MOVIE-GOER Pop Cinema and the Classics – 3 CD Boxed Set

October 21, 2019 ~ Filmic Tracks ~ Leave a comment

“Unless you want a pop score, I don’t see any reason not to avail yourself of the great orchestral music of the past and present.” Stanley Kubrick

And avail himself is exactly what Kubrick did, he was one of the first directors to give assorted classical tracks prominence in films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange. And if you can’t think of any other films who successfully chose classic and popular music to richly enhance their soundtrack music then don’t worry, independent label Cherry Red Records have neatly packed 52 tracks on a stirring 3 CD Box Set.

Kubrick used nothing but classical music in some of his films whereas other tracks in movies are randomly played to enhance scenes, such as Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File who chooses Mozart to cook by. Similarly in The Godfather’s famous baptism scene [interspersed with violent scenes of assassinations] was all played out to Bach’s incredible organ piece Passacaglia in C Minor.

But this collection is not just about the use of classical pieces used in the movies, it also includes popular songs and instrumentals of the day.

One of the biggest pulls of this superb selection is that it covers all types of films from the ’60s up to 2014. It also tells you the films Director, Screenplay Writer, Art Director and the main stars of each movie together with full information on the classic /pop track played in the films. And, as with their 3 CD Deluxe Box Set of Get Carter Get Review – the quality is superb.

Whilst not a soundtrack in its own right, this 3 CD treat is an informative and wonderful collection in its own right. Plus, next time I am watching a movie and a classical piece is played, I have a reference point! It’s an interesting take on non original soundtrack music used in movies.

Particularly of interest and surprise to me were:-
One of my favourite sci-fi thrillers is Seconds. The original 1966 score was by Jerry Goldsmith. But also used in the movie [and to be honest I can’t remember this as it was many years ago that I watched it], was a terrific jazz version of That Old Black Magic played by Andrew Previn. What a treat to stumble upon this track on Volume 1.

Singer Kenneth McKellar also makes an appearance on the same disc singing The Song Of Clyde – this was played in Billy Liar (1963), who would have known this? And who would have thought that within the psychedelic silliness of Head [1968] which starred the Monkees, we would hear The Artist’s Life Waltz by Johann Strauss?

Fun and worth exploring!

TRACK INFORMATION

DISC ONE
BREATHLESS (A BOUT DE SOUFFLE) (1960)
1. CLARINET CONCERTO K 622 – RONDO ALLEGRO – W.A. MozarT
BILLY LIAR (1963)
2. SONG OF THE CLYDE – Kenneth McKellar
3. CONCERTO SYMPHONIQUE NO. 4, OP. 102 – Henry Litolff
A HARD DAY’S NIGHT (1964)
4. A NATION ONCE AGAIN – John McCormack
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW (1964)
5. VIOLIN SONATA NO. 1 IN G MINOR, BWV 1001: I. PRÄLUDIUM – Bach
BLACK GOD, WHITE DEVIL (DEUS E O DIABO NA TERRA DO SOL) (1964)
6. BACHIANAS BRASILEIRAS NO. 5: ÁRIA (CANTILENA) (Bidu Sayao: soprano) – Heitor Villa-Lobos
THE IPCRESS FILE (1965)
7. SERENADE NO. 13 FOR STRINGS IN G MAJOR, K. 525 “EINE KLEINE NACHTMUSIK”: II. ROMANCE – Mozart
THE DEBUSSY FILM (1965)
8. DANSE PROFANE – Claude Debussy
HELP! (1965)
9. LOHENGRIN (PRELUDE TO ACT III) – Richard Wagner
10. 1812 OVERTURE, OP. 49 (EXCERPT) – Tchaikovsky
11. SYMPHONY 9 (ODE TO JOY) (EXCERPT) – Beethoven
12. BARBER OF SEVILLE – OVERTURE (EXCERPT) – Rossini –
PERSONA (1966)
13. ADAGIO FROM CONCERTO NO. 2 IN E MAJOR FOR VIOLIN, STRINGS AND CONTINUO, BWV 1042 – Bach
SECONDS (1966)
14. THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC – Andre Previn
WRONG BOX (1966)
15. MINUET IN G – Beethoven
GEORGY GIRL (1966)
16. VIBRATION – Tom Dissevelt & Kid Baltan
WEEKEND (1967)
17. ALLEGRO FROM PIANO SONATA NO.18 IN D MAJOR, K576 ‘HUNT’ – Mozart

