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The Last Run.
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Just got back from a two week vacation in England (first time exploring another country besides Baja California a couple times 20 years ago...), so apologies for the late update to this thread. I have removed AFO from the first post now; I had written,
"Air Force One (Varese / Columbia-->Sony) -- A solid second-place finish (behind Small Soldiers) in my unofficial poll mentioned above, this popular score would require at least two discs to present definitively, with everything Goldsmith wrote plus the excellent additional music written by Joel McNeely in Goldsmith's style. Presuming there's room on the second disc, it would be wonderful to also get Randy Newman's rejected score which isn't bad!"
For one reason or another, Varese opted not to include the Newman score (sad, since at least on its own it's a fun listen and I fear would not sustain great sales if released on its own...so will quite probably never happen now). But I'm still glad the complete Goldsmith/McNeely score is out there for folks in official form. I like it but it's not a super favorite Goldsmith score of mine, so I'll be picking it up on the next Varese 15-20% off sale (or maybe when they release some other expansion I'm more excited for, if they hold to their original plan of getting a third batch out by the end of 2019).
MULAN and MEDICINE MAN.
And can they perhaps rerelease THE EDGE? There are probably some people who missed it the first time around.
Sadly the answer is almost certainly "no" for now, because The Edge original album is owned by Sony and they no longer do third party licensing of albums they control. LLL and Intrada each said they had two Sony expansions in the works that were approved and could still go through, but we've heard nothing further about that for a while so maybe even those have been cancelled. I would be beyond shocked if any one of those four is a reissue of The Edge, though. I agree with you on your desire for Mulan and Medicine Man expansions (especially the latter since at least the Academy promo exists for Mulan...most expensive purchase I ever made for a single CD at $50 on Ebay; worth every penny).
Would love for The Last Run's film recording to be released, villagardens, but Lukas Kendall was pretty clear when he put out the FSM reissue of the album recording: tapes are lost. He has said the same about a couple other similar cool "mod" scores of Jerry's: Pursuit and (sorry moolik) Shamus. Of course they might turn up in someone's basement or something, but probably best to not lose sleep pining after them. On the other hand no one has ever said anything about tapes for The Don Is Dead being lost, so maybe it'll come out in the new Universal Heritage Series pipeline at some point!
Yavar
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I'll wait for the official release announcements before removing from the original post, but I thought it was worth bumping this thread to acknowledge the news from Bruce Botnick that he recently completed work on both a definitive edition of The Swarm for LLL (presumably to released this Black Friday), as well as U.S. Marshals, presumably a Deluxe Edition in the next Varese batch. He mentions these at the end of this interview:
http://www.cinematicsound.net/interview-with-bruce-botnick-2/?fbclid=IwAR3XV1g-aQy4D1NdN9DyMNR_X-L2kYODGIFeqhRsL41UQv_bxJzg8Z25usg
This was the Varese-controlled Goldsmith score with the most music still missing, so it makes sense to tackle next. I look forward to reassessing it in complete form!
Interestingly, it won third place in the "What Goldsmith do you want next from Varese?" poll I conducted a few years ago on this board. First place winner in that poll was Small Soldiers with 29 votes -- we got a definitive version of that last year, thanks to Varese. Second place winner in the poll was Air Force One with 23 votes, and Varese just released their Deluxe Edition of that. Third place winner was U.S. Marshals with 19 votes, and it looks like that is next! It seems Varese has a pretty good idea of which score expansions are in the highest demand, and maybe they even saw that thread on the board. 
For those who are wondering, The 13th Warrior was in 4th with 15 votes and The Other was in 5th with 14 votes. I'll be interested to see if those are expanded next after USM. (Other scores in that round of poll received less than 10 votes each.)
Yavar
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And THE SWARM is finally heeeere!
https://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=139497&forumID=1&archive=0
I had written (somewhat outdatedly, since we've known it's been coming for a while now), "The Swarm -- I could see LLL doing a two disc set with the complete score remastered and the original album program on the second disc (since many find it superior)...and fresh notes of course."
I can't wait to read Jeff Bond's new liner notes! They seem like a great read judging from the little bit available for preview on Dan Goldwasser's site:
http://www.warmbutter.com/cds/swarm.php
I'm excited to hear the original album arrangement (one of Jerry's best) in good quality sound from the original tapes.
Yavar
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Time to bump this thread, but not update the main post!
