Lalo Schifrin is one of the most distinguished composers of the Silver Age—and still going strong today. He may have been the most influential, however, when he broke into movies and television in the 1960s—his unique synthesis of jazz, symphonic, pop and avant garde styles was invigorating. For the first time, FSM presents an extended collection of Schifrin's 1960s theatrical film scores, comprised of a quintet of M-G-M original soundtracks and related album recordings.
Rhino! (1964) was Schifrin's first Hollywood score, written for an African safari adventure starring Robert Culp, Harry Guardino and Shirley Eaton. Schifrin was recommended by MGM Records (where he was a recording artist) as being the film studio's answer for Henry Mancini on Hatari!—a tall order, but one Schifrin pulled off with a vibrant and exciting symphonic score, featuring exotic African instrumentation and several memorable themes and musical setpieces.
Once a Thief (1965), Schifrin's second feature score at M-G-M, is a corker of a jazz soundtrack for Ralph Nelson's film noir starring Alain Delon, Jack Palance and Ann-Margret. Schifrin's score, at turns dynamic and poetic, was heralded by jazz critics as one of the rare, authentic uses of the idiom in a Hollywood movie. The album includes both the original soundtrack (never before released) and Schifrin's 1965 LP for Verve Records, Once a Thief and Other Themes (also including selections from The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Joy House, and a few non-soundtrack pieces).
Disc three features what is probably Schifrin's best-known score for M-G-M, The Cincinnati Kid (1965), the Norman Jewison film starring Steve McQueen as an up-and-coming gambler in 1930s New Orleans. Schifrin wrote a bluesy score centering on a theme for harmonica, sung (with lyrics by Dorcas Cochran) over the end titles by Ray Charles. The album features both the MGM Records album (a hybrid of original soundtrack and re-recorded selections) and the complete original soundtrack as recorded for the film, including many alternates and unused cues.
Discs four and five feature two late-1960s films in which M-G-M tried to build feature careers for the stars from The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Robert Vaughn (in 1967's The Venetian Affair) and David McCallum (in 1968's Sol Madrid), by casting them (separately) in unrelated stories of international espionage. Schifrin's scores to both films are excellent: pulsating, moody Cold War intrigue for The Venetian Affair (featuring cymbalom), and diverse, often Latin-flavored pop and jazz for Sol Madrid (alongside more traditional scoring).
Disc five concludes with an assortment of bonus tracks from Schifrin's M-G-M work of the period, including themes from TV projects Medical Center, The Mask of Sheba and Earth II. The entire 5CD set, save for a few tracks, is in excellent stereo sound, remastered from the original 35mm three-track scoring masters (for the original soundtracks) or ¼'' two-track album masters (for the record albums). Liner notes are by Schifrin authority Jon Burlingame.
DISC 1:
Rhino! (1964)
Music Composed and Conducted by Lalo Schifrin
Prologue/Zululand 5:15
The Lion and the Doctor 0:49
The Hunter's Way/They'll Be Chewing Up Your Carcass/The Attack 2:07
