Digital Review: SCORED!

Last month, Primary Wave Music Publishing, one of the largest music publishing companies in the U.S., signed an agreement with BFM Digital, a leading digital music aggregator and distributor of independent music, for the digital distribution of its catalogue of recordings. Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will work together to strategically distribute, market, and develop recordings from Primary Wave’s catalogue of iconic songs and artists.

The partnership launched last month with SCORED!, a series of download-only compilations from Primary Wave’s classic film music catalogue. SCORED! debuted with albums based around four film genres–BATTLE, CRIME, ROMANCE, and WESTERNS. The series includes performances by the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, the City of Prague Philharmonic, and the Daniel Caine Orchestra.

Though there are major composers missing, such Alfred Newman, Max Steiner, and Bernard Herrmann, you will find popular composers like Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, and Elmer Bernstein, as well as less familiar names such as Mario Nascimbene, Bronsilau Kaper, and Manos Hadjidakis. The tracks range in years from 1948 (Dimitri Tiomkin’s RED RIVER) to 1980 (Ry Cooder’s THE LONG RIDERS), with most of the cuts falling heavily in the 1960s and 70s.

I’m not a great fan of compilations. Perhaps because I’ve been listening to film music for over 30 years, or maybe because I prefer to listen to my film music one score at a time. But while the genres may seem a bit obvious, the SCORED! albums offer something for newbies as well as longtime film music fans.

Let’s take a look at each album in more detail.

BATTLE

1. BATTLE OF BRITAIN (Theme) – Ron Goodwin
2. 633 SQUADRON (Main Title) – Ron Goodwin
3. THE BRIDGE AT REMAGEN (Theme) – Elmer Bernstein
4. A BRIDGE TOO FAR (Overture) – John Addison
5. ZULU (Theme) – John Barry
6. KELLY’S HEROES (Theme) – Lalo Schifrin
7. BATTLE OF BRITAIN (Aces High) – Ron Goodwin
8. THE VIKINGS (Attack on the Castle) – Mario Nascimbene
9. ALEXANDER THE GREAT (Main Title) – Mario Nascimbene
10. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (Theme) – Bronislau Kaper

First of all, look at those nine titles. None of them is particularly popular with the general population. There’s no PATTON, no HENRY V. Clearly the producers wanted to introduce listeners to some lesser known, yet equally excellent, music. Bravo for the inclusion of the underrated Ron Goodwin. Mario Nascimbene’s music for THE VIKINGS and ALEXANDER THE GREAT were great introductions to yours truly. And while I would argue that the BOUNTY performance doesn’t match the M-G-M original, nor is it exactly a “battle” film, there’s no denying the quality of Kaper’s great score.

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Click Track: The Vikings

CRIME

1. ACROSS 110TH STREET (Harlem Love Theme) – J. J. Johnson
2. THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (Theme) – Jerry Goldsmith
3. SOME LIKE IT HOT – Adolph Deutsch
4. THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 (Main Title) – David Shire
5. THEY CALL ME MR. TIBBS (Main Title) – Quincy Jones
6. TOPKAPI (Theme) – Manos Hadjidakis
7. F.I.S.T. (Theme) – Bill Conti
8. AFTER THE FOX (Uketalla) – Burt Bacharach
9. JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (Suite) – Ernest Gold
10. THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (Theme) – Jerry Goldsmith

With CRIME, the focus is more on jazz than on other albums. Goldsmith’s GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY is still a delight, even if it falls a bit short of the original soundtrack’s gusto. Bravo for including Shire’s funky PELHAM main title and Hadjidakis’ delightful TOPKAPI theme. Conti’s F.I.S.T. theme still soars and while Gold’s NUREMBERG suite may be stretching it as a crime track (though, honestly, can you think of a greater crime?), it’s nice to see its inclusion since Ryko’s original soundtrack is long out of print. What is missing from this album are some of Miklos Rozsa’s dark, penetrating film noir scores like DOUBLE INDEMNITY and THE KILLERS.

