Question: Why does it take so long for the music to be released after it's recorded?

Thanks for the update, John.

NP: The Music Compilation, Part 1 (personal compilation)

Now, what do I have to do to get someone to release the soundtrack to "Mystery Alaska?"

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Originally posted by dantoris:
You mean I have to wait that long to get my hands on THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME? The suspense is killing me. Oh, well. If it's as good as the original, it'll be worth the wait.

Question: Why does it take so long for the music to be released after it's recorded?

Thanks for the update, John.

NP: The Music Compilation, Part 1 (personal compilation)

[This message has been edited by dantoris (edited 09 March 2000).]

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Well, the Marco Polo Film Music releases are scheduled at four per year. We usually record those four during the prior year. By the time we do the edits and get all the material for the liner notes, it can take some time. I probably should just keep my mouth shut until they are about ready for release! That way, it wouldn't seem so long. Besides, Marco Polo knows that if too many come out in succession, sales suffer...so I defer to their judgement...

(I gess they're two words)

Cheers

M.F.

I also echo the praise of all the albums of the last few years (I've taken pains to get each of them). The Mr. Skeffington album, for instance, rewards one more deeply at each listen, while the Moby Dick and Captain Blood releases simply keep a level smile on one's face throughout. For what my opinion's worth, I'd buy each MP release in sequence, no matter how fast they were issued!

As an aside, do you know, John, whether there are plans for future Marco Polo releases from Adriano or other conductors from the European film series? I have greatly enjoyed these also, particularly the French albums, but have always stumbled on them accidentally (i.e., without much notice).

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Originally posted by Thor:
JClark - I think I read somewhere that Maro Polo wasn't that keen on Adriano's conducting on Herrmann's JANE EYRE (the concrete reasons for this evade me at the moment) - is that so, John?

That would at least explain why they're not using him anymore. Bill is doing a marvelous job, though.

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Well, I think Adriano has been more successful with the European scores than the American scores such as Jane Eyre and Rebecca. He went to Moscow and did a fine job with Auric's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.
He is still with Marco Polo and has recently done another superb job with other Auric music.
Ironically, we went to Bratislava to record the Roy Webb and Salter-Skinner CDs that will be out in June, and they came out very well, but for the bigger stuff, Moscow is still the best!
For those interested, here's a rundown on what is what and when is when:

This June, Marco Polo will release our Roy Webb album featuring scores for the Val Lewton films (CAT PEOPLE, BEDLAM, SEVENTH VICTIM, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, and
THE BODY SNATCHER) with a wonderful 36 page booklet. Also in June will be our new Salter-Skinner album containing a more complete GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN and SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR.

In September, the release of Franz Waxman's OBJECTIVE BURMA

In November, the release of Steiner's TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE

In three weeks we head back to Moscow to do two more CDs. These will be released early next year.
1st CD is Malcolm Arnold's DAVID COPPERFIELD and THE ROOTS OF HEAVE (with two cues composed by Alfred Newman)
2nd CD is Steiner's THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME and SON OF KONG.

Later this year, we will be recording Herrmann's FIVE FINGERS and SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO and possibly an Adolph Deutsch album of some of his wonderful Warner scores.

Now, what is MYSTERY ALASKA and does it need a rerecording?

Best,
John

I'll certainly get the Malcolm Arnold CD when it comes out. If you do another Arnold compilation, I'd like to see it include AFRICA, TEXAS STYLE.

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Originally posted by JEC:
John, have you considered tackling RAINTREE COUNTY?

I'll certainly get the Malcolm Arnold CD when it comes out. If you do another Arnold compilation, I'd like to see it include AFRICA, TEXAS STYLE.

KING KONG was the finest re-recording I've heard to date, bar none. A masterful job.

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Thanks for the kind words, JEC!

