Well, its almost upon us Christmas I mean, and with each Christmas we are visited by more and more Ghosts of Soundtracks past, memories of the heady days of film scoring excellence. The sounds of Scores Present ring in our ears as we all hope that film music will continue to be an essential and important part of filmmaking in the Christmas’s still to come. No sooner than I post a new soundtrack supplement these days, I get another batch of new releases of scores that really need to be highlighted because of their quality, and superbly affecting style and sound.

So here we go again, the latest batch of scores to arrive include the beautiful and haunting score for the movie Mariposas Negras, which has an eloquent and consuming score by the multi-talented composer Diego Navarro.

This is a work that gets to ones very core, invades the subconscious and envelopes one’s heart and soul. The composer fashioning such emotive tone poems that are just irresistible. It is a score that I wish had been released earlier, because the MMI Awards are already decided, but there is always next year I suppose. The composer paints a wonderfully thematic musical picture, that encompasses many styles and employs a multitude of interesting and innovative sounds including vocals and ethnic instrumentation.

The Indian vocalising and voices are beguiling and attractive, the composer augmenting and supporting these with strings and percussive elements throughout, of course the score does have darker and more apprehensive moments, but even these contain a modicum of thematic material. It is a work that can at times be powerful and even foreboding and unsettling.

An accomplished score that I recommend you take a listen to, available on all digital platforms via Movie Score Media. 

Mufasa-The Lion King (© Disney). Is the much awaited new computer generated offering from the Disney studio. It follows Mufasa, a cub lost and alone, who meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of a group of misfits searching for their destiny and an adventure that children of all ages will love. The score to this prequel like The Lion King contains a mix of songs and symphonic compositions, lyrics are courtesy of Mr Midas Lin Manuel Miranda and Lebo M, with score music by David Metzger and Nicholas Britell, it’s a score and soundtrack I enjoyed immensely. The vocals and lyrics being punctuated and further supported by a strongly thematic symphonic score, that underlines and supports as well as evoking memories of The Lion King in which ever form you remember it best.

The driving score employs strings that are sweeping and melodious, but they also purvey an edgy and mysterious sound at times. The composers realising dark and fearsome moments alongside more melancholy and calming ones. The rhythmic and infectious beat that is heard throughout the work is the backbone of the work, adding urgency and drama to the proceedings, of course there are references to the music of Hans Zimmer, which is cleverly integrated into the soundtrack, the composers working it into the fabric of the score, giving it a familiar sound. A score to listen to and a work that includes so many catchy and cleverly scribed songs. Highly Recommended.

As is the score for another Disney production the TV mini-series Invisible, 12-year-old Capi suffers a traumatic accident causing PTSD. While a psychologist tries to uncover the reasons, Capi reveals he has invisibility powers and nightmares of monsters. A new teacher aims to make the invisible visible to help him. The series is streaming now on Disney+. Music is by Spanish born composer Fernando Velazquez, who once again steps up and provides the series with a score that has many styles and entertains on so many levels, The rich and theme filled work is I think possibly one of the Maestro’s best scores, overflowing with inventive and entertaining musical poems, that become darker and at times fearsome as the work and the story moves forward. At times I was reminded of the work of the late Jerry Goldsmith but it also possesses a hint of the John Barry sound here and there.

Velazquez creating magical and mysterious sounding pieces that enthral and entice. The beautifully crafted score is a delight to listen to and works away from the images and storyline as a mesmerizing symphonic work. I am confident many will return to this score on more than one occasion. Well worth adding to your collection.

As the year races quickly to its end, and we prepare for the new compositions of 2025, there are always a handful of scores that just pop up out of nowhere, and I do try to keep you informed of these late party arrivals. Movie Score Media end the year with a release that I for one think is outstanding, End of Summer is a TV series, which has a mesmerising score by composer Matti Bye.