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Click Track: Topkapi

ROMANCE

1. THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA (Main Title) – Mario Nascimbene
2. THE BLACK STALLION (Main Title) – Carmine Coppola
3. THE BETSY (Love Theme) – John Barry
4. BEN-HUR (Love Theme) – Miklos Rozsa
5. FELLINI’S ROMA (Roma Suite) – Nino Rota
6. RYAN’S DAUGHTER (Main Title) – Maurice Jarre
7. TOM JONES (Theme) – John Addison
8. PARIS BLUES (Theme) – Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Harold Flender
9. WOMEN IN LOVE (Theme) – Georges Delerue, Keith Beckingham
10. ACROSS 110TH STREET (Harlem Love Theme) – J. J. Johnson

If you’re looking for soaring strings and famous themes, you’ll be hard pressed to find them in ROMANCE. Thankfully there’s no overplayed standards such as LOVE STORY. Addison’s TOM JONES misses the original soundtrack’s playfulness. But Coppola’s BLACK STALLION, Barry’s BETSY love theme, and Delerue’s WOMEN IN LOVE were welcome additions that I hadn’t heard before. But couldn’t they have included something new rather than repeating J. J. Johnson’s ACROSS 110TH STREET?

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Click Track: The Black Stallion

WESTERNS

1. THE LONG RIDERS (Main Title) – Ry Cooder
2. HOUR OF THE GUN (Main Title) – Jerry Goldsmith
3. THE MISSOURI BREAKS (Crossing the Missouri) – John Williams
4. RED RIVER (Suite) – Dimitri Tiomkin
5. GUNS FOR SAN SEBASTIAN (Theme) – Ennio Morricone
6. THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL (Overture) – Elmer Bernstein
7. THE SCALPHUNTERS (Main Title) – Elmer Bernstein
8. WILD ROVERS (Theme) – Jerry Goldsmith
9. A FEW DOLLARS MORE (Goodbye Colonel) – Ennio Morricone
10. THE MISSOURI BREAKS (Love Theme) – John Williams

WESTERNS gets my vote for the most consistent of the bunch. While Tiomkin’s classic HIGH NOON is left out, we get his rousing RED RIVER instead. Though Elmer Bernstein’s THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN is missing, the seldom heard SCALPHUNTERS is included. Thankfully we don’t have to hear the overplayed THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. Instead, we get two of Ennio Morricone’s lesser known, yet equally wonderful, scores. And it’s hard to quibble about John Williams’ underrated MISSOURI BREAKS. But for me, the highlight of the album–and the entire series–is Elmer Bernstein’s always enjoyable HALLELUJAH TRAIL. It’s a rousing performance that comes close to Bernstein’s original, with a main theme that I defy you to get it out of your head once you hear it.

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CLICK TRACK: The Hallelujah Trail

Any compilation is going to have its good moments and its drawbacks. Some of the tracks stretch the definition of their respective genre, yet as film music goes, these are highly enjoyable albums. While I would have preferred a lengthier program from each genre, Primary Wave is to be applauded for including such diverse selections. Fans who prefer their music in pristine digital sound should be pleased with the albums’ crisp, clear sound quality. Each disc clocks in around at 30 minutes and sells for $9.90 on iTunes, or you can buy the tracks separately. Readers of this blog know my feelings about download only releases, but with such short running times, digital seems the perfect format for this collection.

The function of any film score compilation should be to introduce the listener to a variety of composers and styles. If compiled correctly and if the performances are worthy, you may be introduced to a new score or composer and then be tempted to seek out further titles or the full score from a particular track. Since many of the original soundtracks for the films above are out of print, there is something to enjoy on every album for nearly every film music fan. And you can’t argue that it’s the same old scores on these albums.

Longtime fans who already have the original soundtracks may not find much need for the SCORED! series. But I found excellent recreations and unheard gems in this collection, and I venture to bet that others will too.

SCORED! has, ahem, scored a winner overall. I look forward to hearing what they come up with next.

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