With a few weeks left in the year, film score labels are still working hard to get out some choice archival releases on CD! Here's the latest from Intrada, Quartet Records, Varese Sarabande's CD Club, and a reissue from the folks at Rusted Wave.

The estate of James Horner has worked overtime to get a myriad of scores from the late composer out into the market. Two major ones come from Intrada and Quartet, respectively: Intrada delivers a reissue of his third film score, to the sci-fi adventure film Battle Beyond the Stars (1980). Produced by Roger Corman (and featuring models designed by James Cameron, who later directed hits like Aliens (1986) and Titanic (1997), both of which featured notable scores by the composer), Horner's music here anticipates the kind of epic, adventurous work for titles like Krull and his two contributions to the Star Trek film series. Though reissued before, this double-disc release is, for the first time, sourced from the original 2", 24-track scoring masters, allowing for superior sound and previously unreleased material. (Restoration by Intrada's Douglass Fake and engineer Chris Malone also were able to address certain performance errors that plagued previous releases.)

Another treasured Horner score is also due from Quartet: his work on 1989's Dad. A heartfelt dramedy written and directed by Family Ties creator Gary David Goldberg (adapted from William Wharton's novel of the same name), Dad stars Jack Lemmon, Ted Danson and a young Ethan Hawke as three generations of an American family rebuilding after a health scare. A moderate if melodramatic success upon release, Horner's work on Dad is considered by fans to be among his most touching of the decade. Here, it's produced and restored by Mike Matessino and Neil S. Bulk, with Matessino freshly remastering the original score from engineer Shawn Murphy's original film mixes. It premieres on CD alongside the original soundtrack LP, which utilized some alternate edits and performances; Deniz Cordell pens liner notes for the double-disc set, which is limited to 2000 copies.

Having pulled incredible duty restoring The Sound of Music and Hook, Matessino returns with one more John Williams CD at Quartet, featuring two intriguing scores of his for adaptations of books. 1968's Heidi was an adaptation of the 1880 novel about a young girl living with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. (The made-for-TV production, which aired on NBC, is somewhat notorious for pre-empting the last minutes of a football game in which the Oakland Raiders made a shocking comeback against the New York Jets, who'd make their own surprise comeback in the coming months, ultimately winning Super Bowl III. The NFL has since stipulated that all games will air to completion.) Two years later, Williams was working in largely the same fashion (again for studio Omnibus Productions and Heidi director Delbert Mann) on music to an adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre that aired on British television before crossing over to American airwaves a year later. Both films earned Emmy Awards for Williams' work and further indicated his future as one of the industry's most reliable composers for film. (Indeed, Heidi marked the first time Williams, no stranger to light comedies and TV work, was credited as "John" instead of "Johnny.")

For this release, Matessino mixed, mastered and restored Heidi from 1/2" four-track masters utilized to create an original soundtrack album that presented score with dialogue and narration; Jane Eyre was taken from a 1/4" stereo album master of the original soundtrack LP. The original Heidi album is included as bonus material, as is one short source cue and three alternate Jane Eyre album performances from 1/2" three-track tapes from the 20th Century-Fox vault. John Takis has written informative notes on each film, and Jim Titus has designed the album's package. The set is limited to 2500 copies.

Quartet then turns its attention to Italian legend Ennio Morricone with a newly-expanded work from his time working on Hollywood films. Fresh from his work on Days of Heaven - his first to earn an Oscar nomination - Morricone worked with James Bond director Terence Young on Bloodline, an adaptation of a Sidney Sheldon novel starring Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara and Omar Sharif in an international murder mystery. One of the composer's darker scores, Bloodline was compromised in the final cut but is presented here in its originally intended sequence, newly mixed and mastered from the original 16-track recording masters by Chris Malone and complete with source cues and the original soundtrack album presentation in a 2CD set. John Takis again writes liner notes. This release is limited to 1500 copies.

