Not long after La-La Land Records issued one of their best archival soundtrack batches for Black Friday 2022, they made a stunning proclamation: after one release in January, the label would take a long break. Any third-party music licensing post-COVID has been a challenge, and the label sought to take a breather, offer some great sales, restock some old favorites and let the rights and clearance pipelines unclog with time. And unclog they have! The label's first batch of titles in nearly five months includes a special expansion of an underrated score by one of the great American film composers and two releases of completely unreleased and/or unused material from some more legends of the genre.

The mid-'90s were an intriguing time for John Williams. After the Oscar-winning Schindler's List, director Steven Spielberg took an uncharacteristically long four-year break from making any new pictures. In that gap, Williams recorded a small handful of scores (including a third collaboration with Oliver Stone on 1995's Nixon) and, having vacated the conductor's podium for the Boston Pops after 13 years, still devised original compositions like the stirring "Summon the Heroes" for the 1996 Summer Olympics. One of his most intriguing and underrated scores during this period was to 1995's Sabrina, a remake of Billy Wilder's 1954 romantic dramedy helmed by Sidney Pollack. In the film, a young playboy (Greg Kinnear) finds himself falling for the daughter of the family chauffeur (Julia Ormond) - who he'd never noticed until she emerged as a sophisticated, Paris-educated fashionista. Fearing for the lucrative marriage this romance could upset, the man's brother (Harrison Ford) tries to woo her himself.

Despite its modest performance at the box office (and the later admission that Ford considered it his hardest shoot due to his difficulty getting into the character), Sabrina stood out in part thanks to Williams' elegant work, perfectly complementing the film's light touch and debonair locations. The ensuing 2CD set is something of a minor revelation in the Maestro's canon, offering not only a generous expansion of the original score album (including plenty of alternate cues) but a specially-curated second album that focuses on the songs Williams wrote for the picture with acclaimed songwriting duo Marilyn and Alan Bergman (the Oscar-nominated "Moonlight," performed by Sting, and "How Can I Remember?" sung by Michael Dees) as well as a dozen unissued standards impeccably arranged by the composer for various parts of the film. This set, limited to 3000 copies, is put together by the dream team of Williams archivist Mike Matessino - serving as producer, editor, mastering engineer and liner notes author - and package designer Jim Titus.

Another legendary composer with a lengthy career is spotlighted on a brief but intriguing unused score. Elmer Bernstein's work ranged from epic Westerns (The Magnificent Seven) to quirky comedies (Ghostbusters), and his work in the latter category informed his score to Rat Race, a star-studded 2001 comedy directed by Jerry Zucker. Inspired by the likes of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and The Cannonball Run, the film (starring the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr. and others) followed a wacky race from Las Vegas to New Mexico to be the first to find a safe stuffed with $2 million. Bernstein's work - some of his last before his passing in 2004 - was replaced by up-and-comer John Powell, but fans of the late legend will want to check this one out. Limited to just 1000 units, it's produced and packaged by Dan Goldwasser, mastered by Doug Schwartz and features new, in-depth liner notes by Daniel Schweiger, featuring quotes from interviews with composer's son Peter and Bernstein protégé Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead).

Finally, another title combines unreleased and unused scores for one acclaimed film: 1993's What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Directed by Lasse Hallström from a screenplay by Peter Hedges (who adapted his own novel for the project), the film follows an aimless Midwestern grocery store clerk (Johnny Depp) struggling to care for his invalid mother (Darlene Cates) and a younger brother with a severe learning disability (Leonardo DiCaprio). Acclaimed by critics, Gilbert Grape found a wider audience on home video and even more notice when DiCaprio - whose breakout roles in Romeo + Juliet and Titanic were still a few years away - earned both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his performance. Hallström had Björn Isfält, who'd scored the director's breakout film My Life As a Dog (1985), craft a score for the film, but ultimately, it was British session musician turned composer Alan Parker who'd be credited in the final film, expanding upon Isfält's work. This disc, limited to 1000 units and assembled by the same team behind the Rat Race release, offers both Parker and Isfält's work (including alternates from the former) for the first time anywhere.

All titles are available from La-La Land at the links below!

John Williams, Sabrina (Expanded Original Soundtrack) (La-La Land Records LLLCD 1616, 2023 - original film released 1995)

* includes "(In the Moonlight)"
† includes "How Can I Remember?"

