ALEX NORTH

I mentioned "a whale of a time", Alan.

Lateral thinking, don't y'know.

And Basil Poledouris killed that Whale in 1981, and we all know that Basil Poledouris is Alex North's... uh... sister?

I tried.

He did?? What episode???

This morning I dug out of my archives an old 1957 RCA recording called North of Hollywood from Alex North. Straight west coast style cool jazz. Simple effective arrangements of material that you don't normally hear.
Thomas

Other than the obvious?

The fact that North began the whole jazz score trend in Hollywood, and that Elmer Bernstein and Leonard Rosenman were the two the jumped on the bandwagon immediately?

But of course that would require me to actually read your question correctly and realize that you're talking about Leonard Bernstein, and not Leonard Rosenman or Elmer Bernstein. Now that I've realized this, why am I still posting this inapplicable answer, then? I guess I just don't want any of my typing to go to waste.

Leonard Bernstein was going to score "In Cold Blood", but Quincy Jones did instead (don't know if Bernstein did anything).

Alex North won an award once, and at the celebration, Quincy Jones handed North the award.



There. I win again.

Might be fun to make a game out of this. Actually, what am I talking about, I did build a game out of it, here:

http://www.musicalotaku.com/cgi-musical … Separation

Spartacus
Music Composed and Conducted by Alex North
Produced by Robert Townson
$109.98
http://www.varesesarabande.com/details. … -0610-1109

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Limited Edition of 5000 copies

Pre-orders for this boxed set are now being accepted, with shipping to begin the week of August 2.

A film music celebration like no other!

Never has there been as elaborate a production of a single film score in all of film music history.

SPARTACUS is here!

6 CDs ... 1 DVD ... a deluxe 168-page book!!

Alex North is the father of modern film music - an inspiration and a hero to the generations that followed him.

"For those of us coming of age in the 1950s, and seriously interested in film music, Alex North was an inspiration, a role model and a hero. He was then and he remains so today." - John Williams

Jerry Goldsmith himself put it very succinctly, when speaking of Alex:

"Of all of us, he's the master."

Varèse Sarabande commemorates Alex North's 100th birthday and the film Spartacus' 50th Anniversary with the release of Robert Townson's 1,000th album.

For this international celebration of one of film music's most influential and important giants, Robert Townson is joined by:

Nathan Barr
Alan and Marilyn Bergman
John Debney
Alexandre Desplat
Patrick Doyle
Randy Edelman
Dave Grusin
Mark Isham
John Mauceri
Joel McNeely
Diego Navarro
David Newman
Lisbeth Scott
Lalo Schifrin
Brian Tyler
John Williams
Christopher Young

and many more!

Click here to download a SPARTACUS PDF and to see additional cover art.

The enormous boxed set includes:

CD 1 - All surviving stereo tracks of Alex North's SPARTACUS recording, including all tracks from the original soundtrack album, assembled in film order.

CD 2 AND 3 - The complete original film soundtrack of SPARTACUS, in astounding monaural sound.

CD 4 - A selection of unused and alternate cues from the original film sessions, along with Alex North's original preliminary cue recordings for the film (used for film editing purposes).

CD 5 AND 6 - SPARTACUS LOVE THEME AND VARIATIONS - 22 classic and newly recorded interpretations of Alex North's Spartacus Love Theme - featuring Bill Evans, Yusef Lateef, Carlos Santana, Lalo Schifrin, Dave Grusin, Mark Isham, Alexandre Desplat and many others! Newly recorded in Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris and Tenerife!

DVD - CONVERSATIONS ON ALEX NORTH'S SPARTACUS A 96-minute feature documentary on the importance of Alex North and his score for SPARTACUS, with Alexandre Desplat, Mark Isham, David Newman, Lalo Schifrin, Robert Townson, Brian Tyler, John Williams and Christopher Young. Also included are two bonus features with Mark Isham and Diego Navarro recording their own Spartacus Love Theme variations.

BOOK - A 168-page, hardcover book by Robert Townson featuring detailed analysis of the SPARTACUS score, background on the film, an Alex North biography, over 100 photos and much more!

Produced with the cooperation of Universal Pictures, Universal Special Markets and Geffen Records ... and that's just for the score! This has been years in the works!

This is, by far, the grandest release in Varèse Sarabande's history.

