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Posted: |
Mar 19, 2016 - 7:51 AM
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By: |
Graham Watt
(Member)
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Well, that got OnyaBirri's attention - although I'm sure he knows all this already. Still, it was new to me, not being a true collector nutmeg.
While browsing YouTube, I came across Les Baxter's "The Passions", which he did back in 1953 with vocalist Bas Sheva. I'd known about his lounge music of course, going all the way back to 1947 with the Harry Revel/ Dr Samuel Hoffman collaboration on "Music out of the Moon", but "The Passions" struck me in a way the others didn't. It was just so totally unexpected. In fact, it's probably the closest his non-film score albums got to sounding like an actual film score. It has more than a hint of THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES - and SADISMO in particular, and I was just quite amazed that this came out in 1953. I mean, what would be the market for this great stuff? I love it, but I can't imagine who it was aimed at in 1953. Have a listen, but beware - Bas Sheva does get a bit outrageuos at times, so be ready with the volume control in case the neighbours think there's an orgy going on.
LES BAXTER AND BAS SHEVA - THE PASSIONS (1953)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd6b8x6IJ08
The other curiosity I found was a 1958 album from Creed Taylor - "Shock Music in Hi-Fi". I wonder if this was to cash in on the late-'50s horror revival. It's full of sound effects, screams and groans (not as outrageous as Bas Sheva though), but it's also got a lot of cool jazz solos on it from such greats as Phil Woods and Mundell Lowe. The biggest attraction for film score fans however might be the fact that the majority of the tracks are credited to Kenyon Hopkins. There's even a sequel apparently, called "Panic". But have a listen to the first one here.
THE CREED TAYLOR ORCHESTRA (sic) - SHOCK MUSIC IN HI-FI (1958)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRijz-K0I8Y
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I mean, what would be the market for this great stuff? I love it, but I can't imagine who it was aimed at in 1953.
Hi, Graham.
I recall OnyaBirri mentioning the Kenyon Hopkins Shock before inside one of these FSM threads - but I'm unfamiliar with the Les Baxter item you site.
Looking this up at discogs.com, it appears that the 10" album "The Passions" commenced Capitol Records' high-end line in the beginning of 1954. Reportedly, it cost at that time $6.75 (equivalent in today's terms to $50 for a single-disc new release).
So ... what market was this aimed at back then? ... as one guy states it was "aimed squarely deep-pocketed hi-fi geeks"! 
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Onya, was Bas Sheva the vocalist heard in a scene within the 1960 film Esther and the King? (music score by A.F. Lavagnino)
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Posted: |
Mar 22, 2016 - 2:27 AM
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By: |
Mr. Popular
(Member)
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Well, that got OnyaBirri's attention - although I'm sure he knows all this already. Still, it was new to me, not being a true collector nutmeg.
While browsing YouTube, I came across Les Baxter's "The Passions", which he did back in 1953 with vocalist Bas Sheva. I'd known about his lounge music of course, going all the way back to 1947 with the Harry Revel/ Dr Samuel Hoffman collaboration on "Music out of the Moon", but "The Passions" struck me in a way the others didn't. It was just so totally unexpected. In fact, it's probably the closest his non-film score albums got to sounding like an actual film score. It has more than a hint of THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES - and SADISMO in particular, and I was just quite amazed that this came out in 1953. I mean, what would be the market for this great stuff? I love it, but I can't imagine who it was aimed at in 1953. Have a listen, but beware - Bas Sheva does get a bit outrageuos at times, so be ready with the volume control in case the neighbours think there's an orgy going on.
LES BAXTER AND BAS SHEVA - THE PASSIONS (1953)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd6b8x6IJ08
The other curiosity I found was a 1958 album from Creed Taylor - "Shock Music in Hi-Fi". I wonder if this was to cash in on the late-'50s horror revival. It's full of sound effects, screams and groans (not as outrageous as Bas Sheva though), but it's also got a lot of cool jazz solos on it from such greats as Phil Woods and Mundell Lowe. The biggest attraction for film score fans however might be the fact that the majority of the tracks are credited to Kenyon Hopkins. There's even a sequel apparently, called "Panic". But have a listen to the first one here.
