Last month, Varese Sarabande unveiled a killer trifecta of CD Club titles that featured their most requested expansion, a repress of one of their most beloved reissues of the decade, and the premiere of a classic Western score.
The CD Club began some 30 years ago, but since its original soundtrack release in 1997, fans have yearned for a more complete presentation of Jerry Goldsmith's score to Air Force One. The hit action film stars Harrison Ford as an American president fighting a band of airborne hijackers to save his family and cabinet members. Goldsmith's score was written in only 10 days (with some assistance from composer Joel McNeely) after director Wolfgang Petersen roundly rejected a full score by Randy Newman.
Despite the breakneck pace, which Goldsmith vowed to never repeat again, the final score is one of Jerry's most-beloved and well-known action scores. (One unfortunately famous fan is Donald Trump, whose incessant use of cues at his presidential rallies actually led to a formal request to stop.) Now, though, you can hear the complete score (including McNeely's additional material and several alternate takes) in full sans guilt, on Varese's double disc limited edition of 4000 copies. The set was produced by Cary E. Mansfield and Bryon Davis, with a master assembled by Chas Ferry and Bruce Botnick. Daniel Schweiger penned liner notes in a package designed by Mark Shoolery (with assistance from Bill Pitzonka).
Varese next moves from the sky to the stars with a repressing of the deluxe edition of Michael Giacchino's score to the 2009 reboot of Star Trek. J.J. Abrams' reinterpretation of the classic sci-fi TV series finds the radical Romulan Nero (played by Eric Bana) trapped in the past and altering the origin stories of Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. In a beautiful nod to Treks past, they're aided by the "prime," unstuck-in-time version of Spock, played once again by Leonard Nimoy.
The franchise's mix of old and new styles (which spun off two sequels in 2013 and 2016) was further symbolized by a richly thematic score by Oscar winner Michael Giacchino, whose urgent fanfares provided a fine complement to Alexander Courage's original title theme. Originally released as an expanded edition in 2010, a year after the film's release, this complete presentation of Star Trek is available again as a strictly limited edition of 1500 copies - this time in a jewel case instead of the original, oblong, perfect-bound edition.
Finally, the CD Club presents a surprising entry in the premiere release of Laurence Rosenthal's score to Rooster Cogburn. The second-to-last film by John Wayne found him reprising his turn as the one-eyed sheriff from True Grit (a performance which won him the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1970) - this time opposite Katharine Hepburn! Rosenthal's Coplandesque score, a band apart from Elmer Bernstein's work on True Grit, is a must-hear for Western enthusiasts. What makes this release surprising is its connection to the Universal Pictures Film Music Heritage Collection, a series associated with La-La Land Records. But regardless of the label, there's a killer team behind this one, with Mike Matessino handling production, mixing and mastering; liner notes from Tim Grieving and design again by Mark Shookery. This one's limited to 1500 copies as well.
Each title is available to order from Varese Sarabande and will also ship this week! Check out the track lists below.
Jerry Goldsmith, Air Force One: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - The Deluxe Edition (Varese Sarabande VCL 0919 1155, 2019 - original film released 1997)
Disc 1
- The Parachutes
- Parachute Attack
- The Motorcade
- Guided Tour
- No Security
- Gibbs Fires **
- The Hijacking, Part One & Two
- Empty Capsule
- Empty Hall, Downstairs, Hanging About
- Terms
- Stalking The Plane
- Empty Rooms
- Get To Work
- K.V. & The Hostages
- NSA Is Shot **
- Mother Russia
- Marshall On Phone **
- Target Air Force One **
- Plane On The Ground
- Marshall's Plan **
- The First Hostage
- K.V. Lectures **
- Dumping Fuel **
- Fuel's On Its Way ***
- Fax To The White House **
- Escape In Process **
- Where Is The President? **
Disc 2
- Free Flight
- Hostage President
- I'll Do It **
- Sign It! **
- Get Off My Plane!
- Radek's Release (with Chorus)
- The Dogfight **
- Air Force One In Trouble **
- Escape From Air Force One
- Welcome Aboard
- End Credits
- Parachute Attack (Film Version)
- The Hijacking, Part One & Two (Film Version)
- K.V. & The Hostages (Film Version)
- Marshall's Plan (Film Version)
- K.V. Lectures (Film Version)
- Sign It (Alternate Take)
- Get Off My Plane (Film Version)
- Air Force One In Trouble (Alternate Take)
Disc 1, Tracks 1-5, 7 and 12 and Disc 2, Tracks 1-2 and 10 released on Varese Sarabande VSD-5825, 1997
** co-composed by Joel McNeely *** composed by Joel McNeely
Michael Giacchino, Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - The Deluxe Edition (originally released as Varese Sarabande VCL 0410 1108, 2010 - reissued Varese Sarabande VCL 0919 1195, 2019 - original film released 2009)
Disc 1
- Star Trek
- Narada Boom
- Hack To The Future
- Nailin' The Kelvin
- Labor Of Love
- Main Title
- Head To Heart Conversation
- One Proud Mother
- Hella Bar Talk
- The Flask At Hand
- Welcome Back, Spock
- Vulcan Gets a Good Drilling
- Hangar Management
- Enterprising Young Men
- Flying Into a Trphlthdl
- Nero Sighted
- Matter? I Barely Know Her!
- Jehosafats
- Chutes and Matter
- A Whole In My Heart
- I've Fallen and I Can't Beam Up!
- Spock Goes Spelunking
- An Endangered Species
- Galaxy's Worst Sushi Bar
- Mandatory Leave Of Absence
- Dad's Route To School
- Frozen Dinner
- You Snowin' Me?
Disc 2
- Nice To Meld You
- Hail To The Chief
- I Gotta Beam Me
- Scotty's Tanked
- What's With You?
- Either Way, Someone's Going Down
- Trekking Down The Narada
- Run And Shoot Offense
- Does It Still McFly?
- Nero Death Experience *
- Nero Fiddles, Narada Burns
- Black Holes Have a Lot Of Pull
- Back From Black
- That New Car Smell
- To Boldly Go *
- End Credits *
Disc 1, Tracks 1, 4-5, 9, 14 and 16 and Disc 2, Tracks 1, 8-11 and 13-16 originally released as Varese Sarabande 302 066 966 2, 2009
* includes original theme from Star Trek composed by Alexander Courage and Gene Roddenberry
Laurence Rosenthal, Rooster Cogburn: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - The Deluxe Edition (Varese Sarabande VCL 0919 1196, 2019 - original film released 1975)
- Rooster Cogburn - Main Title
- Dead Weight/Ambush At The Door
- Hawk/My Cup Runneth Over/Rooster Rides Off
- Fort Ruby Massacre
- Two Bagbys
- Three Bottles Of Nitrate
- Eula To Arms/Broken Axle/Bad Loser
- Invisible Posse
- Eula Sings
- The End Of Red/Rooster Smashed/Roast Turkey
- Laying On Of Hands/Goodnight, Reuben
- Spooking
- Down River
- River Trailing/Squaring Accounts
- Night On The River
- Hawk and Rooster
- Floating Nitro/The Smoke Clears
- Rooster Cogburn - End Credits
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