Since some time has gone by since my most recent update (too much time, as usual!) a few more Intrada albums have seen release, so I figured I'd whip up a quick post! First up is the world premiere release of Another Stakeout by Arthur B. Rubinstein. This was a somewhat bittersweet project to work on. The music itself is a joy, alternating between rich drama, crackling action, and lighthearted comedic material to reflect the eccentricities of the film on which it is based. Rubinstein had a much larger ensemble to work with on this sequel than he did the original Stakeout, and it really shows! It's just a really fun listening experience. So that's the "sweet." As for the "bitter," readers may know that maestro Rubinstein passed away during the production of this album. He was a rare talent and I'm sorry I never got to converse with him. But it was very moving to see the respect paid by Intrada on this release, the last album he was personally involved with. I was honored to be a part of it.
The advent of winter saw two more Intrada releases I was proud to work on. The first is a double-feature of relatively obscure TV-movies scored by the great Georges Delerue: Sin of Innocence, a drama about the taboo love between teenage step-siblings, and Love Thy Neighbor, a seriocomic film about jilted neighbors who find solace in each other's arms—both perfect fodder for Delerue, who was second to none when it came to tales of complicated romance. The second is Hider in the House, a little-seen thriller starring Gary Busey, Mimi Rogers and Michael McKean about a crazed stalker (Busey, naturally) who ensconces himself in the attic of a family home. The score is by Christopher Young, and fans of his distinctive horror/thriller sound, which marries disturbing soundscapes with surprisingly lush emotion, will be well pleased. This is a reissue of the original 1990 album, long out of print, with new packaging and notes.
There's quite a lot of ground to cover since my last music update, so I'll be going through the releases I've worked on by label. First up is Intrada, which has had such a prodigious output these last few years that I'll be breaking my recap into two parts! We begin with Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - Season Two, a deluxe 4-CD set of music from the classic television series. It contains scores by Stu Phillips, John Cacavas and Herbert Don Woods, but the majority of the music on this set was composed by Bruce Broughton, who joined the show during its second season and confirmed the outstanding dramatic chops that would help him become one of the most respected composers in Hollywood. The set is now sold out, but well worth hunting down!
For Intrada, I also had the opportunity to write about two scores by the late James Horner. Though I never had an opportunity to personally interview Mr. Horner, it is always a great honor and pleasure to write about his music. He described himself as a colorist first and foremost, and these two scores are masterful examples. The first, Gorky Park, is a wintry blend of eerie dissonance, powerful low brass, funky urban beats, interpolations of Tchaikovsky and a love theme for the ages. The second, A Far Off Place, is a dynamic, symphonic score that taps into the grandeur, romance and adventure of Africa. Horner was a titan in his field, and these works are just two examples of why he will be so badly missed.
Next up we have a pair of double-features. You'd be hard pressed to find a stranger double bill than Maurice Jarre's Mandingo / Plaza Suite! The former is an unconventional score for a notorious blaxploitation epic, featuring a collaboration between Jarre and blues artist Muddy Waters ("Born in this Time"). The latter is a brief, light-on-its-feet score for a Neil Simon adaptation. The combo makes for a wonderful demonstration of Jarre's amazing versatility. The other double-feature is The Return of a Man Called Horse / Inherit the Wind from maestro Laurence Rosenthal, pairing one of his most sweeping scores with one of his most intimate. Both films are character studies, albeit told on very different scales, and both allow Rosenthal to shine. He remains one of my favorite composers, and I've been blessed to work on so many of his releases over the years!
Finally, we have a trio of stand-alone releases from different composers. First is Craig Safan's The Last Starfighter, a thrilling score for one of the most-loved cult sci-fi films of the 1980s. Newly remastered and expanded, it's never sounded better than it does here. Second is Christopher Young's more recent Killing Season, a rich and meditative blend of American and Eastern European influences. Working on this release was especially interesting for the way Young reworked his material into suite form for album presentation. Third is the premiere release of Michael Kamen's whirlwind action-comedy score for Adventures in Babysitting. I've been a Kamen fan since I first saw Brazil, and it was a joy to dive into this very fun score—much of it unused in the actual film!
That's it for Part 1. Next up: Silvestri, Arnold, Goldsmith, Goodwin, more Young and Safan, and my notes hit vinyl for the first time!