DISC TWO
PRIVILEGE (1967)
1. MESSIAH – Handel
INTERLUDE (1968)
2. RACHMANINOFF SYMPHONY NO. 2 – 3RD MOVEMENT (EXCERPT) – Rachmaninoff
TOBY DAMMIT (1968)
3. RUBY – Ray Charles
THE IMMORTAL STORY (1968)
4. GNOSSIENNES NO 3 LENT – Erik Satie
5. TROIS MORCEAUX EN FORME DE POIRE NO. 6 – Erik Satie
6. GYMNOPEDIES NO 2 LENT & TRISTE – Erik Satie
DELIUS – A SONG OF SUMMER (1968)
7. A SONG OF SUMMER – Delius
ROSEMARY’S BABY (1968)
8. FÜR ELISE – Beethoven
HEAD (1968)
9. KUNSTLERLEBEN (ARTIST’S LIFE), OP.316 – Johann Strauss II
THE ITALIAN JOB (1969)
10. THE BRITISH GRENADIERS – Wally Stott
MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
11. THE LAST ROUND-UP – Norman Luboff Choir
TRISTANA (1970)
12. ÉTUDE NO 12 IN C MINOR, OP 10 ‘REVOLUTIONARY’ – Chopin
FIVE EASY PIECES (1970)
13. CHROMATIC FANTASY & FUGUE – Bach
14. CHROMATIC FANTASY & FUGUE – Bach
STRAW DOGS (1971)
15. CARO NOME FROM RIGOLETTO – Verdi
SOLARIS (1971)
16. PRELUDE BWV639 ‘ICH RUF’ ZU DIR, HERR JESU CHRIST’ – Bach
17. WELL TEMPERED CLAVIER – BOOK II : PRELUDE & FUGUE NO. 12 IN F MINOR – Bach

DISC THREE
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
1. SYMPHONY NO. 9 – SECOND MOVEMENT – Ludwig Van Beethoven
HAROLD & MAUDE (1971)
2. PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 (EXCERPT) – Tchaikovsky
THE GODFATHER (1972)
3. PASSACAGLIA IN C MINOR, BMV 582 – Bach
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION (Modest Mussorgsky) (1970-1973)
4. PROMENADE – Mussorgsky
5. GNOMUS- Mussorgsky
6. THE HUT ON FOWL’S LEGS (THE HUT OF BABA YAGA) – Mussorgsky
YES – YES SONGS (1973)
7. THE FIREBIRD – COLLAPSE OF KASHCHEI’S PALACE AND DISSOLUTION OF ALL ENCHANTMENTS / REANIMATION OF THE PETRIFIED PRISONERS / GENERAL REJOICING – Igor Stravinsky
THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (1975)
8. PLANETS : MARS – Holst
LISZTOMANIA (1975)
9. HARMONIE POÈTIQUES ET RELIGIEUSES: NO. 7, FUNÉRAILLES – Liszt
ANNIE HALL (1977)
10. SYMPHONY NO. 41 IN C MAJOR, K551 ‘JUPITER’ – MOLTO ALLEGRO – Mozart
PINK FLOYD : THE WALL (1982)
11. THE LITTLE BOY THAT SANTA CLAUS FORGOT – Vera Lynn
ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS (1986)
12. THE SLEEPY LAGOON – Eric Coates
WITHNAIL & I (1987)
13. PIANO SONATA NO. 21 IN B FLAT MAJOR, D960 – THIRD MOVEMENT – Schubert
TOPSY TURVY (1999)
14. THREE LITTLE MAIDS FROM SCHOOL ARE WE (FROM THE MIKADO) – Gilbert & Sullivan
PETER WARLOCK – SOME LITTLE JOY (2005)
15. SWEET AND TWENTY – Peter Warlock
16. REST SWEET NYMPHS – Peter Warlock
17. SLEEP – Peter Warlock
LAMBERT & STAMP (2014)
18. DANCE FOR THE FOLLOWERS OF LEO (FROM HOROSCOPE BALLET SUITE) – Constant Lambert

GET CARTER -Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Deluxe 3 CD Edition. Music by Roy Budd

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019 ~ Filmic Tracks ~ 1 Comment

What a thing of beauty! Yes, I am talking about a soundtrack, one that figures heavily in my Best Of All Time list. This particular beauty is Get Carter – Music By Roy Budd Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Deluxe 3 CD Edition which includes Essays, film & poster images and recording information. Talk about a kid in a sweet shop, where do I start? Cherry Red Records, a British independent record label founded in 1978, released this gem in July of this year. Get Carter, taken from the novel Jack’s Return Home by Ted Lewis, was released in 1971 starring Michael Caine as Jack Carter, a suave and brutal London gangster who returns to his home town in the North to avenge the death of his brother. Director Mike Hodges’ use of the bleak Northern landscape, unrelenting violence and gritty dialogue changed future gangster films forever help along by a powerful performance by Michael Caine and a soundtrack of unbelievable coolness by the late Roy Budd.