I think the reason I was so attracted to the music was because it is quite minimalistic, there are no great sweeping interludes and no highly charged dramatic moments, but instead we are treated to a work that is at times mournful and sorrowful, the composer creating layers of sound and fashioning deeply affecting thematic material that gets inside the listeners head, haunting and delicate half heard melodies and slight but haunting pieces are heard throughout the work, which at times in a few of the cues did evoke memories of Chris Youngs Haunted Summer score. Its melodious, and emotive, but also purveys an underlying sense of foreboding and otherworldliness.

The composer also employing beautiful piano passages that flow and further create a sense of melancholy. It’s a balanced work that purveys perfectly darkness and light, and is another score you should listen to, available on digital platforms.

The epic finale season of The Dragon Prince: Mystery of Aaravos is streaming on Netflix now! As with the last several seasons, Season seven debuted at number one on Netflix Kids & Family and has reached the Top ten for all TV across many countries. The thundering and epic sounding score is by the talented composer Frederick Weidman, it’s a grand musical affair, with dramatic and inspiring themes, that also yield romantic adventurous sounding motifs and interludes, a relentless and exciting work that does not disappoint in any way. 

Stucky is a six part Italian TV series, Giuseppe Stucky is chief inspector at the Treviso police headquarters: he has Persian origins but is more Venetian in his ways and thinking. Stucky is a calm and introverted individual who considering his job cannot stand the sight of dead bodies, which at times can be a problem. He attempts at every opportunity to get inside the mind of suspects, helped by his assistants the policemen Guerra and Landrulli and Marina, a forensic doctor for whom he has an intense affection, which he finds difficult to put into words.  He is investigating a series of murders, in which the murderer has attempted to make look like suicides.

Stucky using all his patience and investigative powers manages to reach a conclusion and unravel the complicated web of deceit that has been concocted by the murderer unmasking the culprit. Music for the series is the work of composer Fabio Massimo Capogrosso who’s score mirrors, punctuates and fully supports the central character in his efforts to catch the murderer.

It’s a quirky, entertaining and at times tense and gripping score, with the composer using accordion, woodwind, minimal brass, inventive sounding strings, and percussive elements to great effect, underlining and enhancing each scene and adding tension, trepidation and atmosphere to the already inventive and riveting plot. The score is available on digital platforms, take a listen, I liked this a lot.

La Palma is a new drama which is streaming on Netflix as a mini-series. It focuses upon a Norwegian family that checks into a hotel in La Palma. But when a young researcher discovers alarming signs from the volcano located in the centre of the holiday paradise, the mood quickly turns chaotic when it is feared that a volcanic eruption will trigger the world’s largest tsunami. An exciting and entertaining yarn, that is scored by composer Johannes Ringen (Troll, Artic Convoy), the composer provides the drama with a score that elevates the action being acted out on the screen to greater heights and makes it even more exciting.

The soundtrack is realised via a mix of conventional and electronic elements, with the synthetic components outweighing the symphonic, the music successfully enhances and adds levels of chaos and urgency to the plot and has moments of melody that are beautifully done as in the cue The Pool. Well worth a listen, it’s on digital platforms.

Sugarcane is a film that focuses upon an investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school that sparks a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.  The atmospheric and unusual score is the work of Mali Obomsawin, I say unusual mostly because of the instrumentation of the score, the composer employing sparse sounding strings, with Guitar, Bass, Cello, and woods to create a downbeat but at the same time powerfully effective soundtrack. There are also moments where synth voices are used which is I admit effective. I will say it’s probably not a score that will appeal to everyone, no grandiose over the top themes here, but a sound and style that lurks in the background, but still enhances and adds dimension and depth to the narrative. Take a listen it’s on digital platforms.