I had assumed, like most people, that the FSM edition of Morituri included the complete score (because they were always thorough about including every cue if possible), but it turns out there was about a minute's worth of music micro-edited out because of damage to the sources (wow, probably). Intrada has just rectified this, giving it the Mike Mattesino restoration treatment! I very much look forward to reassessing this score in great sound quality.
Doug Fake's original Doug's Corner column:
"Jerry Goldsmith’s restored Morituri docks here next week, amidst the ever-evolving pandemic that cripples our nation and the world around us. While our release contains the same stereo contents as the previous release on FSM, the entire score has been remastered for improved audio and is lengthened - by one minute - to restore previous judicious trims and edits. We are maintaining reduced hours due to COVID-19 and local restrictions during the crisis but orders are welcome and will be filled as quickly as we are able. Artwork, contents and sound samples should be posted this coming Monday the 23rd. Everyone stay indoors as much as possible and be safe!"
http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/sc.13/category.60330/.f
Roger's announcement thread at Intrada forum:
http://www.intrada.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&p=82238&sid=b89f00f4ce52d8ac19e7a9c28efb6dec#p82238
"Intrada's latest release is a reexamination of Jerry Goldsmith's 1965 score for the World War II drama Morituri, from the 20th Century-Fox library. Morituri is part of a set of war films scored by Goldsmith in the '60s, including The Sand Pebbles, In Harm's Way, and The Blue Max. While originally released by the Film Score Monthly label, due to poor condition elements and limitations in technology of the day, that album featured some compromised sound and intercuts from mono sources in order to make the score presentable. Under the detailed eyes and ears of producer Mike Matessino, this new release has been restored from the complete stereo elements and features dramatically improved sound over the previous version.
As Tim Greiving writes in his notes, "This is a score of suspense and action, tension and explosion. Tricks like quivering tremolo strings and rhythmic ticking accomplish the former, and Goldsmith got creative in how he chose to fuel the latter." While the first half of the film is sparsely spotted, Goldsmith relied on his trademark Asian-flavored sound to orient the viewer to the Tokyo and Calcutta locales. Throughout, a theme first introduced in the main title on zither, reoccurs throughtout in various guises, tying the score together.
Adapted from a 1960 German novel by Werner Jörg Lüddecke, this morality thriller is set on the high seas during the reign of the Nazi regime. A German man, hiding in luxury in Switzerland, is blackmailed by the English army into posing as an SS officer on a merchant vessel carrying a valuable shipment of rubber from Japan to Germany. His mission: disable the scuttling charges protecting the ship so the Allies can attack it and scoop up the cargo. The film stars Marlon Brando and Yul Brynner."
And finally best of all, Doug Fake's detailed description on the order page (man, I was never that into this score but his description here makes me excited to GET into it):
"Newly remastered release of exciting, aggressive Jerry Goldsmith WWII score, Morituri! Terrific cast headlines 1965 20th Century Fox movie: Marlon Brando, Yul Brynner, Trevor Howard, Janet Margolin, Wally Cox, Hans Christian Belch, William Redfield. Intelligent, complex script comes from Daniel Taradash, Bernhard Wick helms. Striking b&w camerawork from Conrad Hall. Wartime Freighter loaded valuable with supplies, spy activities, sabotage and intrigue plus unusual locales that include Yokohama, Macao and the high seas all inspire Jerry Goldsmith to fashion intense, riveting score for orchestra with spotlight on solo zither at the onset. Score also displays composer’s peerless talent for percussion writing, in this instance, often powerful snare & bass drum. Abundance of additional Goldsmith “signatures” abound: pulsating left hand piano, muted brass punctuation, xylophone adding to rhythms, zig-zag action motifs (pre-Planet of the Apes) and rhythmic ostinati galore. Amongst numerous musical highlights: “Boat Drill” announces with trumpet fanfare, then launches with lively action material featuring jagged rhythms in piano, cello, xylophone while brass drive forward, all the while exposed electric guitar plucking away. “A Change of Face/Sneak Attack” features main theme (heard first in “Main Title” on zither) get lively treatment for full orchestra with crisp punctuation from low strings, trombones amidst the excitement. Subito changes in dynamics highlight velocity of action riffs during “Caught In The Act” while ferocious triplet figures for orchestra in jagged fashion highlight knockout “A Lost Cause”. Years later, when Fox produced The Last Hard Men, with Charlton Heston & James Coburn, music editor Len Engel was tasked with stitching music from existing Jerry Goldsmith scores into cohesive soundtrack. Prominently featured during controversial, unpleasant rape sequence, which unfolds without dialog, Engel used stunning “Abandoned Ship” cue from current score, showcasing incredibly intense, ever-tightening music in virtual textbook display of building intensity via repeating, lean two-part harmonic motif that ceases to change while outbursts first from trombone then additional brass and eventually swirling strings wind tighter and tighter until they literally break. Written for Morituri, the cue deserves a special spotlight. CD was previously released on FSM label with judicious trims to damaged channels of 35mm multi-track recordings. All have been restored with current technology, allowing remastered Intrada release to showcase improved audio restoration. Dramatic package design from Kay Marshall with flipper cover featuring both original title art and re-release title art, literate notes from Tim Grieving, production work from Mike Matessino. Jerry Goldsmith composes, Lionel Newman conducts. Intrada Special Collection CD available while quantities and interest remain!"