CD1 ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
The Get Carter Theme was released as a 7” on composer Budd’s own Pye record label. The original soundtrack LP was only released in Japan on the Odeon label but as the film gained momentum the soundtrack was released in 1998 on the Cinephile label.
I remember this being one of the first soundtracks I listened to which included part of the movie’s dialogue, something which is now hardly done. This alone blew me away let alone the actual music. It made for a totally immersive experience. Track 1, Get Carter Intro, gets you straight into the grimy, unforgiving mood of the story with the now-famous refrain of a set of short notes of steel like sound played on harpsichord and piano that haunt the score. This repeats in track 2 – Carter Takes The Train Main Title which this time begins with a slick bass line enhanced by Budd’s genius jazz organ playing. In the background, a sound effect of a train pulling into the station is mimic by a pounding tabla. Is there an opening track anywhere near this much perfection? This is followed by the first of a number of songs which feature on the soundtrack that are so of their time that they enhance rather than distract from the album as a whole. Looking For Someone was composed by Budd as are all the other songs some of which also have the credit of Budd with Jack Fishman.

What I really like about the track listings to each of the CD’s songs is that it tells you where in the film it was playing, which is such a fabulous idea I feel like getting up a petition to make this legal! For example – Looking For Someone – ‘This track is the song on the jukebox as Jack Carter first walks into the pub near the train station.’ After more dialogue comes further keyboard playing, this time in a slow, relaxed song where the word ‘groovy’ would fit nicely, the title being Something On My Mind. Track 9, to me, is the standout song, entitled Gettin’ Nowhere In A Hurry both in its composition lyrics. The description for this is ‘this track is the second to play on the jukebox in the pub…’ As you can now imagine the next track, Girl In The Car, accompanies one of Carter’s bed partners Glenda as she drives. Towards the end it goes gloriously ‘off-piste’ jazz wise. Hearing these cues you can understand why many of these pieces were well sampled for TV adverts etc.
The refrain returns in Manhunt but this time a little muffled and muted, this is listed as a ‘Cross Cut’ and depicts the scenes of Jack chasing his brothers killer and a woman’s body being dredged up from a lake. You are startled out of the refrain by deep and random piano notes with frantic tablas,of which is highly atmospheric. In a complete change of gear, we have an almost classical piano piece playing as Carter kills his brother’s murderer. The song Hallucinations, complete with dreamy voices and echoes, follows this. It ends with Goodbye Carter a reprise of the Intro and Main Title track. Disc 1 is a replication of the original Japanese release I can’t praise the quality enough, it sounds sharp and new.

CD2 ORIGINAL BONUS MATERIAL
This is the CD I was most excited about, additional tracks not included in the original album including unreleased alternative mixes of the Main Theme. Get Carter Alternative Mix 1 makes you appreciate the basic elements of this iconic theme as it’s stripped of the train effects which focuses you on the bass, tabla etc. There is however a very short and sweet piano flourish dropped in after the first leitmotif. This is followed by Plaything, an alternative vocal version mix of Hallucinations which is slower and more trippy than the original, this is a little gem followed by gem number 2 – an instrumental version of Gettin’ Nowhere In A Hurry. It’s when you listen to the instrumental mix of Hallucinations that you get a sense of the genius of Budd. His dissemblance of time structures lends a more hazy feel making the whole very pleasing. Definitely another stand out track.

This CD ends with 5 more mixes of the main theme -yes 5! We begin with the 7” single version, which again does not include the films train sounds. Dope On A Rope US Mix is bass lead with a much-restrained use of the theme. It takes you to a very different realm where this would not be out of place on the nightclub floor. Just love it! Same could be said of the following De Few 2 Smoking Barrels Remix where the theme hangs in the background under an even deeper bass. It moves far away from the Get Carter theme structure, which is still there but somewhat encased. The Deadly Avenger Mix imports fragments of Hallucinations mixed with the Main Theme but wrapped in drum and bass. The Breakneck Dirtbox Remix is the least imaginative but still a welcome mix with the theme played under a four-note bass and dialogue. Obviously, you benefit more from CD 2 if you know the original score really well but they are still very listenable tracks with some of the changes being oh so subtle.

CD3 A BIT OF BUDD (Highlights from Roy Budd scores.
This is perhaps the most generous disc in this collection as Budd, who died at 46 from a brain haemorrhage, scored over 30 soundtracks most of which are still difficult to get hold of. Disc 3 treats us to tracks taken from his scores.