A Mistake is set amid a new scheme to publicly report surgeons’ performance, a gifted surgeon’s life is thrown into disarray as her colleagues begin to close ranks, and even her partner who is a nurse at the hospital turns her back on her. This is a 2024 movie with a powerful storyline, scored by Frank Ilfman, who is a composer I love to listen to. He always produces scores that work so well for the movie or whatever project they are for. A Mistake is no exception and contains a plethora of themes and compositions. The composers use of solo piano is heartwarming and effective, with underlying strings supporting and solo violin drifting in and out, it is stunning. Another score that arrived too late to be considered for an MMI recognition Award, but one that I think will be added to favourites lists for the coming year. It’s on digital platforms. So that I think is it for now, I think it’s been a good year for film music, as in new scores, but that’s just my opinion. Let’s hope we will all be hearing fresh and vibrant scores in 2025, but sometimes I do think to myself.

The BBC have been airing the series Asia on Sunday evenings in the UK and I have found it interesting and highly informative, the music has elevated and enhanced the series to new levels, making it a more enjoyable viewing and listening experience, the atmospheric and beautifully written soundtrack is by Jacob Shea and Laurentia Editha, and is filled to overflowing with exquisite and emotional sounding themes, a grand and melodic work that has to it a plethora of emotions and an abundance of colours and textures that delight and attract. The music sweeping and at times intimate musical score works so well for the film and entertains away from the images working as just music to listen to, this is one you should own, available now on digital platforms.

What’s Wrong with Film Music of Today?

That’s a fair question, I think. Film music today is probably not as good as film music from the Golden and Silver age of movie scores but saying that, there are as always in everything exceptions, and thankfully I have over the past decade managed to find these. What could be wrong with film music today actually might not have anything to do with the Music. It might have something to do with the attitudes of collectors, agents, some composers and dare I say it?  Yes I will, Critics.  But before we go any further, I want to stress that any comments here are not aimed at anyone in particular, they are just observations, opinions and it’s up to you if you agree or disagree, after all it’s a free country, sort of. Some collectors of a certain age seem to refuse to accept that the music being created today is not as good as the scores of yesteryear, and I would like a pound for every time I have heard a collector say, “Well its good, but its not Jerry Goldsmith, John Barry, John Williams is it”?  Umm hello!!!! no it’s not, maybe because it isn’t any of the composers that they mention, but instead by a new up and coming composer starting out or one that is steadily making their way to the A list. What they seem to forget is that when the likes of Korngold, Steiner, and Newman were around, maybe collectors who loved their scores were saying exactly the same about Goldsmith, Barry and Williams. I grew up on composers such as these, and others like Jarre, Bernstein and Schifrin, but when I hear a new score do I lament that its not any of them? No I don’t, what I do is enjoy the music and yes if it references composers from bygone days that for me is a bonus. Why berate a composer because he or she is new and young, take off your blinkers people and savour the wares and immerse yourself in film music from today, appreciate and enjoy. I applaud labels such as Movie Score Media, Plaza Mayor, Howlin Wolf, and Kronos, who release scores that maybe would not see the light of day ordinarily. But I also appreciate labels such as Lala Land, Intrada and Varese who all release wonderful scores. Then there is Quartet, Beat, and Music Box who do a grand job of issuing scores from lesser known Italian, Spanish and French movies.  There is room for all composers and all styles in the soundtrack market, and your name does not have to be Hans Zimmer to warrant a good review, the more diverse the scores are the better for me.  