When Worlds Collide! John Barry and Matt Monro Spy Thriller Joins George Pal Sci-Fi Flicks

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 20^th 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)