His name is Barry...John Barry. And the famed film composer's score to the 1966 spy thriller The Quiller Memorandum is one of the two latest soundtrack reissues from Intrada. The film score specialists have also just released a 2-CD set of four scores drawn from the legendary films of George Pal. War of the Worlds/When Worlds Collide includes, as bonuses, The Naked Jungle and Conquest of Space. These four soundtracks are the work of Leith Stevens (War of the Worlds, When Worlds Collide), Daniele Amfitheatrof (Naked Jungle) and Nathan Van Cleave (Conquest).
The name of George Pal is still one of the most beloved today in science fiction. The Hungarian-born producer/director was nominated for multiple Academy Awards and even received an honorary statue for his pioneering Puppetoon series, applying animation techniques to puppetry. He soon switched to live-action films and although his science-fiction efforts are among his most enduring, he also tackled fantasies like Tom Thumb and The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm. Pal's 1953 War of the Worlds, directed by Byron Haskin and based on the H.G. Wells novel, was scored by Leith Stevens (The Wild One, Pal's Destination Moon). All of Stevens' surviving cues are presented in mono from original elements stored in Paramount vaults. It's joined by Stevens' score to 1951's When Worlds Collide, presented from Paramount's mono masters with choral overlays intact.
Two more Pal films round out the set. The 40-minute soundtrack for The Naked Jungle (1954) was written by Daniele Amfitheatrof (Lassie Come Home, Disney's Song of the South) has been mastered from the three-channel stereo scoring session elements. Finally, the 2-CD set includes the score to 1955's Conquest of Space, from Nathan Van Cleave (The Twilight Zone). Van Cleave's work will be heard in mono from the original Paramount master elements. Jeff Bond contributes liner notes to this Intrada Special Collection release.
Hit the jump for a plunge into the sixties spy game with The Quiller Memorandum, plus track listings and order links for both titles!
In 1966, there was no better, or more obvious, choice to pen the score to The Quiller Memorandum than John Barry. He had already established the musical identity of James Bond in films like From Russia with Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball; his score to Quiller would fall between Thunderball (1965) and You Only Live Twice (1967). In 1966, the year of Quiller's release, Barry also received two Academy Awards for his work on Born Free, including one for the title song, as sung by Matt Monro. Barry would re-team with the beloved vocalist for Quiller, as well, via the song "Wednesday's Child" with lyrics by Mack David (Hal's older brother).
Based on Adam Hall's 1965 bestseller The Berlin Memorandum, the film starred George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger, and George Sanders. Directed by Michael Anderson and with a screenplay by British theatrical eminence Harold Pinter, the 20th Century Fox film was primarily shot in Berlin, where it told an unsettling and very modern story of neo-Nazism. Intrada's new release preserves the original Columbia Records stereo soundtrack LP. For his part, Barry largely avoided the high-octane James Bond style of spy music, instead opting for an evocative, atmospheric and altogether suspenseful orchestral treatment. The album also includes a rendition of Tony Hatch's hit song written for Petula Clark, "Downtown." Quiller has been remastered from the original Columbia master tapes through the courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment, and Intrada is offering both new artwork and the original LP cover on each side of the disc's booklet. Like the George Pal set, The Quiller Memorandum is a Special Collection title, and will be available from the label as long as "quantities and interest remain."
Both War of the Worlds/When Worlds Collide and The Quiller Memorandum can be ordered below and are shipping now from Intrada!
John Barry, The Quiller Memorandum: Original Soundtrack Recording (Columbia Records LP OS-3060, 1966 - reissued Intrada Special Collection Volume 201, 2012)
- Wednesday's Child (Main Theme)
- Quiller Caught - The Fight
- The Barrel Organ
- Oktober - Walk From the River
- Downtown (Tony Hatch)
- Main Title Theme
- Wednesday's Child - Matt Monro
- The Love Scene - The Old House
- Autobahn March
- He Knows the Way Out!
- Night Walk in Berlin
- Quiller and the Bomb
- Have You Heard of a Man Called Jones? (End Theme)
Original Soundtrack Recordings, War of the Worlds/When Worlds Collide (Intrada Special Collection Volume 204, 2012)
CD 1 (War of the Worlds - Tracks 1-7, When Worlds Collide - Tracks 8-24, When Worlds Collide Bonus Material - Tracks 25-28, War of the Worlds Bonus Material - Tracks 29-31)
- Main Title
- The Thing/It's Moving
- Heat Ray Dispenser/Get the Military
- Attempted Communication
- The Scanning Eye
- Evacuation
- End Title
- Main Title/Foreword
- The Black Box
- Uncertainty
- Bellus, Zyra and the D.A.
- U.N. Headquarters/Nasty Headline
- Project Recruiting/Project Indoctrination
- Martial Law/Evacuation Montage
- Securing the Rocket
- A Savage Outburst/Save the Ship
- A Revengeful Night/Bellus Approaches/Doomsday Drawing
- Calendar Montage
- Tony's Generosity
- Ecstasy and Despair
- Zero Hour
- The Take Off
- The Flight
- The New World
- 10-AA Unknown
- High on the List
- Café Fox Trot
- Main Title
- Main Title
- Prologue and Main Title
- Heat Ray Dispenser Sound Effect
CD 2 (The Naked Jungle - Tracks 1-16, Conquest of Space - Tracks 17-30, Conquest of Space Bonus Material - Tracks 31-32, The Naked Jungle Bonus Material - Tracks 33-34)
- Prelude/Main Title
- Opening Sequence/A Lonely Arrival
- Leiningen's Arrival/First Meeting
- Bitter Words
- Survey of the Plantation
- Silhouetted Temptations
- Drunken Developments/The Hanging
- Marabunta
- Almost Enticed
- Army on the March/Escape Destroyed/Magnified Enemy
- Drums No. 2
- Explosion Montage
- The Fight Begins
- Retreat
- I Love You
- Flooded and End Title
- Main Title/The Firmament
- Stricken
- Meteors/Transport Rocket
- Orders to Mars
- Off to Mars
- Stowaway
- Asteroid
- Last Rites
- Approach
- Mars and Madness
- Life and Death
- Snow
- The Elements/Earthquake
- Victory/Finale/Cast
- Space Muzak
- Main Title
- Prelude in E Minor (Chopin)
- Ant Noise
Leave a Reply