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| CD Review: Autumn Thunder |
| Posted By: Jeff Bond on July 24, 2005 - 10:00 PM |
CD Review: Autumn Thunder
by Jeff Bond
Autumn Thunder: 40 Years of NFL Films
Music ****
VARIOUS
Cherry Lane Music
10 discs -- 182 tracks - approx. 491 min
Disc One: 19 tracks - 47:36
DiscTwo: 19 tracks - 50:22
Disc Three: 19 tracks - 55:42
Disc Four: 19 tracks - 65:56
Disc Five: 19 tracks - 43:26
Disc Six: 19 tracks - 41:15
Disc Seven: 18 tracks - 52:38
Disc Eight: 19 tracks - 52:30
Disc Nine: 16 tracks - 44:49
Disc Ten: 15 tracks - 36:58
If you were one of those FSM
readers who was annoyed when we ran a cover story on the music of NFL
films, stop reading now! First we raved about the long-awaited release
of a single CD of Sam Spence's terrifically jazzy and aggressive music
for years of weekly NFL Films football documentaries-now here comes a
10-disc set of gridiron film music with over eight hours of listening
pleasure packed into a football-sized pigskin booklet.
Sam Spence created the template for this unique genre, keying off the
catchy blend of jazz and big band kinetics that was the action
soundtrack of the '60s and paying homage to standards like the Peter Gunn theme and Elmer
Bernstein's The Magnificent Seven.
Part of the fun in combing through the 182 tracks of music contained in
this set is in discovering energetic knock-offs of Patton, MacArthur, Supergirl, The Last Starfighter, Silverado and numerous other big
movie themes alongside Spence's wholly original approach to action,
with heroically thrusting rhythmic lines and grinding trombones and
basses countering more soaring, lyrical material put across by strings
and a robust brass section.
All of the cues presented on the first NFL Films CD, The Power and the Glory, are
presented here in much improved sound, without John Facenda's
intervening narration, and often in longer, more complete renditions.
Spence's music rightly dominates the first six- and-a-half discs, with
early contributions from Martha Jane Weber and Beverly Herrmann (women,
yet!) that quickly get into the spirit of the proceedings. Spence's
work ranges from the mid '60s to the early '80s, so you get an
entertaining overview of pop trends as he moves from the
jazz-influenced '60s through funk and disco periods in the '70s and
even some '80s electronica. Later on, younger composers David Robidoux
and Tom Hedden fill Spence's shoes with a smoother sound that often
lies between something like Basil Poledouris' Starship Troopers and Hans Zimmer.
The moods range from no-nonsense action (you can just see the
linebackers crashing through defenders in slow motion as you listen) to
surprisingly lyrical passages and even some broad comedy.
It might take an abiding appreciation of football to truly get into
eight hours of this material, but the overall sound of martial
conflict, defeat, battle and triumph goes right to the heart of why
most of us listen to movie soundtracks.
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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Today in Film Score History:
April 18 |
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| Alois Melichar born (1896) |
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| Andrew Powell born (1949) |
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| Buxton Orr born (1924) |
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| Dave Grusin begins recording his score for The Goonies (1985) |
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| Ed Plumb died (1958) |
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| Jerry Goldsmith begins recording his score for Players (1979) |
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| John Debney records his score for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Progress” (1993) |
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| Kings Row released in theaters (1942) |
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| Maurice Jarre wins his second Oscar, for Dr. Zhivago's score; presumably decides to stick with this David Lean kid (1966) |
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| Mike Leander died (1996) |
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| Mike Vickers born (1941) |
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| Miklos Rozsa begins recording his score to The King's Thief (1955) |
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| Miklos Rozsa born (1907) |
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| Recording sessions begin for Marco Beltrami’s score for Red Eye (2005) |
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| Robert O. Ragland died (2012) |
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| Tony Mottola born (1918) |
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