Then we have the critics or some critics that hide away all year don’t review a thing, but suddenly when the awards are being handed out wax lyrical about certain soundtracks that they adored. So why did you not tell us that when the score was released back in March or earlier? Being a critic is not just for awards season, its for the entire year. In fact, I would rather review and comment consistently than making a flurry of statements at a certain time of the year.  Awards are overrated don’t you think, (well unless I am in the running for an Oscar this year that is). After all, if a composer writes a score that elevates, underlines, punctuates and brings something fresh and vibrant to a project they are just doing their job, and no Award is necessary, is it?  And that is the attitude of many film music Maestros that I have spoken to, they write to serve the film not to get a hit song or a golden statue, although it’s nice to get both to be fair.  You know thinking about it, it’s the same for critics, we don’t write to get recognition, we write mainly because we love film music and love also to spread the word about it. But there is a kind of pecking order within the critic’s arena or at least I think so. by this I mean if you are relatively new or do not get that much exposure then sometimes your work is shall we say   overlooked.   It happens a lot, a lesser known critic who probably like most of us has a day job and writes in their spare time, pens a review of anew score that they have discovered or been sent, posts review and yes gets a few hits and are very grateful for that. Then a month later a better known critic that writes reams of poetic words and analyses the score down to the smallest details, post a review. Who gets the credit, well its not the lesser known guy is it. The thing is, the better known critic has at some point seen the other review and chose to ignore it, but weeks later finds the score and decides to review it, after which they get all the applause. A simple case of one having more exposure, of course I am not saying anyone has copied anyone here, god forbid, that ever happens…..or does it? Surely not, but there was that time when!!!  No sorry I can’t tell you that its confidential. Here at MMI I like to promote as many new composers as I can, and I refuse to listen to the collectors who are stuck in a time zone listening to many composers who are no longer with us often heckling the new blood in film music like the two old guys in the muppets. Please do listen to the classics, the Goldsmith’s and the Barry’s the Jarre’s and the Morricone’s, the Bernstein’s and the Mancini’s if it were not for them then film music would not have evolved the way it did. But also take time to listen to contemporary composers, the young guys and girls, who are themselves having a hand in the development of film music and keeping the art form alive. Also don’t put certain composers on pedestals, like so many younger collectors do, they laud certain composers but don’t have the knowledge of film music from the past to make viable comparisons. And you know the composers they are bigging up, probably are thinking “Oh Please”. The way in which a score is written, composed, hummed or fed into a box of tricks and turned out the other end as we all know is totally different to how it was done back in the days of Korngold, but its still music, it still supports, it creates atmospheres, it fashions moods and adds to the films depth and emotion. Without music where would James Bond be, how would Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones function? How would the cast of Fast and Furious 307 cope?  And like wise where would films and TV series such as Game of Thrones, etc be. As music was needed back in the days of the flickering image in a theatre being accompanied on piano from the footlights, film today needs music no matter how its written or produced. So, give the new guys a chance, you never know you might end up liking it. Like I said at the beginning this is not aimed at anyone its just my observation, and the observations of others, who understandably do not want to say anything. As we come to the end of another year, I wonder what we can expect in 2025, the world is in turmoil, but the film music bandwagon carries on, let’s hope it will be another good year for the world of film scores, and I hope to be around to listen, but things don’t always go to plan do they, and we cannot take things for granted. Signing off, happy new year…………..Happy listening………………….

