I can also happily report that this CD was well worth the wait. Packaged with colour images on heavy matte paper, this is clearly a labour of love. I saw this movie way back in 1981, in the infant days of video rentals, and it has haunted me ever since. Listening to this great score all afternoon gave me a hankering to see the movie again, so I just checked to see if it's available on DVD, and it is. Definitely one I'll be sending for.

How's the CD sound? Good. It didn't disappoint me. In clear mono (almost too clear - I was dialing down the treble on a couple of tracks), this is not one of those boneheaded, muddy bootlegs. Roger has presented the music in chronological order, interspersed with some thoughtfully chosen dialog, which normally I'd hate, but in this one case I found I didn't mind - it just reminded me why I loved this movie twenty years ago.

The movie was a genuinely surprising breath of fresh air from George Romero. It's a deeply felt tale of an idealistic man (Ed Harris) who has founded an Arthurian society of travelling bikers, who hold medieval jousts (on their bikes!) and live by a knightly code of honour. Parallels with the Camelot story inevitably ensue, with prophecy, betrayal and redemption pushing the story to its moving conclusion. Donald Rubinstein's score is a major contributor to the movie's sense of freshness. Leading off with an elegant and very "proper" knightly theme that embodies the Camelot spirit of Ed Harris's troupe, Rubinstein then weaves into his orchestra some very modern sounds - drums and electric guitar accompany restless strings in the exciting bike-joust scenes, female voices provide a haunting sense of magic and destiny, particularly in the climax of the film when a sad and lost Ed Harris rides along bleak highways towards his inevitable fate. Elsewhere Rubinstein uses sweet, high strings to underscore the more introspective moments, and it is on these tracks that the age of the recording betrays itself with some minor flutter and distortion.

Standout tracks: "Defending His Honor" (which I'd swear was Gil Melle) - pulsing low strings rise and fall urgently over semi-improvised rock drumming and guitar as one of the more serious bike-jousts plays out. "The Knights Return" is a great moment where Ed Harris's low spirits are lifted by the sight of his troupe returning to him after a major disagreement - throbbing double bass leads into a rousing version of the knight theme; female voices madly la-la-ing along raise an unexpected smile before the cue suddenly breaks down into chaotic and percussive psychedelia; finally a majestic restatement of the knight theme brings the cue to a satisfing close. "Battle For The Kingdom" utilises snare drums under the orchestra, with trumpets creating an almost Arabic feel; spooky electronics float in and out, reminding us (if memory serves) that there is an ominous predestiny to this last confrontation between Billy (Ed Harris) and his rival for the crown, Morgan (Tom Savini); a lonely trumpet ends the cue as Billy is sadly defeated, and finally harp and subtle female voices provide a feeling of resigned peace. "Passing the Crown" is a slow and heartfelt statement of the knight theme for the scene where Billy relinquishes his leadership to Morgan and then chooses to ride off into obscurity; Rubinstein aims for the audience's heart with keening high strings, and the understated simplicity of a beautiful plucked harp. "Billy's Flight" is a moving string elegy for Billy's climactic, lonesome ride, and it's here that Rubinstein uses his female voices to their greatest, most haunting effect. Excellent stuff.

Oh, and one of the dialog tracks ("Hoagie Man") is Stephen King's amusing cameo.

I'd never seriously expected a release of this score. Who on earth would bother to put out the soundtrack to a half-forgotten cult movie that has a small but devoted army of fans? Answer: one of those devoted fans. Thank you, Roger.

If you loved this score in 1981 and are wondering if this CD is worth shelling out bucks for, I can only say - emphatically - yes.
http://www.rogersbasement.com/Cds.htm

and www.levelgreen.com is the label which has the cd for sale directly.

Has anyone heard any of his other albums? Sounds pretty interesting on his site. Looking forward to the completed, and soon to be released(on CD?)score for Romero's BRUISER.