Disc 1: Score presentation (1-24) and additional music (25-35)

1. Theme from "Sabrina" (Extended Version)
2. Main Title
3. To Paris
4. Learning the Ropes *†
5. Thinking of Home/Work Montage
6. Photographing Paris †
7. Growing Up in Paris *†
8. La Vie en Rose
9. The Drive
10. Sabrina is Home *
11. Linus and Mother
12. Off to the Vineyard *
13. On the Porch *
14. Beach Walk *
15. Linus and Father*
16. Sabrina to the Office *
17. Dinner Montage *
18. The Princess Grows *
19. Have Your Tea
20. Eavesdropping *
21. Sabrina's Return to Paris *
22. Wrapping It Up *
23. Linus' New Life *
24. End Credits
25. (In the) Moonlight (Instrumental) *
26. To Paris (Alternate)
27. Learning the Ropes (Film Version) *†
28. Work Montage (Alternate)
29. Growing Up in Paris (Alternate) †
30. La Vie en Rose (Alternate)
31. Sabrina is Home (Alternate) *
32. On the Porch (Alternate) *
33. Have Your Tea (Alternate)
34. Linus' New Life (Alternate) *
35. Theme from "Sabrina" (Reprise)

Disc 2: Party in the Moonlight: Songs of Sabrina

1. Moonlight - Sting
2. (In the) Moonlight (Piano Improvisation) *
3. Stella by Starlight
4. Call Me Irresponsible
5. Moonlight Becomes You
6. Isn't It Romantic?
7. (In the) Moonlight (Piano Interlude) *
8. (In the) Moonlight (Party Instrumental) *
9. All the Way/High Hopes
10. I Wish I Were in Love Again
11. Old Flame
12. How Can I Remember? † - Michael Dees
13. How Can I Remember? (Party Instrumental) †
14. (In the) Moonlight (Piano Interlude No. 2) *
15. (In the) Moonlight (Party Instrumental No. 2) *
16. For All We Know
17. When Joanna Loved Me
18. The Shadow of Your Smile
19. La Vie en Rose (Party Instrumental)
20. How Can I Remember? (Party Instrumental No. 2) †
21. (In the) Moonlight (Party Instrumental No. 3) *
22. (In the) Moonlight (Piano Closing) *

Portions previously released on A&M Records 314 540 456-2, 1995

Elmer Bernstein, Rat Race (Music Inspired by the Motion Picture) (La-La Land Records LLLCD 1619, 2023 - original film released 2001)

All tracks previously unreleased

1. Eyebrow/Brothers/Daughter/Psychic
2. Gamblers
3. News
4. Sand
5. Directions/Toilet
6. Hit
7. Downhill
8. Plans
9. Gas
10. Aria (for tenor)
11. Drifter
12. Rocket
13. Staggered/Sleep/Horse/Waltzing Away
14. Finale
15. In the Hall of the Mountain King (source)
16. I Love Lucy Theme (source)
17. America the Beautiful (source)
18. Brothers (Alternate)
19. Directions (Album Version)
20. Gas (Alternate)
21. Gas (Album Version)
22. Finale (Album Version)

Alan Parker (1-21) and Björn Isfält (21-33) What's Eating Gilbert Grape (Music from the Motion Picture) (La-La Land Records LLLCD 1618, 2023 - original film released 1993)

All tracks previously unreleased

1. Main Title
2. The Car/Tucker/Goodnight
3. Gilbert Sees Becky/Dad's in There
4. The Hayfield
5. Where's Arnie
6. Mama Walks to Car
7. Hug in the Rain
8. Arnie Runs Away
9. The Lake
10. The Kiss/Goodbye
11. Mama's Dead/Mama on the Bed
12. The Fire
13. End Credits
14. Main Title (Alternate Theme)
15. The Car/Tucker/Goodnight (Alternate Theme)
16. The Hayfield (Alternate)
17. Hug in the Rain (Alternate)
18. The Kiss (Alternate)
19. Goodbye (Alternate)
20. The Fire (Alternate)
21. End Credits (Alternate Theme)
22. Main Title (Unused)
23. The Car/Tucker/Goodnight (Unused)
24. Gilbert Sees Becky/Dad's in There (Unused)
25. The Hayfield (Unused)
26. Where's Arnie (Unused)
27. Mama Walks to Car (Unused)
28. Hug in the Rain (Unused)
29. Arnie Runs Away (Unused)
30. The Lake (Unused)
31. The Kiss/Goodbye (Unused)
32. Mama's Dead/Mama on the Bed (Unused)
33. The Fire (Unused)
34. End Credits (Unused)