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• Conducted by Masatoshi Mitsumoto.
  
• Performed by The Radio Symphony Orchestra of Cracow.
  
• Label: Monstrous Movie Music.
  
• Release Date: 1996
  

• Original Review:

More Monstrous Movie Music (The Radio Symphony Orchestra of Cracow) The set of MMM horror scores have been two of the most popular CDs to be released in 1996. Personally, I find music from old 1950's horror/sci-fi movies to be completely intolerable, but since I know that there's a loyal group of 1950's horror/sci-fi movie followers, I'll attempt to review these two CD's in an unbiased manner (remember, I'm of the 90's generation that lives off of surround sound!). Many of the scores featured between the two Monster Movie Music CDs has been previous unreleased. And yes, these CDs are a tremendous tribute to this genre of film music. I found the gigantic liner notes in both releases to be incredibly helpful and insightful. There's an advertisement for these two CDs in the September, 1996, issue (#73) of Lukas Kendall's Film Score Monthly. An article about the releases can also be found in that issue. Be sure to check out the awards list below, also. Overall (an extra star to satisfy the 50's sci-fi freaks): ****

A Note from MMM producer David Schecter:

"Our goal in the Monstrous Movie Music series is to present the music as it might have sounded had you been on the scoring stages, which is how most modern film soundtracks sound. This is opposed to most labels' re-recording projects, which have a distant-sounding orchestra that reminds one of being in the concert hall. Our CDs do sound different from practically anything else out there in the film music market, and we've received lots of compliments from people who have told us that along with the Bernard Herrmann Phase IV recordings of the '70s and the Leroy Shields Little Rascals' music, ours sound more like film music was meant to sound than most other film music releases. So we're pleased that we seem to have achieved our goal. I feel film music should be vibrant and powerful, and above all, be a dramatic listening experience, not a passive one."

You can contact David Schecter at monstrous@earthlink.net. He's extremely knowledgable, friendly, and very enjoyable to talk with about film music and the 1950's sc-fi genre.

• Online Purchasing Options:
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• Also See: Monstrous Movie Music released at the same time.

• CD Availability/Value: Limited U.S. Release.

• Track Listing: --Total Time: 59:03

  Tarantula, 1955 (Herman Stein, Henry Mancini) -- 18:42
  

  • 1. Introduction (:11)
  • 2. Main Title (1:11)
  • 3. Gruesome Corpse (1:15)
  • 4. Radioactive Research (1:05)
  • 5. Spider on the Loose (3:05)
  • 6. Burying the Evidence (1:35)
  • 7. Side Effects (1:15)
  • 8. Big Bunnies (:56)
  • 9. Agar to the Rescue (1:23)
  • 10. Evening Snack (1:33)
  • 11. Bringing Down the House (2:51)
  • 12. Blasted Arachnid (1:50)
  • 13. End TItle (:32)
    The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, 1953 (David Buttolph) --18:46
    
  • 14. Main Title (1:11)
  • 15. Far North/Expedition/Monster (2:06)
  • 16. Lost Scientist/Beast Sighted (2:20)
  • 17. Chord (:09)
  • 18. Extinguishing the Lighthouse (:57)
  • 19. Diving Bell (1:13)
  • 20. Bell And Octopus (1:54)
  • 21. Absent Professor (1:31)
  • 22. Monster Does Manhattan (1:57)
  • 23. Herald Square/Germs (1:14)
  • 24. Up the Coaster/Finale (4:14)
    The Monolith Monsters, 1957 (Irving Gertz) --1:03
    
  • 25. Main Title (1:03)
    Gorgo, 1961 (Angelo Francesco Lavagnino) --19:43
    
  • 26. Main Title (1:48)
  • 27. Restless Sea/Underwater/Tidal Wave (2:21)
  • 28. On the Island/Inner Room (2:08)
  • 29. Gorgo Sighted/Gorgo Surfaces (1:48)
  • 30. Fire Fight (1:23)
  • 31. Making A Plan/Ocean Voyage (1:35)
  • 32. Gorgo Escapes/Mama Rises (1:14)
  • 33. Jet Alert/Battleship Barrage (1:07)
  • 34. Military Might/Torpedo Attack (2:05)
  • 35. Big Ben Demolished (:56)
  • 36. London Trampled (1:09)
  • 37. Return To Sea/End Title (2:09)

  
  

• Audio Clips:
  

  • none.

• Notes: The insert notes are in great depth.
  

• Awards: Tower Records' Pulse! magazine chose both MMM CDs for their "Top Ten Film Music Albums of 1996," and they'll be giving MMM a formal review in their May issue.
  

  MMM also appeared in Cinefantastique's "Best Of The Year" article in their "1996 In Review" piece (April, 1997).
  

  These are only two of the numerous awards and TV recognition MMM has received... Take our word for it; they are very popular releases!