Jerry Goldsmith Online News 2007

A surprising new Jerry Goldsmith compilation CD has been announced by Prometheus Records. Jerry Goldsmith The Early Years Volume One contains ultra rare and unreleased music from his work in Television. This first volume features music from Perry Mason, The Line Up, Playhouse 90 as well as CBS production music. Read more on the content and timings at the link below. Due for release on December 19th.

Pre Order now from Buysoundtrax!

Intrada announces the definitive presentation of a Jerry Goldsmith masterwork in a breathtaking two CD set that will leave fans almost speechless. It's an historic release and finally allows fans to properly immerse themselves in Goldsmith's Alien opus. Intrada along with Universal, Fox and famed soundtrack producers Mike Matessino and Nick Redman have combined their efforts to present for the very first time all the music from Alien. The complete original soundtrack as intended for the film, alternates, the Goldsmith produced album and additional bonus tracks! To complete the ultimate package they present the original soundtrack from newly discovered multi track masters in dynamic stereo!

Our thanks go to everyone at Intrada, Universal, Fox, Mike Matessino and Nick Redman for this wonderful gift.

Read our special interview with Mike Matessino here!

Samples

Hyper Sleep
It's A Droid
Parker's Death
Sleepy Alien
The Cupboard
Acid Test
Main Title (film version)
It's A Droid (unused inserts)

Click And order today from Intrada!

Another very rare and obscure Jerry Goldsmith scored movie comes to DVD from Wild Eye Releasing. Crawlspace (1972) was one of a handful of movies scored by the composer for the small screen during the 70's and features many of his stylistic trademarks.

The creepy movie tells the story of a childless middle aged couple who discover a young man living in a cramped crawlspace of their basement who they befriend and welcome into their home. Their initial joy quickly turns to terror as the man becomes dangerously obsessive.

The R1 disc is of course in full frame, with no extras apart from scene selection and apparently features a number of long pauses where the commercials were intended to be.

Over the years a number of Jerry Goldsmith's scores have been adapted for ballet (Capricorn One, The Planet Of The Apes and A Patch Of The Blue). Now the Alberta Ballet in Canada are performing a new take on Othello with choreography by Kirk Peterson, who has worked with Goldsmith's music before. This time though the performance takes in Goldsmith's music from The Wind And The Lion, Masada, The Edge, Along Came A Spider, The Sum Of All Fears and The Swarm!

"Music excerpts from scenes in these films were transcribed and meshed together into a score for our ballet. This was done once before by another company but all sheet music was destroyed after the performances because of the agreement made with Goldsmith's agents. The cost to use the music from the Goldsmith Trust and the transcription was a sizable part of the ballet’s budget but the effect is overwhelming. For months now we in the offices above the studios, have been seduced by this powerful music filling our building from the studios below and it certainly makes work a pleasure".

Donna Renna
Assistant To the Artistic Director

Othello premieres on October 25th and runs to the 27th in Calgary. Then from the 2nd November to the 3rd in Edmonton. More details can be found at www.albertaballet.com.

A spectacular and definitive presentation of Jerry Goldsmith's much loved score to The Wind And The Lion has been announced by Intrada. The massive 2 CD set presents the complete film soundtrack on disc 1 for the first time, while disc 2 completes the package with the original album mix along with the film's source music arranged by Alexander Courage.

Of course Intrada released the original album on CD for the first time back in 1990. But that disc has long since been deleted and fans have been dreaming of an expanded release ever since. Now all our dreams have come true thanks to the incredible efforts of both Intrada and FSM. Well done to all for making such a memorable work available.

Samples

Main Title
Mercy
No Respect/The True Symbol
The Blue People
Raisuli Attacks/Guests of Raisuli

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It seems Warner Brothers are to finally release Twilight Zone The Movie on DVD/BR/HD with 5.1 sound. No word on extras but keep an eye out nearer the October 2007 release date.

Also released is The List Of Adrian Messenger (Le Dernier De La Liste) from Bach Films in France. The disc appears to have an English mono soundtrack but obviously with French subtitles and a few extras. Let's hope an English packaged version is forthcoming.

Varese Sarabande's CD Club has surprised many Goldsmith fans by announcing the release of a third Goldsmith CD in succession and a title they've released before under the Club banner. The 'Burbs first came to CD in 1989 but due to high re-use fees was only 30 minutes long and has long since been deleted. This time they've doubled the running time to what appears to be the entire score! For fans who missed out on the first release and those who want some juicy extra music this is a must have. Well done Varese!

