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 Posted:   Apr 30, 2020 - 4:43 PM   
 By:   Ray Worley   (Member)

Great stuff here. Put me down as another fan of this underappreciated composer.

One of my all time favorites is THE NORTH STAR. I simply cannot listen to that glorious End Title enough. On a road trip through the Pacific Northwest a few years back it was on repeat play for driving through the gorgeous scenery.

Does anyone know the story of why the music was replaced for the US release? I've only seen the film with the replacement score and it is painfully obvious that the film would have come off much better with Scott's vastly superior music. I've looked in vain for a DVD of the European version, but alas, with no luck. I'm not even sure it was even released on DVD.

 
 
 Posted:   Apr 30, 2020 - 7:04 PM   
 By:   cody1949   (Member)

That main title from THE NORTH STAR is my favorite John Scott melody of which there are numerous close seconds. The year was 1996 and I had a CD player in my van. It seems I was driving in the same part of the west that Ray Worley was referring to. Being more specific I was in the Wallowa Mountains in northeastern Oregon, the homeland of Chief Joseph, over and over again I kept playing that magnificent stirring theme. It was so fitting to play that music because the scenery all around me was perfectly matched to the music. I will never forget that day.












 
 
 Posted:   May 1, 2020 - 2:52 PM   
 By:   Brad Wills   (Member)

I also posted this in the Custom Covers thread. Such a great score needs better artwork. This is taken from a Spanish poster that I fiddled around with.

 
 
 Posted:   May 1, 2020 - 5:14 PM   
 By:   cody1949   (Member)

I also posted this in the Custom Covers thread. Such a great score needs better artwork. This is taken from a Spanish poster that I fiddled around with.



Well done ! Thanks.

 
 
 Posted:   May 3, 2020 - 2:56 AM   
 By:   bobbengan   (Member)

Wouldn't it be great if bobb could get a project off the ground and enlist the talents of John Scott to score it (as it seems he is endeavouring to do). It would be a lovely flourish for and from the maestro to lend his considerable talents to something AND someone who would so appreciate it.

Appreciate these words Kev, and I assure you I am working diligently to do precisely that, hence rarely visiting FSM these days sadly (likely to resume once this Covid business eases up... Just aren't enough hours in the day).

Dylan - glad you dug COLETTE, it is a remarkable score and one that seems to rarely get mentioned in the pantheon of his work, for whatever reason (John himself has little memory of this particular projects for whatever reason, and the film itself went absolutely nowhere, which never helps). In the 80's and 90's John was repped at Gorfaine-Schwartz (whose roster includes other irrelevant nobodies like Williams, Morricone, Corgliano, Wallfisch, Giacchino, Newton Howard, Silvestri etc.) but like all agencies, they were rarely responsible for landing him gigs and most of the work he did get came from producers or directors he knew and mutually respected (as is the case for most other filmmaking disciplines). He does have management, which is how I was able to meet him, but I highly doubt anyone's actually out there pounding the pavement for him these days, much to my dismay. I cringe at the thought of this shy, sensitive, deeply thoughtful soul having to sit down and talk music with many a modern director...

 
 
 Posted:   May 3, 2020 - 4:55 AM   
 By:   Brad Wills   (Member)

Well done ! Thanks.

You're welcome, Cody. Thank YOU!

 
 
 Posted:   May 3, 2020 - 5:09 AM   
 By:   Brad Wills   (Member)

@Bobbengan

My earlier post might have gotten lost around the end of the previous, so I'll ask again if you could please contact me? You can find my email address in my profile. Thanks!!

 
 
 Posted:   May 3, 2020 - 5:13 PM   
 By:   bobbengan   (Member)

Will do Brad, give me a few days. Behind on emails at the moment...

 
 Posted:   Jul 8, 2020 - 8:23 PM   
 By:   CK   (Member)

Quick query to the gallery: is this version of THE NORTH STAR a legit (European?) release? Ta mucho!

https://www.discogs.com/John-Scott-The-North-Star/release/9364196

 
 Posted:   Jul 8, 2020 - 11:38 PM   
 By:   Henry Jones   (Member)

Yes it is. That was the version sold here in France.

 
 
 Posted:   Jul 9, 2020 - 8:22 AM   
 By:   HAL 9000   (Member)

I have the John Scott (Not for sale) Demonstration record circa 1973 that I picked up a few years ago. I especially like the score cues included for " The Jerusalem File and Outback aka 'Wake In Fright' from 1971 which i understand have not featured since on any format.

https://www.discogs.com/John-Scott-Demonstration/release/3660880

 
 Posted:   Jul 9, 2020 - 10:56 AM   
 By:   PollyAnna   (Member)

I have the John Scott (Not for sale) Demonstration record circa 1973 that I picked up a few years ago. I especially like the score cues included for " The Jerusalem File and Outback aka 'Wake In Fright' from 1971 which i understand have not featured since on any format.

https://www.discogs.com/John-Scott-Demonstration/release/3660880

Have to agree Hal, I made some home made suites a few years ago from both movies you mentioned and I really think it's a pity that they couldn't see light as full score albums as sadly there are some really nice cues not included on the promo LP. John is such a richly melodic composer and these scores show a different side to his amazing gift for music.

