There's been a flurry of great catalogue activity from our friends at soundtrack label Varese Sarabande! A trio of limited editions, an exciting wide reissue of two soundtracks to a popular film series, and a quirky, cool box set tied to a popular novelist have all been announced by the label in the last few weeks.

Varese recently put the latest titles in their long running limited edition CD Club on sale, right around Halloween--so it's fitting that the first is a horror score from the late, great Jerry Goldsmith. He scored a latter-day remake of The Haunting in 1999, an adaptation of the 1963 British horror flick (itself an adaptation of the novel The Haunting Of Hill House) helmed by Speed and Twister director Jan De Bont and starring Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Owen Wilson. It was one of three scores Goldsmith did that year, all for big budget remakes or adaptations (the other two being The Mummy and The 13th Warrior, an adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel Eaters Of The Dead).

The other two titles are the quirky, forgotten Paul Hogan comedy Almost An Angel (1990), a release that features Maurice Jarre's complete score as well as the original soundtrack album presentation on one disc (including a rare tune by Vanessa Williams, "Some Wings"); and a reissue of Craig Safan's original soundtrack album to the biopic Stand and Deliver, starring Edward James Olmos in an Oscar-nominated turn as idealistic math teacher Jaime Escalante. These discs are both limited to 1,000 copies each, while Goldsmith's The Haunting is limted to 2,000. All titles are ready for pre-order, and expected to ship the week of November 20.

Things move south for an exciting non-limited title from the label due in stores December 1. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the quirky low-budget comedy Smokey and The Bandit, which starred Burt Reynolds as an affable trucker in a sleek Pontiac Trans Am and with runaway bride Carrie "Frog" (Sally Field), on the run from the dimwitted Texas Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason) as they attempt to bring a shipment of Coor's beer from Texas to Atlanta (where, at the time, it really was illegal to sell east of the Mississippi River!). Featuring wild car stunts, a mostly improvised script and a catchy song score by the film's co-star Jerry Reed (whose signature song "East Bound and Down" debuted in the picture), Smokey ended up behind Star Wars as the year's highest-grossing film. Varese here pairs the Smokey soundtrack with that of its sequel, 1980's Smokey and The Bandit II (in which Reynolds, Field, Reed and Gleason--playing Justice and his two brothers--all reappeared); that album featured tracks by country icons like Reed, Tanya Tucker, Don Williams, Brenda Lee, Roy Rogers and The Statler Brothers. Both albums appear here for the first time on compact disc!

Culturally, it's been a big year for Stephen King. The beloved writer has seen two of his most major works adapted for the big screen--an ill-received version of The Dark Tower with Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, and a blockbuster big screen first installment in a two-part re-telling of It--so Varese is honoring him with an interesting limited edition box set covering several adaptations of his works. The Stephen King Soundtrack Collection features two expanded versions of scores from Varese's catalogue, reissues another and premieres yet another, all in a handsome 8CD box styled to look like one of King's paperbacks.

The scores are:

• An expanded edition of James Newton Howard's score to the 2003 adaptation of the sci-fi/horror romp Dreamcatcher, co-written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan (writer of Raiders Of The Lost Ark, The Bodyguard and writer or co-writer of four Star Wars films between 1980 and the present)
• A reissue of Tangerine Dream's electronic score to Firestarter, the cult sci-fi film about a young pyrokinetic played by Drew Barrymore. This is the score's first appearance on CD in 15 years.
• The premiere of Nicholas Pike's soundtrack to the three-part television miniseries adaptation of The Shining, aired in 1997 as an attempt to make a more faithful adaptation to the novel (a longstanding regret of King, who wrote the teleplay for this feature).
• An expansion of W.G. "Snuffy" Walden's soundtrack to The Stand, aired as a four-part, Emmy Award-winning miniseries in 1994. (King also wrote this teleplay, and Mick Garris directed both this and the television version of The Shining.)

The Stephen King Soundtrack Collection, limited to 1,500 units, will also start shipping the week of November 20. Full details and pre-order listings for all titles are available below!