THE CREED TAYLOR ORCHESTRA (sic) - SHOCK MUSIC IN HI-FI (1958)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRijz-K0I8Y
Kenyon Hopkins needs to get more love. Great musician, underrated composer.
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Posted: |
Mar 22, 2016 - 5:48 PM
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By: |
OnyaBirri
(Member)
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While it may be astounding to you, Onya, that Kenyon Hopkins' film music is not getting released onto CDs, consider the consumers who currently purchase soundtracks.
The typical customer 'grew up' with 1980s & 1990s movies & music. Most of these folks simply do not like hearing musical instruments being performed in a jazzy manner.
The customer base for film music from the 1950s & 1960s has dwindled down to around 350 persons willing to buy music written in older styles and culled from vintage recording elements.
Let's face it - every soundtrack album by Hopkins was prior to 1970 (i.e. 'grandpa' music) and comes from the sort of films younger viewers don't wish to watch (i.e. adaptations of Tennessee Williams plays).
If Kenyon Hopkins scored sci-fi/fantasy films from the early 1980s (and did not score them with any jazz), then we'd witness those titles on CD!
Zardoz, virtually everything you say about Kenyon Hopkins could be said about maybe 50% of Kritzerland releases.
How much does Paul Glass's "Lady in a Cage" resonate with younger fans? If you can justify that release, you can't justify, say, "The Hustler?"
How many times have you seen a statement here along the lines of, "I never heard of ____, but after checking out the audio samples, this was an instant purchase…"
Respectfully, your post also fails to recognize Kenyon Hopkins' impact within both DJ and lounge cultures. There are listeners out there who would buy a high-quality Kenyon Hopkins album, yet who would not buy 95% of what is routinely discussed around here. Just because someone is a film composer doesn't mean that his/her audience consists entirely of "film score fans."
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How much does Paul Glass's "Lady in a Cage" resonate with younger fans? If you can justify that release, you can't justify, say, "The Hustler?"
How many times have you seen a statement here along the lines of, "I never heard of ____, but after checking out the audio samples, this was an instant purchase…"
Respectfully, your post also fails to recognize Kenyon Hopkins' impact within both DJ and lounge cultures. There are listeners out there who would buy a high-quality Kenyon Hopkins album, yet who would not buy 95% of what is routinely discussed around here. Just because someone is a film composer doesn't mean that his/her audience consists entirely of "film score fans."
I agree with you, Onya, about most of this. The situation is also applicable to other composers besides Hopkins, such as Frank Skinner (and extends in large part to Quincy Jones, too).
While discs of Paul Glass delight a number of us, Mr. Kimmel has stated that his releases of Paul Glass on Kritzerland are poor sellers (SAE has had Lady in a Cage in their clearance section).
I also agree it's a mystery why The Hustler (a 20th Century Fox property, no less) has not been officially released yet.
There's simply not a large enough number of customers to justify production on such items.
Kritzerland took risks issuing those Paul Glass tapes - just as FSM took risks with discs such as Maurice Jarre's concert works.
They are commercial failures but aesthetic successes.
Even La-La Land's Invasion of the Body Snatchers has met with lackluster sales despite the film's reputation. It's simply too "old" for most paying customers.
I expect the only way that soundtrack specialty labels will work on music by Hopkins (& other underdogs) is if there exists a pre-determined guaranteed number of customers.
Perhaps, Onya, a petition or list of names of people from other circles (DJ crowd, lounge folks, etc.) who would commit to purchasing albums of Hopkins music needS to be presented to labels like Intrada?
Looking at print runs of 350 or 300 units, one may need more than 400 names to justify releases in the future.
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