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This is a comments thread about FSM CD: Hawkins on Murder/Winter Kill/Babe
 
 Posted:   Feb 10, 2009 - 6:31 PM   
 By:   Jim Phelps   (Member)

Hawkins On Murder/Winter Kill/Babe-- This is my favorite FSM CD release!

The scores represents everything that Jerry had on the ball back in the early Seventies: the sensitive acoustic guitar (shades of Take a Hard Ride), synth sounds (Logan's Run) and string writing reminiscent of Papillon. Jerry's telling quote about TV music of the time really drove home how much TV music has lost in the ensuing years, but thankfully we have this release containing some of Goldsmith's best TV music. I'm especially enjoying Winter Kill, a film I'd love to see. There's a lot to like about this score: Suspenseful and atmospheric suspense cues, The Main Title is similar to Take a Hard Ride and the menacing piano in "Late Arrival/What's in a Name/I'm Worried/A New Killer" reminds me of The Sand Pebbles cue "Coolies Jump Ship."

...and I love that ARP synthesizer!

 
 Posted:   Feb 11, 2009 - 3:14 AM   
 By:   Olivier   (Member)

I should play the whole of this CD again; the main titles are great, and Hawkins has some nice moments, but I much prefer the third you did not mention: Babe.
It's an utterly different score from the other two, very melodic, with an extremely beautiful, melancholy main theme.
Even a new listen does not make the first two scores more appealing to me (beyond intellectual appreciation), their main titles and Babe make it worth having this CD.

 
 
 Posted:   Feb 11, 2009 - 10:02 AM   
 By:   peterproud   (Member)

Hawkins On Murder/Winter Kill/Babe-- This is my favorite FSM CD release!

The scores represents everything that Jerry had on the ball back in the early Seventies: the sensitive acoustic guitar (shades of Take a Hard Ride), synth sounds (Logan's Run) and string writing reminiscent of Papillon. Jerry's telling quote about TV music of the time really drove home how much TV music has lost in the ensuing years, but thankfully we have this release containing some of Goldsmith's best TV music. I'm especially enjoying Winter Kill, a film I'd love to see. There's a lot to like about this score: Suspenseful and atmospheric suspense cues, The Main Title is similar to Take a Hard Ride and the menacing piano in "Late Arrival/What's in a Name/I'm Worried/A New Killer" reminds me of The Sand Pebbles cue "Coolies Jump Ship."

...and I love that ARP synthesizer!


I remember seeing WINTER KILLS on TV back in the 70's and being totally freaked out by it. Now I realize it was because of Jerry's tabla and synth writing during the murder sequences. Such a bizarre approach that you would never hear in a tv or feature film these days...the directors wouldn't allow it!

Wish this TV film was available on some format just to relive those chills...

...oh, and yes, BABE has one of Goldsmith's most beautifully sad melodies....right up there with his theme from THE OTHER around the same time.

 
 Posted:   Feb 11, 2009 - 12:40 PM   
 By:   The Mutant   (Member)

Damn, I gotta bust this CD out.
Hawkins is funky.

 
 Posted:   Feb 11, 2009 - 8:43 PM   
 By:   Mr. Jack   (Member)

Babe is a particularly lovely score, very reminiscent of Georges Delerue's work. All three scores make for a varied and fascinating dissection of Goldsmith's many talents, and the stereo sound is remarkable for mid-70's television.

 
 Posted:   Feb 12, 2009 - 8:20 AM   
 By:   Jim Phelps   (Member)

The following thread contains more raves (from the dedicated few) who love this release. (my remarks from there are repeated here):

http://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=14960&forumID=1&archive=1

 
 Posted:   Feb 22, 2009 - 8:24 AM   
 By:   Jim Phelps   (Member)

According to the FSM homepage, Jerry Goldsmith recorded his HAWKINS score on this very day in 1973.

http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/resources/calendar.cfm

 
 
 Posted:   Jul 4, 2009 - 3:41 PM   
 By:   Graham S. Watt   (Member)

I got this through the post the other day - I'd ordered it in the first week of the current sale. Just a few comments -

HAWKINS ON MURDER is hands-down great! Really spunky Main Theme (can I say that although I'm British?), and some of Goldsmith's most tender underscoring, from the time he was leaning on that kind of "Neo-Bach" (hope you know what I mean) stuff. Very plaintive, and extremely similar to the "Renaissance" (as Lukas K and Jeff B call it in the liner notes) material in the superb THE ILLUSTRATED MAN (which I coincidentally received in the same shipping).

WINTER KILL takes a bit of getting used to. There is such a polar extreme between the bright Main Titles, which sounds as if it could be for BANANA SPLITS, and the extremely dark, experimental noodlings of much of the rest of the score. Amazing to think that this was for a fairly run-of-the-mill (?) TV Movie. By the way, I wonder if Lukas and the gang deliberately decided to break from their usual "C and C" presentation here, putting some of the weirder tracks as "Bonus Material", knowing that it would have been too much as a chronological listening experience... I think Thor sold it anyway!