Mr Funker from FOXBAT 1977
The plotline for this movie is “In Hong Kong, a Chinese cook swallows a microfilm by accident and becomes a target”, obviously an action film of its day and not destined for the awards season. Budd captures the ‘funk’ with a cue mixed with driving drums and bass and a wah-wah guitar rift which was a must in this decade. Saying that this cue could easily slip into a current action movie.

Way Out from THE STONE KILLER 1973
A better known Budd score from a Michael Winner/Charles Bronson action-thriller. With its rousing string start it would be easy to imagine this as an opening to a large scale epic but it quickly goes into Budd mode with those trademark bongos. It’s high 70’s action music.

No Doubt from THE MARSEILLE CONTRACT 1974
A Michael Caine crime-thriller, this is a slowed down, ‘slinky’ cue so cool it makes me want to immediately listen to the rest of the score.

Diamond Fortress from DIAMONDS 1975
A heist film starring Robert Shaw – this is a masterful piece which lulls you in with it’s slow, minimal intro then moves to jazz sax & drum. It’s surrounded by a 7 note strand which builds … then it’s gone! Yet again you are left wanting more.

In The Shadows from THE STONE KILLER
Well just kick off your shoes, pour that cocktail and just give in to this soft jazz piano piece and melt!

Jazz It Up from THE MARSEILLE CONTRACT
A driving jazz piece with a kinda Matrix refrain – sadly too short to really get into.

Free Tarrant from THE BLACK WINDMILL 1973
Another Michael Caine action thriller, which stands out due to the superb tablas playing taking the lead towards the end. This score is again one of Budd’s better-known works.

Cassette Jazz from THE BLACK WINDMILL
Furious and fast piano jazz the speed of which will blow your mind!

For All My Days from KIDNAPPED 1971
This is an altogether different setting for both Budd and yet again Michael Caine. Set in 18th Century Scotland during the Jacobite rebellion. This is a mellow, plaintive Budd with harp, soft brass and strings. It’s quite beautiful.

No Coperation from THE BLACK WINDMILL
Dark and very edgy and I just love the leading jazz bass.

Teacher and Pupil from PAPER TIGER1 975
This adventure/drama has the intriguing casting of David Niven, Toshiro Mifune and Hardy Kruger! It has Budd’s typical percussion, bass and guitar treatment, more of a backing track than thematic.

Main Theme from FEAR IS THE KEY 1972
This is how I discovered Budd’s music. The main score is nothing short of majestic. Taken from the Alistair MacLean novel it’s a tense thriller, which also boasts the film debut of Ben Kingsley. A dramatic kettledrum introduces the proceedings followed by a series of orchestral punctuation. It glides into the most beautiful string-led melody. Strange you might think for a thriller but it so works. Perfection!

Love At First Sight from THE SEA WOLVES 1980
This is a sweet and touching re-arrangement of The Warsaw Concerto.

How Can We Run Away from SOMETHING TO HIDE 1972
This is a crime/thriller starring Peter Finch. With something of a short theatrical start, this is a piano and string-led melodic piece with a romantic feel.

Cresta’s Song from SOLDIER BLUE 1970
This movie caused much controversy on its release as it depicted the slaughter of Cheyenne Indians by the US Calvary. Not only did it cause historical controversy, but it’s level of violence was also criticized. It seems strange that this was Budd’s debut score This track does have an element of the west in his jaunty piano playing.

THEME FROM AUNT HARRIET
Unfortunately, I cannot find any information on this piece of music however it’s a lovely piano piece, quite laid back and jazzy and played in Budd’s impressive style.

THE CAREY TREATMENT 1972
A James Coburn thriller in which a doctor turns detective. A steely three-note leitmotif opens this score which sounds slightly more of TV theme than a thriller movie but good all the same.

VERSAILLES EXIT & WHO NEEDS LOVE ANAYWAY
These are previously unissued Budd tracks.

Budd

Roy Budd

This set is a soundtrack collectors dream, well packaged and with not only essay’s on the soundtrack but also on writer Ted Lewis, how Budd got to compose the score, the session musicians and more. All accompanied by photos. posters and film stills. This obviously has been a labour of love as the detail is superb especially the original recording track listings with their basic short numeric system. Budd’s music, especially his scores, play well even if you have not seen the film plus they are infused with 1970’s musical influences.

