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For more than fifty years, Robert David Grusin – or Dave Grusin, as he’s better known – has been making music to the tune of multiple Grammys and an Oscar, not to mention Golden Globes and various other honors.  Grusin has successfully scored for motion pictures and kept a busy profile in pop, soul and jazz, co-founding GRP Records and encouraging compact disc technology at the dawn of the era.  Back in 2013, Kritzerland delivered the world premiere soundtrack releases of two of the composer’s finest scores: 1978’s Heaven Can Wait, which netted Grusin an Oscar nomination, and 1984’s Racing with the Moon.  The latter also featured a number of vintage songs arranged and conducted by one of Frank Sinatra’s go-to music men, Billy May.  That CD quickly sold out, but now Varese Sarabande has returned it to print in a limited edition of 1,000 copies available now.

Based on Harry Segall’s original stage play of the same name previously lensed as 1941’s Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Heaven Can Wait told the story of football player Joe Pendleton (Warren Beatty) who is killed in an accident but returns to earth in the body of a millionaire thanks to his guardian angel (Buck Henry).  The comedy cleaned up when Oscar nominations arrived, receiving a whopping nine nods.  In addition to Grusin’s Original Score nomination, the film competed for Best Picture, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Actor (Beatty), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Jack Warden), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Dyan Cannon), and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration.  Beatty co-wrote the screenplay with Elaine May and co-directed with Buck Henry, and the cast also included James Mason as the mysterious Mr. Jordan, as well as Julie Christie and Charles Grodin.

Grusin’s complete score, including seven bonus tracks (all outtakes and alternates), is joined on one CD by Grusin’s Racing with the Moon which features a number of arrangements by the great Billy May (Frank Sinatra’s Come Fly with Me, Trilogy).  Racing with the Moon, directed by Richard Benjamin from a screenplay by Steve Kloves, portrays two friends in 1942 California on the eve of their deployment to World War II.  Sean Penn and Nicolas Cage starred as the young men making the most of their time as civilians with Elizabeth McGovern as the girlfriend of Penn’s Henry.   Kimmel states, “[Grusin’s] tender themes glow with an incandescent beauty – one is period-flavored, while the other is more timeless in feel.  Those themes alternate throughout the score, along with an infectious ‘Moon Boogie’ and ‘Mendocino Station.'”  To add period flavor, the filmmakers enlisted the great arranger Billy May to work his magic on the big-band source music cues.  In addition to his storied albums with Frank Sinatra, big band veteran May also provided charts for the likes of Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Peggy Lee, Vic Damone and Nancy Wilson.  For Racing with the Moon, Grammy Award winner May arranged and conducted recordings of standards by Burton Lane and Frank Loesser (“Says My Heart”), Louis Prima (“Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)” and Leo Robin, Richard Whiting and Newell Chase (“My Ideal”).  Its three bonus tracks include May arrangements of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “The Lady’s in Love with You” and “Cherokee.”

Heaven Can Wait/Racing with the Moon is limited to 1,000 units.  James Nelson’s original remastering has been spruced up for this release by Chas Ferry, and Varese’s reissue also offers brand-new, detailed liner notes by Randall D. Larson in a full-color 12-page booklet.  You can order directly from the label at the link below!

Dave Grusin, Heaven Can Wait/Racing with the Moon: Music from the Motion Pictures (Kritzerland KR-20027-2, 2013 – reissued Varese Sarabande VLE-9212, 2017)

1. Heaven Walk
2. Walk to House
3. Betty’s Entrance/Decision to Farnsworth
4. Meeting of the Bored
5. At the Drive-In
6. Garden Walk
7. New Goodbye/Last Walk/Last Walk Extension
8. Max
9. End Theme
10. M501 (Unused)
11. M601 (Unused)
12. At the Drive-In (Alternate)
13. M902/M904 (Unused)
14. M1005
15. Max (Alternate)
16. End Theme (Alternate)
17. Main Title Boogie
18. Moon Boogie
19. Movie Madness
20. Says My Heart (Lane/Loesser)
21. Library
22. Mendocino Station
23. Tree House/Age of Innocence
24. My Ideal (Robin/Whiting/Chase)
25. Taking the Plunge
26. Funereal Theme
27. Secret Place
28. Road Play
29. Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing) (Prima)
30. Reconciliation
31. Montage Finish/Reconciliation
32. End Credits
33. This Lady’s in Love with You (Lane/Loesser)
34. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (Raye/Prince)
35. Cherokee (Noble)

Tracks 1-9 from Heaven Can Wait
Tracks 10-16 are bonus tracks for Heaven Can Wait
Tracks 17-32 from Racing for the Moon
Tracks 33-35 are bonus tracks for Racing for the Moon

All tracks are previously unreleased.