July 3, 2009

  • Best of June: New to the "Collection"

    June flew by with a number of great limited editions announced from Intrada, La-La Land, BSX, and even Varese.  Funny that new score releases just feel underwhelming at a time when we should just be getting really excited.  Here then are 5 releases which stood out a bit from a fairly large crowd this month.

    The first of these was a surprising romantic score by Angelo Badalementi, The Edge of Love.  The score features a nice mixture of the composer's atmospheric style coupled with noir-ish and jazzy ballad sounds.  A few original songs also standout amidst the other period songs on this disc from Universal.

    A surprisingly fun score from BSX was Mike Vickers music for Hammers updated Dracula franchise, Dracula A.D. 1972.  The mix of 1970s funky sounds with some classic Hammer horror and rock sounds of the 1970s all make for a delightful listen that turns out to work very well on CD.

    I finally managed to acquire Film Score Monthly's re-issue and expansion of Goldsmith's Twilight Zone-The Movie.  This is easily a "Best of the Month" recommendation at any time allowing us to hear more of the score, recast in its orignial sequences.  It also manages to repeat the original LP release (issued on a hard-to-find CD).  The sound is amazing and regardless of which part of the film you like the most, there is much to admire here.  The disc is maxed out in its playing time making it one of FSM's best releases.

    Tribute Film Classics continues to astonish and amaze with its scholarship and restoration releases.  This is no less true with their latest release of Korngold's The Prince and the Pauper.  I've reviewed this earlier in the month so refer you back to that entry for more reasons why this is simply worth adding to your listening library.

    Finally, another FSM release, None But the Brave, allows us to hear an early John Williams dramatic score.  This Sinatra helmed project makes for an interesting viewing these days and the score is scarcely spotted though no less effective.  Strong thematic writing hints at later martial writing by the composer and there is some additional Asian-tinged material that would have an influence in his Flute Concerto written later in the decade.  Beautiful sound and a complete release of the score material with some fun bonuses make this a must have for completists and fans of the film.

    21.  None But the Brave (Williams)                                                                           FSM