BABE is very nice. On first listen I thought it was very "samey", but it's one of those things which shows its nuances on repeated listens. It's perhaps the first indication of "Goldsmith-Lite" in his career, about 20 years before he really started going that way - much of it puts me in mind of the very tranquil first track of BAD GIRLS ("The John").

Anyway, I'm giving this a thumbs up, and if you want it now, you're gonna have to pay 20 dollars. Think about it before you spend the money on beer!

 
 
 Posted:   Jul 4, 2009 - 3:57 PM   
 By:   Thor   (Member)

I'm sorry, but I don't share your enthusiasm for this, Graham. However, it was not so much the presentation, but in this case the actual music itself that turned me off. Here's what I wrote in the previously listed thread back in 2006:

"When the FSM print issue ran out a year ago or so, I got to pick two CD's as compensation. I took a chance on this because I liked the sound clips of all the MAIN THEMES. However, when the CD arrived, I was VERY disappointed. The rest of the score was meandering, directionless plunking. I love experimental/dissonant/textural music in general, but this just left me completely cold and was in fact a bit annoying at times. I think I'll trade it away if I ever get the chance."

And sell it I did.

 
 Posted:   Jul 4, 2009 - 4:01 PM   
 By:   Steve Johnson   (Member)

I got this through the post the other day - I'd ordered it in the first week of the current sale. Just a few comments -

HAWKINS ON MURDER is hands-down great! Really spunky Main Theme (can I say that although I'm British?), and some of Goldsmith's most tender underscoring, from the time he was leaning on that kind of "Neo-Bach" (hope you know what I mean) stuff. Very plaintive, and extremely similar to the "Renaissance" (as Lukas K and Jeff B call it in the liner notes) material in the superb THE ILLUSTRATED MAN (which I coincidentally received in the same shipping).

WINTER KILL takes a bit of getting used to. There is such a polar extreme between the bright Main Titles, which sounds as if it could be for BANANA SPLITS, and the extremely dark, experimental noodlings of much of the rest of the score. Amazing to think that this was for a fairly run-of-the-mill (?) TV Movie. By the way, I wonder if Lukas and the gang deliberately decided to break from their usual "C and C" presentation here, putting some of the weirder tracks as "Bonus Material", knowing that it would have been too much as a chronological listening experience... I think Thor sold it anyway!

BABE is very nice. On first listen I thought it was very "samey", but it's one of those things which shows its nuances on repeated listens. It's perhaps the first indication of "Goldsmith-Lite" in his career, about 20 years before he really started going that way - much of it puts me in mind of the very tranquil first track of BAD GIRLS ("The John").

Anyway, I'm giving this a thumbs up, and if you want it now, you're gonna have to pay 20 dollars. Think about it before you spend the money on beer!


I agree, Graham, I'm glad you like it. It's a super FSM release!

 
 
 Posted:   Jul 4, 2009 - 4:21 PM   
 By:   Graham S. Watt   (Member)

So Thor didn't like it, but Steve did. That's fine!

Just one additional comment, which perhaps deserves a thread to itself - Yeah, Thor, I generally don't like "meandering" or "directionless" material, but I thought that it was interesting enough in this case. Some composers can do what Goldsmith called "fucking around music" well, others just seem to tread water and try to fill silence. For example, I always found Leonard Rosenman an absolute master at sustaining interest (as pure music) when for some he just seemed to be randomly doodling. I know you don't go in for his stuff, Thor. Fielding could sustain interest, a permanent inner tension if you like, whilst seemingly doing nothing. Goldsmith was, I feel, hit-or-miss in this respect. WINTER KILL eventually won me over here, but I had to work at it!

I wonder if this ties in with the thread I've just started - "Do You Think Too Much Whilst Listening?"

 
 
 Posted:   Jul 4, 2009 - 4:44 PM   
 By:   ANZALDIMAN   (Member)

The following thread contains more raves (from the dedicated few) who love this release. (my remarks from there are repeated here):

http://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=14960&forumID=1&archive=1



Mr Phelps, I've been with you in the past on this and continue to agree with you that this particular cd is one of my favorite FSM releases as well.

Long awaited. And what a surprise when it was announced!
It's great to finally have these three Goldsmith television scores preserved on one cd with outstanding care in presentation as usual by FSM.

 
 
 Posted:   Jul 4, 2009 - 10:42 PM   
 By:   ANZALDIMAN   (Member)

Jimmy Stewart even got his own TV Guide cover as "Hawkins" which was considered a big deal back in the day.
A "whopping" 15 cents to not only read something about Hawkins, but the astronauts as well!
(I am curious as to what that article concerning the astronauts was all about)

 
 Posted:   Jul 5, 2009 - 2:16 AM   
 By:   MusicMad   (Member)

I'm with Olivier on this one ... if not quite in Thor territory. I'm pretty certain it was one of the first batch of FSM discs I bought (directly from FSM) and I chose it because I'm a fan of Mr. Goldsmith's music (though perhaps less so and more critical than some) and I recall watching the Hawkins' short-lived TV series back in the 1970s.

