When La-La Land Records announced a bunch of big archival score titles for the beginning of November instead of their usual calendar-closing Black Friday announcement, it was safe to assume there were no more surprises coming from the label this year. Once again, that turned out to be quite untrue: in a reprise of last year's Christmas Day shocker and a follow-up to their reissue of Goldfinger in October, the label has announced two more titles for 2024: a pair of lovingly-restored John Barry scores to James Bond films The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) and Moonraker (1979), both expanded for their 50th and 45th anniversaries.

Golden Gun was Roger Moore's second go-round as Ian Fleming's Agent 007, and it further reinforced his commitment to play the role with a little bit more camp than Sean Connery or George Lazenby. Based on Fleming's final Bond book - and, like predecessor Live and Let Die, taking cues from a different non-U.K. cinematic fad (this time kung-fu flicks instead of blaxploitation) - the British commander's ninth onscreen adventure from Eon Productions pitted him against a cunning, titular assassin who wants to misuse a revolutionary solar energy device for his own gains. While the film veers into silly more than once - future Fantasy Island co-star Herve Villechaize as a diminutive minion, a ridiculous reprise by Louisiana sheriff J.W. Pepper from the previous film - it also has a killer feature in the villainous Francisco Scaramanga, played to perfection by Fleming's step-cousin and friend Christopher Lee.

Barry's score incorporated a by-now standard pop song heard in the film's opening title sequence: a melodramatic number with lyrics by Don Black sung by "To Sir, with Love" singer Lulu. (Barry dismissed it as one of his weaker efforts.) Nonetheless, this film and score has its fans who will no doubt be satiated by this 2CD reissue, featuring the film score, several unreleased gems (including an instrumental demo of the main theme) and a remaster of the original soundtrack album. It's produced by Neil S. Bulk, newly mixed by Chris Malone (who utilized hi-res digital transfers of the original 2" tapes from the MGM vaults) and mastered by Doug Schwartz, with Bond aficionado Jon Burlingame penning new liner notes in a package designed by Dan Goldwasser. It's limited to 5000 copies, sold exclusively at La-La Land Records and the official 007 web store for its first 90 days of release.

Bond joined another trend in 1979's adaptation of the Fleming novel Moonraker: the post-Star Wars sci-fi boom. (A keypad in the film even plays John Williams' five-note motif to another 1977 sci-fi classic, Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind.) In Moore's fourth Bond picture (and 11th overall), 007 ventures across California, Italy, Brazil and finally outer space itself to foil a eugenicist plot of supervillain industrialist Hugo Drax. The film also features the return of "Jaws," the towering, steel-toothed assassin from The Spy Who Loved Me played by Richard Kiel, as well as the final appearance of Bernard Lee as Bond's supervisor M. Barry's lush, string-laden score flirted with disco balladry, with Hal David adding romantic lyrics to the title song, the third to be sung by Shirley Bassey (a last-minute pick after Johnny Mathis reportedly dropped out).

Moonraker, which like much of the film itself was recorded in Paris, was long thought to be unable to comprehensively reissue due to a persistent rumor that the master tapes had been lost. That turns out to be delightfully untrue; hi-res digital transfers of MGM's 2" tapes have been newly mixed for this set by Mike Matessino (with the same team of producer Bulk, mastering engineer Schwartz, notes from Burlingame and design from Goldwasser). As with Golden Gun, this 2CD set features an expanded and restored score presentation, alternates and the original soundtrack album - along with a really special treat for fans: several early versions of the title song featuring lyrics and vocals by Paul Williams! What a find! Moonraker lands at the LLL and 007 web stores for its first 90 days, also limited to 5000 copies.

Elsewhere in the soundtrack world, Varese Sarabande has closed out their strong year of CD Club reissues with a one-two knockout for horror and comic book fans: expanded presentations of the scores to Blade (1998) and Blade II (2002). Based on the Marvel Comics antihero, the films star Wesley Snipes as Eric Brooks, a "daywalker" born with vampiric abilities and dedicated to hunting bloodsuckers everywhere. Co-starring Kris Kristofferson as Blade's mentor, the original 1998 film, directed by Stephen Norrington, was a commercial success for the struggling publisher as it attempted to make its way into Hollywood. Mark Isham's score blended traditional orchestral elements with hip-hop (at Snipes' request) and electronica (at Norrington's wishes) for a musical experience quite different from most comic book fare. The expanded single-disc score presentation includes new liner notes by Daniel Schweiger.

