Fans of John Barry have double the delight coming their way this week, with two hugely expanded scores from the late British composer.

First up is one of the weirdest films Barry’s got his name on: the critically-maligned, George Lucas-produced adaptation of Marvel Comics’ Howard The Duck. The film, co-starring Lea Thompson as Howard’s…uh…human love interest, was scored by Barry and re-scored in part by composer Sylvester LeVay. Part of Barry’s score ended up on the second side of a soundtrack album featuring rock songs written for Thompson’s in-film band, Cherry Bomb, by synth whiz Thomas Dolby (with guest appearances by Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, George Clinton and Stevie Wonder). This generous 3CD set sorts everything out – Barry’s original and alternate cues, LeVay’s rescores, and Dolby’s material – and also premieres that original soundtrack presentation as a bonus. Film music historian Jon Burlingame provides liner notes. The movie may not quack you up, but this set just might!

Nearly 20 years before Howard, Barry scored King Rat, an adaptation of James Clavell’s novel based on his own experiences in a POW camp during World War II. The composer re-recorded his score for Bob Shad’s Mainstream Records label – but in preparing those stereo master tapes for release, Intrada additionally discovered the long-unavailable original soundtrack as well! It’s part of this set for the first time ever. Burlingame also offers notes here.

Over at La-La Land Records, a modern classic action score was recently given the deluxe treatment: Danny Elfman’s score to the 1996 film version of Mission: Impossible. Based on (and continuing from) the popular television series (which aired on CBS from 1968 to 1973 and was revived for two seasons on ABC in 1988), the film centers on Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), in hot pursuit of a mole who caused the death of the rest of the Impossible Missions Force team. The Brian DePalma-directed action flick was hugely successful, spinning off a series of films that is, improbably, still continuing with Cruise in the lead role – and often doing his own stunts! (Mission: Impossible – Fallout, released last year, was the series’ most successful entry, and will be followed by two additional films shot back-to-back for a 2021 and 2022 release.)

While much of the musical attention at the time was dedicated to a Top 10-charting remix of the series’ Lalo Schifrin-composed original theme by Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. of U2 fame, Elfman’s penchant for urgent action scores created a winner of a listen here, with liberal quotes of Schifrin’s work interspersed throughout. (Impressively, he was a last-minute replacement after Alan Silvestri began work on a score.) La-La Land’s double-disc reissue presents both the original score album as well as an expanded presentation featuring 20 minutes of additional music, produced by Dan Goldwasser and Neil S. Bulk and remastered by Mike Matessino. Liner notes are by Jeff Bond, with Goldwasser handling art direction. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get this limited edition of 3,000 copies for your collection!

Full track lists and links for each title are available below!

Howard The Duck: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Intrada ISC 426, 2019 – original film released 1986)

Disc 1: Original Score by John Barry

1. Lullaby Of Duckland
2. Disco Duckland (Original)
3. Main Title
4. Howard To The Rescue
5. Flashback
6. Beak Jobs and Tail Tucks
7. Special Destiny
8. You’re The Duckiest
9. Taxi Ride (Alternate)
10. Taxi Ride
11. Man’s Oldest Fantasy
12. Super Powers
13. Ascent Of Duck
14. So Long Ducky
15. Lonely Duck
16. Duck Bond I Presume
17. Beddy-Bye For Howard
18. Experiment Video
19. Experiment Video (Alternate)
20. Hard Boiled Egg
21. My Eyes, My Eyes
22. Take His Clothes Off
23. So Long, Copper
24. Shoot To Kill
25. Shoot To Kill (Alternate)
26. Dark Overlord – Introduction (Alternate)
27. He’s Got a Whole Gang
28. Howard’s Bar Brawl
29. Give Me The Code Key, Howard
30. It’s Closing Time
31. Filthy Scum Bucket
32. Ultralight Discovery
33. Nuclear Drive
34. Ultralight #1 (Alternate)
35. Ultralight #1
36. Power!
37. Ultralight #2
38. Smog Inspection
39. Ultralight #3
40. Jenning As Dark Overlord
41. Jenning As Dark Overlord – Part II
42. Dr. Jenning
43. Dark Overlord
44. Fallout
45. End Credits – Suite (Version #1)

Disc 2: Alternate Cues by Barry (1-9) and Original (10-17) and Alternate (18-26) Rescore Cues by Sylvester LeVay

