My first introduction to Ernest Gold was EXODUS, the RCA original LP release. I think we belonged to the RCA Victor record club at the time and we ended up with Exodus because nobody remembered to send in the card saying we didn't want it. In any event, I loved it and played it a lot, though I didn't realize until later years that the sound quality on that album was really awful. I later saw ON THE BEACH on the Sunday Night Movie (ABC?) and instantly fell in love with Gold's score for that film, for which Stanley Kramer had insisted Gold use "Waltzing Matilda" (to Gold's chagrin). Gold made lemonade from the lemons he had been given and fashioned a brilliant and evocative score that used the theme and variations, as well as a poignant theme for the young Australian couple, to great effect. It's probably my favorite Gold score (eternal thanks to FSM for releasing it on CD). Gold was a wonderful composer, one of any number of great talents who came to us courtesy of the rise of the Nazis in Europe.
Thank you Ron for another disscussion-provoking and on-topic post.
Never really ever heard this, but I love Gold's homage to Lenny Bernstein's "America" from WEST SIDE STORY. Does the George Chakiris vocal feature the West Side Story part? Be fun if it did.
