Looking forward to your feedback. I also highly recommend the 1952 score Viva Zapata! which was heavily inspired by North's studies in Mexico in 1939 with Revueltas and North's love of Mexican folk music.
OK, this track with the mechanized, conveyor belt boogie-woogie feel would fit nicely in a set with Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse" and Thelonious Monk's "Epistrophy."
Looking forward to your feedback. I also highly recommend the 1952 score Viva Zapata! which was heavily inspired by North's studies in Mexico in 1939 with Revueltas and North's love of Mexican folk music.
What is it with North and shoes? Shoes of the Fisherman, Viva Zapatos?
As a connoisseur of mid-century industrial films, I'm guessing that Monsanto got their money's worth with this score.
I have never seen the film. I wonder if it is in the Prelinger Archive?
Anyway, in addition to the aforementioned mechanized jazz, there are also nice travelogue-sounding passages, as well as some tracks conveying poignant moods.
Also, this one sounds much better since I liberated it from that hideous cover art, and replaced the artwork with a more period-appropriate design by one of our members here.
I will return to this one as a gateway score if I find myself hitting a wall with some of the others.
Now enjoying 2001. Some of this stuff is right up my alley. But the stately French horns are a puzzling choice. The docking track would fit nicely on Les Baxter's "Space Escapade."
So my overall impression of 2001, once you hack off the inappropriate theme from Africa at the end, is that this is a very pleasant 1950s outer space album, composed about 10 years too late. It is not as good as either Russ Garcia's "Fantastica" nor Frank Comstock's "Project Comstock: Music from Outer Space," but it can comfortably sit beside both on your outer space shelf.
Well, may I suggest THE SOUND AND THE FURY as a good way to come down to earth when your outer space endeavour ends? I've always considered this sultry score as one of North's best!
So my overall impression of 2001, once you hack off the inappropriate theme from Africa at the end, is that this is a very pleasant 1950s outer space album, composed about 10 years too late. It is not as good as either Russ Garcia's "Fantastica" nor Frank Comstock's "Project Comstock: Music from Outer Space," but it can comfortably sit beside both on your outer space shelf.
Michael Benson in his book on the making of 2001 states that Kubrick brought in North because of their working relationship on Spartacus. But when North finish the score Kubrick knew the score wouldn’t work. Kubrick liked to work with people he was comfortable with but was always open to giving new people a chance (Douglas Trumbull)if he saw their vision would help his imagination. Of course he always took the credit. Maybe because it sounded like 50s sci-fi music?