I have the old CD of RAINTREE COUNTY that Lasher put out sometime ago. Since the three-track masters still survive at MGM, I hope someday that the score could be refurbished and released from the original stems. I try to do scores that don't survive in good sound, however I do make exceptions. When we did GARDEN OF EVIL, I knew from the time I worked on JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH with Nick Redman that most of that score survived. I told Nick it was one of my favorite non-recorded Herrmann scores and when did he plan to release it. Well, at that time and with Fox Records still doing the series, Nick thought within the year. After two years going by, I decided I had to do it, so we did! Most of the Fox Friedhofer we did didn't survive either...same with THE EGYPTIAN. I would hate to be in Varese's position where original tracks come out almost simultaneously with the rerecordings. Doesn't make much business sense to me.
Another problem with RAINTREE is the use of ethnic instruments and special overdubbing and such.
But, "never say never" is my motto....
Although I have my favorites, I do listen to suggestions. In fact, our MOBY DICK, HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, the upcoming Arnold and others have come about because someone putting them into my mind.
My whole feeling is to do good music that works as a listening experience away from the film. Some of our most gratifying reviews is when the reviewer says he or she hasn't seen the film, but the music is compelling on its own. I try to make our CDs music and composer dependent, rather than title dependent, if you know what I mean. What other company would record an entire CD of music for such film stinkers as DEVOTION, ANOTHER DAWN, etc.

That was me that posted the "Mystery Alaska" message. Sorry, didn't realize you guys just did rerecordings of older movies.

"Mystery Alaska" was released last year and was NEVER recorded, in spite of being one of the best scores of the year. Composer is Carter Burwell, and from what I can figure, he doesn't get many of his scores out on CD -- for some reason.

I've been on a kick the last few months trying to get music producers interested in putting this score out, without luck.

BTW, I have TWO copies of your "Historical Romances" CD and am planning on adding "They Died With Their Boots On" soon.

So far I have "Moby Dick", "King Kong", and "Captain Blood" - they're all fantastic, and "Captain Blood" is one of my all-time favourites, anyway. Reminds me that I really should get "They Died with their Boots on".

Keep up the great work!

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Originally posted by Gae:
Hi John, glad to see you join us here at the message board. You've been a great friend over the past few weeks and very kind and helpful with the music I sent you. It looks like a busy few months ahead for you at Marco Polo..cant wait for all the upcoming realeases. I love the "House of Frankenstein" and "King Kong" scores. One question I've been meaning to ask you...One of my favourite movies/scores is Salter's "The Incredible Shrinking Man". Have you got any plans to do a re-recording of this in the future? Cheers Gae NP Sleepy Hollow (P.S.the NP, if you dont know, means "Now Playing" to let everyone know what score we are currently listening to).

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Hi Gae:

I wanted to say that somehow these productions of yours have been the most consistent in terms of high musical production and program notes of any MP series (possibly of most classical recordings too!). "Devotion", "Mr. Skeffington", "Another Dawn", are wonderful. "The Egyptian" is one of my favorite releases of the past year.

My suggestion would be for MP to garner some interest in this series by releasing some of this on their Naxos label. Perhaps in the form of "highlights" or under the title of "Golden Age Film Classics". I have their "Piano Concertos from the Movies" discs and it is quite successful. There must be enough in the can to fill out a 60-70 minute cd with selections from the current series and even whet the appetite for stuff to come. Or, their could be brief suites of material that could not warrant a full disc.

I guess I'd rather see that possibility than what they did a few years ago with Richard Hayman and the "Philharmonic Rock Orchestra" or whatever it was called.

Thoughts for the future: Waxman: The Silver Chalice & Elephant Walk (people always ask what these are when I play the Varese suite recordings of these); Newman: Wuthering Heights & Mask of Zorro; a complete "Sea Hawk".

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Originally posted by JEC:
John -- Now that you're doing an album of Malcolm Arnold music, what is the general state of his scores? Is there a lot of stuff missing or inaccessible?

[This message has been edited by JEC (edited 14 March 2000).]

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Unfortunately the British film scores are in worst shape than many American film scores. With the exception of Sainton (Moby Dick) and much of Easdale, British composers never kept scores or sketches from their film scores and they simple don't exist. I have a strong desire to do a full CD of CURSE OF THE DEMON by that gifted composer Clifton Parker, but so far, we can't find anything! For our upcoming Arnold recording, we found material at Fox, which was pure luck the music got back to America and not thrown out. I had to orchestrate the two Newman cues for THE ROOTS OF HEAVEN, but most of Arnold's full score survived.

And to address another post, I just viewed NORTHWEST PASSAGE and it is a terrific score and film. When we get around to doing a Stothart album, this certainly will be on it.

