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2 Roy Budd Scores

The Stone Killer and Diamonds, two of Roy Budd’s funkiest jazz scores from the golden era of seventies film making, are to be released together as part of a 2 CD set on 19th September.

These long unavailable scores prove Roy Budd equal to the giants of the 70s decade - Lalo Schifrin, Curtis Mayfield and David Shire. Featuring Fender Rhodes keyboards, exotic percussion, laid-back flutes and big synth sounds, the soundtracks hail back to a time of masterful musicianship.

The Stone Killer (1973) underlines Budd’s incredible ability to integrate jazz and orchestral arrangements to deliver a score that is a perfect fit for the story of Charles Bronson on a trail of revenge.

Diamonds (1975), a crime caper set in London, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv allowed Budd free range to mix Blaxpoitation themes, Jewish folk tradition and his own beloved jazz roots, all mightily topped off by the biggest girl group of the era, Three Degrees, performing the theme.

More recently, music on these releases has been sampled by a variety of artists that include Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, Nas and LTJ Bukem.

Beginners

In July, Silva Screen will release the soundtrack to Beginners, a ragtime influenced piano score to Mike Mills’ film starring Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer.

Released in UK cinemas on July 22nd, this deeply personal film entwines comedy, romance and drama to tell a story about a man who, like Mills, only learns his father is gay upon the death of his mother. Mills’ aim was to embed the music into the emotional texture of the film, so he called upon his earliest musical memories - the music his parents enjoyed in their family home.

Giving a nod to jazz rags, the original score is composed by Roger Neill (King Of The Hill, Chicago Hope), Brian Reitzell (Red Riding Hood, 30 Days Of Night) and Dave Palmer. The soundtrack combines classical music, piano rags and a beautifully collated collection of ragtime and early jazz. These include the wonderful piano stylings of Jelly Roll Morton and the seminal Stardust by Hoagy Carmichael.

Mills says: “This film contains a kind of portrait of my father and my mother - at least one version of them - or maybe it's just my dream of them…. When I began to study the early jazz-blues-rag, I was led all the way back to Mamie Smith and Jelly Roll Morton. The 1938 Alan Lomax recordings of Jelly Roll - playing fragments of his songs and weaving in and out of conversation about that time period - became my version of my mother's music and really the harmonic heart of the whole film for me. Hoagy Carmichael's haunting “Stardust” and Gene Austin's old world charm in “Everything's Made For Love” reminded me of all that 1930's-40's American music that seemed to run through my mom's personality… The classical music that my father blasted through the car speakers and in our house late at night got distilled down in my version of him to Bach's gorgeous Cello Suites - so lonely, simple and yet huge in scope to me.”

The Avengers Release

Howard Blake's score for The Avengers TV show will be available on a Double CD EXCLUSIVELY on the Silva Screen Website from Friday 24th of June. The CD will be available on general release from the 8th of August through all the usual outlets.

The Avengers Release Date

The recently announced Avengers soundtrack, previously unreleased, will be available exclusively on the SIlva Screen website from Friday the 24th of June. It comprises a two CD set featuring Howard Blake's classic music for The Avengers' final TV series, which starred Linda Thorson as Tara King. The package includes a 16 page booklet with full colour stills and extensive notes on the music and episodes from the TV programme.

Track Listing

Disc One

01. The Avengers Theme (Laurie Johnson)

MY WILDEST DREAM

02. Main Title

03. Action Sequence

04. Nightmare For Harp

05. Finale

WHOEVER SHOT POOR GEORGE OBLIQUE STROKE XR40?

06. Main Title

ALL DONE WITH MIRRORS

07. Main Title

08. Action Sequence

09. Blues in Suspense

10. Over The Top

11. Optical Illusions

12. Fife & Drum

SUPER SECRET CYPHER SNATCH

13. Main Title

14. Action Sequence

15. Action Sequence 2

16. Cyber Crush

17. Finale

18. Tag Scene

GAME

19. Main Title

20. Contrabasson Plays Burlesque

21. Circus Snakes & Ladders

NOON DOOMSDAY

22. Main Title

23. South of the Border

24. Lone Railroad

25. Ticking Clock

26. Death By Bullfight

27. Insistant Heartbeat

28. Marking Time

29. Finale

Disc Two

WISH YOU WERE HERE

01. Main Title

02. Interlude for Bassoon

03. Woodwind Games

04. Cor Anglais

05. Tag Scene

THE INTERROGATORS

06. Main Title

07. Adagio Flute / Main Theme

08. Harp to Flute / Brass Menace

09. Tag Scene

TAKE ME YOUR LEADER

10. Main Title

11. Wah-wah Blues March 1

12. Wah-wah Blues March 2

13. Light Suspense

WHO WAS THAT MAN I SAW YOU WITH?

14. Main Title

15. Winds & Oboe Solo

16. Fender Rhodes Leading Back to Theme

17. Fender Rhodes Suspense

18. Extended Title Music

19. Quiet Winds

20. Finale

21. The Avengers Theme (Laurie Johnson)

Lost Tapes of THE AVENGERS Found!!

The music to the classic 1960's cult show The Avengers has long been popular amongst fans of the show and music lovers, but so far, only the Johnny Dankworth and Laurie Johnson soundtracks have been available. Howard Blake (probably best known now for The Snowman) was brought in on the recommendation of Bernard Herrmann to write the soundtrack for ten episodes in the sixth and final series of The Avengers starring Linda Thorson as Tara King, but until now the tapes containing these classic recordings have been lost. Silva Screen are pleased to announce that they will be releasing these recently discovered masters on a two CD set exclusively through their website at the end of June. The tracklisting and release date will be confirmed later this month.

Circus of Horrors Freak Out BGT Judges

Back in 2001, Silva Screen released The Circus of Horrors soundtrack, described as a cross between Rocky Horror, Circus Archaos and Alice Cooper. The soundtrack features guest appearences by Dave Hill (Slade), Arthur Brown (Crazy World of Arthur Brown), Dani Filth (Cradle of Filth) and The King (Elvis impersonator). Anyway, the point of all this is that The Circus of Horrors have made it to the Britain's Got Talent semis, airing tomorrow (1st June), and word is they're firing up to shock the judges into putting them through to the final, by performing never before seen dangerous and no doubt revolting stunts on the telly. Roll up folks, they've got to be seen to be believed.