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Hi,
I don't usually do this, as it's impossible to know what another person might like. But here goes. I can get all of these at a good price. I did a search but could find nothing concrete, so what are your thoughts on the following?
The Michael J. Lewis promos of UNMAN, WITTERING AND ZIGO/ THE NAKED FACE, and THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF/ 92 IN THE SHADE. I've seen some of these films and like Lewis in general, but I recall reading that the sound is very dodgy on one or both of these. True? Worth it anyway?
THE LAST VIKINGS/ DR LEAKEY AND THE DAWN OF MAN - The Nat Geo films with scores by Ernest Gold and Leonard Rosenman. I'm a Rosenman fan and he's always the same anyway, so I'm in for that one. But I was never too struck on the music of Ernest Gold. Would I like this? Impossible question, but I think that some of you know my tastes well enough. Do you?
SOLIMANO IL CONQUISTATORE - Kronos label I think. I'd pay 100 euros (well, 40) for a release of Francesco De Masi's UN ANGELO PER SATANA, but it ain't coming. This sounds pretty good from what I heard on YouTube. Is it really that good?
MOBSTERS - I absolutely love Michael Small's work, but I find his later scores hit or miss, beginning about '82. Even BLACK WIDOW (1987?) is sort of mediocre for me. And this is from '91. Good nonetheless? Dramatic score or lots of Dixieland?
THE WIND AND THE LION - Perhaps the dumbest question yet but perhaps the easiest to answer. I have the LP programme and always loved it. Is the 2-CD Intrada release the way to go if I like the LP? Or is it a case of overkill?
CRACK IN THE WORLD/ PHASE IV - I'm more struck with the soundscapes of PHASE IV than I am by the fairly conventional Johnny Douglas score, but whatcha think? I think this is another one that might have had sound problems... Right?
Come on, you know me at least a wee bit surely... I'm sort of grumpy and picky for a start.
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Posted: |
Feb 2, 2019 - 9:59 AM
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By: |
MusicMad
(Member)
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Hi Graham ... my pennies' worth:
I bought Michael J. Lewis's double score The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970) and 92 in the Shade (1975) simply for the earlier score - I'd seen the film a couple of times many years ago. The later film/score meant nothing to me.
I had no problem, that I can recall, from either score - CD quality was fine, sound was perfectly okay (I've owned far worse!) ... only I soon got bored with the former and found the second a mixed bag. As with so many other scores, now that my listening habits have changed (NP: Bruckner's Symphony #9, having just played Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine (pt.II) ... hence, you'll get my meaning), it spent a year or two on the shelf ...
Jerry Goldsmith's The Wind and the Lion (1975) ... I'm often in two minds about the great man's works and this is a good case in point. In the 1980s I had the album on cassette tape and played it often. I struggled to get a CD version (but did obtain a copy ... which was faulty in part!) and jumped for joy when Intrada's 2CD album/score was released. Sound quality ... wonderful but I found the score less than engrossing and the bonus tracks were not for repeat play. And, as with so many of his other scores, a few plays later I found the album no longer attracted me.
I know that the JG score has many fans and it is a highly rated work. Perhaps if I heard it again after so long but I'd struggle to recommend the full score ... stick with the album.
Mitch
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Never saw nor heard Mobsters, so I have no input for you regarding this Small album.
But I'll comment on the others one at a time.
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The Michael J. Lewis promos of UNMAN, WITTERING AND ZIGO/ THE NAKED FACE, and THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF/ 92 IN THE SHADE. I've seen some of these films and like Lewis in general, but I recall reading that the sound is very dodgy on one or both of these. True? Worth it anyway?
Neither disc should be a priority purchase, Graham.
I, too, got The Man Who Haunted Himself because I like the movie itself, but I feel that MJL's entire oeuvre relies too much upon melodic material in lieu of genuine dissonance/atonality for the dramatic or suspenseful passages.
Michael J. Lewis is not in the same tier as Frankel, Searle, Bennett, Cary, Schurmann, Banks, Lutyens, etc.
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THE LAST VIKINGS/ DR LEAKEY AND THE DAWN OF MAN - The Nat Geo films with scores by Ernest Gold and Leonard Rosenman. I'm a Rosenman fan and he's always the same anyway, so I'm in for that one. But I was never too struck on the music of Ernest Gold. Would I like this? Impossible question, but I think that some of you know my tastes well enough. Do you?
I do.
Surprised that you haven't had this album in your collection already.
I hope that the Ernest Gold companion score on this disc did not dissuade you from getting the Rosenman opus - Lenny's Dr. Leaky sounds very much in the same vein (ha!) as Fantastic Voyage.
The fact that Graham has never owned this album makes him a numbskull nutmeg nit!
Gold's music has quite a bit of heroic/brassy fanfares in it, but overall this score shouldn't displease.