One of the highlights of this year .
Special Thanks to Matt Ingham & Charlie Brigden

GLORIA BELL Soundtrack Review

August 12, 2019August 12, 2019 ~ Filmic Tracks ~ Leave a comment

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When is a soundtrack not a soundtrack? This is the age old question asked by many who enjoy film music. I was a resounding ‘no’ when it came to Hans Zimmer’s score to Dunkirk whilst others fiercely supported it. Regarding the structure of soundscapes we have all had to go on a learning curve. I ask the question as I absolutely love the soundtrack to Gloria Bell by Matthew Herbert but I can’t quite put my finger on why. It’s a sum of its parts, the whole

creating an ethereal feeling of happiness. I could say it’s music to a really enjoyable dream! Gloria Bell is played by Juliane Moore who is in her 50’s, divorced and working. She has 2 grown up children and works in an insurance office but at night she loves to dance and it’s while dancing that she meets Arnold who is recently divorced. Not exactly a plot which drags you in.

The score is my British electronic music composer and DJ Matthew Herbert who also did the score for Disobedience which was released earlier this year and which I also really liked. There is no discernible theme but the opening track called Gloria Bell sets the tone with with an electronic flurry which is somehow childlike and very likeable whilst high note strings flutter in the background. Short but captivating. Strings return in Bell Theme a beautiful but all too short cue. Reunion has a distance about it musically whilst The Joint pushes the theme used in in the opening track, this time on saxophone with a cool electronic beat underneath.

The Whale has all the dream like allure as previous tracks but three quarters of the way in a night club bass is added, a strange juxtaposition but it so works, again short and leaving you wanting more. Get Ready brings us full circle with a richer version of the opening track and it all comes to a close with Waterfall where the main refrain is gently played on piano.

Its’s quirky and it’s a delight and at only 24 minutes and 13 seconds long it’s worth ekeing it out, I can guarantee it will relax you.

Milan Music Label

Tracklisting

1	Gloria Bell	1:20
2	Zombies	1:11
3	Bell Theme	1:17
4	Reunion	1:27
5	Behind The Door	0:46
6	Gone	1:16
7	The Gnome	0:18
8	The Joint	1:22
9	Airport	1:12
10	Afloat	2:45
11	Up The Stairs	1:36
12	The Whale	1:43
13	By The Pool	2:43
14	Home	2:29
15	Get Ready	1:11
16	Waterfall	1:

RED JOAN -George Fenton

July 15, 2019July 15, 2019 ~ Filmic Tracks ~ Leave a comment

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After being somewhat confused with Fenton’s enjoyable score to Cold Pursuit and then seeing the film, which is categorised by IMBD as an action crime drama thriller (missing out the actual black comedy element) – I understood the scores tone and liked it even more. And here we are, after a long Fenton drought, with a second score in the same year.

Red Joan is the true story of Joan Stanley, a Soviet and Communist sympathiser recruited by the KGB in the thirties. She was undetected for many years and was finally charged with treason when a senior citizen.

Much has been written about this being a wide ‘dramatisation’ of the true story but here I want to highlight the score which is masterfully composed by Fenton who has such a sprawling canvas of work including composer and musical director with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, TV work and of course film soundtracks including The Company of Wolves, Dangerous Liaisons and The Lady In The Van.

Red Joan is an accomplished score, each cue fitting the whole, weaving throughout with emotions of fear, intrigue and pockets of regret. Starting with Red Joan Theme-Prelude which ambles along with a short piano refrain with an added tinge of defiance of what was done, is done. The refrain expands in the following cue You’re Under Arrest slowly but as realisation creeps in low dark notes appear and in Restraining Order there is such a delicate lightness of touch in the composition, it’s quite beautiful.

The swirling refrain is cleverly repeated in most of the short cues but with the slightest of change which never compromises the intensity of the score. It may not soar or have a memorable theme but this is NOT a soundtrack to be underestimated.

“I regard Red Joan as a personal score – by which I mean personal to the character of Joan My aim was to find a tonal language that sat well with the story of Joan in the 1930s but which never lost the sense of the story being told and remembered by the older Joan. A balance between the immediacy of young Joan’s experience and old Joan’s recollections. My hope is that even when heard away from the film that the music evokes the narrative of this extraordinary story.” George Fenton

TRACK LIST

1 Red Joan Theme (Prelude) 0:45
2 You’re Under Arrest 2:47
3 Back to Cambridge 2:45
4 The Ghost of Matter 2:22
5 My Little Comrade 2:01
6 The Tower 1:57
7 Restraining Order 2:16
8 Good at Drawing 2:43
9 Leo’s Arrest 1:13
10 Chadwick’s Arrival 1:58
11 Making Land Tomorrow 1:39
12 Maybe One Day 2:08
13 The University 2:33
14 Hiroshima 2:25
15 Agent Lotto 1:54
16 Inspection 2:27
17 The Locket 1:50
18 Photo Secrets 2:23
19 Leo’s Destiny 2:54
20 Special Branch 1:49
21 Two Copies 1:25
22 I’m Not a Traitor 1:56
23 Max In Jail 2:47
24 End Titles 5:16
25 Red Joan Theme (Postlude) 0:40