Village Street 0:55
Baboon's Blues/Baboon's Blues Encore 2:16
Safari 3:54
Shooting at the Target/Zebra Demise/My Diagnosis 2:39
Poacher's Paradise 1:43
Julo Julie Chant/Julo Julie Chant Encore/Dance Part 1/Dance Part 2 2:58
Drunken Entrance/Drunken Exit/Now Listen, Doc/I'm Sorry But I'm Not Ready/River Bank/Next Morning/The Chase 2:24
The River/Heavy Traffic 1:53
Python/It's Clear Dear/Cruel Pool 2:40
Smart Aleck Alec/Counterattack 2:44
Juppo/Food for Thought/Fantastic Fight 4:24
The Cobra Strikes Again 1:15
Recovery/Rhino/Dance of the Rhinos/Rhino's Distrust/I Got Myself a Cow 10:26
Transporting Rhino/Epilogue 1:45
Total Disc Time: 50:50
DISC 2:
Music From the Motion Picture: Once a Thief and Other Themes—Lalo Schifrin (1965)
Arranged and Conducted by Lalo Schifrin
Blues A-Go-Go 2:53
Once a Thief (An M-G-M Motion Picture) Vocal by Irene Reid 2:10
Insinuations 3:36
The Right to Love (Reflections) Vocal by Irene Reid 3:11
The Cat (From the M-G-M Motion Picture Joy House) 2:41
The Man From Thrush (Music From The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) An M-G-M–NBC Television Series 3:03
Roulette Rhumba (Music From The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) An M-G-M–NBC Television Series 2:11
Return to Trieste (From the M-G-M Motion Picture Once a Thief) 4:09
The Joint (From the M-G-M Motion Picture Once a Thief) 4:28
Once a Thief (instrumental) (An M-G-M Motion Picture) 3:02 Total Time: 31:44
Once a Thief (1965)
Original Film Soundtrack
Music Composed and Conducted by Lalo Schifrin
Bang Blues 0:53
Square Head 1:46
Sargatanas 2:10
The Answer Is No/This Time It's Different 1:46
Another World 2:19
Before I Met You/Kris 2:45
I Am Not Your Mommy 1:58
Dark Bedroom/Unemployment 1:38
Juice Blues/Basta 1:58
The Joint 1:38
Ling Funeral Service 1:27
Stolen Vehicle/Back to Trieste/Suppose We Don't Come 3:04
You Drive/Lighted Tunnel 1:55
The Boat 0:36
The Pinned Note/Early Morning Alley 2:16
Bad News/Once a Thief 2:05 Total Time: 30:49
Total Disc Time: 62:40
DISC 3:
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
Music From the Original Soundtrack by Lalo Schifrin
The Cincinnati Kid (Vocal by Ray Charles) 2:22
So Many Times 2:03
New Orleans Procession 3:18
Shooter 3:22
The Man 2:42
The Cock Fight 1:37
The Cincinnati Kid (Instrumental Version) 3:01
Melba 4:02
Dialogue in the Rain 3:02
The Chase 1:38
All Packed 1:22
The Game 2:01
At the Farm 3:21
Total Time: 34:14
Original Film Soundtrack
Music Composed by Lalo Schifrin, Conducted by Robert Armbruster
Loser/Gambling Man 2:05
Lancey's Arrival/Christian/Deal 'Em Up 1:54
The Rest of Your Life/Double or Nothing/When You Are Back 1:09
I'm All Packed/The Man's Cane 1:29
Cockfight 1:34
Mr. Slade 1:06
Walking Away Blues/Dialogue With the Rain 1:09
Walking Down/At the Farm 1:44
So Many Times 2:26
The Most Important Thing/Melba/All Packed 2:15
New Deck, Please/A Deuce to the Man 1:28
Shooter/No Sale 2:50
My Bet/Five Thousand/Jack of Diamonds 1:33
Walking Down/You Just Ain't Ready for Me Yet 1:20
Total Time: 24:35
Bonus Tracks
Theme From The Cincinnati Kid 2:12
In Memoriam/Oh Didn't He Ramble (Bob Cole & J.R. Johnson) 5:13
Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning (Tom Delaney & Pearl Delaney, Sung by Emma Barrett) 3:17
When the Saints Go Marching In (traditional, adapted by Leo Shuken & Jack Hayes) 1:47
I'm All Packed (alternate) 1:22
Cockfight (alternate) 1:36
You Just Ain't Ready for Me Yet (version #2, pick-up #1) 0:13
You Just Ain't Ready for Me Yet (version #2, pick-up #2) 0:13
You Just Ain't Ready for Me Yet (version #2, pick-up #3) 0:15
You Just Ain't Ready for Me Yet (version #2, pick-up #4) 0:16
You Just Ain't Ready for Me Yet (version #2, pick-up #5) 0:17
You Just Ain't Ready for Me Yet (version #2, pick-up #6) 0:13
You Just Ain't Ready for Me Yet (version #2, pick-up #7) 0:16
You Just Ain't Ready for Me Yet (version #2, pick-up #8) 0:11
Total Time: 18:10
Total Disc Time: 76:59
DISC 4:
The Venetian Affair (1967)
Music Composed by Lalo Schifrin, Conducted by Robert Armbruster
Song: ''Our Venetian Affair'' Music by Lalo Schifrin, Lyrics by Hal Winn, Sung by Julius LaRosa
Venice After Dark 2:07
N.Y. at Dusk/The One to Spare 1:37
Venetian Dialogue/The Credentials 1:05
Next of Kin/The Back Door 1:34
Claire's Blues (short version) 1:51
Open Gate/The Unsolved Affair 2:13
Unconcerned/The Other Venice/Venetian Affair 3:51
Around the Corner 1:26
At the Convent/Sandra 1:48
His Name Is Goldsmith 2:08
No Fright/A New Beginning 2:01
Fenner/Wahl/Ballard 2:49
As Long as We Are Together 1:44
I Didn't Lie to You/Hypodermic Persuasion 4:08
Subliminal Horror/Narco/Venetian Chase 4:36
A Lonely Silhouette/Our Venetian Affair 1:55
Total Time: 37:31
Bonus Tracks
Claire's Blues (long version) 3:44
Lonely Silhouette (retake)/The Affair Is Over 1:19
Our Venetian Affair (long version) 1:57
Main Titles (Piazza San Marco) (cimbalom) 1:09
Total Time: 8:15
Sol Madrid (1968)
Album Program
Composed and Arranged by Lalo Schifrin
Conducted by Lalo Schifrin and Robert Armbruster
Sol Madrid (Main Theme) 2:04
Fiesta 1:38
Stacey's Bolero 2:38
The Burning Candle 2:30
Adagietto 2:59
Sol Madrid (Main Theme) 1:55
The Golden Trip 2:40
Charanga 2:26
El Patio 2:29
Villanova's Villa 2:19
Bolero #2 2:08
Villanova's Chase 2:09
Total Time: 28:22
Total Disc Time: 74:21
DISC 5:
Sol Madrid (1968)
Complete Film Soundtrack
Music Composed by Lalo Schifrin, Conducted by Lalo Schifrin and Robert Armbruster
Main Title/The Burning Candle 4:14
Frightened Stacey/Mexican Waters 1:45
Adagietto for Guitar and Orchestra 2:59
Dietrich 1:21
Cantina Rock 2:55
Villanova's Cocktail Music 0:52
Sol Madrid's Theme 1:55
Mariachi Street Music #1 1:38
Mariachi Street Music #2 2:08
Worried Stacey/Scarpi/Heroin Bag/The Pump 3:49
Headlights/Pressure/More Pressure/Ingenious 6:00
Mexican Dance Music 1:20
A Demanding Lover 1:55
Turn On, Search Out 1:59
Mexican Street Music 1:00
Charanga #1 2:22
Dangling Bloody Hand/To Get Some Air 1:10
Charanga #2 2:26
Guajiro From the Distance (short version) 2:13
Villanova's Villa/Villanova's Chase/Villanova's Fight 5:14
What Really Counts 1:09
Total Time: 51:10
Sol Madrid Bonus Tracks
El Patio (guitar) 6:51
Guajiro From the Distance (long version) 3:11
Total Time: 10:04
Lalo Schifrin at M-G-M: Bonus Tracks (1963–1971)
Theme From Medical Center 2:46
The Haunting (Inspired by the M-G-M Motion Picture The Haunting) 2:24
Venice After Dark (The Venetian Affair, single recording) 2:40
Our Venetian Affair (The Venetian Affair, single recording) 2:17
Main Title (The Mask of Sheba) 1:21
A New Hope/Earth II Theme (Earth II) 2:33
Total Time: 14:16
Total Disc Time: 75:43 |