Finally, Quartet has a completely unreleased score from another great name in late 20th century scoring: Michael Kamen. Composed only a year after his pivotal collaborations with Pink Floyd on The Wall, Venom was Kamen's third-ever film score. The movie, based on a novel by Alan Scholefield, finds Klaus Kinski as a criminal whose plan to kidnap the grandson of a wealthy hotelier (Sterling Hayden) goes awry when the boy's pet snake turns out to have been accidentally switched with a venomous black mamba. Despite the silliness, Kamen is in fine form, not only planting the seeds for future themes to blockbusters like The Dead Zone and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves but serving the film's atmospheric charms well with his own meticulously orchestrated work. Producer Chris Malone restores the film's original soundtrack mixes by Eric Tomlinson, offering the late composer's preferred sequence and a short program of bonus cues to boot. Liner notes are by Jeff Bond; this one's limited to 1000 units.

Moving to Varese Sarabande, their last CD Club batch of the year tackles two expansions by members of the celebrated Newman family of composers. Alfred Newman was one of 10 children in a Connecticut family of Russian-Jewish immigrants, and his prodigious talents in the 20th Century-Fox music department are still regarded today (including the studio's opening fanfare that still plays on every picture). But the talent didn't stop there; brothers Lionel and Emil were also known film composers, as were sons David and Thomas and even nephew Randy, known as a one-of-a-kind pop singer-songwriter before making inroads in film composition as well. Here, the Varese CD Club expands Randy Newman's score to the quirky comedy Pleasantville and David Newman's score to Serenity, a big-budget sequel to a cult-classic sci-fi TV show.

Pleasantville, released in 1998, was a cockeyed social satire in which a pair of squabbling siblings (Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon) find themselves transported into a titular '50s sitcom. Their unintentional challenging of the onscreen status quo has fascinating ramifications for a TV nuclear family. Randy Newman, an unquestionable master of Americana, was the perfect fit for this score's dual nature as a send-up of classic television and illustrator of a small town's emotional awakening. This reissue more than doubles the original score issued by Varese alongside the movie, including alternate takes and unheard versions plus new liner notes by Tim Grieving that feature insight from writer/director Gary Ross.

For fans of sci-fi and fantasy in the early '00s, the cancellation of Joss Whedon's "space Western" Firefly before its first season had completed was a blow. Three years later, fans' patience paid off with the release of Serenity, a feature film follow-up to the program featuring all nine original cast members. David Newman, who'd worked on several rollicking scores to adaptations of kitschy TV shows as well as the Star Trek-ian satire Galaxy Quest, was an ideal candidate to score Serenity, and the full fruits of his labor are on dazzling display on this 2CD set, featuring new liner notes from Daniel Schweiger.

This week, Intrada announced one last release for the year - a real treat for fans of Jerry Goldsmith's work on war pictures. Known for brilliant, acclaimed works like The Sand Pebbles, Patton and Tora! Tora! Tora! in the '60s and '70s (among countless others!), the composer took on in 1977 a biography of another WWII general: Douglas J. MacArthur, portrayed by Gregory Peck. (MacArthur would not be the last time Goldsmith would accompany a cinematic portrayal of the U.S. Army figure; he also scored the notorious 1982 box-office flop Inchon, which featured Laurence Olivier as the general during the Korean War.) MacArthur remains treasured by fans of Goldsmith's stirring militaristic works - especially as this release marks the premiere of the score as heard in the film! (A re-recorded album of highlights was issued at the time and included in this 2CD set.) Sourced from 1/2", three-channel session tapes, the score presentation even includes source cues, including a meta re-recording of a cue from Goldsmith's own score to Lonely Are the Brave, a Western that served as one of his breakthroughs into film scoring.