Jerry Goldsmith, The Haunting: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - The Deluxe Edition (originally released as Varese Sarabande VSD-6054, 1999 - reissued Varese Sarabande VCL 1117 1181, 2017)

1. Afraid
2. A Place For Everything
3. Hill House
4. First Look
5. In The Dark
6. The Carousel
7. The Yellow Light
8. Nell's Story
9. A Broken String
10. Meetings
11. Portraits
12. The Curtains
13. Testing
14. Noisy Fireplace
15. Welcome Home Eleanor
16. Green House Tale/Bloody Feet
17. Crane's Study
18. Curly Hair
19. The Picture Album
20. What Am I Doing
21. Out Of Bed
22. Return To The Carousel/What Do You Want
23. Twisted Stairs
24. Terror In Bed/Nell's Room
25. Finally Home
26. Home Safe
27. Theme From The Haunting
28. Finally Home (Album Version)

Maurice Jarre, Almost An Angel: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - The Deluxe Edition (Varese Sarabande VCL 1117 1182, 2017)

1. Main Title
2. Prison
3. Outside
4. Willy
5. Death Bed
6. Scumbag
7. Bank Robbery
8. Angel Wings
9. Holy Water
10. Harmonium
11. Salvation Army
12. Moving Moses
13. Introductions
14. Two Hustlers
15. Nervous Walk
16. Scrub Up
17. Party Television
18. Bottom's Up
19. Wheelchair Duet
20. Steve's Doing It
21. Dinner Date
22. A Sign
23. Wheelchair Chase
24. Leg Wound
25. Steve's Doubts
26. Empty Box
27. Wings
28. Some Wings - Vanessa Williams
29. Almost An Angel
30. Fly
31. Rose and Terry
32. The Mafia Bluff
33. Steve's Run
34. Let There Be Light

Tracks 28-34 released as Varese Sarabande VSD-5307, 1990

Craig Safan, Stand and Deliver: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Varese Encore) (originally released as Varese Sarabande VCD-70459, 1988 - reissued Varese Sarabande VCL 1117 1183, 2017)

1. Main Title/East L.A.
2. Kimo's Theme
3. Fight
4. Summer Hot School
5. Picking On Claudia
6. The First Test/Release
7. Heart Attack
8. Stand and Deliver Suite
9. Night Fright
10. Pancho and Lupe
11. Retaking The Test
12. The Big News
13. Success

Various Artists, Smokey and The Bandit / Smokey and The Bandit II: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - 40th Anniversary Edition (Varese Sarabande, 2017)

Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

1. The Legend - Jerry Reed
2. Incidental CB Dialogue - Burt Reynolds & Jerry Reed
3. West Bound and Down - Jerry Reed
4. Foxy Lady - Bill Justis
5. Incidental CB Dialogue - Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason & Jerry Reed
6. Orange Blossom Special - Bill Justis
7. The Bandit - Bill Justis
8. March of the Rednecks - Bill Justis
9. If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry - Bill Justis
10. East Bound and Down - Jerry Reed
11. The Bandit - Bill Justis
12. And The Fight Played On! - Bill Justis
13. Ma Cousin Plays Steel - Bill Justis
14. Hot Pants Fuzz Parade - Bill Justis
15. Incidental CB Dialogue - Jerry Reed & Jackie Gleason
16. The Bandit (Reprise) - Jerry Reed
17. Texas Bound and Flyin' - Jerry Reed
18. Charlotte's Web - The Statler Brothers
19. To Be Your Man - Don Williams
20. Ride Concrete Cowboy, Ride - Roy Rogers with The Sons Of The Pioneers
21. Deliverance Of The Wildwood Flower - The Bandit Band
22. Pecos Promenade - Tanya Tucker
23. Here's Lookin' At You - Mel Tillis
24. Do You Know You Are My Sunshine - The Statler Brothers
25. Again and Again - Brenda Lee
26. Let's Do Something Cheap and Superficial - Burt Reynolds
27. Tulsa Time - Don Williams
28. Pickin' Lone Star Style - The Bandit Band

Tracks 1-16 released as MCA Records 2099, 1977
Tracks 17-28 released as MCA Records 6101, 1980

Stephen King Soundtrack Collection (Varese Sarabande VLE-9210, 2017)

Discs 1-2: James Newton Howard, Dreamcatcher: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - The Deluxe Edition (originally released as Varese Sarabande 302 066 456 2, 2003)

1. Main Titles
2. Finding The Keys/Be Careful
3. Accident/To The Cabin
4. Gathering Wood/Remembering Duddits
5. Memory Warehouse
6. Toasting Duddits
7. Saving Duddits
8. Finding Rick
9. Animal Exodus
10. The Bathroom/What Is It?
11. Weasel Kills Beaver
12. Military Moves In
13. Scout's Honor
14. Becky Bleeds
15. Weasel Attacks Pete
16. Jonesy and Gray Debate
17. Henry Returns To The Cabin
18. Boys Find Josie

