to his own previous genre approaches. There are fun riffs including an almost Magnificent Seven sounding theme in the final cue… I look forward to hearing the whole thing!
Yavar
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Given the liner notes have participation from both Peter Bernstein and Bear McCreary (who helped Bernstein reconstruct Kings of the Sun around this time, as his active protege), I think that will have a lot of answers. I’m almost as excited to read the liner notes booklet as I am to listen to the album!
Yavar
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Listening to the samples, I'm left scratching my head. Anyone have any intel on why Bernstein was replaced?
Listening to the samples (and assuming the samples are typical of the whole), I'm left scratching my head why anyone could get listening pleasure from this whoopee-cushion-mentality comedy music. We recently had more of the same from Goldsmith's "Legend That Walks Like a Man". Is circus clown music now in vogue? If so, maybe we should add "The Greatest Show on Earth" to Intrada's current Kickstarter re-recording poll.
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Then why would he have recorded a note? They could have rejected it before he did, like what happened with Jerry Goldsmith at least twice during the last decade of his career...
Yavar
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