Label: Movie Score Media

ONE LAST DEAL (Tuntematon Mestari) by Matti Bye – Soundtrack Review

March 10, 2019March 10, 2019 ~ Filmic Tracks ~ Leave a comment

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Elderly art dealer Olavi is about to retire. This is a man who has always put business and art before everything. At an auction, an old painting catches his attention. Olavi suspects it is worth much more than its starting price, which is low because its authenticity hasn’t been confirmed. He decides to make one last deal in order to earn some pension money. At the same time, Olavi’s estranged daughter Lea, whom he hasn’t seen for years, asks him to help her with his teenage grandson Otto (15). Together with Otto, Olavi starts to investigate the history of the painting. Olavi buys the painting, but when the auction house realises that there has been a mistake with the original pricing, they turn on him.

The film is directed by Finnish director Klaus Haro who is one of his country’s most prolific contemporary filmmakers. The score is by Swedish composer Matti Bye who has scored for both tv and film.

It opens with a soft piano led cue full of wistfulness which gently rolls along into the second cue but at a faster pace, it’s an easy listen even with some scratchy strings underneath. A New Day has a lovely drum brush keeping tempo, something you don’t often hear. Olavi’s Tango continues the relaxed flow with piano and accordion plus double base leading the tango rhythm. It’s a short but pleasing cue.

This is a plaintive score telling of a gentle life suddenly thrust into chaos and emotional disruption at a time in the life of Olavi when he wants to retire. Father and Daughter has a different feel, the same small set of instruments are used but with a slight edge to it’s tone representing the distant relationship with his daughter. The slow tango reappears in The Empty Room in a more developed style. The closing track The Letter is neither sad nor jubilant, just very much in the same vein as the Opener.

This is a gentle and subtle score with a small selection of instruments, which will most probably have few listens especially as there currently is no UK release date hence why I am highlighting it. It’s a lesson in restraint showing that complex emotional stories don’t have to be fully orchestrated. By using a small group of musicians Bye has created a sweet and expressive score.

PLAYLIST
1. One Last Deal
2. The Art Dealer
3. A New Day
4. The Library
5. Olavi’s Tango
6. The Museum
7. Father and Daughter
8. The Empty Room
9. The Letter
Total Album Time: 20:41

Available on Amazon.com
Streaming on Spotify

L.A. CONFIDENTIAL Vinyl Release REVIEW – Jerry Goldsmith

February 25, 2019February 25, 2019 ~ Filmic Tracks ~ Leave a comment

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In January of this year Varese Sarabande released Jerry Goldsmith’s score to L.A.Confidential on vinyl. This detective film noir set in 1950’s Loss Angeles was released in 1997 and firmly etched itself onto all the relevant Top 10 ‘must see’ lists.
Director Curtis Hanson used music from the period so it was left to Goldsmith to fill in the drama which he most certainly did! Not perhaps a soundtrack you would play that often but this should be in your collection if you call yourself a movie-music fan.

I read that it’s a soundtrack which suites vinyl which at first I couldn’t really grasp but after listening several times I get it. Short at just over 30 minutes, it allows you to take your time and really listen. It opens with Bloody Christmas, a fast, punching beat with brass that pierces the senses and puts your brain on alert it then dissolves into the mellow use of trumpet which Goldsmith used to perfection in his score for Chinatown.

The deepest of piano keys introduce The Photo’s, a cue which builds into a superb Goldsmith percussive cacophony which strikes right through the ever building tension. This score is taught and unforgiving in its high strung violins, tremulous piano notes and piercing use of trumpet. It never lets up especially in Shoot Out, the longest track at 04:09 which pulls all the previous track elements in and pushes itself to the extreme. This score never settles and to get such intensity into quite a short score is genius.

PRESS RELEASE
“Goldsmith’s score is now considered a masterpiece nearly on the level of his landmark ‘Chinatown’. Jerry Goldsmith would have turned 90 in 2019. His music continues to be revered, celebrated and performed all over the world. I am thrilled to see this score, which was absolutely ideal for vinyl from the very beginning, finally, debut on the classic LP format. A priceless slice of vintage Los Angeles!”
Robert Townson, Vice President of A & R

Label: Varese Sarabande

Side A
1. Bloody Christmas (02:50)
2. The Cafe (02:20)
3. Questions (02:20)
4. Susan Lefferts (02:54)
5. Out of the Rain (02:47)
6. Rollo Tomasi (03:08)

Side B
1. The Photos (02:28)
2. The Keys (01:52)
3. Shootout (04:09)
4. Good Lad (02:19)
5. The Victor (02:32)

