Thankyou, Peter. I've delayed buying this because I have the original LP from years ago, complete with the John Berkey poster print of Kong bursting through the barrier gates. The trouble is that in addition to not being able to play vinyl, very tragically a deep gouge was made right across side two while applying anti-static fluid in prep for recording onto cassette tape. I still recall that moment with a cringe of horror. I look forward to hearing FSM's crystal clear version.
Odd score. Good Love theme, one of John Barry's best. But then there's goofy tracks like "Kong Hits the Big Apple". Almost as though he knew what a stinkburger this movie really was. It's entertaining if nothing else. So enjoy it.
Odd score. Good Love theme, one of John Barry's best. But then there's goofy tracks like "Kong Hits the Big Apple". Almost as though he knew what a stinkburger this movie really was. It's entertaining if nothing else. So enjoy it.
Yeah, ha ha. It's like the dedication in Towering Inferno, only cheap as only Petrox know how to do. Twang, twang twang . . . luv it.
Thankyou, Peter. I've delayed buying this because I have the original LP from years ago, complete with the John Berkey poster print of Kong bursting through the barrier gates. The trouble is that in addition to not being able to play vinyl, very tragically a deep gouge was made right across side two while applying anti-static fluid in prep for recording onto cassette tape. I still recall that moment with a cringe of horror. I look forward to hearing FSM's crystal clear version.
I feel for you regarding that LP accident. But this story has a happy ending.
I have the original LP from years ago, complete with the John Berkey poster print of Kong bursting through the barrier gates.
If you noticed on ALL the production paintings, Kong's head was IDENTICAL with the same expression, same jaw open, only flipped in some instances. The artists must have been pushed for time.
Odd score. Good Love theme, one of John Barry's best. But then there's goofy tracks like "Kong Hits the Big Apple". Almost as though he knew what a stinkburger this movie really was. It's entertaining if nothing else. So enjoy it.
"Kong Hits the Big Apple" is one of the coolest tracks on that album - love the second half of it especially!
Odd score. Good Love theme, one of John Barry's best. But then there's goofy tracks like "Kong Hits the Big Apple". Almost as though he knew what a stinkburger this movie really was. It's entertaining if nothing else. So enjoy it.
SAY WHAT? KK hits the big apple is absolutely awsome and a favourite on the released LP/CD I do own it both on vinyl and CD and it is the best Barry release out there, but a somewhat cheesy movie
very tragically a deep gouge was made right across side two while applying anti-static fluid in prep for recording onto cassette tape.
Do you usually apply anti-static fluid with a carving knife?
It was a stainless steel gripper on a rectangular red velvet pad record cleaner. The grip had this tendency to suddenly flip 90 degrees downward on its side, like it was sprung, with the slightest sideways pressure. In my opinion it was a myopic design fault. I was aware of this but still, accidents do happen. It might as well have been a carving knife.
I have the original LP from years ago, complete with the John Berkey poster print of Kong bursting through the barrier gates.
If you noticed on ALL the production paintings, Kong's head was IDENTICAL with the same expression, same jaw open, only flipped in some instances. The artists must have been pushed for time.
Who knows, there is always a time element involved with any commercial art. There is also a sense of the aesthetic.
Next to RAISE THE TITANIC KK is my favorite of Barry's as well... when I first saw that FSM released it I jumped for joy thinking it was finally complete... hoping one day we can see Barry's complete effort get released. What's the story behind that poster anyway? First off, the climax of the film was night, there were no jets, and what is he supposed to be holding in that painting? A jet airliner?? Love the art for what it is, but VASTLY misrepresented the film.
The jet fighter in the top picture is completely imaginary by my reckoning. It bears some resemblance to the A5 Skyhawk but there were no planes there to shoot Kong down. They were Iroquois helicopters equipped with side-mounted rotary machine guns, weren't they? In the shot in which we see the port gun being aimed from one of the helos there is a slight depth of field problem which makes me think it's actually a miniature being used.
The object in Kong's right hand in the lower picture has always left me thinking. Sometimes I see the forward nose of a B-17 Flying Fortress pointing down in side profile. Any attempt at diagnosis ultimately ends in bafflement. The back cover of the FSM case shows these two images along with the breakout picture which I mentioned at the start of the thread. Perhaps LK can shed some light on the choice of images used in the FSM treatment? My guess is because that image was included as a pullout in the original LP, putting it on the back cover of the FSM release goes some way to giving a nod to it. The actual LP album back cover had a painting Berkey had done with the same expression on Kong's face, only it depicted Kong smashing up the NY overhead train. I've been trying to find it to post here, but for some reason it doesn't figure anywhere I've looked. Now that picture is my favourite King Kong art for this particular movie.
Yeah. The facial doesn't exhibit the eventual 'standard' adopted by the artist. One can guess that when he stumbled across the one projecting the right sense of character he could finally complete his commission.
I love this score by John Barry ... it has some wonderful cues and is a great listen. I also enjoyed the film (though accept that it is not a great film). It is possibly the first film I saw at the cinema which had truly great sound which you felt as well as heard.
Re: the poster ... yes, there was an open out poster included in the UK vinyl album release and ...
... as a promotion at the time of the film's cinematic release the film distributors awarded 3D posters to people who won a competition - I was one (not sure how many of the 3D posters were awarded). Task: how many words (I assume it meant English only) can you make from the letters KING KONG POSTER?
I kept the poster for a few years ... I'm not sure if I still have the vinyl LP with/without poster. The FSM CD is superb!
The object in Kong's right hand in the lower picture has always left me thinking. Sometimes I see the forward nose of a B-17 Flying Fortress pointing down in side profile. Any attempt at diagnosis ultimately ends in bafflement.
I'm sure I remember Jeff Bond once, so eloquently called it "a flaming metallic turd" or something like that.
I read somewhere that Berkey said ( regarding Kong's pose) that the painting represents Kong's leap from one tower to the next. But to me it always looked liked Kong is straddling the two towers, in which case scale just goes straight out the door?
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