The Naked Spur: Classic Western Scores From M-G-M (1950-1956)

Limited Edition of 1,500 Copies.
Composed by: Bronislau Kaper, Daniele Amfitheatrof, Jeff Alexander

FSM’s sequel album to The Unforgiven: Classic Western Scores From United Artists (now out of print!) is another “budget” box set, this time drawn from the M-G-M film library. The Naked Spur: Classic Western Scores From M-G-M features five westerns from 1950-1956: two by Bronislau Kaper, two by Daniele Amfitheatrof and one by Jeff Alexander.

With this album we are introducing a new innovation in soundtrack presentation: online liner notes. Visit www.filmscoremonthly.com/notes for complete annotations on the films and scores (with track-by-track breakdowns) as would normally be presented in our booklets.

These online notes are free to anyone! (Note: We are NOT going to do online notes for every CD. They will be used a few times a year on “budget” presentations to keep costs down—and pass the savings on to the collector.)

The scores presented on the 3CD set are:

The Naked Spur: The best of the James Stewart-Anthony Mann westerns starred Stewart as a bounty hunter relentlessly tracking an outlaw. Bronislau Kaper’s score is akin to “western noir” in its dark, obsessive strains.

The Wild North: This “Northern” (a variation on a western) starred Stewart Granger as a French-Canadian fur trapper hunted by a mountie played by Wendell Corey, with Kaper’s score combining “big sky” sweep and suspenseful strains.

The Last Hunt: Stewart Granger and Robert Taylor played buffalo hunters in this film directed by Richard Brooks taking a sympathetic look at Native Americans. The excellent score by Daniele Amfitheatrof (a composer virtually unrepresented on CD) features dramatic music for the film’s violent conflicts as well as melodic and spiritual material for the Indian culture.

Devil’s Doorway: In another Anthony Mann western, Robert Taylor played a Shoshone Indian trying to keep his people from being thrown off their land. Amfitheatrof’s music again shines in its poetic and beautiful evocation of the Native American culture.

Escape From Fort Bravo: William Holden, Eleanor Parker and John Forsythe starred in this Civil War adventure film about the escape of Confederate prisoners from a Union stockade. The exciting adventure score by Jeff Alexander features two songs: a lovely ballad, “Soothe My Lonely Heart” (music and lyrics by Alexander, sung by Bill Lee) and “Yellow Stripes” (a calvary march by Stan Jones).

Again, for complete liner notes, visit www.filmscoremonthly.com/notes.

The scores on this CD come in a combination of complete, clean mono (The Naked Spur), complete mono including some use of acetates (The Wild North), complete stereo (The Last Hunt), incomplete mono (Devil’s Doorway), and largely complete stereo with some damaged sections (Escape From Fort Bravo). The album comes with a 12-page booklet with introductory liner notes (unique to the booklet) by Lukas Kendall and art direction by Joe Sikoryak.

FSM’s first westerns collection (the aforementioned Unforgiven) sold out in a matter of months. Don’t let this one get by you! Round it up today.

So Peter, will you be getting this for the MovieMusic store?

James

Tracklist:

DISC ONE:

The Naked Spur

Music Composed by Bronislau Kaper, Conducted by Hans Sommer

Main Title 1:27
Fugitive 1:11
Avalanche 1:12
Captured 4:13
Fight 1:00
Wanted for Murder/Horse Decision 2:48
Campfire/Foothill Trail 1:44
Indians/Prelude to Massacre 4:22
Aftermath 1:57
Delirium/Relaxation/Lina’s Loyalty 2:58
Loose Cinch/Thunder 5:21
Cave-In/Cave-In Continued 5:35
Prelude to Kemp vs. Roy/Ben Unshackled 2:40
Lina vs. Ben 0:43
Here They Come/Stand Together Boys 0:50
Finale 2:28

Total Time: 41:00

The Wild North

Music Composed by Bronislau Kaper, Conducted by Charles Wolcott

Main Title 1:34
Northern Lights (Charles Wolcott, Sung by Ruth Martin) 1:27
Brody 4:04
Pedley 0:54
Brody 1:46
Father/Father’s Death 2:12
Stop It 2:09
Sometimes 1:25
Ruger 1:24
You Are Lost 2:02
I Am Lost 1:41
Not a Chance 3:22
Read It/There It Is 5:40
Rapids 0:55
End Title and Cast 0:41

Total Time: 31:47

Bonus Tracks

Northern Lights (pre-recording) (Wolcott, Sung by Cyd Charisse) 1:16
Rapids (original version) 0:57