Never have I been more proud of any project with which I have been involved and, frankly, I never dreamed that my promise to Alex, that one day I would restore and release his masterpiece, ever could have resulted in something so grand. - Robert Townson

Join the celebration!

CD 1 - Stereo (72:40)

1. OVERTURE (4:00)
2. MAIN TITLE* (3:17)
3. THE MINES (3:01)
4. CARAVAN (1:15)
5. FIRST PAIR (3:44)
6. GLADIATORS FIGHT TO THE DEATH* (2:20)
7. BROODING (2:20)
8. ON TO VESUVIUS* (4:52)
(a) FORWARD, GLADIATORS
(b) FOREST MEETING
9. OYSTERS AND SNAILS (Film Version) (3:07)
10. HOPEFUL PREPARATIONS / VESUVIUS CAMP* (1:59)
11. VESUVIUS MONTAGE (1:19)
12. BLUE SHADOWS AND PURPLE HILLS* (3:11)
13. HEADED FOR FREEDOM* (3:15)
14. HOMEWARD BOUND* (6:27)
(a) ON TO THE SEA
(b) BESIDE THE POOL
15. METAPONTUM TRIUMPH (1:35)
16. FESTIVAL (3:21)
17. EXPECTANT PARENTS (3:07)
18. PRELUDE TO BATTLE* (5:11)
(a) QUIET INTERLUDE
(b) THE FINAL CONFLICT
19. FORMATIONS (1:35)
20. GOODBYE, MY LIFE, MY LOVE — END TITLE* (4:16)
21. SPARTACUS LOVE THEME* (2:50)

Bonus Tracks:
22. ON TO THE SEA / INFANT BURIAL (3:03)
23. OYSTERS AND SNAILS / FESTIVAL* (Album Version) (3:24)

* cues from the original Decca soundtrack album

CD 2 - Mono (70:40)

1. OVERTURE (3:59)
2. MAIN TITLE (3:41)
3. THE MINES (3:00)
4. CARAVAN (1:17)
5. VARINIA'S THEME (3:15)
6. TRAINING THE GLADIATORS (1:29)
7. PAINTING (1:26)
8. SPARTACUS' CELL (1:37)
9. KITCHEN (1:36)
10. TRAINING THE GLADIATORS #2 (:37)
11. KITCHEN #2 (:48)
12. CRASSUS (:51)
13. SOURCE MUSIC #2 (2:36)
14. SOURCE MUSIC #1 (3:30)
15. FIRST PAIR (3:38)
16. DRABA FIGHT (2:49)
17. KILL (1:12)
18. BROODING (2:18)
19. REVOLT (1:16)
20. THE BREAKOUT (2:08)
21. SLAVES ESCAPE (:47)
22. CRASSUS HOME (:37)
23. DESERTED SCHOOL (1:55)
24. FOREST MEETING (4:50)
25. OYSTERS AND SNAILS (3:03)
26. VESUVIUS CAMP (1:59)
27. NEW RECRUITS (1:51)
28. GLABRUS MARCH (:24)
29. VESUVIUS MONTAGE (1:19)
30. POEM (1:27)
31. LOVE SEQUENCE (3:10)
32. GLABRUS DEFEATED (3:40)
33. GLABRUS DISGRACED (1:44)

CD 3 - Mono (65:29)

1. ENTR'ACTE (2:21)
2. ON TO THE SEA (3:07)
3. LUCERIA CAMP (:42)
4. BESIDE THE POOL (2:28)
5. DUSTY MARCH (:31)
6. METAPONTUM TRIUMPH (1:33)
7. ROMAN BATHS (1:46)
8. ARRIVAL AT THE BEACH (:59)
9. FESTIVAL (3:20)
10. SOUND THE TRUMPET (:31)
11. CRASSUS LEGIONS (:41)
12. BACK FROM THE SEA (:30)
13. CRASSUS' CAMP (:48)
14. CAMP AT NIGHT (2:19)
15. EXPECTANT PARENTS (3:10)
16. MANEUVERS (3:14)
17. FORMATIONS (1:30)
18. THE BATTLE (4:09)
19. DESOLATION ELEGY (2:05)
20. I AM SPARTACUS (3:14)
21. RECOGNITION AND CRUCIFIXION MARCH (2:46)
22. NIGHT CRUCIFIXION (:35)
23. VARINIA AND CRASSUS (4:59)
24. FEAR OF DEATH (3:22)
25. SPARTACUS DEFIES CRASSUS (2:17)
26. THE LAST FIGHT (4:47)
27. FINAL FAREWELL AND END TITLE (4:17)
28. EXIT MUSIC (2:48)

