NEW MYSTERIOUS CD

I have been on a film-music CD company's e-mail list ever since I bought a score from them last year... they are Screen Archives Entertainment. Most of the news items (new releases) sent to me in the months since that fateful purchase I don't have much use for; as I have said before, I would much rather experience a film score with the movie it was designed to be with as opposed to listening to a bunch of music tracks as separate elements. I have also said before that there are exceptions -- Bernard Herrmann's score for the 1961 Cy Enfield directed film fantasy, Mysterious Island, is one of them.

Back in high school I bought a Bernard Herrmann LP. It was one of those terrific sounding 'Phase 4' records. The album consisted of recordings done by the composer himself in 1975, for the company London Records, of musical suites from various pictures he scored, including, Psycho, Jason and the Argonauts, The Devil and Daniel Webster, and Mysterious Island...

The suite from Mysterious Island is absolutely thrilling to listen to, particularly the 'Balloon' music. A few years ago, I bought the CD version of the album... this is odd as I have not been into doubling-up, as it were. Admittedly, I would always rather put the vinyl version on as the sonics are far superior. This is really noticeable during the cacophonous brass passages in the Balloon track.

One criticism levelled a this recording is that Herrmann, himself, slowed the tempos right down. Purists wish that the composer didn't feel he had to 'concertize' the recordings -- which is a natural inclination when one is not a slave to the visual beats: Let the music breathe and flow on its own, is the feeling here.

I, for one, will accept these moves by the genius film composer, Bernard Herrmann.

It is nice to know that Mr. Stromberg and company recorded a complete rendition of the full Herrmann classic score (as he did with the original King Kong score a few years ago), but all that this news accomplishes to do is convince me it is time to find my London Records version (LP or CD) and be thrilled again.