Yes, the main theme for this and also for Winter Kill are great but the underscores are nothing special and do not pull me in. Babe, on the other hand, is a lovely score and I often play this part of the CD only.

 
 Posted:   Aug 10, 2009 - 10:54 AM   
 By:   Jim Phelps   (Member)

The following thread contains more raves (from the dedicated few) who love this release. (my remarks from there are repeated here):

http://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=14960&forumID=1&archive=1



Mr Phelps, I've been with you in the past on this and continue to agree with you that this particular cd is one of my favorite FSM releases as well.

Long awaited. And what a surprise when it was announced!
It's great to finally have these three Goldsmith television scores preserved on one cd with outstanding care in presentation as usual by FSM.


Indeed you have been! smile I enjoyed your reminscence about trying to tape the music off the original broadcast while trying to shoo the family out of the room. Perhaps that's part of this CD's appeal to me, in that I fondly recall movies like WINTER KILL being on cable TV during the day, but I just like this edgier, experimental Goldsmith sound. I also have a growing fondness for those 1970s-era synths.

As for WINTER KILL's presentation, I guess I'm one of the few that program the CD in order to hear all of the tracks in chronological order. I just love this score. Suspense cues can be mind-numbingly dull in the wrong hands, but composers like Goldsmith (and John Barry) are masters at maintaining the tension with their work.

I've yet to see this Andy Griffith film, however. Someday, perhaps... frown

 
 Posted:   Aug 10, 2009 - 1:41 PM   
 By:   Mr Drive   (Member)

HAWKINS ON MURDER is hands-down great! Really spunky Main Theme (can I say that although I'm British?), and some of Goldsmith's most tender underscoring, from the time he was leaning on that kind of "Neo-Bach" (hope you know what I mean) stuff. Very plaintive, and extremely similar to the "Renaissance" (as Lukas K and Jeff B call it in the liner notes) material in the superb THE ILLUSTRATED MAN (which I coincidentally received in the same shipping).

I find "No Worries/It Won't Happen/A Couple of Kicks/Sarabande" one of the loveliest Goldsmith tracks. Ever!

 
 Posted:   Dec 3, 2009 - 4:19 PM   
 By:   Jim Phelps   (Member)

Warner Archives has WINTER KILL on DVD. Picture samples included:

http://www.wbshop.com/Winter-Kill-The-1974-TVM/1000123269,default,pd.html?cgid=ARCHIVE

 
 Posted:   Jan 13, 2010 - 12:36 PM   
 By:   That Neil Guy   (Member)

I've posted a review of this CD on my blog.

http://thatneilguy.blogspot.com/2010/01/hawkins-goldsmith-brilliant.html

 
 Posted:   Oct 12, 2010 - 9:23 AM   
 By:   Jim Phelps   (Member)

Warner Archives has BABE on its DVD On Demand service:

http://www.wbshop.com/Babe-1975/1000179866,default,pd.html?cgid=ARCHIVEDECADE70S

 
 
 Posted:   Oct 13, 2010 - 10:16 AM   
 By:   Hurdy Gurdy   (Member)

This thread made me reach for my mp3 player to give it a listen....and it wasn't on it!
I was sure I'd transferred it over (minus the sound design tracks).
So, I had to make the loooonnnngggg journey to my CD cases, to grab the disc from my Jerry section.
It's a great, diverse sampler of Goldsmith's many styles.
I love the main themes from Hawkins and Winter Kill. Just ace 70's Goldsmith.
My favourite track is the final one from Winter Kill (Fatherless Child). Echoes of First Blood in that one, together with Breakheart Pass. Sublime.
The strange, experimental sound cues are an aquired taste. To me, they aren't my favourite tracks to listen to. They remind me how similar noises ruin my enjoyment of his Peter Proud score. I'm reminded of Logan's Run too.
Babe is a 'nice' score. I agree with Graham - for a change wink - a bit repetitive with the main theme, and an early indication of his lighter (blander?) side. A little goes a long way, but it's lovely delicate stuff anyway.
Finally, I've made so many positive comments about FSM discs over the years, I reckon I'm allowed one negative about this one.
I hate the cover! Really hate it. When I dug the CD out, the cover I'd left showing was the inside booklet cover, with the 3 'TV guide/trades' posters over gray background. Not the best, but I prefer it over the one used.
I'm pretty certain FSM had very little to work with, but this joins a few others (Guide For The Married Man/Ace Eli & Rodger of the Skies), where I've changed things around a little to help my weird O-CD presentation ways.

 
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