Soundtrack Watch: La-La Land Issues a “Challenge,” Intrada Premieres Goldsmith, Bernstein, Jarre Classics

Here’s some recent soundtrack news from the last month to keep you up to date on two of our favorite score labels: La-La Land and Intrada.

• La-La Land’s released several archival scores in the past few weeks. First there was The Challenge, a film written by John Sayles and directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Scott Glenn and Toshirō Mifune as two unlikely partners tasked to obtain a rare sword in Japan. Jerry Goldsmith provided a fine action score for the flick; first released on Prometheus Records in 2000, this release features one bonus track, the original film version of the end credits (Goldsmith requested an alternate take be used on the last release; that track closes out this CD program). The disc is available for sale, although fan requests about the initial pressing’s sound quality have prompted LLL to work on replacement discs, the details of which will be formally announced next month.
• La-La Land also released a pair of Elmer Bernstein Western scores on one CD, including The Shootist (1976), the final film of John Wayne, and a CD release of the original soundtrack LP from The Sons of Katie Elder, featuring a song by Johnny Cash. In that same batch, they also expanded James Newton Howard’s score to Grand Canyon, a 1991 drama by Lawrence Kasdan (writer/director of The Big Chill).
• And Intrada’s been busy as well: their second most-recent batch also featured Bernstein (The Carpetbaggers (1964), based on the Harold Robbins novel – featuring both original film score and re-recorded album debuting on CD) and Goldsmith (the brief but fascinating score to the political thriller Seven Days in May (1964)). Seven Days was paired with a Maurice Jarre score for Warner Bros., The Mackintosh Man (1973), a John Huston thriller starring Paul Newman.
• Intrada’s most recent batch, announced Monday, features an expanded edition of Bill Conti’s score to Five Days from Home (1979), starring The A-Team‘s George Peppard (who also directed) as an escaped prisoner. The label also prepped more Goldsmith: the premiere of the complete score to the WWII action film Von Ryan’s Express starring Frank Sinatra, as well as a remaster of the jazzy score to The Detective, another Sinatra vehicle. (Fun fact: Sinatra’s character in this film was sourced from a novel by Roderick Thorp; a sequel to that novel, Nothing Lasts Forever, featured the same protagonist taking on terrorists in a skyscraper. It was later heavily adapted as Die Hard in 1988.)

Everything described above is available now, with full track lists and artwork, after the jump.

Jerry Goldsmith, The Challenge: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (originally released as Prometheus PCR-505, 2000 – reissued/expanded La-La Land Records LLLCD 1248, 2013 – original film released 1982)

1. Main Title
2. The Wrong Sword
3. Over the Top/Fish Market
4. Half An Equal
5. Lonely Road
6. “Let’s Talk”
7. Interlude
8. “Can’t We Do It?”
9. The Pit
10. Double Cross/Bamboo Forest
11. The Traitor
12. “Stay with Me”
13. “I Will Go”
14. Surprise Visitor/Forced Entry
15. No Defense
16. “As You Wish”/End Title *
17. End Title (Alternate)

* indicates previously unreleased track

Elmer Bernstein, The Carpetbaggers: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Intrada Special Collection Vol. 233, 2013 – original film released 1964)

1. Seal/Main Title
2. A Maverick
3. The Forbidden Room
4. Separate Trails
5. Lots of Lovely Ceilings
6. Nevada’s Trouble
7. Get a Divorce
8. Movie Mogul
9. Two of a Kind
10. Sierra Source Pt. 2
11. Jennie (not used in film)
12. Rina’s Dead
13. Speak of the Devil
14. New Star
15. Bad Bargain
16. Jonas Hits Bottom
17. Finale
18. The Carpetbaggers
19. Love Theme from The Carpetbaggers
20. Speak of the Devil
21. Forbidden Room
22. The Carpetbagger Blues
23. Main Title from The Carpetbaggers
24. New Star
25. The Producer Asks for a Divorce
26. Jonas Hits Bottom
27. Finale

Tracks 1-17 previously unreleased. Tracks 18-27 released as Ava LP A/AS-45ST, 1964

Jerry Goldsmith/Maurice Jarre, Seven Days in May/The Mackintosh Man: Original Motion Picture Soundtracks (Intrada Special Collection Vol. 235, 2013 – original films released 1964/1973)

1. Main Title (Original Version)
2. Pickets
3. First Sign of Trouble
4. Prentice Spills the Beans
5. Midnight Rendezvous
6. The Meeting is Over
7. Casey is Caught
8. Secret Rendezvous
9. Escape from Ecomcon
10. Scott Defeated
11. End Title
12. Main Title (Film Version)
13. Main Title
14. Postal Thief
15. Meeting in Prison
16. Loose Talk
17. Clean Laundry
18. Drugs for Rearden
19. The Pursuit
20. Escape Route
21. Party 1
22. Party 2
23. Rendezvous with Wheeler
24. End Title
25. Loose Talk (Alternate)
26. The Mackintosh Man (Single Version) (released as Warner Bros. single 16325, 1973)

