> It's a short score with
> - a very good/great main theme that doesn't undergo a ton of variation
> - an otherwise low-key suspense program that's fine but also not terribly
> distinctive relative to Goldsmith's other such scores from the era.
> It's undoubtedly effective. But it is does feel very much like the
> last-minute replacement score it is.

I disagree, this is one that soars above the last-minute replacement that lead to it. It creates the mood of the film with the unusual orchestrations and unusual use of instruments tat in almost any other scenario would come off as a cheap trick but here manages to gel with the picture brilliantly. I have Chinatown in my top ten for Goldsmith.

> I think this had to do with how Goldsmith's 'Americana' works from the 60s
> and 70s somewhat blend together. And it's not the equal of Copland's take
> on an earlier film version of the story, a score I rate ****1/2.
> Also, if we're comparing Westerns, it was a tad below the echelon I
> slotted Rio Conchos into.
> 1973 is perhaps an underrated year for the composer; everyone knows
> Papillon and many know the Barnaby Jones theme, but The Red Pony and The
> Going Up Of David Lev are both very good scores that I wish more people
> were familiar with.

Goldsmith's Red Pony works for me more emotionally than Copland's and rate both of them 5*. I put it above Rio Conchos, but can understand how you might rate that higher as it is phenomenal, especially on the Intrada re-recording. David Lev is also excellent, I manged to nab that cheaply on e-bay late last year and have been enjoying it immensely.

> The doo-wop vocals, the 'oh so Jerry in the 90s' pleasant theme, freakin'
> Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...by all rights I shouldn't like it, and yet
> it puts a smile on my face every time I listen to it. The creative
> silliness is slightly preferred to the more straightforward Matinee and
> the 'anyone else could've wrote this in the 1960s' feel of The Stripper.
> Its pairing with Seconds on CD is perhaps the STRANGEST combination of
> scores ever.
Definitely a strange pairing and I never listen to them together. His scores in this period for Fred Scepisi are odd and never approach the heights of The Russia House. Six Degrees of Separation (stupid '90s album with dialogue quibbles aside) and Fierce Creatures each have nice moments but are not a great listen overall. But none are as bad a The Lonely Guy which is only saved by a few stand out tracks of brilliance.

> Outside of the thrills of the first track and the elegance of the final
> one, I found very little to enjoy this time around. The middle tracks
> often felt like they were cycling through Goldsmith's turbulent suspense
> mannerisms from the decade without doing anything terribly distinctive.
> If this score and its main theme that's heavily indebted to On The
> Waterfront WEREN'T attached to a classic film I doubt folks would feel the
> same about them.

L.A. Confidential to me is the'90s Chinatown for me and yes it is heavily indebted to On the Waterfront but what Jerry does with that idea is so good I do not mind.

> It used to have a lower rating when it was attached as a suite to the VS
> Planet of the Apes release. Then I got the full score and raised it a bit.
> Now I guess I'm in the middle. Outside of the jagged rhythms of the first
> track there isn't a lot I enjoy or even appreciate about the score.
> That Jerry was able to write ANYTHING functional for this oddly structured
> film is perhaps a minor miracle. But on album it alternates between
> irritating me and losing my attention, and it remains perhaps the only
> work I've heard by Jerry that doesn't really work.
> That said, it's DEFINITELY better than Rosenman's bizarre 'Beneath' score
> (and its hilariously rock-infused LP recording) and Scott's 'amateur hour'
> 'Conquest' score.

Rosenman's Beneath is Beneath discussion and that LP is one of the most bizarre things to have ever emerged from the world of film music. Fascinating bizarre but still awful. I think Escape form PoTA works a whole lot better than, say, The Lonely Guy, aside from the early '70's feel to some of the early cues, I really enjoy the second half of the score and Jerry continues his tradition of writing stand out cues titled "The Hunt" but yes the best track is the opening, by far.