The Goldsmith Odyssey

Our chefs are hard at work in the kitchen, experimenting with various aural seasonings and editing techniques as they prepare to serve our next regular episode. In the meantime, however, please enjoy this delicious apertif: a brief, entertaining interview with film score reconstructionist (and friend of the show) Leigh Phillips, who fills us in on the status of a potential Thriller: Volume 3 Kickstarter, reveals which Thriller scores would likely be included on that album, talks about his work reconstructing Jerry Goldsmith's score for Damnation Alley, reveals his favorite recent Goldsmith album releases, and more! Plus, be sure to stay tuned for that regular episode, in which Leigh will give us his expert analysis of Goldsmith's score for the Thriller installment Mr. George. Enjoy!

• 00:00 - Thriller - "Mr. George" - The Garden (Goldsmith)
• 02:19 - Thriller - "Pigeons from Hell" (Morton)
• 04:44 - Thriller - "What Beckoning Ghost" - Waking Up (Goldsmith)
• 05:38 - Thriller - "The Dark Legacy" - Book, Dog & Fireplace (Goldsmith)
• 06:16 - Thriller - "Guillotine" - Guillotine Test (Goldsmith)
• 06:36 - Thriller - "The Cheaters" - Miriam's Excursion (Goldsmith)
• 07:26 - Thriller - "The Storm" (Morton)
• 07:57 - Thriller - "The Devil’s Ticket" (Morton)
• 16:34 - Damnation Alley - Refueling Stop (Film Audio) (Goldsmith)
• 18:31 - Damnation Alley - Refueling Stop (Intrada Album) (Goldsmith)
• 23:36 - The Salamander - Car Bomb (Goldsmith)
• 23:48 - Thriller - The Grim Reaper - Prologue (Goldsmith)
• 26:08 - Damnation Alley - The Desert (Film Audio) (Goldsmith)
• 27:20 - Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Synth for Main Theme (Goldsmith)
• 28:18 - Damnation Alley - The Desert ARP OD (Stem) (Goldsmith)
• 29:02 - Damnation Alley - The Desert (Recording Session) (Goldsmith)
• 29:29 - Damnation Alley - The Desert ARP OD (Mix) (Goldsmith)
• 30:15 - Damnation Alley - The Desert (Intrada Album) (Goldsmith)
• 31:35 - Tron Legacy - The Son of Flynn (Daft Punk)
• 32:31 - Air Force One - Firing on Air Force One (McNeely)
• 36:00 - US Marshals - Funeral Ambush (Goldsmith)
• 39:04 - Damnation Alley - Valley of Death (Intrada Album) (Goldsmith)

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

A substantial Goldsmith expansion receives the Soundtrack Spotlight treatment! This time, your humble hosts David and Clark sit down on their tuffet for a conversation with legendary recording engineer and album producer Bruce Botnick, who produced Varese Sarabande's new complete presentation of Jerry Goldsmith's score for the 2001 thriller Along Came a Spider. Over the course of this chat, Bruce tells us about the approach he takes when re-examining a score he worked on years earlier, the distinctive musical soundscape Goldsmith created for this project, why this score works best when it can be heard in full, and much more! Naturally, you'll be treated to plenty of compelling excerpts from the new album along the way. Plus: a bit of breaking news that will be of particular interest to Disney soundtrack fans. So grab a bowl of curds and whey, sit down beside us, and enjoy!

Here is your detailed Goldsmith Odyssey Soundtrack Spotlight - Along Came a Spider Track List!

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

Way back in Episode 8 (our Fifties Roundup show), we talked about Jerry Goldsmith's memorable theme for the western TV series Black Saddle and also noted a couple fun cover versions of the theme we had found. Since then, we've uncovered a host of additional cover versions and thought it might be fun to produce a Gold Nugget featuring them. Over time, this nugget evolved into something considerably more grandiose: a massive affair with two special guests (Bill Humphrey of the ‘60s surf band The Revelairs and John Gilbert, whose father Herschel Burke Gilbert was the music director for Black Saddle), several exclusive interviews with musicians who have covered the theme, analysis of the music featured on the TV show itself, and a generous collection of Black Saddle covers. A grand achievement or an excessive work of madness? Take a day off, click play, and decide for yourself!

Besides our two regular guests John Gilbert and Bill Humphrey, the show also includes additional side interviews with:

• Tom Bittel of The Aquatudes
• Noé Socha, Josh Davis, and Quinn Murphy of The New York Gremmies
• Lorenzo Friday of 13 Tikis
• Donny Allen, Tim Allen, and Doug Mellenthine of the Ghost Riders Drum and Bugle Corps; during the interview Doug makes reference to this list of Black Saddle performances on the Drum Corps Xperience.