http://store.intrada.com/s.nl?it=A&id=12121
Yavar
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I will say, that the last time I hung out with Mike Matessino (we were both at Tarantino's theatre, the New Beverly Cinema seeing "Family Plot"), he and I both agreed that Supergirl just may be the last epic Goldsmith score to expand...
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Surely that would be LEGEND (if the complete score in decent sound wasn't lost)?
But exciting to hear that it's on Mike's wish list!
Yavar
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Surely that would be LEGEND (if the complete score in decent sound wasn't lost)?
But exciting to hear that it's on Mike's wish list!
Yavar
It IS on Mike's wish list! And don't call me Shirley! ;-)
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And the Goldsmith goodies just keep on coming! I had written,
"Take Her, She's Mine -- His first ever score to a comedy feature, Varese claimed tapes for this were unsalvageable in their Fox Box notes, but as with other scores, that may no longer be true thanks to new technology."
Chris Malone to the rescue! He painstakingly restored the wow-ridden original recording, released today by Intrada:
http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.12179/.f?sc=13&category=22848
The clips sound great! It seems that a bit of the score remained unsalvageable, but we still have gotten more ("nearly all") than we ever expected:
"There's only a handful of Goldsmith scores that have yet to be released in any form, and the music elements for this title were long thought damaged beyond use. But with advances in technology and the meticulous work of restoration expert Chris Malone, Intrada is able to present nearly all of Goldsmith's score in stereo. Malone had to restore the audio of each channel separately to get the wondrous results heard here. Rather than compromise the naturally wide instrumental spread, which was never intended for a stereo mix, Intrada also offers a mono presentation of the program as heard in the film."
http://www.intrada.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8430
Yavar
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So if one includes a suite of all the tracks where a different composer (Courage, Riddle, Stein, and especially Stevens) adapted Jerry Goldsmith's theme, it comes to over 61 minutes of music (25.5 of which are pure Goldsmith, a substantial expansion percentage-wise over the <19 minutes on the GNP release)!
I'm listening to this now and the Alexander Courage cue which incorporates *both* the Goldsmith and the Sawtell main themes for the series is really cool!
Oh, and Jerry's unused 2nd season main and end credits is, to my ear, a huge improvement over his more lugubrious one (I haven't seen the show though).
Yavar
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I had written in the original post, "The Don Is Dead (Universal) -- obscure but if the tapes survive I'm sure it'll come out from one of the labels with a relationship with the studio."
Well, it turns out it's coming from Intrada, later this month!
Not a note from this has ever been released to my knowledge in a compilation, concert, or re-recording; it's going to be new for a lot of people and I can't wait to experience a new Goldsmith album!
Yavar
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The Last Castle - complete!
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Yes indeed! I had written,
"The Last Castle (Decca --> UMG) -- presumably Intrada (outside chance of LaLaLand) might snag this, and I hope they do as there is some excellent music missing including some more powerful revised film versions of key cues..."
http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.12180/.f?sc=13&category=22848
I wasn't expecting two discs to be necessary but it's fascinating to get all that classical music conducted and/or supervised by Goldsmith.
So glad to have the full score now...and it's worth noting that this was one of the few remaining modern Goldsmith scores *not* controlled in perpetuity by Varese which was still awaiting expansion. Mulan is the other big one of course, but Disney may continue holding onto that for themselves.