This time of year, is normally quite a sparse one in the way of new soundtrack releases, as record companies scramble to get the festive tunes out. So, let’s open soundtrack supplement with the release a score that has been much anticipated, Christopher Young’s Nosferatu-A Symphony of Horror.

Our fascination with the Vampire, the undead and the creatures of the night that leave their resting place in the hours of darkness to feast on human blood, has endured for many years. And to feed this obsession with the vampiric horde filmmakers have committed many a tale to celluloid in the hope of quenching our thirst for the horrors connected with these malignant creatures that haunt our dreams, turning them to nightmares and ensuring that they stay firmly lodged in our subconscious so that they may rise at any moment to excite, scare or unnerve. 

In February 2023, the 1922 silent movie classic Nosferatu- eine Symphonie des Grauens directed by F.W Murnau was screened in Zurich with a new ninety-minute score by composer Christopher Young. Young is already associated with several scores for the horror genre, Hellraiser, Drag me To Hell, Sinister, and many others. The recording of this stunning and unsettling new score was made with Frank Strobel, conductor, Saya Hashino, organ and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, and was at last released digitally and physically on November 29th. In my own opinion this must be the best Christopher Young score ever, and that is a statement I do not make lightly as the composer has written some of the most outstanding music for film over the years.

Nosferatu-Symphony of Horrors is a thundering and dramatic score, which very rarely relents throughout its duration from creating foreboding and fearsome atmospheres and fashioning moods that are thick with foreboding and apprehension. The composer wonderfully underlines and enhances the narrative that is unfolding up on the screen, with his imposing and affecting musical masterpiece. This entertaining, driving and haunting symphonic work is an exercise in how to score a movie, the composer bringing to fruition tantalising and vibrant musical passages that become integral and vitally important to the storyline. Young’s impressive score making the action more impactive and purveying a sense of dread and mystery throughout.

As well as the score working within the movie, I found it also entertained on another level, conjuring up images in one’s mind of horror and mayhem away from the movie. Christopher Young has crafted a score that is not only inventive and innovative but has gifted us a soundtrack that transcends the perimeters of the film, the composer handing everyone a work that I would image will very quickly become a firm favourite amongst film music collectors.

Highly recommended.  The score is available on compact disc and on all digital platforms.

From the dark and shadowy world of horror, let’s move to something a little lighter, and maybe festive as its now the run up to Christmas.   Disneys (c) Moana 2 is released on digital platforms and its not often that a sequel to a successful movie contains a score or in this case score and songs that are as good as its predecessor, Moana 2 is a great listen, with catchy and cleverly written songs that are supported by an effective and affecting score. I enjoyed sitting and just listening to this, it has all the appeal of the Disney classics and has to it a contemporary style that will be popular to the listeners of today, which is a rare thing.

I do not profess to be a Moana expert, but this is a soundtrack I recommend that you dive into, Yes, I know it’s an animated film and it’s a musical, so what its great, live dangerously take a listen I know you will enjoy it, recommended.

As you will Wicked, already a popular musical the big screen version is doing great guns at the box office, and John Powell has written a gloriously infectious and haunting soundtrack that punctuates and underlines perfectly, just one track is available at the moment on digital platforms, but it won’t be long before you can savour the entire score.

There is one track released thus far on digital platforms from Star Wars:Skeleton Crew which is by Mike Giacchino. The movie tells the story of four kids make a mysterious discovery on their home planet that leads them to get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. The music I thought was interesting, and thematic, with a soaring trumpet solo featuring in this cue which is entitled The Kid’s Suite.

Streaming on Paramount+ now is Jack Blacks latest movie, Dear Santa, no Jack Black does not play Santa well not quite. When a young boy mails his Christmas wish list to Santa with one crucial spelling error, a devilish Jack Black arrives to wreak havoc on the holidays. This is hilarious stuff, and Jack Black is just perfect for the role.

Music is by Rupert Gregson Williams, who provided the storyline with a score that is angelic, Christmassy, melancholy, mischievous and at times naughty rather than nice.

Throughout there are snippets of traditional Christmas numbers incorporated into the score, which add that all important ingredient of Christmas cheer, the composer adding touches of lilting strings and romantic sounds that warm and delight. Worth a listen.

And whilst there why not immerse yourself in some heartwarming tales where animals embark on enchanting journeys, from France to Japan via the Far North and its northern lights, to spread joy and generosity where the magic of Christmas knows no bounds. That’s the story of Animal Tales of Christmas Magic, which is a delightful movie, that contains a suitably festive score by composer Pablo Pico.

It’s a work that encompasses many styles and includes a nice little song which opens the recording. To be honest its an easy going musical affair, there’s nothing complex or hard to listen to hear, in many ways it reminded me of easy listening music, the composer providing the animated feature with leisurely sounds and easy on the ear interludes throughout, which are jazz influenced at times. There are a handful of cues that contain the magic and sparkle that we associate with yuletide, and overall, it’s a good mix and an enjoyable hour plus of music. Its on digital platforms now, via Movie Score Media.  

The Swedish soundtrack label has also released the score from Reagan. The film is a drama based on the life of Ronald Reagan, from his childhood to his time as President of the United States. Music is by John Coda, who has penned a score that mixes symphonic with synthetic, balancing each of the mediums wonderfully to create an impressive soundtrack.

This is one I urge you to check out, the score which is built around four central themes is richly thematic and affecting, it’s out now on digital platforms and will be available from MSM’s CD on demand.