Click here for your Black Saddle: History of a Theme full track list and links to corresponding untruncated YouTube video performances.
Older quoted interviews in full: Jerry Goldsmith (May 8th, 2002) and Herschel Burke Gilbert (April 30th, 2001) interviewed by Jon Burlingame for the Archive of American Television.

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

Wanted: 49 minutes of your time! Hot on the heels of The Don Is Dead and Take Her, She's Mine, the good folks at Intrada Records have served up yet another exciting Goldsmith premiere: the 1959 western Face of a Fugitive (previously covered way back in Episode 3 of The Goldsmith Odyssey). As such, it's time for another Soundtrack Spotlight, with Douglass Fake and Roger Feigelson of Intrada joining your humble hosts Yavar and Clark for a conversation about this compelling and important early Goldsmith score. This informative chat offers conversation about discovering music that was previously believed to be missing, how this score offers the first real taste of Goldsmith's signature action writing, thoughts on the score's key thematic ideas, and whether or not there's any possibility of getting Goldsmith's Black Patch on album at some point in the future. Plus, you'll be treated to a variety of clips that give you a good taste of what the full album has to offer. Check out the Spotlight, then check out the album – we think you'll enjoy both.

And here's your track list for the Face of a Fugitive Odyssey Soundtrack Spotlight!

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

Recently, The Goldsmith Odyssey was thrilled to join forces with The Legacy of John Williams podcast and the Ipswich Film Theatre to present Score Masters, a celebration of both Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams. While you can watch the full program on YouTube, we're pleased to present this audio-only version (enhanced by newly-added illustrative music clips) for those who prefer the podcast format. You'll hear insightful commentary from a truly remarkable panel of experts: Oscar-nominated composer/conductor David Newman, Grammy-winning classical composer/conductor Leonard Slatkin, soundtrack producer Mike Matessino, sound engineer and producer Bruce Botnick, acclaimed pianist/keyboardist Mike Lang, composer Leanna Primiani, and author/writer Jeff Bond. In addition to the familiar voices of Yavar and David, you'll hear questions from their fellow moderators Maurizio Caschetto and Tim Burden, along with some comments from IFT director Daniel Champion. It's a truly special, illuminating, entertaining two hours of conversation – don't miss it!

Here is the full track list.

Ipswich Film Theatre
The Ipswich Film Theatre is an independent cinema established in 1975. It is home to respected repertory film programming and the best British and international features and documentaries.

The Legacy of John Williams
The Legacy of John Williams is a platform to celebrate and promote the cultural and aesthetic importance of the music of John Williams.

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

Your dear loving friends return! We plunge into 2021 with an incisive look at the 1961 Thriller episode "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper." Your humble hosts Yavar, David, and Clark take a stab at analyzing Jerry Goldsmith's piercing score, which features a killer main theme. They also dissect the episode itself, praising the sharper elements and skewering the weaker ones. We hope you enjoy tearing into this one!

Here is the full Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper Goldsmith Odyssey track list!

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

A little something for your stocking: it's the final Soundtrack Spotlight of 2020! Douglass Fake of Intrada Records joins Yavar and Jens for an exploration of Intrada's latest reissue of Jerry Goldsmith's rich, thrilling score for the ill-fated 1981 war movie Inchon. Over the course of this installment, the guys discuss Intrada's long-term relationship with this particular Goldsmith score, the process of remastering the album in a hi-res format, the unusual environment the score was recorded in, the gradual critical rehabilitation of the score over the years, and much more! Plus, you'll hear some choice excerpts from Goldsmith's score along the way. Enjoy, and we wish you all a safe and happy holiday season!

Fact check: Yavar says Intrada reissued Inchon in 2010, when it was actually 2013. Doug confuses "Task Force" for "The Ships" and says the original 1982 album is on disc two of the reissue, when it is on disc one. Jens remains faultless.

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

Earlier this year the good folks at Intrada Records served up the world premiere release of Jerry Goldsmith's lively score for the 1963 comedy Take Her, She's Mine, and that album is now getting its own Soundtrack Spotlight! Yavar and David are joined by three of the album's key participants: Mike Matessino (who produced the album), Chris Malone (who did the painstaking restoration work), and John Takis (who provided the liner notes). You'll receive a full portrait of just how much effort went into the creation of the album, learn why the timing was right for this particular release, and hear generous excerpts of Goldsmith's entertaining music along the way. Click the download button and take her, she's yours!

And here is your friendly, neighborhood Take Her, She's Mine Odyssey Soundtrack Spotlight  track list!

Featuring appearances by the music from The Stripper, Anna and the King, Von Ryan's Express, The Detective, Shock Treatment, Fate is the Hunter, Bachelor Flat, The Gunfighter, Prince of Foxes, Monsignor, Minority Report, The Towering Inferno, Planet of the Apes, The Legend That Walks Like a Man, Silver Streak, Morituri, The Sand Pebbles, Superman: The Movie, Lonely Are The Brave, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, The Artist Who Did Not Want to Paint, The Blue Max, Flaming Star, Mr. Baseball, Explorers, The Trouble with Angels, Thriller - Late Date, The List of Adrian Messenger, Lilies of the Field, A Gathering of Eagles, The Prize, Seven Days In May and Take Her, She's Mine.

Also brief interview clips from the 2002 Interview with Jon Burlingame, 1998’s Morning Becomes Eclectic, and a 1989 BBC Cinema 2 interview, and clips from Peck's Bad Girl, CBS Radio Workshop “A Pride Of Carrots, or Venus Well Served,” and Take Her, She's Mine.

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

After joining us for what turned out to be a full-blown Odyssey Interview, composer Carlos Rafael Rivera (currently earning widespread acclaim for his fine work on the Netflix miniseries The Queen's Gambit) was kind enough to stick around for an examination of the Goldsmith-scored Rawhide episode "Incident in the Middle of Nowhere." It's a dynamic, exciting effort that both foreshadows later western scores like Rio Conchos and offers an instantly memorable main theme. Employing his considerable skills as a musician and educator, Carlos takes your humble hosts David, Yavar, and Clark on a full-blown guided tour of the score's assorted themes and motifs, breaking them down for us in remarkable detail in advance of our cue-by-cue journey. So when you have three hours to spare, just click play, then let it keep rollin', rollin', rollin'.

Cues from Rawhide - "Incident in the Middle of Nowhere":

• Opening:  Clipped from Lady in Trouble
• 0:12:57  -  Main Title (Dimitri Tiomkin)
• 1:11:16  -  1. The Night (Russell Garcia, arr. Goldsmith) 
• 1:14:46  -  Waltz #1 (Chopin, arr. Goldsmith?)  
• 0:16:28  -  Flute Solo (unknown source)
• 1:22:25  -  2. The Old Man  
• 1:31:27  -  3. The Ambush / The Indians / The Warning 
• 1:38:18  -  4. The Saloon  
• 1:44:44  -  5. The Trio 
• 1:49:02  -  6. Lady in Trouble  
• 1:53:44  -  7. New Rider 
• 1:55:45  -  8. Barbara's Story  
• 2:06:07  -  9. The Story Teller 
• 2:07:55  -  10. Midnight Meeting   
• 2:14:33  -  11. Attack
• 2:16:42  -  12. Dead Man
• 2:22:10  -  13. The Long Ride
• 2:22:31  -  14. Lost Party
• 2:25:24  -  15. Indian Guide
• 2:27:49  -  16. Benny Bites the Dust
• 2:28:58  -  17. Mackay’s Camp
• 2:30:41  -  18. End of the Trail
• 2:34:46  -  19. The Prisoner (Parts 1-3)
• 2:52:31  -  Can Can #s 1 & 2 (Offenbach, arr. Goldsmith?) 

There are too many external sources to list here. You can find a full Goldsmith Odyssey Rawhide - Incident in the Middle of Nowhere track list in this Google Doc.

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].

In their historic second episode of Odyssey Soundtrack Spotlight, Doug Fake joins Yavar to discuss Intrada Records' latest expansion of a classic Jerry Goldsmith score, written for Rod Lurie's 2001 military prison drama The Last Castle. So pour yourself a glass of whiskey, sit back in your comfortable armchair overlooking Fort Leavenworth, turn on your vintage sound system, and let Doug regale you with the tale of how The Last Castle's precarious position in American history caused Jerry Goldsmith a great deal of trouble. Doug also expounds why The Last Castle is one of his favorite Goldsmith scores, from its somberly beautiful trumpet solos to its carefully calculated dramatic build to its explosion of propulsive action music. It's an episode - and a score - that you won't want to miss.

Please send your correspondence to [email protected].