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I'm sure someone here will let me know 'the standard answer', or, perhaps a new one? But I can't help but wonder why The Varese Club releases of Goldsmith's 'Freud' as well as Bernstein's 'The Birdman of Alcatraz' have not sold out as of this date? Two superb scores that (to the best of my recollection) had not made appearances on cd before, but remain in stock long after their release dates. I know other titles like FSM's 'Logan's Run' remained a long time on the shelves, but that had had a prior release. Ideas about these two scores?
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BIRDMAN question. Can anyone explain the 'bonus track' which contains what may be an 'alternate' theme in a pop arrangement spliced with a folk ballad by a group (The Highwaymen? New Christy Minstrels? Chad Mitchell Trio? Limelighters? Kingston Trio?, etc.). There seems to be no details about this track mentioned in the Varese liner notes.
Your first guess is correct. It was a single by the Highwaymen.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Highwaymen-C-W-FOLK-45-United-Artists-475-Bird-Man-Cindy-Oh-Cindy-VG-/110929110290
(with audio clip)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Highwaymen-United-Artists-45-Record-475-VG-1962-/400343713305?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item5d36584619
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bird-Man-Alcatraz-RARE-Japan-7-single-Highwaymen-Cindy-VINYL-Burt-Lancaster-/190727461005?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item2c683e188d
It was released as a 45-rpm single (United Artists UA 475 in the U.S., Canada and Italy; 45-UP-1001 in the U.K.; UA 16 in Japan) released in 1962.
Narrated by Burt Lancaster.
Lyrics by Mack David
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Sung by The Highwaymen.
Produced by Don Costa Productions, Inc.
Time 2:40 (This timing exactly matches Varese's final vocal track, after the instrumental; on the flipside of the 45-rpm is "Cindy Oh Cindy" 3:00)
Burt Lancaster:
I sit in my cell and I stare at the floor
The walls, the ceiling, the bars on the door
Highwaymen:
And at times he can hear far away, far away
The song from a bird from an old yesterday
A bird that he found unable to fly
Alone in the cold almost ready to die
Burt Lancaster:
I'm a man who once killed
A man who must dwell for the rest of my life
All alone in this cell
Highwaymen:
Poor little bird he took back to his cell
And held it and nourished it until it was well
Burt Lancaster:
For the rest of my life there'll be six iron bars
Six iron bars between me and the stars
Highwaymen:
But the poor little bird didn't know it could fly
And much too afraid, too fearful to try
Then the bird grew strength from a man who was strong
And soon spread its wings and it burst into song
Burt Lancaster:
I sit in my cell and I stare at the floor
The walls, the ceiling and the bars on the door
Highwaymen:
And at times he can hear far away far away
The song from a bird from an old yesterday
And at times he can hear far away far away
The song from a bird from an old yesterday
Listed in Billboard magazine 23 June 1962 p. 21 under Pop Singles Review.
Reached #120 in the "Bubbling Under the Top 100" Billboard on 7 July 1962;
#92 position in the Billboard Hot 100 on 14 July 1962;
#84 position in the Billboard Hot 100 on 21 July 1962;
#64 position in the Billboard Hot 100 on 11 August 1962 (peaked);
#69 position in the Billboard Hot 100 on 16 August 1962;
#19 on the Easy Listening top 20 on 28 July 1962.
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Posted: |
Jan 27, 2013 - 10:05 PM
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By: |
Bob Bryden
(Member)
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BIRDMAN question. Can anyone explain the 'bonus track' which contains what may be an 'alternate' theme in a pop arrangement spliced with a folk ballad by a group (The Highwaymen? New Christy Minstrels? Chad Mitchell Trio? Limelighters? Kingston Trio?, etc.). There seems to be no details about this track mentioned in the Varese liner notes.
Your first guess is correct. It was a single by the Highwaymen.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Highwaymen-C-W-FOLK-45-United-Artists-475-Bird-Man-Cindy-Oh-Cindy-VG-/110929110290
(with audio clip)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Highwaymen-United-Artists-45-Record-475-VG-1962-/400343713305?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item5d36584619
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bird-Man-Alcatraz-RARE-Japan-7-single-Highwaymen-Cindy-VINYL-Burt-Lancaster-/190727461005?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item2c683e188d
It was released as a 45-rpm single (United Artists UA 475 in the U.S., Canada and Italy; 45-UP-1001 in the U.K.; UA 16 in Japan) released in 1962.
Narrated by Burt Lancaster.
Lyrics by Mack David
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Sung by The Highwaymen.
Produced by Don Costa Productions, Inc.
Time 2:40 (This timing exactly matches Varese's final vocal track, after the instrumental; on the flipside of the 45-rpm is "Cindy Oh Cindy" 3:00)
Burt Lancaster:
I sit in my cell and I stare at the floor
The walls, the ceiling, the bars on the door
Highwaymen:
And at times he can hear far away, far away
The song from a bird from an old yesterday
A bird that he found unable to fly
Alone in the cold almost ready to die
Burt Lancaster:
I'm a man who once killed
A man who must dwell for the rest of my life
All alone in this cell
Highwaymen:
Poor little bird he took back to his cell
And held it and nourished it until it was well
Burt Lancaster:
For the rest of my life there'll be six iron bars
Six iron bars between me and the stars
Highwaymen:
But the poor little bird didn't know it could fly
And much too afraid, too fearful to try
Then the bird grew strength from a man who was strong
And soon spread its wings and it burst into song
Burt Lancaster:
I sit in my cell and I stare at the floor
The walls, the ceiling and the bars on the door
Highwaymen:
And at times he can hear far away far away
The song from a bird from an old yesterday
And at times he can hear far away far away
The song from a bird from an old yesterday
Listed in Billboard magazine 23 June 1962 p. 21 under Pop Singles Review.