As far as Cimarron is concerned, the three-track stereo masters do exist at MGM and I think it will be coming out in some form in the near future.

There is no bigger fan of Max Steiner than me, but I can't understand all the fuss over THE CAINE MUTINY. It has a few terrific marches, an exciting storm cue and some nice music, but the film doesn't contain a lot of dramatic music, as the film simply didn't need it. Gehardt did a pretty good version of the main march, however. As far as Steiner's nautical music, I much prefer doing something like OPERATION PACIFIC with that wonderful march he wrote for SUBMARINE D-1 and reused in DIVE BOMBER and FIGHTER SQUADRON. And in these films, he really used the march in many guises of variation and development.

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Originally posted by Thor:
Another question:

Seeing as some MP scores are or have been released under the Naxos budget-logo, how come they are full-priced in every CD shop I've been to?

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This is news to me. Are you sure the stuff Bill Stromberg and I have done has surfaced on the Naxos label? I know some of the compilations have, but as far as I know, that is it.
The music we do is very expensive to produce. We usually need larger orchestras with different and unusual instruments. Plus, the restoration and orchestrating and copying bills can really pile up. As you know, our booklets average 30 or more pages. What Bill and I do you can't hire the score and parts and just play them...at lot of work and time goes into them. Still, even at Marco Polo prices, it is comparable to any other company doing new recordings of such depth and expertise.
There has been talk of doing a sort of sampler of our stuff for Naxos...things that are out already and for people who buy albums because they have 50 titles on them.

So I guess they're produced by the same company, and Naxos is their cheap label.

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Originally posted by Marian Schedenig:
Hm, my 3 MP discs are designed like the Naxos CDs, they all say "(c) 19xx HNH Internation Ltd. Distributed by: MVD MUSIC AND VIDEO DISTRIBUTION GmbH, OBERWEG 21C- HALE V, D-82008 UNTERHACHING, MUNICH, GERMANY".

So I guess they're produced by the same company, and Naxos is their cheap label.

NP: Empire of the Sun (Williams, good)

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Yes, you are correct. Marco Polo is part of Naxos, HNH family. Naxos label concentrates on things with a wide appeal like the Americana Classics and basic repertoire pieces, while Marco Polo does that "special" stuff.

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Originally posted by Thor:
Well, John, I might be wrong and have done the mix-up Marian above is referring to. I will check out the CD's in question, though, and get back to you. Off the top of my head, I seem to remember that JANE EYRE was one of them.

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Jane Eyre may be one of them, although Bill and I had nothing to do with that release or recording.

I would also like to add a vote for Caine Mutiny. I know that there wasn't a lot of music, but I would still like to have it.

I think a CD of Caine coupled with some other Steiner classic could do very well if promoted properly. I can see the copy now...

"After 50 years of conflict this classic score will be available for the first time anywhere (I am ignoring illegal copies)!"

2) The stuff you guys are doing is incredible--now Son of Kong and The Snows of Kilimanjaro--you have my eternal gratitude.

3) It's great that you want to do a Curse of the Demon CD and sad that you can't find any material.

4) It's great news that there are a lot of Easdale manuscripts--I heard his estate won't let anyone put out an album unless it is all Easdale--I sure hope this won't keep you from tackling an Easdale CD some day. It would be a real treasure to have Black Narcissus and the non-ballet cues from The Red Shoes.

And yes, we will eventually do Tiomkin and Rozsa.

I guess I'll have to contact Columbia and see what's left of THE CAINE MUTINY.

After narrowing down the selections for several days, here's my suggestion:

Ron Goodwin.

Selections from "633 Squadron" and "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines."

I think both those movies would provide at least a 60 minute CD. He has some other "flying" type scores, too (i.e. "Battle of Britian"), that could be used to add a little more depth, if needed.

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Originally posted by Marc Flake:
I've been wracking my brain to suggest ONE CD that Marco Polo could issue.

After narrowing down the selections for several days, here's my suggestion:

Ron Goodwin.

Selections from "633 Squadron" and "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines."

I think both those movies would provide at least a 60 minute CD. He has some other "flying" type scores, too (i.e. "Battle of Britian"), that could be used to add a little more depth, if needed.

Marc (Just putting in my two cents worth)

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Ron Goodwin is an excellent choice, although I shudder at the thought of the Moscow choir singing THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES.