This LP series was originally released by Varese Sarabande in the US, starting with Volume One in 1983. It was also published in Europe, with identical contents and covers, by Milan.
It features a wide-ranged selection of complete original scores from Rod Serling's groundbreaking Mystery and Science Fiction TV series, produced in the late 50s and early 60s. Besides works from lesser known composers like Nathan Van Cleave and Leonard Rosenman, we get to hear music from such heavyweight maestros as Jerry Goldsmith, who was just getting his career started, and Swiss genius Bernard Herrmann, who had already developed a very strong and unique personal style, writing music for Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock, among many others.
Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling
Bound by tight deadlines and even tighter financial limitations, the Twilight Zone composers were nonetheless highly motivated to create characteristic and effective scores with a striking atmosphere of otherwordly eeriness. Utilizing small ensembles of musicians instead of big orchestras, the composers often experimented with unusual instrumentation and electroacoustic/electronic instruments like the Novachord, electronic organs and the Theremin.
Composer Jerry Goldsmith
Remarkable are the Goldsmith (as there is no dialogue in this episode, except for the end, the music is of rare intensity) and the Van Cleave, with its generous use of the Novachord and Theremin.
Liner notes included as image files. Sound quality is so-so, but listenable. It's a rather old transfer from the original records.
1 Marius Constant: Main Title Theme
2 Jerry Goldsmith: The Invaders (1961)
3 Nathan Van Cleave: Perchance To Dream (1959)
4 Bernard Herrmann: Walking Distance (1959)
5 Franz Waxman: The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine (1959)
6 Marius Constant End Title Theme
[may or may not be reposted]
Excellent. I've been looking forward to listening to these scores. The best TV show ever IMO.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, great job, H.C.
Thanks, Grey. I'll try to post one Volume per week, so keep on looking forward.
ReplyDeleteSome of these scores are not just soundtracks, but can stand on their own as musical compositions.
Volume Two is in the works, featuring some tasty Bass Harmonica and more Electronics.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zltbexjzmev
ReplyDeleteGreat, although Leonard Roseman is hardly a lesser known composer ;)
ReplyDeleteBernard Herrmann is American, I'm almost certain.
ReplyDeleteUgh3n!
ReplyDeleteRight you are. Never would it come to my mind to diminish the achievements of a Leonard Rosenman. My comparison was just considering the "normal", mere mortal listener, who probably heard or read of "Morricone", but never came across a Rosenman.
Anonymous - all right, Herrmann was/may have been American, but originally he came from Switzerland. I'm afraid I must insist ;-)
Dunno if you're interested, but I've had some wonderful stuff from your site in the past, & feel I should offer something in return.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I've got the 4CD Twilight Zone 40th Anniversary Collection sitting behind me on the shelf here, & it'd be a simple matter to mp3 it up & offer it to you, if you want? Not to decry your efforts in lovingly transferring the old vinyl LPs (which are pleasingly selected & programmed), but in a spirit of good faith.
Only snag being that I'm a caveman with a lightswitch about uploading, so any tips about where best to host would be gratefully received.
Happy memories of these vinyl editions, which are still around here somewhere. I remember Mark E Smith proudly holding up his copy of Volume 4 on the cover of Q Magazine, back in 1989 or thereabouts.
BTW, anyone interested in the TZ scores might wanna pop over to Demonoid at the moment - one uploader is methodically posting DVD soundtrack rips from the TZ box set. They're up to about 30 episodes at time of writing.
Anyhow... If you do want the TZ CD rips, just let us know here & I'll get on it.
yrs
DMcA
Oh yes, please, Davis, do it! Great. If you could rip the discs at VBR, it would be even greater.
ReplyDeleteIt would be best if you could upload the files via sharebee.com, but you'll need some patience, since every now & then an upload might fail & you have to try again.
Or just use Rapidshare. Anyway, lotsa thanks in advance.
Right then... I can try Sharebee, although in the interim I've got myself some sort of arrangement at Megaupload (would that suffice?). I shall get my computer-literate better half to explain this VBR doodah to me, & I have a day off work on Thursday. Will report back soon!
ReplyDeleteSounds great.
ReplyDeleteSince you're not familiar with VBR, just rip em at 320 kbps. Lot easier that way.
Off topic: Did someone know what happend to avaxhome?
ReplyDeleteThanx....
Re: VBR thingy. Found a VBR option on my audio converter doofer wot I upload onto my Zen with, so I'm having a tinker right now. But 320 rips are no probs & probably the way to go. Ta for the advice!
ReplyDeleteDavis,
ReplyDeleteMegaupload is okay. VBR (variable bitrate) would definitely be appreciated by the Closet of C. - but if it's 320kb, then it's 320kb. No sweat because of bitrates
;-)
Righty-ho. Sorry for the slight delay. Wasn't able to scan any artwork for youse (the result of a clumsy dad / marauding toddler interface rendering our scanner temporarily OOA), but there's some stuff up on Megaupload now for yr delectation. Could I get sharebee to accept my files? Could I buggery. Hope Mega-U is OK. All files 320, BTW.
ReplyDeleteTwilight Zone 40th Anniversary Collection (@320)
Disk 1 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0UGONTC2
Disk 2 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6SJ70CXY
Disk 3 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MTPSGPLW
Disk 4 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1ZYYLRF0
I've also upped the 1999 Varese Sarabande 2-disk Bernard Herrmann: Twilight Zone Complete Scores (recordings conducted at Abbey Road in '99 by Joel McNeely from restored scores, following his well-received 1996 recording of Herrmann's Vertigo).