A stylized Blade sequel, directed by a Guillermo Del Toro in one of his first Hollywood productions, found Blade forming an uneasy alliance with a group of vampire assassins (including action favorites Ron Perlman and Donnie Yen) to stop an ancient evil from wiping out the human race with an army of vampire mutants. Blade II outgrossed its predecessor and yielded one last sequel in 2004. Marvel Studios' attempt to revive the character with actor Mahershala Ali has been stuck in development since 2019 - so it was a pleasant surprise when this year's Deadpool & Wolverine, featuring the wisecracking mercenary and legendary X-Man in a multiverse-hopping misadventure, featured a surprise supporting turn from Snipes after two decades away from the role. (Deadpool star/producer/co-writer Ryan Reynolds ironically co-starred in Blade: Trinity.)

For Blade II, Del Toro again joined forces with composer Marco Beltrami, who he'd first collaborated with on his breakthrough American feature Mimic (1997). His work mixed classic symphonic scoring, electronica (with the contributions of Black Grape's Danny Saber) and even reflections of Del Toro's adoration of anime, with Japanese-inspired instrumentation throughout. Beltrami was interviewed by Daniel Schweiger for the 2CD set's new liner notes.

You can read the full track lists and order your copies below.

John Barry, The Man with the Golden Gun (Music from the Motion Picture - 50th Anniversary Expanded Edition) (La-La Land Records LLLCD 1655, 2024 - original film released 1974)

Disc 1: Score presentation (1-28) and additional music (29-33)

1. Gun Barrel/The Island
2. Scaramanga's Fun House
3. Main Title: The Man with the Golden Gun - Lulu
4. Getting the Bullet
5. Macau/Forever Hold Your Piece
6. Following Andrea
7. Scaramanga Strikes
8. Hip's Trip
9. Chew Me
10. Quite Titillating
11. Grisly Land
12. Take Mr. Bond to School/Chula/Escape
13. Kung Fu Fight
14. 20,000 Baht
15. J.W. Pepper/Bond Rides Off
16. The Death of Hai Fat/New Chairman
17. Moments
18. Goodnight Goodnight
19. You Must Be Good/In the Boot/Car Keys
20. Let's Go Get 'Em
21. Flying Car
22. In Search of Scaramanga's Island (Film Version)
23. Bond's Arrival/The Solex Agitator/The Sun/Solar Power
24. Return to Scaramanga's Fun House
25. Absolute Zero
26. Retrieving the Solex Agitator
27. Slow Boat From China 1:38
28. End Title: The Man with The Golden Gun (Reprise) - Lulu
29. Lost Charm
30. Bottoms Up I
31. Bottoms Up II
32. In Search of Scaramanga's Island (Alternate)
33. The Man with the Golden Gun (Demo Instrumental)

Disc 2: Original soundtrack album (released as United Artists Records UAS 29671 (U.K.)/UA-LA358-G (U.S.), 1974)

1. Main Title: The Man with the Golden Gun - Lulu
2. Scaramanga's Fun House
3. Chew Me In Grisly Land
4. The Man With The Golden Gun (Jazz Instrumental)
5. Getting the Bullet
6. Goodnight Goodnight
7. Let's Go Get 'Em
8. Hip's Trip
9. Kung Fu Fight
10. In Search of Scaramanga's Island
11. Return to Scaramanga's Fun House
12. End Title: The Man with the Golden Gun (Reprise) - Lulu

John Barry, Moonraker (Music from the Motion Picture - 45th Anniversary Expanded Edition) (La-La Land Records LLLCD 1656, 2024 - original film released 1979)

Disc 1: Score presentation (1-27) and additional music (28-36)