CLAIRE DARLING – by Olivier Daviaud Soundtrack Review

February 21, 2019 ~ Filmic Tracks ~ Leave a comment

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Claire Darling, also listed as La Derniere Folie De Claire Darling, or Claire Darling’s Last Madness, is the latest film of acclaimed French actress and icon Catherine Deneuve. Aged 76 she also shares the screen with daughter Chiara Mastroianni [her father being the late Marcello Mastroianni]. Deneuve plays Claire living in a small village who wakes on the first day of summer convinced this is her last day. With this in mind she decides to empty her house and give away all her belongings. In doing this Claire finds freedom from the weight of the past which she is letting go of. However in doing this Marie, her daughter whom she has not seen for 20 years returns.

The elegant score is by Olivier Daviaud has composed for film and tv mainly in France. I have not heard of him before but am very taken with this score considering the flamboyant subject matter. The soundtrack’s cover is also superb showing Claire enjoying life riding a bumber car!
The opening title track grabbed me by it’s oddness, there’s is a childishness to it played on either on bells or even a child’s toy xylophone. The leitmotif in itself kind of ‘skips’ and in the background is a percussive thunder. There is a lot going on and you receive mixed messages at the same time as being completely sucked in. Les Automates is almost classic in its structure and is simple but effective with plucked strings and exquisite piano.

The leitmotif returns in La Fugue doing it’s part musically by intertwining and repeating, and cleverly representing a physical fugue representing Claire’s step away from her usual environment. The musical terms continue with the jaunty Farandole [meaning medley]. Le Deuil [Mourning] is piano and violin slowly paced and quite heartbreaking in it’s simplicity.
More musical word play with a cue called La Derniere Valse [The Last Waltz] followed by the more robust end piece – Claire Darling, this time with brass and accordion.

And there it was gone, so lovely but not enough – quite short cues but so tightly cohesive never straying far from it’s simple form. A delight and I look forward to more by Monsieur Daviaud.

***1/2/*****

Label: Le Films du Poisson

1. Générique Début Claire Darling 2:20
2. Le Premier Vide Grenier 1:43
3. Les Cartables 0:45
4. Les Automates 1:23
5. La Fugue 1:56
6. Les Visions De Marie 0:54
7. Les Vélos 1:28
8. Farandole 1:35
9. Le Curé 1:30
10. La Danse De Claire 1:19
11. Le Scarabee Bousier 1:19
12. Le Deuil 3:32
13. Marie Retrouve La Bague 0:56
14. Les Mariées 1:28
15. La Dernière Valse 4:04
16. Explosion 1:54
17. Générique Fin Claire Darling 3:14

SERENITY Benjamin Wallfisch Capsule Review

February 18, 2019February 18, 2019 ~ Filmic Tracks ~ Leave a comment

Serenity Ethereal, haunting, dreamlike – these are the strands which flow in the opening title track. It is also quite beautiful. Similar strands run through the whole soundtrack therefore negating any discernable themes other than The Beast, a cue which highlights one of the main characters [fishing boat captain Baker Dill played by Matthew McConaughey] obsession with catching a king-sized tuna and how, like the cues ending, there is a tentative heartbeat and climatic ending – as the fish once again slips away from him.

It’s difficult to give any definition to the cues as it all melds together within the same structure, this is not a negative as the structure, which is relatively slow paced, is easy to lose yourself in. You drift and yet stay immersed. Girl At The Bridge is perhaps the stand out cue using a background voice to enhance a dream-like quality that turns eerie with deep notes and tremulous violins. At over just 6 minutes long it’s the scores most powerful piece.

Whilst the film has received none too positive reviews it has been tagged as having a noir setting and same could be said of the score which could also be indexed under sound palette and quickly forgotten but in its sameness it does have texture, it’s a whole rather than a score of parts. It’s Wallfisch in Blade Runner mode and it’s worth a listen.

Rating **1/2/*****
Label: Milan Music

1. Serenity                                          04:45
2. The Beast                                        04:03
3. Suit                                                  02:34
4. Karen                                              01:58
5. Baker Dill                                       02:31
6. Patrick                                            02:56
7. Memory                                         02:18
8. Deliver Me From Temptation   02:32
9. He Wants Justice                         02:27
10. Girl At The Bridge                     06:48
11. I Am The Rules                          04:03
12. Plymouth Island                       01:53
13. I Remember You                       03:46
14. Catch That Fish                         01:57
15. How We See It                           03:16
16. Creator                                        04:43
17. Justice                                          03:12
18. Alternate Reality                       03:03
19. It’s Dad                                        03:45

THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING Soundtrack Review

February 17, 2019 ~ Filmic Tracks ~ Leave a comment

71c0WXs6ohL._SS500_ Take a classic fable, shake it up so that an ordinary young boy who thinks he’s just a nobody, stumbles across a mythical sword. Turn it into a modern day tale of wizards and an a cunning enchantress where the boy becomes a great leader and you have The Kid Who Would be King, a different take on the Arthurian legend.