 

1. I'm That Monster
2. Gray Kills Pete/Trucker
3. Jonesy Gets Files
4. Soldiers Find Henry
5. Reading Curtis' Mind
6. Henry Tells Owen
7. Owen Rescues Henry
8. Jonesy Calls Henry
9. Picking Up Duddits
10. Killing Trooper
11. Duddits Tells Story
12. Curtis Takes Chopper
13. Curtis and Owen Battle
14. Owen Dead
15. Mr. Gray Go Away
16. Duddits and Mr. Gray
17. It's Over
18. End Credits

Disc 3: Tangerine Dream, Firestarter: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (originally released as MCA Records 6131, 1984)

1. Crystal Voice
2. The Run
3. Testlab
4. Charly The Kid
5. Escaping Point
6. Rainbirds Move
7. Burning Force
8. Between Realities
9. Shop Territory
10. Flash Final
11. Out Of The Heat

Discs 4-6: Nicholas Pike, Stephen King's The Shining: Original Television Soundtrack (previously unreleased - original miniseries aired 1997)

1. Main Titles - Night #1
2. Flashback
3. Hello/Nice Day For Croquet (Tied)
4. Tire Slash Time/Time To Play
5. Memory Of Dad
6. Scary Stop Sign
7. Read Between The Lines
8. A Scary View
9. The Hotel Waits/Comin' To Get Doc/Lend Me a Hand
10. Danny Holds Back
11. That's How It Is For Me
12. Give Me a Holler
13. The Lonely Wind/The Picture Changes/What's So Sweet About It?
14. Alone
15. A Near Fall
16. No Sale
17. Safe As Safe Can Be/There Is No Tony
18. Night Nest/Freeze You Bastards
19. End Credits - Night #1

 

1. Main Titles - Night #2
2. How Did He Break His Arm?
3. The Usual Suspects
4. Behind The Door
5. Are You Gonna Hurt Me?/What Does Redrum Mean?
6. Please Stay
7. Dollhouse Mallet/Into The Room
8. Dad On The Radio/That Was Close
9. A Key Is Missing
10. Boy On The Stairs
11. Not My Shade
12. I'm Not Seeing That/Trapped
13. They're After Danny
14. End Credits - Night #2

 

1. Main Titles - Night #3
2. Someone Got Their Fuse Blown
3. That's Not The Problem
4. Dad In The Window/Where There's a Will
5. Drive Through The Snow
6. Girl With a Knife/Interfering Again
7. It's a Drag
8. Nothing But Spooks/Unmask
9. Batter Up/Run and Hide
10. Between The Eyes
11. Here's Jack
12. What's Been Forgotten
13. Take Your Medicine
14. What Could You Know?
15. Dump It
16. Think The Party's Over
17. All's Well That Ends Well
18. End Credits - Night #3
19. Main Titles - Night #1 (Mix 1)
20. Hello
21. Nice Day For Croquet
22. They're After Danny (Mix 1)
23. Main Titles - Night #3 (Mix 1)
24. What Could You Know (Mix 1)

Discs 7-8: W.G. "Snuffy" Walden, Stephen King's The Stand: Original Television Soundtrack - Deluxe Edition (originally released as Varese Sarabande VSD-5496, 1994)

1. Project Blue
2. The Dreams Begin
3. On The Road To Kansas
4. The Trashman In Vegas
5. Headin' West
6. Larry & Nadine (The Rejection)
7. Mother Abigail
8. "Sorry Mister, I Don't Understand" (Tom & Nick Meet)
9. Mid Country: By The Stream
10. Mother Greets The Multitudes
11. M-O-O-N...That Spells Suicide
12. "One Will Fall By The Way"
13. Beginning Of The End
14. The Stand
15. Tom & Stu Go Home
16. "Ain't She Beautiful"

 

1. Escaping
2. Streets Of New York
3. Trashy And The Dark Man
4. Sewing The Canvas
5. Corn Fields
6. Locked Up
7. New York No More
8. The Funeral
9. Leaving Mother Abigail's
10. Las Vegas
11. Nadine Seduction
12. Table Talk
13. Boulder To Vegas
14. Trashy Lights Up
15. Nadine's Dread
16. Captured
17. War Preparations