Listen to that main title cue. SO sweeping and bombastic and awesome. Sounds like it could be an overture for a symphony. And I love that beautiful pastoral melody beginning @ 2:38.
The end title cue is also an amazing showcase of brilliant dissonant madness. This is "Monster Movie Music" if I've ever heard it.
This needs a release, badly. Towns has written a slew of brilliant scores that no one ever seems to mention (nonetheless heard), and he seems content to waller in obscurity and has no pressing desire to have his past scores (like the utterly brilliant neo-calssicism of SLAYGROUNDS or an expanded release of his GORGEOUS score for THE WOLVES OF WHILOUGHBY CHASE - if you aren't familiar with this masterful score, get your ass over to iTunes and purchase it ASAP). Damn shame!
Speaking about Colin Towns, except for MANY of his unreleased scores, it would be also nice to finally have a re-mastered version of his first FULL CIRCLE. Not only is the CD album very difficult and expensive to get these day, but it could really benefit from re-mastering. It's a great score too:
Full Circle would be a perfect candiate for Kritzerland treatment
Within the next few days we will see the release of FRIGHT NIGHT 1985 and FUNERAL HOME. Two horror scores that I never thought would see the light of day. Well, I didn't think FUNERAL HOME for sure. So this is a positive sign for future horror scores that have yet to see a release...I hope. Rawhead Rex is way at the top of my grail list.
PUPPET MASTERS is indeed a good score. None of the horror scoring is as striking as RHR, but there is indeed a lot of interesting atonality and a gorgeous (and sadly little-used) Americana-flavored theme, as heard at the end of the film:
Speaking about Colin Towns, except for MANY of his unreleased scores, it would be also nice to finally have a re-mastered version of his first FULL CIRCLE. Not only is the CD album very difficult and expensive to get these day, but it could really benefit from re-mastering. It's a great score too:
Full Circle would be a perfect candiate for Kritzerland treatment
Could not agree more! This film and score has stuck with me since I first saw it in the early 80's. The album is good but is missing the main titles from the film - I believe the whole LP is a rerecording. It would be amazing to get a release of the original tracks! And come to think of it a rerelease of the film in it's proper aspect ratio would be terrific.
One thing can be said in unison about all of the Clive Barker pictures from Rawhead Rex through Candyman: they had fantastic scores written by gifted composers.
I just watched some excerpts from this movie on YouTube and OH MAN this is a really, really great score. Reminds me a bit of early Patrick Doyle (Needful Things, Dead Again). It's grand, symphonic, thrilling, gorgeous music!
Does anybody know who might own the rights to this? Does Towns himself own it? The film was distributed by Empire Pictures and released on video by Vestron and later Artisan, companies tied to most of Richard Band's scores, which makes me believe that Intrada might be a good candidate for this.
I actually got in touch with Towns many years ago asking about this score , but he didn´t own it or had it himself, but was intrigued that I remembered this gem... a hidden treasure and easily on the top 10 of most wanted horror scorereleases for me
Interesting. He did such a great job that I'd think anybody who saw the film would remember the music, but Towns probably assumes his score is long forgotten because the film doesn't have much of a reputation.
It has to be somewhere, though, unless it's been destroyed. I know a lot of the Empire/Vestron material ended up at MGM... maybe there?
It would be a good one for one of the small horror soundtrack labels to look into...
Indeed. Here's hoping the tapes still exist. It was recorded at CTS Wembley and conducted by the great Allan Wilson.
I just can't stop listening to the main or end title. The former feels like an overture for a very earnest gothic/romantic/sweeping period drama, and the big stomping end title is like a gleeful, ferocious celebration of pure evil. The coda is amazing!