Total Time: 2:15

Total Disc Time: 75:16

DISC TWO:

The Last Hunt

Music Composed and Conducted by Daniele Amfitheatrof

Main Title 2:17
A Place of My Own 2:13
Let Her Go/A Wet Ending 2:50
It’s a Bit Windy Yet/Sorry, No Buffalo Today/Shame of It/Just Keep at It/I’m Going to Get Them Mules 3:51
Are You the Mother 1:39
That Was Your Ma 1:31
Fast With a Gun/White One 2:15
Now You’ll Kill Our Religion/Big Medicine/Just Pure Pleasure, Boy 4:31
Well, I’ll Be Damned/Heartbeat Effect/Charlie Gets the Hat 4:58
No Heart for Slaughter/Where’d They Go 2:54
Starving Reservation/I Go With You 2:32
Pretty Lookin’ Too/I’m Waiting 2:26
It’s Time We Gave Them Something 2:03
Frozen to Death and End Title/End Cast 1:44

Total Time: 38:07

Devil’s Doorway

Music Composed and Conducted by Daniele Amfitheatrof

Looking for Green Pastures 1:04
Meeting 2:11
The First Client/Running Into Indians 2:51
Talons of an Eagle/Shining Spear 2:55
There’s Still Hope/Making Camp 2:02
Time to Compromise 1:09
McDougall Shot 1:27
I’m So Sorry/Dynamite Attack, Part 1 5:12
Indians vs. Sheepmen 2:46
Sheriff’s Dead/Wire 2:23
Coolan Attacks/Second Attack 5:48
Good Luck/It’s Hopeless 2:39
Memories/Last Walk 5:01
Indian Lament (Andre Previn) 3:17

Total Time: 41:10

Total Disc Time: 79:23

DISC THREE

Escape From Fort Bravo

Music Composed and Conducted by Jeff Alexander

Song: “Yellow Stripes” by Stan Jones.

Song: “Sooth My Lonely Heart” by Jeff Alexander.

Main Title and Foreword 2:59
Marsh and Bailey 1:05
Roper’s Lopers/Ants in Their Pants 2:52
Sweet Sioux 1:37
Troop Droops/Stagecoach 1:44
Roper and Carla/To the Fort 1:28
Soothe My Lonely Heart (Sung by Bill Lee) 3:28
Off to Watson’s/White Cliffs of Roper 3:41
Search Begins/Is This Trip Necessary 1:10
Mescalero Chase 3:10
Dawn and Decision 2:22
Roper Shot/Troopers Arrive/End Title/End Cast 3:14

Total Time: 28:07

Alternate Score

Main Title (original version) 1:42
Roper’s Lopers (vocal version) 1:15
Roper’s Lopers/Ants in Their Pants (original versions) 3:01
Homeward Bound/Mescaleros 0:57
Troop Droops (original version)/Stagecoach 1:59
Search Begins (original version) 0:54
Indians Sighted/Mescalero Chase (original version) 4:26
Dawn/Decision 2:32
Roper Shot/Troopers Arrive/End Title/End Cast (original versions) 4:39

Total Time: 21:39

Source Music

Soothe My Lonely Heart (Sung by Bill Lee) 4:26
Shenandoah (Sung by Bill Lee) 2:32
Battle of Chanc’llerville/Rebels’ Rant (Sung by Jeff Alexander) 4:39

Total Time: 6:17

The Last Hunt

Music Composed and Conducted by Daniele Amfitheatrof

Alternate Score

Main Title (original version with alternate ending) 3:24
That Was Your Ma (original version) 1:48
Well I’ll Be Damned/Charlie Gets the Hat (original versions) 1:01
Where’d They Go (original version) 2:04
I Gotta Kill Sandy 1:31

Total Time: 12:04

Source Music

Lorena (Sung by Bill Lee) 5:27
Buffalo Skinners (Sung by Bill Lee) 2:18
He Lies Over There/I Fear Not/Song to Secure Buffalo in Time of Famine (Sung by Bill Lee) 1:51
Total Time: 9:40

Total Disc Time: 79:11

I know the labels have to hype this stuff, but this isn't the first soundtrack release to come with online liner notes. But if we're only talking about FSM releases, then sure... no argument. But I think props for Doug and the LOTR annotated score downloads were the true innovators of this, or at least have done it the best so far. But anyway...

mwruger(at)swbell(dot)net