“The directors, the Boulting Brothers, actually approached me, one of them, Roy, and he was interested in some of the music we’ve been writing.  He said, ‘Would you be interested in actually writing something for film?’  I said, ‘Wow, great honour.’  And they’re very good directors, quite famous English directors, so I knew they’d be good and the film would be good, and a very good cast with John Mills and Hayley Mills and Hywell Bennett.  So I said, ‘Yeah, okay!'”  So told Paul McCartney to Michel Laverdiere when recounting the genesis of his soundtrack to the 1966 film The Family Way.

For The Family Way, McCartney composed a central theme to the comedy/drama and George Martin produced and arranged the score, the first time McCartney composed outside of the Lennon/McCartney credit.  Its soundtrack recording makes its American CD debut from Varese Vintage on July 26, following the June 14 release of McCartney and McCartney II, part of the deluxe reissue campaign at Concord/Hear Music.  The original 1967 soundtrack recording to The Family Way begins with McCartney’s theme, “Love in the Open Air,” and contains twelve more (untitled) score cues suited to the onscreen action.  For his composition, McCartney was initially inspired by the sound of brass bands, familiar to his childhood in the North of England.  Under Martin’s direction, the score was recorded at CTS Studios in November 1966.

Varese’s reissue will be mastered from the original mono stereo master tapes, and features one bonus track, “Theme From The Family Way,” as recorded by The Tudor Minstrels for single release.  A previous 2003 release of the soundtrack album (which also contained a 1995 re-recording and 1999 theme variations) on the Disques XXI-21 label is long out-of-print, so Varese’s surprise release of this lost McCartney gem makes a welcome addition to the catalogue!  Hit the jump for the track listing with discographical information!  A pre-order link is not currently available; watch this space!

The George Martin Orchestra, Music by Paul McCartney, The Family Way: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Decca 82007, 1967 – reissued Varese Vintage, 2011)

1. Love In The Open Air
2. Family Way Cue
3. Family Way Cue
4. Family Way Cue
5. Family Way Cue
6. Family Way Cue
7. Family Way Cue
8. Family Way Cue
9. Family Way Cue
10. Family Way Cue
11. Family Way Cue
12. Family Way Cue
13. Family Way Cue
14. Theme from The Family Way (Decca U.K. single F-12536, 1967)