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!

Les Baxter is back!

A number of titles from the conductor/composer have seen CD release in the recent past, including his scores to The Raven, Black Sunday, Beach Blanket Bingo and Hell's Belles.  Intrada is getting into the Halloween spirit with two more from the Baxter archives.  Like all of those above-named pictures, these two hail from American-International Pictures, perhaps the most famous B-movie studio of all time.  Black Sabbath and The Comedy of Terrors both were released by AIP in 1963.  Mario Bava's Italian film Black Sabbath was scored for American release by Baxter, although many prints of the film still feature the Italian score.  Intrada was able to locate Baxter's complete scoring masters for all but the final reel (roughly five minutes). Those final minutes were salvaged via music-and-effects tracks, allowing the entire score to be presented in mono as recorded for the movie.  The film divides into three separate stories, each with its own score, and so the soundtrack consists of three suites.   The fright-fest Comedy of Terrors starred Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone, and Baxter's score reflects the film's blend of horror and laughs. (It's hard not love a score with cue titles like "Par for the Corpse," "A-Tisket, A-Casket" and "Hearse of a Different Color!")  The complete score appears in mono, and one song integral to the film (the intentionally off-kilter "He is Not Dead") has been included, too.

Both Intrada Special Collection releases are available now for $19.99 each plus shipping.

Last but certainly not least, Kritzerland is revisiting Jerry Lewis' 1958 comedy The Geisha Boy.  Directed by Frank Tashlin of Looney Tunes fame, the Paramount picture introduced Suzanne Pleshette to the screen, and featured a score by Walter Scharf.  The American composer had a long, distinguished career, beginning with his work in New York in the 1920s and early 1930s at which time he accompanied such singers as Rudy Vallee and Helen Morgan.  Scharf was snapped up by Hollywood, arranging and orchestrating for stars including Bing Crosby, Al Jolson and even Elvis Presley.  Scharf co-wrote Michael Jackson's hit "Ben" with lyricist Don Black, and eventually racked up ten Academy Award nominations.  He made invaluable contributions to such beloved films as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Funny Girl and The Nutty Professor.  Like The Geisha Boy, the latter wasamong the dozen-plus comedies he scored for Jerry Lewis.  Kritzerland's CD premiere of The Geisha Boy includes the original Jubilee Records soundtrack presentation from the stereo album masters, and then adds the film's remaining cues from the original three-track session masters for more than an hour of music.  As Scharf has been woefully under-represented on CD as a composer, Kritzerland's release is a particularly exciting one.  It's also the first score to one of Lewis' classic comedies to be released on CD.  The Geisha Boy is a 1,500-unit limited edition.  Priced at $19.98 plus shipping, it's in stock now.  You can order below!

Les Baxter, Black Sabbath (Recorded 1963 - Intrada Special Collection Volume 215, 2012)

1. Main Title/Introduction
2. The Drop Of Water (Ripples/Lily Horn/Card Table/That Medium/Possessed/Drop Of Water/The Ring/The Corpse/Burial Dress)
3. The Telephone (The Telephone/Click/The Voice/Cry in the Night/The Shadow/Frank is Dead/Sedative/Light in the Window/Dawn Intruder/Strangulation)
4. The Wurdalak (The Wurdalak/The Homestead/The Bandit/The Dagger/Gorka Returns/Severed Head/Restless Count/Pursuit/Child Wurdalak/Gregor's Decision/Transformation/Escape/Refuge/Compulsion/Gathering Clan/Back Home (M&E)/The Bedroom (M&E)/Conversion (M&E)/Movie Set (M&E)/End Credits

Les Baxter, The Comedy of Terrors (Recorded 1963 -Intrada Special Collection Volume 218, 1963)

1. The Mourners
2. Meet Cleopatra
3. Hearse of a Different Color
4. Atmospheres
5. Two Birds
6. Up We Go
7. Abra-Cadaver
8. A-Tisket A-Casket
9. He is Not Dead
10. Play It Straight
11. The Axe
12. Par for the Corpse
13. Waltzing
14. Never Say Die
15. That's All

Alan Silvestri, The Bodyguard: Original Score from the Motion Picture (Recorded 1992- La-La Land LLLCD 1225, 2012)

1. Theme from The Bodyguard (2:44)
2. Watch and See/Meet Rachel*/Fletcher**/Can I Help You? (3:40)
3. Weirdo/Someone Was In Here (1:17)
4. Frank Unpacks* (1:24)
5. Followed/On the Job (3:08)
6. Just Dinner (1:02)
7. Walkman/Another One (3:20)
8. Not There (1:27)
9. Only If You Want To/I Know Why/Got You/The Glove/The Locker (3:06)
10. Be Careful**/I Don't Approve*/The Sword (4:14)
11. Silly Job (0:54)
12. Well, Well, Well/Overlay (1:44)
13. What Are You Doing?/Where Is She?/I'm Through (3:24)
14. Snow/I Understand Now/Just One** (5:23)
15. How About That (3:14)
16. It Doesn't Matter/Where's Fletcher? (3:09)
17. Tell Me About It (4:20)
18. The Stairs/It's Not Your Fault/Do You Mind? (3:01)
19. Relax a Little (1:32)
20. This is the Night/Coming Thrill/Portman/Please Welcome (3:00)
21. The Winner Is/Where's Portman? (1:58)
22. Lunatic (3:15)
23. My Bodyguard/How's It Going? (2:26)
24. Theme from The Bodyguard (Film Mix) (2:44)
25. Meet Rachel (Alternate) (0:49)
26. The Winner Is (Alternate) (1:41)
27. It Doesn't Matter (Alternate) (1:32)
28. How's It Going? (Alternate) (1:21)
29. Party Piano (Source) (2:28)
30. Theme from The Bodyguard (Album Alternate) (3:52)

Tracks 24-30 are bonus tracks

(*) Cue not used in film
(**) Cue contains material not used in film

Walter Scharf, The Geisha Boy: Music from the Motion Picture (Kritzerland, 2012)

1. Main Title*/Prelude*
2. Tokyo Bound/Over Japan*
3. Tokyo Street/Theme*
4. Photography Incorporated/Kimi's Pool*/Entrance of Japanese Boys
5. Prayers for All*/A Tender Reunion
6. A Parting Kiss*
7. Touring Japan
8. Neons Flashing/The Persistent Pursuer*
9. The Pitiful Parting*/The Oriental Problem*/The M.P. March
10. Opening Night*/Finale Reprise*
11. VistaVision Seal/Main Title* (alternate version)
12. Harry Returns
13. Trouble with Harry
14. Poor Pun/Unhappy Landing
15. The Chase
16. Entrance of Japanese Boys (short version)
17. Sun Burnt Rabbit/
18. A Tender Reunion* (film version)
19. Dinner on the Floor
20. The Steam Baths
21. Geisha House/The Oriental Problem
22. Gilbert's Graspers*/Chasing the Trunk
23. Opening Night*/Finale and End Title*

Tracks 1-10 from Jubilee LP 1096, 1958

(*) contains "Song from the Geisha Boy" by Jack Brooks and Walter Scharf