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And with this amazing premiere twofer release, the number of Oliver Nelson film scores on album has TRIPLED! (Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was only Zigzag before this, right??)
Such a great composer taken from us far too soon at the age of 42 just as his film career was really getting started, finally getting his due a bit. This is so exciting, and for me the release of the year so far!
Here's a previous thread we had about SKULLDUGGERY, which has links to sound samples for anyone curious:
https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=136734&forumID=1&archive=0&pageID=1
Yavar
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I imagine that LLL will have soundlips up soon. Meanwhile, I can't find much of DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER on YouTube, nothing that highlights the score. However, I DO recall from having seen the film 45 years ago that it opens with the bluesy Lena Horne vocal, as she alights from the train. Then the Main Titles come in, as "somebody" teeters along the railway line, accompanied by Oliver Nelson's "long-lined" - and fairly upbeat - melody. I can still hear it in my head.
In fact, I think that this theme was re-used in a SIX BUCK MAN episode... Hmmm, was there one where Steve (and Jamie?) were on a ranch or something? On horseback? So, if right, that means that both GUNFIGHTER and SKULLDUGGERY had cues which turned up again in THE 6 BUCK MAN.
I ain't got no need of no goddam soundlips! My order's goin' in now ya crackerbarrels!
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I found DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER at a dodgy film streaming site, hope I'm not infected. My memory was wrong - "nobody" teeters along a railway line during the credits, but it IS a memorable long-lined Oliver Nelson melody. A little bit (needlessly?) concerned that the Main Title in the film is a lot longer than the timing for it shown on the LLL page.
Whatever, it's (pre)ordered.
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Not up for ordering quite yet, but here's the tracklist of this new release from this morning's LLL email -- it is a wonderfully full disc at 73.5 minutes long!
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La-La Land Records and Universal Studios proudly present the nineteenth title within the acclaimed Universal Pictures Film Music Classics Collection – DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER, with music by the distinguished jazz player and arranger Oliver Nelson (IRONSIDE, THE NAME OF THE GAME, THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN). Available for the first time in any format, acclaimed composer Oliver Nelson’s brilliant original motion picture score for 1969’s big-screen western DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER, paired on this release with his jungle-adventure score for 1970’s SKULLDUGGERY, marks the world-premiere release of this music in this limited edition CD presentation.
Considered one of the most distinct and underrated composers of the late ’60s and early ’70s, Oliver Nelson tragically passed away of a heart-attack in 1975 at the young age of 43, sadly cutting the African-American maestro’s fast-growing canon of work short. From his lean, elegiac and blues-tinged work on DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER to his rousing and rhythmically charged score for SKULLDUGGERY, this release vividly demonstrates Nelson’s incredible talents and versatility. Also featured here is the song from DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER, “Sweet Apple Wine,” performed by one of the film’s stars, the great Lena Horne.
Produced, mixed, edited and mastered by Mike Matessino from stereo vault elements, this special limited edition of 1500 units features exclusive liner notes written by author Jeff Bond and sharp art direction by Dan Goldwasser.
DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER
1. Sweet Apple Wine 1:11 Performed by Lena Horne
2. Emblem 0:26
3. Main Title (‘Death Of A Gunfighter’) 1:14
4. Claire / Cottonwood Spring / Good Night Marshal 3:12
5. Dark Stable 1:22
6. Claire Asleep 1:04
7. Poor Luke 1:02
8. Fish Pond / Get Up Pa 2:22
9. Father And Son 1:53
10. Cool Off 3:30
11. Grim Walk / Oxley And Rifle 2:28
12. Damn It Andy / Confused Patch / Goodbye Frank 4:13
13. Wedding Day 2:37
14. Will Gets His 2:33
15. Light Gun Battle 1:24
16. Last Walk 1:25
17. End Title (‘Death Of A Gunfighter’) 1:12
18. Sweet Apple Wine (Long Version) 2:21 Performed by Lena Horne
Total Time: 35:43
SKULLDUGGERY
19. Main Title (‘Skullduggery’) 4:02
20. Tool Shed / Smash The Bottle 2:19
21. Paddlers 0:43
22. Boat Trip 2:27
23. The Trip Continues 3:03
24. Sack Time 1:18
25. Rain Forest 2:25
26. Let’s Get Out 1:24
27. Him Lost 1:20
28. Come In / Hidden Valley 1:22
29. Salty Bones 1:55
30. Don’t Keep Your Fossils Waiting 0:51
31. Enter Tropis 1:09
32. Rover Or Sport 1:53
33. How About A Kiss 1:16
34. Trek Back 0:50
35. Mining Operation 1:10
36. Bare Midriff / Morris Minor 1:19
37. Missing Link Murder / Head Lines 0:39
38. He Was Born Dead 2:49
39. Topazia’s Rag Doll 1:13
40. End Title (‘Skullduggery’) 1:34
Total Time: 37:30
Total Album Time: 73:20
--
Can't wait to hear Mike Matessino's work on this!
Yavar
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Yes, thanks Justin. I had a quick skim through part of the film. The score's a good one, excellent, and the instrumental cues which follow the contour of the song melody beautiful. I wonder how LLL has presented the "complicated" Main Title... Time will tell. This should be a winner.
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The best way to make a SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN release happen some day is to BUY THIS AWESOME TWOFER!
MV has stated publicly he really wants to do it. And LLL now seems to have gotten their foot in the door licensing and accessing tapes for Universal Television projects, starting with last year's cool Jack Marshall 2CD set.
But even if this release sells like GANGBUSTERS and production on a Six Million Dollar Man set somehow began within the next month or two, let's all remember that TV series score releases take a great deal more time/effort/money than one-off feature films (or TV movies). Usually a whole lot more tapes have to be transferred, for a series, even if only a fraction of the series music is released on a pared-down 4CD set or whatever. (I don't think LLL is doing big comprehensive sets any more, since the disappointing sales of their mega Lost in Space set.) So I hope folks keep their expectations reasonable...
Yavar
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Well, I will be contributing to the cause by ordering a copy of this soundtrack.
Excellent!
Disc of the year!!!!
I agree! (so far, anyway...there's still quite a lot of year left!)
Artwork preview:
https://warmbutter.com/albums/death-of-a-gunfighter-skullduggery/
Question about this, for anybody in the know: the top of the back cover states (above the track lists for both scores), "Conducted by Oliver Nelson and Stanley Wilson". Do we think Oliver Nelson conducted one score and Stanley Wilson conducted the other? Or did the two of them share conducting duties on both?
Also: those excerpts from Jeff Bond's liner notes are super tantalizing. Can't wait to read this whole booklet!
Yavar
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This will be my 1st Oliver Nelson cd - samples sound great!
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Oliver Nelson's jazz work is tremendous and I recommend it heartily! I have "Black, Brown and Beautiful" and it's really fantastic. Looking forward to diving into more of his film work, which I don't know much about. If Jeff says it's good...
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Blues and the Abstract Truth on Impulse, recorded 1961 is fantastic!
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