Yavar
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I didn't know that The Flim-Flam Man was incomplete on the FSM release, but apparently it was because the new LLL edition (on Goldsmith at 20th Vol. 2) adds a cue!
https://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=142260&forumID=1&archive=0
Alas, its partner on the disc, The Detective, remains the same 12 cue program that was on the Varese Goldsmith at Fox Box in 2003 and the later (superior sounding) Intrada edition a decade later. This is a bit of a disappointment since, at 53 minutes total disc time, it would have been nice if the two unreleased cues in the film could have been included as they were on the Twilight Time Blu-ray isolated score track: "The Execution" running 1:06 and "The Killing" at 3:01 -- the latter is the longest cue in the score and a very important one. It apparently only survived on a music and effects track but I think the effects are reasonably minimal as you can hear, and it would have been great if it had been included similarly to "A Crushing Affair" which premiered from a music & effects source on Intrada's release of The Sand Pebbles.
https://soundcloud.com/user-906859019-113845892/the-killing-fx
But enough complaining; at least that isolated track exists. This looks like an excellent release and I'll be buying for the new cue and hopefully improved sound on The Flim-Flam Man, plus the new Jeff Bond liner notes! In fact those may also be enough to get me to re-buy The Blue Max, again (this time paired with Von Ryan's Express):
https://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=142259&forumID=1&archive=0
These scores are must-buys for any Goldsmith fan that doesn't have them yet!
Yavar
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Starting off 2021 with Looney Tunes!
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Indeed, what an amazing way to launch 2021! Removed from the first post:
"Looney Tunes: Back in Action (Varese-controlled album, unreleased tracks would have to be licensed from Warner Bros.) -- Jerry's final work was a wonderfully energetic, exuberant, and creative score, but Varese's initial album was unsatisfying because it seemed to lack a narrative flow or conclusion, in part because John Debney's contribution to the finale was left unreleased. A definitive release with all the music recorded for the film would be a godsend."
This is great news and I was actually very honored to be able to contribute in some small way to this hugely important release.
I also want to give a shout-out to Intrada for their definitive new release of Inchon. It doesn't exactly "add" new music but on the new Disc 3 it undoes all the album crossfades, allowing every cue to play out in complete (and discrete) form, so it's something like 46 seconds longer than the previous edition. It is also slightly improved in sound quality since they went back to first generation sources. Learn more about this release (heads up: it will only be available to order on CD another week or two, before becoming digital only!) on this podcast conversation my friend Jens and I had with Douglass Fake of Intrada:
https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/6992374-odyssey-soundtrack-spotlight-inchon-1981
In fact I just realized I've been very remiss in promoting this new Goldsmith Odyssey podcast sub-series called Soundtrack Spotlight, which has been around since this past August! Here are the first three installments:
1. I speak with Doug Fake and Roger Feigelson about their premiere release of The Don Is Dead (1973):
https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/5097955-odyssey-soundtrack-spotlight-the-don-is-dead-1973
2. I speak with Doug Fake about the substantial expansion of The Last Castle (2001):
https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/6119113-odyssey-soundtrack-spotlight-the-last-castle-2001
3. Most ambitiously of all (and also rather belatedly), David and I speak with three individuals involved in Intrada's premiere release of Take Her, She's Mine (1963):
https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/6920147-odyssey-soundtrack-spotlight-take-her-she-s-mine-1963
I wasn't sure I could pull off a podcast with so many participants, but it turned out pretty wonderfully thanks to David's expert editing, and it was great to have a "reunion" of sorts with Mike Mattesino, Chris Malone, and John Takis all participating.
Yavar
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2021 is shaping up to be an incredible year for Goldsmith fans! From a significant expansion of his very last score, we now come to another surprise Intrada *premiere* -- his very first score for a color film, Face of a Fugitive! (Also his second ever western feature and third feature score, period.)
http://www.intrada.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8686
I had written, "Face of a Fugitive -- Jerry's third feature score would make a great double header with Black Patch as a re-recording, since I suspect the original tracks no longer survive. But you never know...they might be in somebody's closet. Doug Fake after all saved City of Fear and Studs Lonigan! I've done a complete score breakdown, with detailed track by track notes, in this thread (and at the bottom of it I recently posted the complete official cue list which I only recently discovered): http://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=113490&forumID=1&archive=0"
I would love to know how the tapes for this score came to be found, and I look forward to doing a Soundtrack Spotlight on it with the Intrada folks soon -- stay tuned!
Yavar
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