 
 
 Posted:   Jul 10, 2020 - 1:31 AM   
 By:   HAL 9000   (Member)

I have the John Scott (Not for sale) Demonstration record circa 1973 that I picked up a few years ago. I especially like the score cues included for " The Jerusalem File and Outback aka 'Wake In Fright' from 1971 which i understand have not featured since on any format.

https://www.discogs.com/John-Scott-Demonstration/release/3660880

Have to agree Hal, I made some home made suites a few years ago from both movies you mentioned and I really think it's a pity that they couldn't see light as full score albums as sadly there are some really nice cues not included on the promo LP. John is such a richly melodic composer and these scores show a different side to his amazing gift for music.


Absolutely! @PollyAnna

Especially as 'Wake In Fright' is such a cult favorite among Horror/Thriller movie fans. As a Production/Library Music collector as well as Soundtracks, Mr Scott's music in the KPM, Bruton and Southern Music Catalogue's are some the best in the series.

 
 Posted:   Jul 10, 2020 - 12:04 PM   
 By:   PollyAnna   (Member)

I have the John Scott (Not for sale) Demonstration record circa 1973 that I picked up a few years ago. I especially like the score cues included for " The Jerusalem File and Outback aka 'Wake In Fright' from 1971 which i understand have not featured since on any format.

https://www.discogs.com/John-Scott-Demonstration/release/3660880

Have to agree Hal, I made some home made suites a few years ago from both movies you mentioned and I really think it's a pity that they couldn't see light as full score albums as sadly there are some really nice cues not included on the promo LP. John is such a richly melodic composer and these scores show a different side to his amazing gift for music.


Absolutely! @PollyAnna

Especially as 'Wake In Fright' is such a cult favorite among Horror/Thriller movie fans. As a Production/Library Music collector as well as Soundtracks, Mr Scott's music in the KPM, Bruton and Southern Music Catalogue's are some the best in the series.


He Was tirelessly working especially in the early days as you have said Hal, on library music etc, one day composing next day playing in a session orchestra. Truly a musical giant and sadly often overlooked.

 
 
 Posted:   Jul 10, 2020 - 1:58 PM   
 By:   cody1949   (Member)

This is a question that probably only bobbbengan can answer. Is there any chance that there will be a premiere release of a John Scott score this year ? I am NOT asking for a title or a label.

 
 
 Posted:   Aug 3, 2020 - 3:10 PM   
 By:   bobbengan   (Member)

A few spots of free time in the past month no thanks to Covid, so here are a few more unreleased works... And one goofy improvisation for you all.

DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE is an especially great silent film score, albeit a different kind of score than his fantastic ROBIN HOOD effort I shared previously. This is Scott in tragic, macabre horror mode, tongue often planted firmly in cheek but never condescendingly so nor scored "down". The immense performances of the main theme in the last few minutes are fantastic and good luck getting that "exotic dance" tune out of your head for a while. An ear-worm!





As usual, cheeky and typo-laden commentary is provided for both.

And here's the man himself, serenading you all... Or trying to... With a theme he can only vaguely recall:

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 30, 2020 - 10:27 PM   
 By:   fwp   (Member)

Thanks to Bobbengan for posting this fabulous collection of JS's great music. Now here's the thing:

I would like to make a serious donation of around $10000US to any project that will allow the works of John Scott that haven't been recorded to get a proper recording. I have some familiarity with the cost and effort it takes to do this sort of thing, having organised orchestral concerts of film music in Melbourne Australia, so if Bobbengan has the opportunity to make this offer to Mr Scott, when air travel restrictions are eased I can travel to the US to begin the process. This is not a joke. Bobbengan can contact me on wildernessofsound@gmail.com if he thinks this might kick start the process of getting this music out there. Mr Scott deserves it!!

Ross

 
 Posted:   Oct 1, 2020 - 6:47 AM   
 By:   Yavar Moradi   (Member)

Oh wow — kudos to you, Ross! I’ll bet Scott has some great works unrecorded. Hell if your funds were used to jump start a Kickstarter campaign I’d contribute what modest sum I can...

Yavar

 
 
 Posted:   Oct 1, 2020 - 7:28 AM   
 By:   cody1949   (Member)


I would love to contribute to Kickstarter for quite a few of John Scott's unrecorded scores ;especially HAREM.

 
 
 Posted:   Oct 1, 2020 - 8:14 AM   
 By:   DS   (Member)

One interesting idea might be to re-record only the missing "Harem" cues (since it doesn't seem like they exist, though of course we don't know exactly how exhaustive the search has been), then release a complete presentation of the score combining the newly recorded cues with what survives of the original recording.

 
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