On Netflix now is the Lynsay Lohan rom-com set at Christmas Our Little Secret, ok Rom-coms are not everyone’s cup of mulled wine, but its not that bad, or am I just getting easier going as I get older?

Music for this helping of tears, laughs, and romance with a Christmas twist is by Emily Bear, and honestly I enjoyed it a lot, its not over complicated or complex, just good old thematic stuff that works with the images and is entertaining to listen to as just music, at times the sounds and style did evoke James Horner and John Debney so that a plus what more could you ask for. Its on digital platforms.

After a hazing incident at their elite college, stepsiblings Caroline and Lucien set about to preserve their power and reputation by seducing the daughter of the Vice President of the United States.

That’s the plot for Cruel Intentions which is streaming on Amazon Prime as I write. The atmospheric and haunting score I the work of composer Jeff Cardoni, and for me it is one of the outstanding releases this time around, it’s a score that you listen to and then want to listen to again and again, I found it highly addictive and a score that I highly recommend.

Mindlock: The Apartment is a video game. The apartment turns into a chaotic labyrinth and some inexplicable phenomena shake Colin’s worldview. A cryptic message written on the bathroom mirror, a mysterious puppet in his bedroom, and some emotional challenges terrify Colin. New visitors constantly appear, making Colin question his past, present and future. Will Colin discover a new meaning to his life? Or was it all just a bizarre dream? I suppose you have to play the game to find out.

The score is by Chris Kohler, and I liked it, it’s a dark sounding work, the composer putting to effective use solo voice in places. That creates an air of the otherworldly, although there are lighter moments along the way. More and more music for games is becoming a staple of the soundtrack collector, and this one is a prime example of music for games becoming affecting and enjoyable.  I am certain many will like the score.  Its on digital platforms now.

As is the gracious and ingratiating score from the documentary Maestra. The film follows Five incredible women from around the world who are boldly breaking glass ceilings in the male-dominated world of orchestral conducting take centre stage in Maestra, filmmaker Maggie Contreras’ directorial debut. These women gathered in Paris for ‘La Maestra’, the only competition in the world for female conductors, to show the world the singular talent that unites them and which, for far too long, has been considered the pursuit of only men. Mothers, daughters, rebels, leaders — over four days, each took to the stage to compete: a mother of young twins from Athens, determined to show her kids anything is possible; a Ukrainian doing all she can to focus on her art and the competition in front of her while Russia invades; a Polish student just starting out; a newlywed American grappling with the decision to start a family; and a French immigrant returning to the city that closed its doors to her many years ago.

Personal stories of survival, passion and perseverance are woven together with the drama and excitement of this one-of-a-kind event. The struggles and triumphs of the gifted artists in Maestra offer a microcosm for the challenges faced by women in every industry and in every walk of life today, while also providing valuable insights into how we may conduct ourselves as we create a new movement for a more equitable future.

Music for the film is by Anne Chmelewsky, who has written an inspiring and wonderfully thematic score. It’s a beautifully crafted and elegant sounding work, that underlines the trails, tribulations, fears and triumphs of the five women that the film focuses upon. I recommend the score without reservation and tell you that you must watch the film which is on Netflix now.

Les Reines Du Drame Aka Queens of Drama, is a 2024 romantic musical comedy. Pop diva Mimi Madamour’s career peaks in 2005 before spiralling downwards due to her tumultuous love affair with punk icon Billie Kohler, their passionate and rage-fuelled relationship playing out on stage for half a century. The score is a mix of songs and instrumental cues, the music being the work of composer Pierre Desprats, the score is very good, the composer creating light and dark melodies alongside dramatic, romantic and apprehensive compositions. The songs too are good, sung in French, but one finds oneself letting the recording play as both the music and the vocals compliment one another and go to make up an enjoyable listen.

