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AT LAST!!! Ronald Stein's "The Haunted Palace"

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Author	Topic: AT LAST!!! Ronald Stein's "The Haunted Palace"

Wedge Standard Userer	WOW! "The Haunted Palace!" A fantastically fun Roger Corman scare-fest, featuring the all-star team-up of Vincent Price and Lon Chaney at their diabolical best! Now I've just read at FSM that Percepto records is soon to release this CLASSIC, MAGNIFICENT film score! And it's ABOUT TIME!!! I LOVE this score! Have I made my joy clear yet? I'm going to have to pace myself to make sure this disc doesn't overheat from constant playing! The score will be paired with Steiner's "The Premature Burial," which just makes things doubly nice. Rest assured, I'll be ordering this one the SPLIT-SECOND it's available!
posted 07-07-2000 09:19 AM PT (US)

Chris Kinsinger Standard Userer	PERCEPTO Records? Isn't that, like, the company that makes "X-Ray Specs"?
posted 07-07-2000 10:05 AM PT (US)

Graham Watt Standard Userer	I share your joy, Wedge. Both scores are fantastic. From the "richly liturgical" (as one learned critic put it) Haunted Palace, to the...I don't know, richly liturgical Premature Burial (with swirling, marvelous incorporations of "Molly Malone"). I can't wait! Just a question: I've always found those two scores very "polished", if you know what I mean. Stein also did some work which I haven't heard and may smell of cheese. Has anyone got the Not Of This Earth compilation? What's it like? Does it smell of cheese or polish? I like cheese too!
posted 07-07-2000 02:47 PM PT (US)

Graham Watt Standard Userer	No replies for poor old me? I hope Percepto gets round to releasing Les Baxter's Fall Of The House Of Usher and Pit And The Pendulum: they are absolutely wonderful. Is there NO WAY we can find out what happened to Tom Scofield? Has anyone got his terrestrial address for example?
posted 07-09-2000 01:58 PM PT (US)

Gae Standard Userer	This post has been resurrected from its "Premature Burial" all those years ago!! I just bought a copy of this on eBay and what wonderful scores they are. I have decided over the past few months that this genre and kind of film music i.e. horror/supernatural movies from the 50s/60s and 70s with full orchestral scores are amongst my most favourite type. Richly atmospheric and evocative Ronald Stein's music just oozes style and quality throughout. Listening to the theme to "The Haunted Palace" though makes me believe that it was plagiarised by Toto for the theme to David Lynch's "Dune". The similarity is just too amazing to be a coincidence. Anyone who knows the music to "Dune" should check out a sound clip of the Main Titles at the Percepto website. I haven't seen "The Premature Burial" movie for many a year but as soon as I heard Stein's great renditioning of "Molly Mallone" I was instantly transported back to those long time ago late night screenings of the fog-laden Corman sets and spooky goings-on of those fun AIP productions from the 60's. The Haunted Palace/The Premature Burial Gae [Message edited by Gae on 08-10-2003]
posted 08-10-2003 04:48 PM PT (US)

James Phillips Standard Userer	Gae, If you loved THE HAUNTED PALACE theme as much as I do, listen to Les Baxter's score for THE DUNWICH HORROR, another arresting theme with Herrmannesque orchestration (repetition of notes). Both films also had good title designs in the vein of Saul Bass or Maurice Binder.
posted 08-10-2003 05:07 PM PT (US)

Gae Standard Userer	Thats an interesting coincidence James because in the CD liner notes it says that Stein was actually chosen in preference to Baxter to score the above movies on the basis that he had a more "classical" background as opposed to Baxter's more "jazzy" background which was more suited to the type of music the producers wanted! I'll try and check out "The Dunwich Horror" score sometime. I cant remember the movie at all though, or even whether I've seen it. Gae [Message edited by Gae on 08-10-2003]
posted 08-10-2003 05:14 PM PT (US)

James Phillips Standard Userer	One thing or two that I've discovered is to never pigeon hole a composer simply based on their background. Some of the most surprising scores come from people with a variety of backgrounds. Would you have thought of Michael Kamen doing a score like THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN after working with Black Sabbath? Or Gil Melle doing THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN after THE BLUE NOTE JAZZ SESSIONS?
posted 08-12-2003 08:34 AM PT (US)

MMM Standard Userer	It's Ronald STEIN. Not "Steiner." There's a Max Steiner, a Fred Steiner (neither related to each other). There's also a Herman Stein, no relation to Ronald Stein. I don't think there's a Herman Steiner or a Max Stein, however. All of them -- Max, Fred, Herman, Ronald, Stein, Stein, Steiner, and Steiner wrote some fabulous music that should be in everyone's film music library!
posted 08-12-2003 04:53 PM PT (US)

