Archive for the ‘Les Baxter’ Category
Soundtrack Corner: We Will Always Love “The Bodyguard” Plus Jerry Lewis Goes “Geisha” and Les Baxter for Halloween
Though the 1992 soundtrack to Mick Jackson’s film The Bodyguard is the best-selling soundtrack album of all time, its success was largely on the strength of star Whitney Houston’s performances of “I Will Always Love You,” “I Have Nothing” and “I’m Every Woman.” Featured on just one track was the work of Alan Silvestri, the composer of Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit who provided the film’s original score. The under-three minute snippet featured on the Grammy-winning Arista album barely scratched the surface of Silvestri’s score for The Bodyguard. Twenty years later, La-La Land Records has teamed with Sony Music and Warner Bros. for the first-ever release of Silvestri’s complete orchestral score.
This 3,500-unit limited edition release includes 23 tracks and seven bonus cuts including alternates and source music. (Of course, none of the film’s songs or vocal performances are heard on this release.) James Nelson (Kritzerland’s Follies, Promises, Promises) has mastered this release under the supervision of producer Dan Goldwasser, and Tim Grieving has written new liner notes incorporating comments from Mick Jackson and Alan Silvestri.
The Bodyguard: Original Score from the Motion Picture is available now from La-La Land Records for $19.98 plus shipping.
Hey laaaaady! After the jump: how about some musical merriment from a Jerry Lewis classic? And what spooky offerings does Intrada have for Halloween? Plus: track listings and order links for all titles! Read the rest of this entry »
Kritzerland Wraps Up 2011: Orson Welles on “Trial”, and Les (Baxter) Is More
2011 may be coming to a close, but the Kritzerland label still has a couple of surprises up its sleeve. The label this morning announced its final two releases of the year, and both are offbeat gems: Lex Baxter’s scores to two Edgar Allan Poe offerings (Roger Corman’s 1963 The Raven and the Vincent Price-starring 1970 television special An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe) and Jean Ledrut’s score to Orson Welles’ 1962 film The Trial, described by the Citizen Kane director as “the best film I ever made.”
Emphasizing comedy over horror (just check out that cover artwork for the new CD!), The Raven starred Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff and a young Jack Nicholson, and was one in a line of Corman’s Poe-inspired B-movie classics. Despite Baxter’s fun, eerie and effective score, The Raven had never seen a soundtrack release, until now! Tape research for The Raven revealed only the second of two reels of the film’s music, but the label pressed forward as it was a full reel with music from not only the second part of the film but several cues from the first part, for a total of nearly 25 minutes of Baxter’s best. Several of the composer’s electronic cues have been included as a bonus. The Raven has been paired with the original soundtrack of An Evening Of Edgar Allan Poe. Previously released on CD by Citadel in “fake stereo,” Kritzerland’s release has been mastered from its original mono tapes and in proper sequence. The main and end titles, taken from the DVD release, have also been appended for the most complete presentation of the score yet.
The Trial was Orson Welles’ 1962 adaptation of the novel of the same name by Franz Kafka, and Welles captured the air of menace and danger that pervades Kafka’s work. Anthony Perkins, post-Psycho, starred as the persecuted Joseph K., whose crime is never revealed. Romy Schneider, Jeanne Moreau, and Elsa Martinelli all figure in K.’s life and trial. Welles himself (also the author of the screenplay) portrays The Advocate, K.’s lawyer and also the main antagonist of the film. Jean Ledrut composed the score, including adaptations of Tomaso Albinoni’s “Adagio in G minor.” Ledrut wasn’t prolific, but his music has left a lasting impression. His score plays on variations of the Albinoni “Adagio,” in addition to his own evocative, original cues. Martial Solal, of Breathless fame, contributes the jazz piano work, and it all adds up to one wonderfully varied soundtrack to a remarkable (and remarkably forgotten) film. Kritzerland’s edition has been mastered from a quarter-inch tape source in excellent condition.
Both titles are limited editions of 1,00o copies priced at $19.98 plus S&H. Both are scheduled to ship the third week of January from Kritzerland. Pre-orders at Kritzerland typically ship an average of one to five weeks earlier, however.
Hit the jump for track listings, pre-order links and the complete press releases for each title! Read the rest of this entry »