Set In eastern France, two teenage cousins have the summer of their lives when they paddle a purloined canoe to the far shore of a lake. That’s the outline for the movie : Leurs enfants après eux or And their Children After them. Directed by Ludovic Boukherma and Zoran Boukhermathis coming of age drama is scored by composer Amaury Chabauty, and what a beautiful score it is, the soundtrack contains some truly heartfelt themes and also its fair share od dramatic material.

A fusion of symphonic and electronic the composer delivers emotive and affecting tone poems throughout the work, the soundtrack also contains a handful of vocal performances. Worth a listen and its available on the likes of Spotify.  

To mark the 5oth Anniversary of the ninth James Bond saga The Man with The Golden Gun, La La Land records has released a remastered and expanded 2-CD of composer John Barry’s original motion picture score.  Produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, the 1974 film stars Roger Moore as agent 007 with Christopher Lee as Francisco Scaramanga, directed by Bond film veteran Guy Hamilton.

Roger Moore as still hot after his debut in Live and Let Die, a film that would also mark the return of Oscar winning composer John Barry to the franchise, providing his first score for Moore’s 007. The composer accompanies the globe-trotting adventure with yet another accomplished work – with familiar and new 007 motifs, that he blends flawlessly. The score is a mix of many styles as we all know, with Barry’s enticing fusion of orchestra, rock, and jazz, underlining and punctuating the on screen antics of the agent that is licensed to kill and thrill. Don Black provides catchy and bombastic lyrics for the title song, that is performed by iconic artist Lulu. Expanded beyond previous soundtrack editions and with highly enhanced audio quality, The Man with The Golden Gun is a must have purchase.

The label has also released an expanded edition 2-CD set of the score from the 1979 Bond movie Moonraker, which was Roger Moore’s fourth outing as 007. Composer John Barry stepped back into musical duties on the film and provided it with a more romantic sounding score. Singer Shirley Bassey performed the title song which had lyrics by Hal David.

Staying with John Barry but this time on Intrada records, the label has released the composers Oscar-winning music to the 1985 Universal Pictures film Out of Africa on a 2-CD set. This is also one of the last albums produced by Doug Fake, to whom this release is dedicated. The lengthy film is sparsely scored, especially considering the expansive nature of the film and beautiful scenery.

The thirty seven-minute score is just even more powerful when it does appear, including the spectacular “Flight Over Africa” sequence. Included in this release are themes and ideas not on the original MCA album released at the time of the film. A must have for all Barry fans.  

Dimitri Tiomkin’s score for The Old Man and the Sea, has also been released, the re-recording is available from Intrada now.

Directed by Don Coscarelli, the horror film Phantasm has become a genre classic due to its surreal and unconventional storytelling. Filming on weekends over the span of a year, and working with a budget of only $300,000, Coscarelli and his crew created a bizarre, gore filled original horror film. Some of the most famous aspects of the film, like the floating silver orb, come directly from Coscarelli’s dreams, which give the film an even more ethereal feel. As does the inventive musical score by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave. In celebration of the iconic Horror film’s 45th Anniversary, Waxwork Records has released a special triple LP package that features the complete score sourced from the original 1979 master tapes for the first time in any format, a full LP of never released cues from the Phantasm score recordings sessions, and the newly re-mastered original 1979 score album.

Available now click here for details: Phantasm – Waxwork Records

There have been a few vintage Italian scores released on to digital platforms recently, Nightmares Come at Night, by Bruno Nicolai being one of them. The movie, which is set in Zagreb, see’s stripper Anna de Istria working in a sleazy cabaret.

She is seduced by the blonde Cynthia Robins who invites her to move to her house. Ana is disturbed by nightmares, where she kills a man with a spear, and Cynthia calls Dr. Paul Lucas to treat Ana. As a mysterious couple that live in the house next door spy on the comings and goings in Cynthia’s house. Bruno Nicolai’s score is atmospheric to say the least, but I don’t think its one of his better soundtracks, often sounding like Morricone but less developed and refined, the music is disjointed and at times descends into a chaotic mele. Still at least its now available on digital platforms. And that’s it for now see you next time….