For me there were several older scores from a variety of labels, but the winner for me was PUPPET ON A CHAIN. This was probably the least known film based on a book by my favorite author. Other films based on his books include: WHERE EAGLES DARE, BREAKHEART PASS, GUNS OF NAVARONE, ICE STATION ZEBRA,THE SATAN BUG and FEAR IS THE KEY.

Also a David Newman score was actually officially released!

But anyway, there's a ton of obscure stuff being released these days, by micro-labels like FSM and by bootleg labels.

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Originally posted by Crono/Kyp:
How is that Affair of the Necklace CD?

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Here are the (slightly edited) comments I left in another thread:

"First impressions? Nice, pretty little main theme. Most often employed in a Silvestrian gush-gush style, but with a few other unique performances. Quite a bit of subdued, dramatic material that interestingly sounds much more like Thomas than David. Choir comes in here and there, usually as a flavoring device, but it turns into the main attraction in a few places. And harpsichord up the wazoo.

Then it gets odd. Newman uses a solo female voice in a few places to varying degrees of success. In some spots the effect is lovely, but in others it sounds like he injected some Eastern influences into the vocals. Newman also employs some background electronic eeriness and even some drum loops in a couple of tracks that jarrs rather obtusely with the rest of the score. I haven't seen the film, but the effect this music has on the period feeling is questionable.

I did enjoy the score, but I was a little disappointed. While the theme is nice, I was hoping for something on the scale of the love theme from Newman's The Phantom. But this is much more subdued. If what I've described above sounds like some things you might be into, go for it.

On the technical side, the album runs a comfortable 40 minutes with some rather short tracks, but not so many that it's really bothering. The sound quality is good for the most part, but sometimes the choir seemed to have been mixed a little too loudly, and ends up a little distorted when it reaches its loudest point in a couple of spots. Oddly, at the end of one track you can hear heavy breathing, as well as the rustling of papers and/or chairs in the studio. These are only minor problems, but it's surprising to find them on a Bruce Botnick recording."

Those were my first impressions. After owning the CD a while, my impressions are still the same. It's a nice score, to be sure, but not worth making a priority.

I think track 3, "Bohmer," is destined to show up in trailers in the near future. It's actually my favorite cue on the CD, despite being less than a minute in length.

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Originally posted by James:
I just realized how very off-topic that was. To keep this thread's original purpose going, I will say that although I would have expected [b]Cleopatra top show up on CD, I wouldn't have expected so lavish a release. Bob Townson deserves a standing ovation, along with everyone who worked on the restoration.[/B]

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Agreed. They did a great job with Cleopatra... terrific album altogether.

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Originally posted by James:
Most often employed in a Silvestrian gush-gush style, but with a few other unique performances.

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Ummm, excuse me... 'gush-gush' is MY unique description for Silvestri thematic employment. Who said YOU could use it?

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Originally posted by Jeron:
Ummm, excuse me... 'gush-gush' is MY unique description for Silvestri thematic employment. Who said YOU could use it?

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I saw Al use it in another thread, so I figured it was public domain now.

On another note, one of my biggest surprises this year was the Prometheus release of the Black Stallion scores. I think Peter would agree.

NP The Blue Max

"Most often employed in a Silvestrian gush-gush™ style, but with a few other unique performances."