If this thread hangs around long enough just about every score by Herrmann will be mentioned as every score has a least one supporter or another. Here are some I would add to the list:The Egyptian: Join the debate on which parts were written by Herrmann and which parts were written by Alfred Newman. Or you could just enjoy one of the most celebrated works by either one. There is a lovely re-recording from Marco Polo as well as the original tracks by FSM.
Journey to the Center of the Earth: An awesome score to a fairly cheesy movie. You can clearly hear some of the inspiration that Danny Elfman had when he composed Batman. Awesome Organ Work. Original tracks available from Varese Sarabande.
Day the Earth Stood Still - THE classic alien among us film. Incredible use of Theremin to simulate the alieness and utter strangeness of the first contact with paranoid 1950’s America. Fox Classics released the original tracks. Don’t know if it is still in print or not.
Jason and the Argonauts – Already mentioned but deserves a repeat as one of the best sounding and mixed recordings of any available. One can only hope that we will see more releases from Intrada’s Excalibur line one day. Incredible depth of sound on this recording.
Snows of Kilimanjaro / 5 Fingers – A terrific re-recording by John Morgan and Company and available from Marco Polo. Very nice sound for an interesting score.
Other curiosities:
Mysterious Island - Interesting score in need of a remix from the Cloud Nine records release.
Beneath the 12 Mile Reef – An FSM release. The harp work, often a Herrmann trademark is beautiful here.
Cape Fear – There was a boot of this I believe from Soundstage that contained the original tracks, but the Elmer Bernstein re-recording for the remake sounds much better.
Bernard Herrmann at Fox Volumes 1 – 3 – contains music form Garden of Evil, Anna and the King of Siam, King of the Khyber Rifles, A Hatful of Rain, The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, Tender is the Night, Prince of Players. Original tracks and well worth tracking down Varese Sarabande.
Joy in the Morning – A very nice score for a soap movie starring Richard Chamberlin. Available from FSM.
Vertigo – Considered by some to be the quintessential Herrmann/Hitchcock collaboration. (I think I prefer the Trouble With Harry for listening and Psycho for the way it works on the screen) Two releases available: A re recording and the original tracks.
Three Worlds of Gulliver – See remarks for Mysterious Island.
Really Obscure Stuff:
Western Saga – Contains his theme for Paladin and The Virginian.
Outer Space Suite & Music From Radio – Contains the Twilight Zone Library cues as well as some library cues recorded for Radio
Music for Radio and TV – More library cues from Herrmann’s TV Work
It’s Alive 2 – Very bad movie with one of Herrmann’s last scores.
Also Mentions:
Twilight Zone 40th Anniversary Set – This four CD set of re-recordings from Silva is very nice even if the sound quality is a little uneven. It contains all the Herrmann cues as a bonus you get Jerry Goldsmith’s cues as well.
Psycho (Remake) The Gus Van Sant remake might blow chunks, but this re-recording is better then the McNeely in my opinion because it keeps its tempo closer to the original. Sonically pleasing, it is nice addition if you already have the 1960 recording (bootleg).
Whew! That’s a lot of Herrmann