The score would perhaps call for the treatment of say John Powell or Alan Silvestri but here we are in the hands of the Electric Wave Bureau, a London based collaborative artist collective who compose and source music for film, tv and radio. Previous scores include Paddington & Paddington 2. Whilst there is heavy use of electronic’music in the score it is a real scene setter and fun!
Opening with a vibrant Arthur’s Theme we move to the short but stunning Prologue signposting the coming quest complete with heraldic choir. Said choir reach full height and herald a pivotal moment in It Has Been Drawn. A simple four note rift introduces a key character in Enter Merlin which is so so catchy it’s a shame it’s so short as a are quite a few of the tracks. The main action, show-down cue Mortes Milles Attack is full steam ahead with a driving bass line and I’m glad to say the catchy rift returns in the triumphant Arthur’s Theme.

As many of the cues are short the whole is not as cohesive as it could be but electronics do not dilute this atmospheric score, it enhances the childlike wonder of the story but you can’t help wondering how magnificent it could have been with a full orchestra.

***1/2/*****

Label: Milan Music
1. Arthur’s Theme (Album Mix) (3:12)
2. Prologue (2:14)
3. Failure (2:01)
4. It’s a Tough World (1:57)
5. Morgana (1:55)
6. Building Site (1:36)
7. It Has Been Drawn (1:08)
8. Bedders Is Knighted (0:54)
9. Enter Merlin (0:52)
10. Take Me East at Once (0:56)
11. Merlin Appears (0:55)
12. Cease Your Slumber (2:33)
13. Your Quest Is Decided (1:12)
14. The Inscription (2:11)
15. This Is Destiny (1:29)
16. Morgana Observes (1:28)
17. The Quest Begins (0:28)
18. Transport Hub (0:57)
19. 20 Mile Walk (0:52)
20. I’m the King Around Here (1:36)
21. The Sword (2:03)
22. You Knew All Along (1:42)
23. Mere Rumours (1:51)
24. Arcadia (1:48)
25. Journey to the Underworld (2:03)
26. Goodnight Your Highness (1:01)
27. I’m so Sorry (2:03)
28. Who Will Join Us (3:21)
29. It Won’t Be Easy (1:43)
30. Mortes Milles Attack (2:51)
31. Heroes All! (1:07)
32. Arthur’s Theme (3:32)
33. Epilogue (3:25)

ALL IS TRUE – Soundtrack Review

February 10, 2019February 14, 2019 ~ Filmic Tracks ~ Leave a comment

ALL IS TRUE
Composer Patrick Doyle

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Doyle is a talented and solid composer who’s scores I very rarely dislike. He reaches the emotional level of each film he works on and whilst this movie’s subject may give expectation of period music [Elizabethan]Doyle goes deeper.

All is True is directed and starring Kenneth Branagh, whom Doyle has worked with many times. It deals with the Bards latter years where The Globe Theatre, which burnt down in 1613, bought forth his early retirement. The writer returns to his family in Stratford-Upon Avon [whilst writing he more or less lived in London].

The score starts The Globe, a slow and poignant track depicting the sorrow of the ruination of the theatre represented in descending string and chords and piano. Hamnet’s Grave follows and is equally sad telling again of deep the sadness of loosing his 11 year son to the plague. It’s a track so still yet beautiful.

The descending chords and short 5 note piano refrain are the running support themes to each cue making it easy to follow the musical story of the film. The slow pace of the score continues in Southampton where the piano is intertwined with harp. The tone is gently upbeat in Love, Not Ambition but we return to lower registers in Plague, a sparse and harrowing cue.

It’s the stillness of this soundtrack which makes it so commanding. It is a one level, bitter sweet soundtrack which would perhaps not be played that often but it fits perfectly into Doyle’s catalogue.

Rating: ***/*****

Label: Sony Classical

The Globe 2:12
Hamnet’s Grave 2:31
Ten Thousand More 2:19
The Trial 1:10
The Visitation 2:26
Southampton 1:53
Love, Not Ambition 1:4
Clever Lad 1:37
It Grieves Me 1:32
A Little Boy 1:27
Stay A Moment 2:45
Plague 2:25
What You Deserved 1:11
The Ovation 3:07
Fear No More 3:09
Know A Bank 2:44
Fear No More [Reprise 2:24

Running Time 36:40