And finally, a little fun from Rusted Wave, the label that's made inroads getting some '80s comedy scores from Paramount Pictures (like Alan Silvestri's Summer Rental and Danny Elfman's Summer School) out on CD and vinyl this year. They've got another heavy hitter from the studio: Ira Newborn's score to The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! Based on Police Squad! - the brilliant, short-lived series from Airplane creators Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams and David Zucker - The Naked Gun again features Leslie Nielsen as Lt. Frank Drebin, a no-nonsense (and occasionally no-sense) cop investigating a shady businessman (Ricardo Montalban) who put his partner (O.J. Simpson) in the hospital just days before a visit to Los Angeles from Queen Elizabeth II. Newborn reprised his original series theme and brassy style for the hit film, and there are some fun surprises including a host of baseball game cues on organ and even a jaunty rendition of Herman's Hermits "(I'm Into) Something Good" by the group's singer Peter Noone. (All of this material was released on a 3CD set by La-La Land Records that covered all three Naked Gun films, but this disc is reorganized to reflect the film order here.) In addition to the standalone CD, a slightly truncated version of the program is available on pink vinyl as well.

Every one of these titles is available to order now, with full links and track lists below.

James Horner, Battle Beyond the Stars (Expanded Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Intrada ISC 496, 2023 - original film released 1980)

Disc 1: Original film score

1. Main Title
2. Hammerhead
3. Snipers, Fire!
4. Shad's Entrance
5. First Flight
6. Dr. Hephaestus's Station
7. First Conversation
8. Jackers Ahead!
9. The Destruction of Umateal
10. Nanelia's Capture
11. We Cruise for Akir!
12. Kidnapped!
13. Nascosto Flyaway
14. Gelt's Kill
15. Hammerhead Stinger II
16. Love Theme
17. The Alarm Sounds
18. Space Battle
19. Battle in the Maze
20. Zed's Death
21. Gelt Dies
22. Shad and Nanelia
23. Another Space Battle
24. St. Exmin's Death
25. Cowboy Attacks
26. Destruction of Hammerhead
27. Epilog/End Title
28. Gelt's Chamber Music (previously released on BSX Records BSXCD 8889, 2011)

Disc 2: Original soundtrack album (released as Rhino RNSP 300, 1980)

1. Main Title
2. Malmori Rear Guard
3. The Battle Begins
4. Shad and Nanelia
5. Cowboy and The Jackers
6. Nanelia's Capture
7. The Maze Battle
8. Shad's Pursuit
9. Cowboy's Attack
10. Love Theme
11. The Hunter
12. Gelt's Death
13. Nanelia
14. Heading for Sador
15. Destruction of Hammerhead
16. Epilogue/End Title

James Horner, Dad (Expanded Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Quartet Records QR-518, 2023 - original film released 1989)

Disc 1: Score presentation (1-17) and additional music (18-22)

1. Prologue from Dad
   
2. Dad
3. Saying Goodnight
4. I Think It's White
5. Farm Flashback/Visiting Mom
6. Mopping the Floor
7. Playing Catch
8. The Farm
9. The Hug
10. Wheelchair
11. Taking Dad Home
12. Where's Dad?
13. The Vigil
14. Recovery
15. Fashion Show
16. The Greenhouse
17. Goodbyes (Film Version)
18. Playing Catch (Alternate)
19. Taking Dad Home (Alternate)
20. Where's Dad? (Alternate)
21. The Greenhouse (Alternate)
22. The Vigil (Alternate)

Disc 2: Original soundtrack album (released as MCA Records 6359, 1989)

1. Prologue and Main Title
2. Saying Goodnight
3. Mopping the Floor
4. Playing Catch/The Farm
5. The Vigil
6. Taking Dad Home
7. Dad
8. Recovery
9. The Greenhouse
10. Goodbyes

John Williams, Heidi / Jane Eyre: Original Soundtracks (Quartet QR-539, 2023 - original films released 1968 and 1970)

Disc 1: Heidi - original motion picture score (1-16) and original soundtrack album (17-30, released as Capitol SKAO-2995, 1968)

