Glen here…
…trying something a little bit different this time around. In the next few weeks, I hope to expand Coaxial’s coverage of video stuff. The good old, tried and true television insanity will…of course…remain the principal thrust of Coaxial’s coverage. However, I hope to expand my coverage of CDs and DVDs, and am currently working on acquiring a variety of CDs and DVDs for advanced mention and review on this site.
This isn’t about me having fun getting free stuff, I really want to make these mentions informative and insightful. But as with any effort, it may take a little time before all of this starts running smoothly. So bear with me - I’m learning as I go. If anyone has any suggestions regarding how to facilitate this process, please feel free to drop me a line .
First off, a little news about some CDs that have been out there for a while, but not many people seem to have heard about them. They are 2 CD soundtracks for V. Specifically, the soundtrack to the original mini-series (a rather thorough assemblage of tracks composed and conducted by Joe Harnell) and a collection of Dennis McCarthy’s music from the subsequent V television series (McCarthy may be more recently familiar to genre fans as a composer for the various STAR TREK series of late).
McCarthy’s works have been widely heard on a variety of soundtrack releases. His work on the V series was solid, often a little more textured than he was allowed to express in his work on…say….STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. Anyone familiar with McCarthy’s efforts will recognize his unique "sound" in V, but there’s a little more oomph to his work for V: THE SERIES. In my humble opinion, of course.
Joe Harnell’s work on the original V miniseries is a hoot. Sometimes over-the-top, almost bordering on cheesy at times, Harnell’s score is so full of vigor and passion and atmosphere that it’s almost impossible not to like this music. It is in-your-face action bravado and / or melodrama all the way, resting self-assuredly between superheroic and Saturday afternoon serial. One of the more memorable science fiction scores ever to accompany a television series, Harnell’s V is highly recommended for fans of the V mythos, or those who might appreciate an under-appreciated bit of TV history.
Both scores are promotional CDs, and are available from supercollector.com (click here)!
No, I don’t know of any plans to release Barry DeVorzon’s much maligned "ka-chunk-chunk!" music for the second V mini-series, V: THE FINAL BATTLE. A lot of people hate the hell out of that theme, which sounds like an in-bred cousin of TERMINATOR and THE WARRIORS.
Me? I’d love to have a copy of it. Hope someone gets around to releasing it as well…
New from Varese Sarabande is a 20th Anniversary re-issue of John Carpenter’s score for the film HALLOWEEN.
You all know the music by now, but it’s never sounded better than this. Nicely restored under the supervision of Carpenter associate Alan Howarth (who also did sound effects for some of the STAR TREK films, among many other credits) and music guru Ford A. Thaxton (any net-wired folks posting shit about the very controversial Mr. Thaxton on the Coaxial "talkbacks" will find their posts summarily deleted. We’re *not* gonna go there…), this HALLOWEEN is full and booming and very crisp.
My one criticism of this restoration might be the inclusion of dialogue tracks from the film. At first this was a bit jarring - but one gets used to it and, ultimately, the tracks do serve to effectively convey the atmosphere permeating the film. This might piss off the many purists potentially seeking out this release, but fans of the film might find these tracks enjoyable, and evocative of what many consider to be one of the best horror films ever made.
This soundtrack restoration is a pre-cursor or companion piece to the forthcoming HALOWEEN DVD re-master. Mega sound, mega-sharp. It’s gonna rock. More on that in the coming days. For more information on the re-issued CD, CLICK HERE.
My "sponsors" over at Sonic Images (I’m told they would like to see more click-through launched off of Coaxial…so go up to the sponsorship banner at the top of this page and click and click, and buy and buy) have just released a compilation of music from film trailers.
Who cares, you ask? Well, believe it or not, many of the messages we get here at Aint It Cool News ask, "What was the music played in ______ trailer?" This 2 CD set (which also includes music from TV spots) might go a long way towards answering many of those questions. Or, at the very least, you could own copies of some of your favorite trailer music.
For example - film fans may remember Jerry Goldsmith’s propulsive and soaring music composed for the JUDGE DREDD trailer, back when he was actually scoring that film (the task ultimately went to Alan Silvestri). Goldsmith’s DREDD music was eventually cannibalized, and re-used for the magnificent montage trailer which previewed the LOST IN SPACE feature film. Goldsmith was supposed to score *that* film as well, but eventually backed-out - leaving Bruce Broughton to the task. So, there’s been this piece of music used in the trailers for two separate & major films Goldsmith was to score. And both times, it didn’t work out that way. THIS music is on the CD compilation (it has been available elsewhere, but this incarnation is quite nice).
"The John Beal Trailer Project: COMING SOON" CD compilation also includes (but is not limited to) trailer music from HEATHERS, ERASER, FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER, SUPERCOP, WHITE NIGHTS, THE MASK, MEDICINE MAN, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, BLACK RAIN, and many others. It should be available in stores now, or can be ordered by CLICKING HERE.
Finally, on a more personal note - a score that’s just plain cool. John Carpenter’s hard-driving, hard-edged, raw score for his new film VAMPIRES.
Backed by terrific musicians like guitarist Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MGs, The Blues Brothers), electronic guitarist Jeffery "Skunk" Baxter (from Steely Dan), and many other accomplished players, the score is the result of what must have been one helluva jam session.
There are certainly signature Carpenter flourishes (there’s a melody line symbolizing the Roman-Catholic church which sounds warmly reminiscent of Carpenter’s THE FOG), but the whole of it is full of strong guitar and heavy percussion. Some of the riffs are repeated a bit too often, maybe they should have been varied a little more? But with tracks like "Cruel Highway" on the CD, some of this music is likely to stay with you for a while, whether or not you like the film from which it came.
I saw VAMPIRES in a room-full of very discerning people. All of them really dug the score, commented on it quickly. And all of them were tapping their feet…
VAMPIRES was released last week by Milan. It is currently available in stores.