Herrmann Complete Twilight Zone Scores (@320)
Disk 1 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HE6901XC
Disk 2 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8X37MN5H
If there's owt wrong with the linx or the files, feedback here & I'll make the necessary corrections. Feel free to link to the files too if you wanna share 'em around a bit. And if you have any probs with these rips from this source, they're all available on my soulseek too (username: davis_mcardle).
Ta for your pateince, & enjoy!
DMcA
...PS. I did VBRs of the TZ-40 files, too. Hope they've come out alright. Again, notes, queries & brickbats more than welcome.
ReplyDeleteTwilight Zone 40th Anniversary Collection (VBR rips)
Disks 1-4 (one folder)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=APSMM6O5
Cheers!
DMcA
Davis,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the TZ 40th Anniversary Collection. I know it's been several days since you posted them, but I was finally able to get around to dl'ing them. I'm enjoying this wonderful collection. Now I must get my hands on the Twilight Zone DVD box set.
H.C.,
Do all of the tracks from the vinyl volumes overlap with the 40th Anniversary Collection CD set?
Also, do you want to post Davis McCardle's contributions on the main page? I'm leaving this decision up to you.
To the anonymous that asked about Avaxhome,
Last I heard was that Avaxhome changed servers and they may try to get back online soon. That's all I was able to find out. Sorry, I don't have much time right now to find out more.
Davis,
ReplyDeletehere's a big "thank you" from me, too, for all the ripping and posting. I'll put the links in a separate CoC post. Just give me another few days.
Grey,
I don't know if the CD edition features all of the scores from the LPs. I still haven't downloaded all of it. Should there be any omissions, I'll post the vinyl-only tracks later.
H.C. here's the tracklisting from the CD set.
ReplyDeleteCD1:
All tracks on CD1 are by Bernard Herrmann
1. Rod Open: Season One {0:27}
2. Main Title: First Season {1:14}
3. Where is Everybody? {11:23}
4. End Title: Season One {1:08}
5. The Outer Space Suite: Prelude {3:55}
6. The Outer Space Suite: Signals {1:30}
7. The Outer Space Suite: Space Drift {3:18}
8. The Outer Space Suite: Space Stations {1:24}
9. The Outer Space Suite: Time Suspense {4:27}
10. The Outer Space Suite: Starlight {2:55}
11. The Outer Space Suite: Danger {1:29}
12. The Outer Space Suite: Moonscape {2:30}
13. The Outer Space Suite: Airlock {0:55}
14. The Outer Space Suite: Tycho {2:04}
15. The Outer Space Suite: The Earth {1:20}
16. Alternate Main Title #2 {0:30}
17. Walking Distance {12:27}
18. Alternate End Title #2 {0:45}
19. The Hitch-Hiker {7:13}
20. Alternate Main Title #3 {0:31}
21. The Lonely {11:11}
22. Alternate End Title #3 {1:08}
CD2:
1. Marius Constant - Rod Open: Season Two {0:29}
2. Marius Constant - Main Title: Second Season {0:30}
3. Jerry Goldsmith - Back There {12:52}
4. Jerry Goldsmith - The Big Tall Wish {11:55}
5. Jerry Goldsmith - The Invaders {12:53}
6. Jerry Goldsmith - Dust {11:34}
7. Jerry Goldsmith - Jazz Theme #1 {9:14}
8. Jerry Goldsmith - Jazz Theme #2 {3:14}
9. Jerry Goldsmith - Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room {8:16}
10. Marius Constant - End Title: Second Season {0:45}
CD3:
1. Marius Constant - Rod Open: Season Three {0:30}
2. Marius Constant - Main Title: Second Season {0:30}
3. Nathan Van Cleave - Perchance to Dream {9:52}
4. Nathan Van Cleave - Elegy {8:17}
5. Nathan Van Cleave - Two {12:09}
6. Nathan Van Cleave - I Sing the Body Electric {11:44}
7. Nathan Van Cleave - A World of Difference {11:50}
8. Nathan Scott - A Stop at Willoughby {12:25}
9. Rene Garriguenc - Jazz Theme #3 (Street Moods in Jazz) {4:07}
10. Marius Constant - End Title: Second Season {0:45}
CD4:
1. Marius Constant - Rod Open: Season Four/Five {0:34}
2. Marius Constant - Main Title: Alternate {0:41]
3. Fred Steiner - A Hundred Yards Over the Rim {12:16}
4. Fred Steiner - King Nine Will Not Return {11:12}
5. Fred Steiner - The Passersby {12:58}
6. Leonard Rosenman - And When the Sky Was Opened {11:57}
7. Jeff Alexander - The Trouble with Templeton {11:45}
8. Franz Waxman - The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine {10:50}
9. End Title: Alternate {0:56}
No probs. Like I said, consider it a thank you for some lovely stuff from the CoC in the past.
ReplyDeleteFYI, the 40th Anniversary set contains the material from all 5 of the vinyl issues. Herrmann's Outer Space Suite & The Hitch-Hiker, plus Goldsmith's Jazz Theme #1 were extras on the box-set
(The Outer Space Suite BTW wasn't composed for TZ exclusively, rather it was created in 1957 for the CBS Music Library, although it was used in People Are Alike All Over, amongst other TZ episodes. Go on - ask me another! :-D )
All the best
DMcA
Davis,
ReplyDeleteI forgot to point out that you did a great job in ripping and tagging the tracks. I dl'ed the 320 kbps files by the way. Cheers.