1. Overture (Theme from Heidi)
2. Arrival in Dörfli
3. To the Alm
4. Goat's Milk
5. At the Church
6. Meditation Rock
7. Dinner Table
8. Stealing Rolls
9. The Bedroom
10. Library Talk
11. Return to Dörfli
12. Montage
13. Waiting with Grandfather
14. Separation
15. The Farewell
16. Klara Walks
17. Main Title and Overture - John Williams & Orchestra
18. The Old Man and the Child - Sir Michael Redgrave & Jennifer Edwards
19. A Place of My Own - Sir Michael Redgrave & Jennifer Edwards
20. The Alm - Jennifer Edwards
21. The Sleeping Child - Sir Michael Redgrave
22. Meditation - Sir Michael Redgrave & Jennifer Edwards
23. A Place of My Own (Heidi's Theme) - Carri Chase
24. Shadows - Sir Michael Redgrave
25. Reflections - Jennifer Edwards
26. A New Dimension - Sir Michael Redgrave & Jennifer Edwards
27. The Nature of Things - Sir Michael Redgrave
28. Love Theme from Heidi - John Williams & Orchestra
29. The Miracle - Sir Michael Redgrave
30. Finale and End Title - Sir Michael Redgrave

Disc 2: Jane Eyre - original soundtrack album (1-11, released as Capitol SW-749, 1970) and additional music (12-15)

1. The Love Theme from Jane Eyre
   
2. Overture (Main Title)
3. Lowood
4. To Thornfield
5. Festivity At Thornfield
6. Grace Poole and Mason's Arrival
7. Meeting
8. Thwarted Wedding
9. Across the Moors
10. Restoration
11. Reunion (End Title)
12. More Festivity
13. To Thornfield (Alternate)
14. The Love Theme from Jane Eyre (Alternate)

Ennio Morricone, Bloodline (Music from the Motion Picture) (Quartet QR-542, 2023 - original film released 1979)

Disc 1: Film score (1-21) and source music (22-26)

1. Main Title - Part I (Love Theme from Bloodline)
2. Main Title - Part II (Mountain Murder)
3. Arrival At the Villa
4. Pills on Parade (Factory Fantasy)
5. Out of the Past I
6. Out of the Past II
7. Out of the Past III
8. Lights Out I
9. Bloodline Murder
10. Extortion
11. Death Threat
12. Corporate Maneuvers I
13. An Almost Perfect Indiscretion (Extended Version)
14. The Trip to Paris
15. Lights Out II
16. Love Theme from Bloodline I
17. Reconciliation
18. Horrible Discovery
19. Lights Out III
20. No Accident!
21. Resolution/End Credits
22. Gambling Casino (Source)
23. Bedroom Muzak (Source)
24. Bobsled (Source)
25. Bloodline Muzak (Source)
26. Dinner At Maxim's (Source)

Disc 2: Original soundtrack album (1-19, released as Varese Sarabande STV-81131, 1980) and bonus tracks (20-28)

1. Main Title (Love Theme)
2. Mountain Murder
3. Corporate Maneuvers
4. Out of the Past
5. Pills on Parade (Original Version)
6. Bloodline Murder
7. Arrival At the Villa
8. Bobsled
9. Death Threat
10. Pills on Parade (Film Version)
11. An Almost Perfect Indiscretion
12. The Trip to Paris
13. Another Bloodline Murder
14. Dinner At Maxim's
15. Reconciliation
16. Lights Out
17. No Accident!
18. Horrible Discovery
19. Resolution/End Title
20. Out of the Past II (Alternate)
21. Out of the Past III (Alternate 1)
22. Out of the Past III (Alternate 2)
23. Bloodline Murder (Alternate 1)
24. Bloodline Murder (Alternate 2)
25. Love Theme from Bloodline II
26. Corporate Maneuvers II
27. Bloodline Stingers
28. Main Title and Mountain Murder (Film Version)

Michael Kamen, Venom (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Quartet QR-543, 2023 - original film released 1981)