The epic TV mini series from 1981 comes to DVD in September as a three disc set from Koch Entertainment. The impressive production features one Jerry Goldsmith's finest scores along with a stunning theme. Of course Goldsmith was only able to score the first two episodes, leaving the remaining two in the capable hands of friend and fellow composer Morton Stevens who worked Goldsmith's themes into his own impressive scores.

www.tvshowsondvd.com

Normally the release of such an iconic Jerry Goldsmith score from the sixties that was thought lost should have fans dancing in the streets! Though FSM have been extremely lucky to find around 30 minutes of music in stereo the remainder of the score remains lost so they have taken the unusual step of including the monophonic music and effects track that was heard as part of a 1996 Laser Disc, to offer fans the most complete presentation of this magnificent score. Ultimately this is still a wonderful release, and congratulations go to FSM for their sterling effort, but it remains a slightly bitter pill to swallow rather than the sugary delight this might have been.

Order from Screen Archives!

Both The Sand Pebbles and Von Ryan's Express get the two disc treatment from Fox on June 5th with some special features for Jerry Goldsmith fans produced by Nick Redman. Both sets include isolated score tracks, plus FX from the actual recording sessions while Von Ryan's Express includes two featurettes entitled The Music Of Jerry Goldsmith and Bringing Music To Life: The Legacy Of Jerry Goldsmith.

Many fans bemoan Varese for not releasing a deluxe edition of Jerry Goldsmith's complete score to Alien on CD. Even though the complete score appeared as isolated tracks on the 20th Anniversary DVD, fans still want an official CD for their collection. Recently Nick Redman broke his silence and posted a response to fans on the Film Score Monthly Message Board.

This is what he said...

It is nothing to do with Silva, who were themselves only short-term licensees. When Silva issued Alien on CD, they licensed it from Polygram (UK) who were then the owners of the old 20th Century Fox Records catalog. Polygram itself has subsequently been bought, swallowed, and regurgitated by various entities, such as Vivendi/Universal/NBC and a conglomerate owned by the heir to the Seagrams empire. The material that existed on the old Fox LP is lost in the aforementioned morass. The material not on the old Fox LP is owned and administered by Fox Music, which is why we put it on the "Goldsmith at Fox" box-set. To get around the rights quagmire, we also issued it as an isolated score on the first Alien DVD, which is now out of print, but one of the reasons why I have declined to pursue it as a CD, is that we can't find the multi-track masters, despite looking all over the place for them, and in the UK as well. I'm not satisfied with the sound quality that we currently have, and until that changes the title will continue to be on moratorium. Hope that clarifies once and for all, the "Where's Alien?" complaints.

Varese Sarabande's first batch of CD Club releases for 2007 includes Jerry Goldsmith's score to the 1993 remake of The Vanishing. Although parts of the score were included on the Jerry Goldsmith at 20th Century Fox box set this new CD features the complete 65 minute score remixed!

The title is limited to 3000 copies. Order today!

FSM has announced their planned re-issue of The Last Run soundtrack album. The label already warned fans that the original soundtrack from the film is lost but as a bonus the CD features Goldsmith's short score to the TV movie The Cable Car Murders aka Crosscurrent. The album concludes with an early Dave Crusin TV score.

Order now from Screen Archives!!

Another obscure movie from the 70's makes it to DVD. The satanic chiller features one of Jerry Goldsmith's most terrifying scores and preceded The Omen by a number of years.

The R2 DVD features the Spanish title (Salan Mon Amour) but other than that is fully English including menus. Strangely it does not appear to have been released in the UK though.

The film was also released in Germany, again in English but under its German title Mephisto Walzer. The film is presented in wide screen with monophonic sound and includes the trailer. Read more at DVD Times.

An R1 US release is available too but annoyingly its packaged with another film called The House On Skull Mountain.

Thanks To Wolfram Hannemann

Although Stallone himself recently mentioned they would be utilising Jerry Goldsmith's scores for the new Rambo movie it now appears Brian Tyler has been signed to write a score. However, it is hoped he will at least utilise the original First Blood theme.

The Digital Bits website has listed the wacky 1975 comedy S*P*Y*S for release on Fox DVD in April for the first time. As this is a US disc expect to hear Jerry Goldsmith's equally wacky accompanying score.

Thanks To Jack Morris

Although nothing has officially been announced Anchor Bay have revealed they are no longer releasing Damnation Alley on DVD. The film was to be released in 2006 but nothing happened. It now appears Fox are to release the film themselves.

Nothing to interest the serious Goldsmith enthusiast but Varese has announced they are to package Jerry Goldsmith's last three scores (Star Trek Nemesis, Timeline and Looney Tunes Back In Action) as a three CD set. The more cynical amongst you might say this is to shift stock as the sets are limited to 2500.

Jerry Goldsmith: His Final Recordings

Also not of much interest to Goldsmith enthusiasts is another CD from FSM that hopefully closes the book on the Man From U.N.C.L.E. music. This CD includes the various U.N.C.L.E. scores from the various big screen outings. The disc does feature a very small amount of Goldsmith music (To Trap A Spy) plus umpteenth adaptations of Goldsmith's iconic theme.

The Spy With My Face