CD 4 – Mono (43:17)

Alternate and Unused Cues

1. OVERTURE (Unused) (4:02)
2. MAIN TITLE (Alternate) (3:33)
3. GLADIATOR SELECTION (Unused) (2:31)
4. KITCHEN #1 (Alternate) (1:55)
5. ON TO THE SEA (Alternate) (2:58)
6. INFANT BURIAL (Alternate) (:47)
7. END OF ACT I (Alternate) (1:06)
8. FESTIVAL (Alternate) (1:50)
9. SOUND THE TRUMPET (Alternate) (:23)
10. SPARTACUS MARCH (:34)
11. SPARTACUS MARCH (Alternate Ending) (:18)
12. SPARTACUS FANFARE (:13)
13. FEAR OF DEATH (Alternate) (3:26)

Preliminary Cues

14. TRAINING THE GLADIATORS / PAINTING (Preliminary) (2:45)
15. TRAINING THE GLADIATORS (Preliminary) (2:37)
16. TRAINING THE GLADIATORS #2 (Preliminary) (:37)
17. BROODING (Preliminary) (3:06)
18. REVOLT (Preliminary) (:28)
19. FESTIVAL (Preliminary) (:51)
20. SPARTACUS LOVE THEME (Preliminary) (3:05)
21. DESOLATION ELEGY (Preliminary) (3:29)
22. CRUCIFIXION MARCH (Preliminary) (2:05)

CD 5 – Stereo (60:07)

Spartacus: Love Theme and Variations

Spartacus Love Theme
as interpreted by...

1. Bill Evans (5:09)
2. Yusef Lateef (4:11)
3. Mark Isham (11:09)
4. Dave Grusin (2:53)
5. Nathan Barr and Lisbeth Scott (5:08)
6. Carlos Santana (6:48)
7. Terry Callier (4:28)
8. Patrick Doyle (5:01)
9. Joel McNeely (2:27)
10. Lalo Schifrin (5:17)
11. The Ramsey Lewis Trio (7:12)

CD 6 – Stereo (50:16)

Spartacus: Love Theme and Variations

Spartacus Love Theme
as interpreted by...

1. Bill Evans and Jeremy Steig (5:00)
2. Alexandre Desplat (2:36)
3. Regina Carter (6:21)
4. Diego Navarro (3:54)
5. Gábor Szabó (3:13)
6. John Debney (4:45)
7. Brian Tyler (7:08)
8. Randy Edelman (3:49)
9. Richard Stoltzman (4:49)
10. John Neufeld and Marty Krystall (4:01)
11. Eric Stern, London Symphony Orchestra (4:14)

CDs 5 and 6 include an additional 20-page booklet.

DVD – widescreen 16:9 (109 minutes)

This DVD presents a series of conversations about Alex North and the score of SPARTACUS

Rather than approaching our on-camera discussions like a conventional documentary - with film clips, photos, and underscoring - we felt that it would be much more interesting to simply let these composers talk, expressing their own enthusiasm for Alex North's work. To that end, the interviews are organized thematically but presented in their raw state, offering the experience of sitting across from these great musicians.

The interviews were filmed on March 5, 15 and April 6, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.

Featuring interviews with

Alexandre Desplat
Mark Isham
David Newman
Lalo Schifrin
Robert Townson
Brian Tyler
John Williams
Christopher Young

Bonus Features:
Recording Spartacus Love Theme with

Mark Isham
Diego Navarro

My felicitations to whomever this appeals to and enjoys this.
I'm sure this will find an audience (though I am not part of it).

Well, it is 6 CDs and a DVD.

But i am not too sure it will be actually celebrating facebook; rather the opposite, a caustic look on it, i hope at least.

6 CD's!?

They just updated the page to include:



"THE KITCHEN SINK


A beautiful, white, ceramic reproduction of the very sink Alex North used while composing his masterpiece. Now you can get cookin', too!"

(sorry, that post above was obviously in the wrong thread!)