If there is an Ernest Gold must-have soundtrack, then my recommendation is his 1962 score for Pressure Point on Kritzerland. Pressure Point sounds like TWILIGHT ZONE music that Gold never wrote for the series itself.
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Posted: |
Feb 2, 2019 - 10:45 AM
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By: |
.
(Member)
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The Michael J. Lewis promos of UNMAN, WITTERING AND ZIGO/ THE NAKED FACE, and THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF/ 92 IN THE SHADE. I've seen some of these films and like Lewis in general, but I recall reading that the sound is very dodgy on one or both of these. True? Worth it anyway?
The sound of the Lewis promos is crisp, but often a bit thin and brittle-sounding. Most of the scores seem a tad lightweight to me, though I like "Sphinx", "Theatre of Blood" and "Upon This Rock".
I was pleased when LLL released "Theatre of Blood" a few years ago, and hoped that might be the first of some official, fuller-sounding remastered editions of some of the other promo scores, but it wasn't to be.
I recall "92 in the Shade" (1975) having a theme that sounds so close to Grainer's "The Omega Man" (1971), that it could be inserted in the latter film and not sound out of place.
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SOLIMANO IL CONQUISTATORE - Kronos label I think. I'd pay 100 euros (well, 40) for a release of Francesco De Masi's UN ANGELO PER SATANA, but it ain't coming. This sounds pretty good from what I heard on YouTube. Is it really that good?
I'm not a fan of Francesco de Masi. There are around 25 other Italians whose music I like better than de Masi's.
Having said this, I think Solimano il Conquistatore is a masterly orchestral score for a historical. If you own only about 5 de Masi albums, then Solimano should be one of these.
Yes, it's in the Kronos Gold collection and - surprise - it's in stereo!
For those folks who state "mono = no sale", Solimano is an ideal album with which to sample how Italian peplums & historicals sounded during the late-1950s & early '60s.
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THE WIND AND THE LION - Perhaps the dumbest question yet but perhaps the easiest to answer. I have the LP programme and always loved it. Is the 2-CD Intrada release the way to go if I like the LP? Or is it a case of overkill?
You will probably still love the long-winded Lion if you liked the Lion on vinyl.
It's fascinating to hear the different takes on cues such as "Raisuli Attacks".
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CRACK IN THE WORLD/ PHASE IV - I'm more struck with the soundscapes of PHASE IV than I am by the fairly conventional Johnny Douglas score, but whatcha think? I think this is another one that might have had sound problems... Right?
Hey, no more cracks about Johnny Douglas. His score, I think, holds up better on disc as a listening experience than the Phase IV suites.
Either one you happen to like ... buy it!
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I got Man who haunted himself coz i too loved film and music in the film, Graham. And it was fine on CD.
Had i the money for the soundtracks id like i wouldnt hesitate to get 11 harrowhouse, sphinx, north sea hijack and the madwoman of chaillot and medusa T and every bit of michael J i could get my hands on.
Mr Lewis did not ever write a bad score.
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Posted: |
Feb 2, 2019 - 12:29 PM
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By: |
Hurdy Gurdy
(Member)
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I've only got one Michael J Lewis promo disc and it's the one with the John Williams theme on it (YES, GIORGIO).
I'm sure that's a big help Graham 
I do have MOBSTERS by Michael Small and enjoy a few tracks on it (I'll even add which ones in a bit) but it's nothing special.
Certainly not on a par with his great stuff like AUDREY ROSE, PARALLAX VIEW, MARATHON MAN, POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, COMES A HORSEMAN or STAR CHAMBER, but if it's dirt cheap, it's worth a punt.
I have a CDR of the 2 disc WIND & THE LION, but outside of a few nice fanfare and transition cues, the original album can't be beat, as far as I'm concerned.
Save your beans and buy some John Williams scores you haven't picked up yet 
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Well, I only have two tracks from MOBSTERS on me mp3 player. Theme for Mara and Finale...about 7 minutes.
Quite nice. Maybe I will revisit the CD and hear what I think now of the rest of it.
I did enjoy a little surf through my Michael Small collection just then and thoroughly enjoyed some STAR CHAMBER tracks, the Main Title to AUDREY ROSE and something called PORTRAIT OF A RAILROAD, a folksy/funky Americana EP, part songs/score and loads of 70s fun.
I also couldn't resist spinning The Parallax Test from PARALLEX VIEW, one of THE greatest pieces of score/source music I have ever heard. Incredible.
Anyway, I'm rambling now. And not even about Michael J Fox. Soz.
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Thanks so far everybody. Here's a mental breakdown. No, I mean, it is. I'm going mad. But enough of me.
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THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF - Mitch out of MusicMad says he got a bit bored with it after a time. Spymaster says it's missing a lot of stuff. Zardoz spoke us that it relies too much on melodic material for the suspense, and not enough on atonality of the school of what I quite like. Hey Zardoz, I like tunes too, even for suspense and horror!