1. Main Title (Alternate)
2. You’re The Duckiest (Alternate)
3. Man’s Oldest Fantasy (Alternate)
4. My Eyes, My Eyes (Alternate)
5. Ultralight #2 (Alternate)
6. Ultralight #3 (Alternate)
7. Jenning As Dark Overlord – Part II (Alternate)
8. Dark Overlord (Alternate)
9. End Credits – Suite (Version #2)
10. Howard’s Bar Brawl (Rescore)
11. Shoot To Kill (Rescore)
12. I Need Your Body (Rescore)
13. Nuclear Drive (Rescore)
14. Ultralight #1 (Rescore)
15. Power! (Rescore)
16. Ultralight #2 (Rescore)
17. Ultralight #3 (Rescore)
18. Shoot To Kill (Rescore)
19. I Need Your Body (Rescore)
20. Nuclear Drive (Rescore)
21. Ultralight #1 (Rescore)
22. Power! (Rescore)
23. Power! (Alternate End) (Rescore)
24. Ultralight #2 (Rescore)
25. Smog Inspection (Rescore)
26. Ultralight #3 (Rescore)

Disc 3: Original Songs and Music by Thomas Dolby (1-8) and Original Soundtrack Album (9-19; released as MCA Records 6173, 1986)

1. Hunger City – With Extended Intro
2. Don’t Turn Away
3. I’m On My Way
4. It Don’t Come Cheap
5. Beverly’s Loft (Howard The Duck – Instrumental)
6. Don’t Turn Away – Version 2
7. Howard The Duck – Extended
8. Howard The Duck (Alternate) (possibly released as MCA 12″ single 23645, 1986)
9. Hunger City – Dolby’s Cube feat. Cherry Bomb
10. Howard The Duck – Dolby’s Cube feat. Cherry Bomb
11. Don’t Turn Away – Thomas Dolby
12. It Don’t Come Cheap – Dolby’s Cube feat. Cherry Bomb
13. I’m On My Way – Dolby’s Cube feat. Tata Vega
14. Lullaby Of Duckland – John Barry
15. Journey To Earth – John Barry
16. You’re The Duckiest – John Barry
17. Ultralight Flight – John Barry
18. Beddy-Bye For Howard – John Barry
19. Dark Overlord – John Barry

King Rat: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Intrada ISC 434, 2019 – original film released 1965)

1. Emblem & Main Title
2. King Spots Marlowe
3. A Close One
4. Tuned In
5. Courage Please
6. Larkin Visits
7. Grey Pangs
8. Bored To Death
9. There Is a Radio In This Hut
10. It’s The Bunk
11. The Boots
12. Grey Again
13. Dog Meat
14. Captain Grey
15. Gangrene
16. Touch and Go
17. The First One
18. We’ve Done It
19. Delicious
20. Caught
21. Have a Listen
22. It’s Over
23. Welcome To Changi
24. Bad News
25. End Titles
26. King Rat March
27. Main Title
28. Tuned In At Changi
29. Just As You Were
30. There Is a Radio In This Hut
31. Just As You Were
32. Touch and Go
33. Grey’s Day
34. Just As You Were
35. The Recovery Of Marlowe
36. The End Is At Hand
37. King Rat March

Tracks 26-37 released as Mainstream Records S/6061, 1965

Mission: Impossible – Music From The Motion Picture (Limited Edition) (La-La Land Records LLLCD 1411, 2019 – original film released 1996)

Disc 1: Original score album (released as Point Music 454 525-2, 1996)

1. Sleeping Beauty †
2. Theme From “Mission: Impossible” §
3. Red Handed §
4. Big Trouble
5. Love Theme?
6. Mole Hunt
7. The Disc †
8. Max Found
9. Looking for “Job” †
10. Betrayal
11. The Heist †
12. Uh-Oh!
13. Biblical Revelation
14. Phone Home
15. Train Time § †
16. Ménage à Trois
17. Zoom A
18. Zoom B §

Disc 2: Film score

1. Sleeping Beauty (Film Version) ** †
2. Theme From “Mission: Impossible” §
3. Red Handed (Film Version) ** † §
4. Big Trouble (Film Version) **
5. Lonely March *
6. Mole Hunt (Film Version) **/Escape *
7. Looking For “Job” †
8. Max Returns/Max At Last *
9. Max Found
10. The Disc †
11. Disavowed */Worse Than You Think** †
12. Langley * §
13. The Heist (Film Version) ** †
14. Uh-Oh!
15. Biblical Revelation
16. Phone Home
17. Betrayal (Film Version) **
18. Love Theme?
19. Train Time (Film Version) **/Is He? *
20. Ménage à Trois
21. Zoom A (Film Version)/Zoom B (Film Version) ** §
22. Red Handed (Alternate Ending) ** †
23. Disavowed (Alternate)/Worse Than You Think (Alternate) * †
24. Zoom A (Alternate)/Zoom B ** § (Alternate)

* previously unreleased ** contains previously unreleased material
§ contains “Theme From ‘Mission: Impossible'” by Lalo Schifrin † contains “The Plot” by Lalo Schifrin