Tracks 1-11 from Seven Days in May. Tracks 12-26 from The Mackintosh Man. All tracks except Track 26 previously unreleased

Elmer Bernstein, The Shootist/The Son of Katie Elder: Original Motion Picture Soundtracks (La-La Land Records LLLCD 1254, 2013 – original films released 1976/1965)

1. Main Title (Theme from The Shootist)
2. “D”/Prognosis
3. Ride
4. Attack
5. Pain/Promise
6. Farewells
7. Sweeney
8. Shootout
9. Decision/Epilogue
10. Main Title (Theme from The Sons of Katie Elder)
11. Texas is a Woman (Instrumental)
12. The Elders Fight
13. Dangerous Journey
14. Trouble in Town
15. Return to Town
16. The Sons of Katie Elder – Johnny Cash
17. Rebuked
18. Memories of Clearwater
19. Sheriff Ambushed
20. Katie’s Bible
21. Hastings Ranch
22. Texas is a Woman (Narration by John Wayne)
23. The Sons of Katie Elder – Ernie Sheldon

Tracks 1-9 from The Shootist – previously unreleased. Tracks 10-23 from The Sons of Katie Elder – released as Columbia LP OS-2820, 1965

James Newton Howard, Grand Canyon: Expanded Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (originally released as RCA Victor CD 07863 61115-2, 1991 – expanded La-La Land Records LLLCD 1251, 2013)

1. Main Titles
2. Mack Gets Lost *
3. My Sister Lives Around Here/Those Rocks
4. Roberto Leaves for Camp *
5. The Baby
6. Don’t Work Late
7. Simon Reverie *
8. Claire Returns the Baby
9. Don’t Want Out
10. Mack Cuts Himself/911 *
11. Mack and Claire’s Dream
12. Bloodstain
13. Mack’s Flashback
14. You White?
15. Claire and Davis Talk/Jons Market *
16. Keep the Baby
17. Coming Home from Camp *
18. Dee in Brentwood
19. Dee Drives *
20. Otis Runs
21. Doesn’t Matter
22. Otis Comes Back *
23. Roberto Drives/Stage 20/Finale *
24. Grand Canyon Fanfare/End Titles
25. Simon Reverie (Alternate) *
26. Keep the Baby (Alternate) *
27. Dee Quits (Alternate) *
28. Film Thriller (Source) *

* denotes previously unreleased track

Bill Conti, Five Days from Home: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (originally released as MCA Records 2362, 1979 – expanded Intrada Special Collection Vol. 240, 2013)

1. Five Days from Home (Theme)
2. I Could with Your Love – De Etta Metoyer & Nelson Pigford
3. Come with Me Now (Love Theme)
4. Lighting Into Town *
5. Motel No. 1 *
6. Fiddle-Diddle
7. This House Has Never Known Such Love
8. Five Days from Home (Theme)
9. Come with Me Now (Love Theme)
10. The Bridge
11. Motel No. 2 *
12. This House Has Never Known Such Love – De Etta Metoyer
13. The Dump *
14. The First Tango from Texas
15. The Last Desperate Steps
16. Come with Me Now (Love Theme) – Nelson Pigford
17. Five Days from Home (End Theme) *

* denotes previously unreleased track

Jerry Goldsmith, Von Ryan’s Express/The Detective: Original Motion Picture Soundtracks (Intrada Special Collection Vol. 232, 2013 – original films released 1965/1968)

1. The Detective Main Title
2. Joe
3. The School Dance
4. A New Love
5. A Family Affair
6. Beach Scene
7. The Ball Game
8. Karen’s Story
9. Night Talk
10. The Safe Cracker
11. McIver’s Story
12. Joe’s Decision
13. Meet Von Ryan
14. Entrance to Compound *
15. Ryan Walks Forward
16. Fire Sale *
17. The Trek Begins *
18. Hiding
19. Ambushed *
20. Boxcar
21. Welcome to Rome
22. Farewell to Rome
23. A New Crew
24. The Love Birds
25. Mission Accomplished
26. The Clock Watcher
27. Dead End Part 1
28. Dead End Part 2
29. German Control Center
30. End Titles *
31. Welcome to Rome (Mono Version)
32. Funeral Sequence
33. Fire Sale (Alternate Take) *

Tracks 1-12 from The Detective – released . Tracks 13-33 from Von Ryan’s Express. Tracks on this disc previously released on Jerry Goldsmith At 20th Century-Fox box set – Varese Sarabande VCL 0204 1028-6, 2004