The companion piece 92 DEGREES IN THE SHADE was deemed by Razzle Bathbone as sounding like Ron Grainer's THE OMEGA MAN. That's good enough for me, although wasn't the very Welsh Michael J like a fish out of water in Florida?
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THE LAST VIKINGS/ DR LEAKY... _ Zardoz spoketh that I'm a nutmeg nincompoop nit for not having picked this up centuries ago. But I have to admit that the presence of the possibly not-to-my-taste Ernest Gold companion piece did indeed put me off. I want undiluted Rosenman. I love Goldsmith's SECONDS but never wanted to buy the CD because the other half was IQ. I'd have bought a 25-minute CD release of SECONDS if it didn't have IQ on it. Oh, by the way Zardoz, you recommend Ernest Gold's PRESSURE POINT. I've got that, and I used to love it until the wonky military march stuff appears halfway through. It's like Maurice Jarre on a bad trip, and that's bad. Then I saw the film and the context made it all make sense. In this case context is everything.
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SOLIMANO and his whatsit - Again, Zardoz spoketh, saying that it's good, but he doth not liketh much Francesco De Masi. Well, I only want his AN ANGEL FOR SATAN to be released. The rest I don't really know much about. I just wanted to sound international.
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MOBSTERS - The great Michael Small. Schiffy had me convinced. I love jazz-inflected scores, and this has some seriously good musicians on it. I like the idea of "dark and atmospheric" too. Kev says it's OK, but that I should buy some more John Williams instead. A bit of a dilemma there. It's only a quid, but if I don't like it it's a quid down the drain. And it would take up shelf space forever, because I keep evreything I buy.
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THE WIND AND THE LION - The no-brainer of the bunch. Or not. Mitch out of MusicMad says it's less than engrossing when fully fledged. Spymaster says that the sound is really good. Zardoz spoke me that I'd like it if I like the LP (I got it in Dingwall in 1976). Kev says "Buy more John Williams"! Again.
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CRACK IN THE WORLD/ PHASE IV - Zardoz spake that I no malign the Johnny and that it be goodeth listenable more than the horror sweets of the ants. I shall ponder.
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And as a final note for now (and finally Cyril, and finally Esther), I think that SBD's comment "What's wrong with that?" - meaning when Zardoz spoketh of Michael J Lewis' non-atonal approach to horror - was perhaps misinterpreted by SBD as meaning "across the board", when mibbe Zardy was just speakingeth to me, coz he knows that I like horrific clatters and racket of Lutyems and all that.
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Keep 'em coming. I'm knackered now, but I'll address all your very welcome further contributions when I get a mo'.
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I discovered Lewis's work after a thread here comparing how he and Bolling both approached scoring Egyptian-themed material in their '80/'81 scores.
I loved Bolling's work on The Awakening, which was also a late discovery for me. So seeing some praise here for Lewis's work on Sphinx lead me to take a leap of faith and pay a "collector's price" for a used copy- despite the generic, almost bootleg looking jacket non-art.
I was blown away with it. Not only was it a cool score, and a great companion listen after Bolling's, but the sonics on it were incredible and completely at odds with the generic look to the package.
It's still, to my ears, one of the best sounding releases I own.
Given the absurdly low cost of his other scores on SAE, I was tempted to try more over the next year. Without fail, they all sounded beautifully produced/mastered to me. Superb dynamics on my gear (I'm not a bass-head though, so what sounds clean and detailed to me might be thin to someone else).
Currently I own
The Unseen/11 Harrowhouse
Man Who Haunted Himself/ 92º In The Shade
The Hound Of The Baskervilles
The Passage
Sphinx
My favorite is still Sphinx, but MWHH/92º is a score that has enormous re-playability to me as does Baskervilles and 11 Harrowhouse. Bottom line is I haven't been disappointed in any of the Lewis I've purchased.
For the price from SAE these are all absolute no brainers IMO.
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Thanks Mose. Oh, and thanks Bill too. I forgot to thank you before for your input on the MJLs.
Nobody's mentioned UNMAN, WITTERING AND ZIGO/ THE NAKED FACE yet. I saw the former on the telly at an impressionable age and thought it was a great film. Can't recall much about the score, although I'm sure I taped some of it onto cassette. And I'm sure people mentioned THE NAKED FACE companion piece here years ago, but where exactly?
Keep 'em coming folks.
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My favourite Lewis score is North Sea Hijack (aka Ffolkes) which I have constantly hoped would make it to a 'proper' edition. There are a couple of very noticeable mistakes in the performances but I assume these could be easily resolved with today's technology. I do wonder if the widespread availability of the promos have made commercial versions less viable; it's a shame if that should be the case though.
Some of the scores suffer through the use of some awful tinny-sounding electronic drums, which got a lot of use at the time. But nothing really spoils the many different and memorable melodies that Lewis came up with for his scores.
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