Reached #120 in the "Bubbling Under the Top 100" Billboard on 7 July 1962;
#92 position in the Billboard Hot 100 on 14 July 1962;
#84 position in the Billboard Hot 100 on 21 July 1962;
#64 position in the Billboard Hot 100 on 11 August 1962 (peaked);
#69 position in the Billboard Hot 100 on 16 August 1962;
#19 on the Easy Listening top 20 on 28 July 1962.
Thanks so much, George. Fascinating but why isn't the Lancaster narration on the Varese CD?
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BIRDMAN question. Can anyone explain the 'bonus track' which contains what may be an 'alternate' theme in a pop arrangement spliced with a folk ballad by a group (The Highwaymen? New Christy Minstrels? Chad Mitchell Trio? Limelighters? Kingston Trio?, etc.). There seems to be no details about this track mentioned in the Varese liner notes.
Your first guess is correct. It was a single by the Highwaymen.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Highwaymen-C-W-FOLK-45-United-Artists-475-Bird-Man-Cindy-Oh-Cindy-VG-/110929110290
(with audio clip)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Highwaymen-United-Artists-45-Record-475-VG-1962-/400343713305?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item5d36584619
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bird-Man-Alcatraz-RARE-Japan-7-single-Highwaymen-Cindy-VINYL-Burt-Lancaster-/190727461005?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item2c683e188d
It was released as a 45-rpm single (United Artists UA 475 in the U.S., Canada and Italy; 45-UP-1001 in the U.K.; UA 16 in Japan) released in 1962.
Narrated by Burt Lancaster.
Lyrics by Mack David
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Sung by The Highwaymen.
Produced by Don Costa Productions, Inc.
Time 2:40 (This timing exactly matches Varese's final vocal track, after the instrumental; on the flipside of the 45-rpm is "Cindy Oh Cindy" 3:00)
Burt Lancaster:
I sit in my cell and I stare at the floor
The walls, the ceiling, the bars on the door
Highwaymen:
And at times he can hear far away, far away
The song from a bird from an old yesterday
A bird that he found unable to fly
Alone in the cold almost ready to die
Burt Lancaster:
I'm a man who once killed
A man who must dwell for the rest of my life
All alone in this cell
Highwaymen:
Poor little bird he took back to his cell
And held it and nourished it until it was well
Burt Lancaster:
For the rest of my life there'll be six iron bars
Six iron bars between me and the stars
Highwaymen:
But the poor little bird didn't know it could fly
And much too afraid, too fearful to try
Then the bird grew strength from a man who was strong
And soon spread its wings and it burst into song
Burt Lancaster:
I sit in my cell and I stare at the floor
The walls, the ceiling and the bars on the door
Highwaymen:
And at times he can hear far away far away
The song from a bird from an old yesterday
And at times he can hear far away far away
The song from a bird from an old yesterday
Listed in Billboard magazine 23 June 1962 p. 21 under Pop Singles Review.
Reached #120 in the "Bubbling Under the Top 100" Billboard on 7 July 1962;
#92 position in the Billboard Hot 100 on 14 July 1962;
#84 position in the Billboard Hot 100 on 21 July 1962;
#64 position in the Billboard Hot 100 on 11 August 1962 (peaked);
#69 position in the Billboard Hot 100 on 16 August 1962;
#19 on the Easy Listening top 20 on 28 July 1962.
I still have that 45!
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Thanks so much, George. Fascinating but why isn't the Lancaster narration on the Varese CD?
My guess is that Varese couldn't clear it with Lancaster's estate...or the overlay was missing.
Either way, it's a great bonus track.
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Posted: |
Jan 28, 2013 - 2:21 PM
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By: |
djintrepid
(Member)
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It is interesting to note that these two titles still haven't sold out, although Varèse Sarabande did put up low quantity alerts. Besides knowing that Birdman of Alcatraz is a pretty famous title, I don't have much further thoughts about it (having never seen or heard it), but I can say that it puzzles me that Freud is still available.
Freud is a superb modernistic Goldsmith score, a precursor to Planet of the Apes and The Mephisto Waltz in terms of musical style. Besides that, it holds an important place within Goldsmith's oeuvre: it was his first Oscar nominated score, his first score for a film from a famous and well-regarded director (John Huston) and infamous for its use in Ridley Scott's Alien. All of these facts would make you think that it would be a popular score with Goldsmith enthusiasts, but apparently not so much. Perhaps the relative obscurity of the film works against it. The modernistic composition itself may also be relatively unpopular among the composer's fans. Varèse's almost concurrent releases of Lonely Are the Brave and The Spiral Road both did sell out and both are also not that well-known films. Perhaps it was their colourful cover art...
Although I like the music to Freud, I chose not to buy it because it is incredibly similar thematically to some of his Twilight Zone TV work, which I have and listen to often. I stay away from scores by the same composer that are too similar to something I already have in my collection.
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Been listening to BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ a lot over the weekend. Isn't this just one of the most exquisite movie scores in the history of the modern American cinema... ??
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