1. Gun Barrel and Hijackers
2. Last Leg and Freefall Sequence
3. Main Title - Moonraker - Shirley Bassey
4. California and the Drax Residence
5. Look After Mr. Bond and Chang's Entry
6. Centrifuge
7. You Presume a Great Deal, Mr. Bond
8. 18-Carat
9. Corrine Put Down
10. Venini Glass and Bond Follows Holly
11. Funeral Barge - Venice Boat Chase
12. Bond Smells a Rat (Extended Version)
13. It Could Have Its Compensations
14. Bond Arrives in Rio
15. Cable Car Fight
16. Hello Dolly (Romeo & Juliet)
17. The Magnificent Seven
18. South American Boat Chase and Hang Glider Crash
19. Bond Lured to Pyramid (Film Version)
20. Snake Fight
21. Launch Program Commence and I Bid You Farewell
22. Flight Into Space
23. Marines Get Ready and Emergency Stop
24. Space Laser Battle
25. Jaws and Dolly Reunited and Jaws Lends a Hand
26. Globes Destroyed
27. End Title - Moonraker (Extended Version) - Shirley Bassey
28. Moonraker (Instrumental)
29. Prelude, Op. 28, No. 15 ("Raindrop")
30. Bugle Call
31. Mardi Gras
32. Morning After
33. Gregorian Chant
34. Funeral Barge - Venice Boat Chase (Alternate Mix)
35. Emergency Stop (Film Ending)
36. Intro to End Title

Disc 2: Original soundtrack album (1-10, released as United Artists Records UAG 30247 (U.K.)/UA-LA971-I (U.S.), 1979) and bonus tracks (11-14)

1. Main Title - Moonraker - Shirley Bassey
2. Space Laser Battle
3. Miss Goodhead Meets Bond
4. Cable Car and Snake Fight
5. Bond Lured to Pyramid
6. Flight Into Space
7. Bond Arrives in Rio and Boat Chase
8. Centrifuge and Corrine Put Down
9. Bond Smells a Rat
10. End Title - Moonraker - Shirley Bassey
11. Moonraker (Early Lyrics/Slow Version) - Paul Williams
12. Main Title - Moonraker (Alternate Instrumental)
13. Moonraker (Early Lyrics) - Paul Williams
14. End Title - Moonraker (Alternate Instrumental)

Mark Isham, Blade (Original Motion Picture Score - The Deluxe Edition) (Varese Sarabande, 2024 - original film released 1998)

1. Born of Blood (Then)
2. Headed for Trouble
3. Blood Club Voices
4. Party Crasher
5. Quinn Stapled and Torched
6. Quinn Chows Down
7. Daywalker
8. The House of Lords
9. Karen Awakens
10. The Injection
11. There's a War Going On Out There
12. The Slap
13. Glyphs
14. Somebody's Gonna Take You Out
15. You've Gotta Learn to Pull the Trigger
16. Stakeout
17. High Tech Lair
18. The Translation Completed
19. Pearl Fries
20. The Book of Erebus
21. Blade Captured
22. Whistler's a Mother
23. The Subway
24. History
25. Sunblock
26. The Last Dawn
27. A Pain in the Neck
28. Man in the Street
29. Top of the Food Chain
30. The Beating
31. Death of Whistler
32. A Hurricane's Coming
33. Intruder
34. One Big Happy Family
35. Temple of Light
36. Curtis Isn't Himself Today
37. Blood Relations
38. The Bleeding Stone
39. The Ritual Continues
40. The Thirst Always Wins
41. The Wraiths Emerge
42. Defrosted
43. Quinn Loses His Head
44. The Blood God
45. It's Not Over

Portions of Tracks 7, 14, 29, 33, 35, 38 and 44 released as Varese Sarabande VSD 5976, 1998

Marco Beltrami, Blade II (Original Motion Picture Score - The Deluxe Edition) (Varese Sarabande, 2024 - original film released 2002)

Disc 1

1. Blood Bank Creeps
2. Nomack the Knife
3. Blade II Main Titles
4. Moo Cow
5. Wheel and Deal
6. Wet Whistler
7. Waiting for the Sun
8. Suckheads Infiltrate
9. Caliban by Helicopter
10. Big D Hosts Big B
11. The Imp 'N Pimp
12. Meet The Bloodpack
13. Let's Go to the H.O.P.
14. Reapers in the Kitchen
15. I.H.O. Paincakes
16. Scaffolding Fight
17. Priest Splits
18. Little Boy Blue
19. Bath Time
20. Nyssa Needs a Napkin

Disc 2

1. Suckpuppy Nut Juice
2. Sewer Pickles
3. Let the Sun Shine In
4. B Slice
5. Charge of the Light Grenade
6. Blade's Discharge
7. Crispy Reapers
8. Nyssa Swallows
9. Who's the Man?
10. Big D Educates
11. Nomack Snacks
12. Blood Bath
13. Reinhart Splits
14. Family Feud
15. Smackdown
16. Nyssa Over Easy
17. Abayo
18. End Credits

Portions previously released as Varese Sarabande 302 066 365 2, 2002