All tracks previously unreleased

1. Main Titles
2. Seduction
3. Mugambo
4. Picking Up Jacmel/Drive to Jacmel House
5. Boy in Car/First Kill
6. One Dead Maid
7. Preparate/Waiting
8. One Dead Rabbit
9. Grandfather Hunt
10. That's It
11. Duct
12. On the Steps/Snake
13. Drinks?/Dave's Leg
14. Final Death
15. End Titles
16. Main Titles (Film Version)
17. Mugambo (Orchestra Only)
18. Snake 1
19. Snake 2
20. Snake 3
21. Snake 4
22. A Drone
23. C Drone
24. End Titles (Alternate)

Randy Newman, Pleasantville (Original Motion Picture Score - The Deluxe Edition) (Varese Sarabande, 2023 - original film released 1998)

* previously unreleased ** contains previously unreleased material

1. The Pleasantville Theme
2. Get Ready *
3. New TV Remote and The Fight *
4. We're Stuck (The Breakfast Scene) *
5. School and Basketball *
6. Mr. Johnson and Missed Shots *
7. In the Bath
8. Bud's a Hero
9. Make-Up
10. The Art Book
11. Real Rain (Extended Version) **
12. Let's Go Bowling
13. Together
14. Waking Up
15. No Umbrellas (Extended Version) **
16. Nude Painting *
17. Punch
18. Burning the Books
19. The Aftermath (Extended Version) **
20. Mural
21. A New Day
22. Goodbye
23. Pleasantville Bumper *
24. The Sweater
25. Make-Up (Film Version) *
26. The Art Book (Alternate) *
27. Together (Film Version) *
28. No Umbrellas (Alternate) *
29. The Aftermath (Alternate) *
30. Mural (Film Version) *
31. A New Day (Alternate) *
32. A New Bus (Film Construct) *
33. Pleasantville Theme Play-Off *
34. Pleasantville End Credits Suite *

Tracks 1, 7-10, portions of 11, 12-14, portions of 15, 17-18, 20-22 and 24 released as Varese Sarabande VSD-5988, 1998

David Newman, Serenity (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - The Deluxe Edition) (Varese Sarabande, 2023 - original film released 2005)

Disc 1

1. Opening/Intro to River
2. Escape
3. The Operative
4. Death of Mathias
5. Serenity
6. Going for a Ride
7. Trading Station Robbery
8. Reaver Chase
9. Pop Goes the Reaver
10. They Never Lie Down
11. Mal Reminisces
12. Transition
13. Maidenhead Bar
14. River Goes Wild
15. Mal Takes River In
16. River's Eyes
17. Mal's Decision
18. Mr. Universe
19. Subliminal Message
20. River & Simon in Locker
21. Haven Guitar
22. Come At You Sideways
23. School Flashback
24. Mal & Inara
25. Flight to Training House
26. Training House Fight
27. Escape from Training House
28. School Flashback/Miranda
29. River Gets Out
30. River Shows Mal & Miranda
31. Haven Destroyed
32. Shepherd Book's Last Words
33. Warn Everyone We Know
34. You're Not a Reaver

Disc 2

1. Mal Decides
2. Population Dead
3. Truth/Mal's Speech
4. Universe Gets It
5. Space Battle
6. Crash Landing
7. Wash Killed/Run to Black Room
8. Mr. Universe Dead
9. Generator Room
10. Mal & Op Fight
11. Simon Shot/River Runs
12. Jayne & Zoe/Final Battle
13. Broadcast Beams/River is Alive
14. Funeral/Rebuilding Serenity
15. Prep for Flight
16. Love/Serenity
17. Serenity End Credits Pt. 1
18. Serenity End Credits Pt. 2
19. Serenity End Credits Pt. 3

Disc 1, Tracks 1-2, 5-7, 14, 20, 31-32 and 34 and Disc 2, Tracks 1-3, 5-7, 9-10, 12 and 14-17 released as Varese Sarabande 302 066 682-2, 2005

