Soundtrack Round-Up: More Kong, Eastwood, Zimmer Highlights from Intrada, La-La Land

If you thought Film Score Monthly's reissue of the score to King Kong (1976) was as big as it gets for soundtracks lately, allow us to show you the newest releases from Intrada and La-La Land - one of which features the giant ape himself!

Ten years after toppling off the World Trade Center to his apparent death, King Kong Lives - also produced by Dino de Laurentiis and directed by John Gullermin - reveals the giant ape is in fact alive, kept under a medically-induced coma while scientists search in vain for another ape to offer a blood transfusion to power an artificial heart made for the beast. As luck would have it, a female ape is found and offered to revive Kong - but when both animals escape captivity, it's a race for two scientists to find them before the army does.

While the belated Lives received indifferent reviews, fans have lauded the heroic soundtrack by John Scott, which ignores any stigma of low-budget action in favor of active, expressive, big music. MCA released a thorough LP in 1986 (not coincidentally, the same year they introduced their Audio-Animatronic Kong on the Universal Studios Tour), but it only ever saw release on CD by the Victor label in Japan - a pressing somewhat marred by "bonus tracks" consisting of Kong's various roars and grunts. Intrada's new edition - featuring two collectible covers in one package, including the above modification of the original LP sleeve - omits those roars, making it once again all about the music.

And what else is new with Intrada and La-La Land, too? Hit the jump to find out!

Intrada's ongoing celebration of Universal Pictures' 100th anniversary - a partnership that began with the release of Henry Mancini's Charade score earlier this year - continues with the world premiere release of the soundtrack to High Plains Drifter. The premise is simple: Clint Eastwood is a mysterious drifter hired by a mining town to defend against corruption and robbery. Eastwood was no stranger to such a role, playing it thrice to perfection in Sergio Leone's "Man with No Name" unofficial trilogy. But this time - and for only the second time ever - Eastwood was behind the camera as well. With a visual flair that recalls both Leone and Dirty Harry director Don Siegel as well as Eastwood's own burgeoning style, High Plains Drifter remains a high point in Clint's career. And Dee Barton's score (his second for Eastwood after Play Misty for Me in 1971), recalling Ennio Morricone's off-the-wall spaghetti Western scores with a slight supernatural flair, finally gets its due on this premiere release.

Finally, last week saw La-La Land's much-awaited release of the score to Ridley Scott's Black Rain, an early film composition from prolific soundtrack maven Hans Zimmer. Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia played cops in the thick of the Japanese crime underworld, and Zimmer's work - anticipating his propulsive action cues in the '90s and utilizing Eastern sounds and instruments - was one of several lauded collaborations with director Scott, including Thelma and Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down.

The two-disc Black Rain combines both the complete, expanded score with a bonus disc featuring the original soundtrack album on Virgin Records, featuring tracks from Iggy Pop, UB40 and Gregg Allman, who contributed the main title theme "I'll Be Holding On." That disc is appended with several alternate cues. Black Rain is limited to 3,000 units.

Order all three titles and peruse their track lists below!

John Scott, King Kong Lives: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (originally released as MCA Records LP 6203, 1986 - reissued Intrada Special Collection Vol. 214, 2012)

Prelude
King Kong Lives - Main Title
Discovery of Lady Kong
Back to Life
Kong Meets Lady Kong
Honeymoon Ridge
Footbridge Incident
Night Camp
Lady Kong Gets Gassed
Leap Into the Rapids
Alligator Swamp
Chaos in a Small Town
Revenge on the Hunters
Kong Rescues His Lady
Kong's Final Battle
Birth of Baby Kong and Death of Kong
Return to Borneo and End Credits

Dee Barton, High Plains Drifter: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Intrada Special Collection Vol. 217, 2012 - original film released 1973)

High Plains Drifter (Main Title)
Barber Shop Menace
Vision of Marshal
Gathering Loot
Out of Prison
Dummy Wagon
Campfire Murder
Target Practice
Whipped to Death
Callie
Hotel Explodes
Blood on Log
Dynamite
Preparations
Bell Signal
Gunfight in Lago
Shooting Stacy
Headstone and End Credits
High Plains Drifter (Unused Title Song)
Dummy Wagon (Short)
Dummy Wagon Stinger
Target Practice Stinger
R91 Stinger(s) #1
R92 Stinger(s) #1
R92A Stinger(s) #1
R93 Stinger(s) #1
Wild Harmonica Stingers

Hans Zimmer, Black Rain: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (La-La Land Records LLLCD 1229, 2012 - original film released 1989)

Disc 1: Film score

Sato Pt. 1/One-Way Glass
Osaka/Phony Cops**
You Gonna Be Nice?*/Sato Pt. 2**
Sato Watching/Circling Motorbikes
Sugai's Photo/Sato Pt. 3
Sato Pt. 4
Charlie Loses His Head**
Sequins
Masa's Reprimand/Sugai Pt. 1
The Steel Mill
Steel Mill Chase/Airplane/Escape***
Sugai Pt. 2
Arrival of Oyabuns/Sato's Arrival/Meeting
Bikes**/Fight**/Nick and Masa**

Disc 2: Original soundtrack LP (released as Virgin LP 91292, 1989) and bonus material

Livin' on the Edge of the Night - Iggy Pop
The Way You Do the Things You Do - UB40
Back to Life (Jam on the Groove Mix) - Soul II Soul
Laserman -Ryuichi Sakamoto
Singing in the Shower - Les Rita Mitsouko and Sparks
I'll Be Holding On - Gregg Allman
Black Rain Suite: Sato
Black Rain Suite: Charlie Loses His Head***
Black Rain Suite: Sugai
Black Rain Suite: Nick and Masa***
Airplane Muzak (Source) - Shirley Walker
Charlie Loses His Head Pt. 1 (Alternate Percussion)
Charlie Loses His Head Pt. (Alternate with Koto and Oboe)
Masa's Reprimand (Alternate)***
Bikes/Fight (Alternate)
Bikes (Percussion Only)
Charlie Loses His Head (Monks Wild)
I'll Be Holding On (Main Title Version) - Gregg Allman

All tracks previously unreleased except Disc 2, Tracks 1-10. * indicates track not used in film. ** indicates track with music not used in film. *** indicates track incorporating "I'll Be Holding On."