Wedge Standard Userer	Many months after I created this thread, I wrote an article on Stein for FSM, so yes -- I learned how to spell his name. Too bad I'd forgotten about this post ... perhaps PeterK can edit the subject header for the sake of posterity. How embarassing! [Message edited by Wedge on 08-12-2003]
posted 08-12-2003 10:21 PM PT (US)

MMM Standard Userer	Sorry, but I didn't read your article. Which issue is it in. I'd like to get a copy for Ronald's widow if she doesn't already have a copy. Hey, mistakes happen! Lighten up on yourself! The important thing is you're calling this music to the attention of those who might not know about it.
posted 08-12-2003 10:52 PM PT (US)

Wedge Standard Userer	LOL! The issue is Vol 6, No 9. Harlene -- a wonderful woman -- was the impetus for the article; most of my info came directly from her. (In fact, a large chunk of the article is devoted to her and Perma Productions.) So yeah, she already has a copy. Come to think of it, I haven't written her in a long time. Thanks for reminding me. (Great work at MMM, by the way!)
posted 08-13-2003 07:54 AM PT (US)

James Phillips Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by Wedge: LOL! The issue is Vol 6, No 9. Harlene -- a wonderful woman -- was the impetus for the article; most of my info came directly from her. (In fact, a large chunk of the article is devoted to her and Perma Productions.) So yeah, she already has a copy. Come to think of it, I haven't written her in a long time. Thanks for reminding me. (Great work at MMM, by the way!) Hey John, I love your work for FSM and even mentioned it to Tim Curran. Do you have any more great stuff in upcoming issues? Jim
posted 08-14-2003 06:25 AM PT (US)

Wedge Standard Userer	Thanks, Jim! Good to hear! I've got four reviews, I think, in the upcoming issue (the "Pirate Issue", not yet advertised on the website). There are a few other articles/projects in the works, but no set timetable. Topics I'm interested in covering range from Indiana Jones to Alien to video game music.
posted 08-14-2003 06:47 AM PT (US)

Tom Scofield Non-Standard Userer	I am thrilled that Ronald Stein's Poe scores could be released. They're great stuff. Hello Graham, long time no hear. I explained some of the reasons that I disappeared for the last three years over on the filmscoremontly board. I'm sure glad to see that you are still around. I agree with you that a double album of Les Baxter's HOUSE OF USHER/PIT AND THE PENDULUM scores would be incredible, after all, these two are really the best of the Corman/Poe scores, in my opinion. The assertion that Baxter wasn't classically trained enough and too jazzy for the PREMATURE BURIAL and HAUNTED PALACE is a lot of hogwash, Baxter had his doctorate in composition and anyone familiar with his scores knows that he had a very versatile range. It's true Baxter worked in Pop music, but so did Ronald Stein, I don't really think this has any relevance except to possibly knock Baxter. By the way, If anyone knows how to get hold of H Rocco, I would be much obliged to know how. In no way did I intend intend to knock Ronald Stein in any of my comments, he was an enormously talented individual and like Les Baxter, was an A talent trapped in B to Z movies.
posted 09-04-2003 02:43 PM PT (US)

Graham Watt Standard Userer	Tom, it's so good to have you back! Many of us had given up hope, but this is like a resurrection! Welcome back, I do hope that things are going better for you now. I read your comments over at FSM about the DE SADE score. So, another one by Les Baxter credited to another composer? I caught the first few minutes of that pink-tinged psychedelic fest on TV a few months back and thought that it sounded a bit like Baxter's main theme for THE DUNWICH HORROR, what with that 60s pop ryhthm. Then Billy Strange's name came up. And did Les Baxter really do CITY UNDER THE SEA (WAR GODS OF THE DEEP), credited to Stanley Black? Anyway, great to have you amongst us once more Tom.
posted 09-04-2003 03:23 PM PT (US)

Tom Scofield Non-Standard Userer	I'm glad to be back Graham, and it's great to hear from you. I'm physically better, but have been nearly ruined financially because of the cost of treating my back. But, at least, I am beginning to function again. Actually, it was Tim Lucas of Video Watchdog who suggested to me that Baxter did do the score to CITY BENEATH THE SEA, but I personally doubt it, as the film shares thematic material with Black's rather good score to THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS. Among the various resumes and recollections that Baxter conveyed to me over the five or so years that I corresponded with him, he mentioned a lot of films that he worked on uncredited (he sometimes orchestrated for Miklos Rozsa, i.e., QUO VADIS? before he began scoring himself) but he never mentioned CITY BENEATH THE SEA.
posted 09-15-2003 01:35 PM PT (US)

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