Jerry Goldsmith, MacArthur (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Intrada ISC 499, 2023 - original film released 1977)

Disc 1: Film score (1-28), alternates (29-34) and source music (35-42)

1. MacArthur - Main Title (MacArthur March)
2. The Tunnel (Long Version)
3. MacArthur March (March Indoors) (With Drum Intro)
4. I Shall Return
5. To Australia
6. The Minefield
7. Statistics
8. Surrender
9. Attack Training
10. Casualties
11. Propaganda
12. Change is Inevitable
13. Stand By (Marcato Trumpets)
14. The Landing
15. The Prison
16. The Reunion
17. Missouri (Extended Version)
18. The Treaty
19. New Era
20. Newsreel - #1
21. Newsreel - #2
22. Hard Gained Ground (from Lonely Are the Brave)
23. The Last Gift
24. Ambush
25. Reflections
26. MacArthur March (Newsreel)
27. I Bid You Farewell
28. MacArthur - End Title (MacArthur March)
29. The Tunnel (Short Version)
30. MacArthur March - Drums
31. MacArthur March (March Indoors) (Without Drum Intro)
32. I Shall Return (Alternate Mix)
33. Stand By (Legato Trumpets)
34. Missouri (Original Version)
35. Waltzing Matilda (A.B. Paterson/Marie Cowan) (2:04)
36. Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (Lew Brown/Charles Tobias/Sam H. Stept)
37. Funeral March (Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 35) (Frederick Chopin)
38. Symphony No. 7 in A Major - Mvt. 2 (Beethoven)
39. Admiral Byrd (Billy May)
40. Undecided - Instrumental (Sid Robin/ Charles Shavers)
41. Orpheus in Hades - Can-Can (J. Offenbach arr. Hal Mooney)
42. Mayday in Moscow (from The Front Page) (Billy May)

Disc 2: Original soundtrack album (released as MCA Records 2287, 1977)

1. MacArthur March (Main Title)
2. I Shall Return
3. The Treaty
4. The Tunnel
5. Statistics
6. Stand By
7. A Last Gift
8. New Era
9. The Landing
10. The Minefield
11. I Bid You Farewell/MacArthur March

Ira Newborn, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (Music from the Motion Picture) (Rusted Wave, 2023 - original film released 1988)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Pink LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

* only on CD

1. Beirut Vacation
2. Drebin the Hero
3. Main Title
4. Dock of the Nordberg/Murder by Cake
5. Drebin Takes a Snoop/To Ludwig's
6. Our Miss Spencer/Air Bag Drebin
7. Sting/Beeper Mom/Anyone Can Be An Assassin
8. Beeper Doc/The Exciting Chase
9. A Lonely Drebin
10. Drebin Acrobat/Meat Miss Spencer
11. The Seduction
12. Frank Goes Bump-Bump/Somebody Killed My Scene
13. Out on the Ledge
14. Over the Shoulder Boulder Holder/The Slaughterhouse
15. Cocktails for Five
16. Drebin's Haze/I'm a Lucky Woman/Sting (Alternate)
17. Las Chapanecas (Organ)
18. God Save the Queen (Organ)
19. The Star-Spangled Banner (Studio Pre-Record) - Leslie Nielsen
20. Blooper Vision
21. La Raspa (Organ)
22. Baseball Medley (Organ)
23. The Third Out Beep/Frank, Frank, Frank
24. I Must Kill Frank
25. I'm Into Something Good (End Credits Version) - Peter Noone
26. The Seduction (Album Version) *
27. Out on the Ledge (Album Version) *
28. I Must Kill Frank (Alternate)/Main Title (Alternate) *
29. Main Title (Second Alternate) *

Tracks 1, 3, 6(a), 8(b), 10(b), 24 and 27 originally released on The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (Music from the Motion Picture) - Varese Sarabande VSD-5331, 1991. All tracks released on The Naked Gun Trilogy (Music from the Motion Pictures) - La-La Land Records LLLCD 1303, 2014.