: (Jerry Goldsmith) With Westerns at
their all-time high in popularity during the early 1960's, director
Gordon Douglas'
just a few years
earlier. But despite the common threads in character stereotypes and
plotline progressions,
examined the same genre
through a much cloudier lens. Like many of its counterparts, the story
offered good and evil in various shades of gray and applied those hues
to men and women of several cultures and occupations in the Old West. A
decidedly downer of a conclusion was a foreshadowing of more difficult
treatments of similar topics in the 1970's. Composer Jerry Goldsmith was
early in his career, but already he had extensive experience in the
Western genre. After his success with
and a
variety of lesser known television and feature scores for the open
expanses of America's West, Goldsmith's contribution to
allowed him even more mainstream attention and the
opportunity to utilize his fine skills in ethnic variations and Western
themes. Because the film is so much darker in content and theme than
previous, more popular Westerns, Goldsmith was both an interesting and
ultimately appropriate composer for the job. The king of Western
composers at the time was Elmer Bernstein, of course, yet his more
upbeat, heroic style inspired by Aaron Copland wouldn't have been a
viable fit for
. Through his explorations of folk
rhythms and Latin flavor, and a mixing of these sounds into the
soundscape of a fully orchestral ensemble (pioneering a distinct
identity in Westerns that Basil Poledouris and many other later
composers would adapt as well), Goldsmith successfully seized the
opportunity and produced a strong, memorable score for the film and
previewed many of his own action trademarks still under
development.
While Western scores were well admired at the time for
their bold themes, Goldsmith had a habit of composing music for the
genre that extended beyond those galloping, glorious identities. With
this new direction in mind,
Rio Conchos consists mostly of ethnic
interpretations representing both the Apache and the Spanish influences
in the film. Goldsmith seamlessly integrates them with his orchestral
underscore, spicing up the mix with his own budding mannerisms. There
are lengthy sequences of ethnic variations here, with many of the same
flamenco styled motifs performed by mirambas and guitars that would
appear in his later Western scores. An excess of percussion, with
castanets, bristles, tambourine, woods, and timpani provide the rest of
the setting needed for the film. Even more creative is the use of
percussive elements to imitate the sounds of spurs and whips as
rhythm-setters. To some listeners' surprise, there are lengthy sequences
of simmering underscore in
Rio Conchos, barely audible moments
when the film's characters are engaged in close, conversational turmoil.
Goldsmith decided to stop short of building up the complexity of
different themes for individual characters. He does, however, compose
one of the most satisfying title themes of his career. Though not
presented in a heroic manner at every turn, Goldsmith inserts the
necessary bounce and vigor to keep an American audience enthused about
the genre. And, in the end, even beyond the plethora of ethnic subthemes
and underscore, it is the title theme that will capture the attention of
any Goldsmith fan. The folksy swing of this easy-going melody's rhythm
ranks it near his best, though its sheer size can be better appreciated
in Goldsmith's own, more recent re-recording of the score rather than in
the original recording made for the picture itself. Interestingly, the
theme loses steam as the score progresses, most of the notable
performances of the identity confined to the first half of the work.
Don't expect a rousing Western-styled performance of it at the end;
instead you get a dramatic version worthy of a biblical epic film.
There have been several releases of music from
Rio
Conchos on CD. The first debuted on the Intrada Records label in
1989 and featured a re-recording of select cues from the film as chosen
and conducted by Goldsmith himself. Not only are the performances by the
London Symphony Orchestra superb on this album, but the title theme
emerges with even more robust energy. As producer Douglass Fake states,
"Our intent at Intrada was to present some Goldsmith music from an
historical view, but not simply an overview. This meant the challenge of
preparing one or two works in full as opposed to a collection of suites
and themes. We turned to the most famous period in Goldsmith's early
career, the years at 20th Century-Fox. After selecting two scores with
very diverse elements all of us involved agreed to record the works in
an authentic manner. This meant working with the original manuscripts
and recreating the exact orchestral needs of each score without change
or adaptation." The second score referred to is the prologue Goldsmith
wrote for
The Agony and the Ecstasy in 1965, a remarkable piece
with several impressively melodramatic string climaxes. Students of
Goldsmith will find this 12+ minute suite to be an interesting study,
though the piece came at a time when Goldsmith had not yet established
some of the more dramatic trademarks that would place the work at home
with later achievements. As such, this material isn't spectacular by any
means, with the exception perhaps of the performances by a massive
French horn cluster. The surprisingly crisp stereo sound of the Intrada
re-recording of
Rio Conchos, as well as the true-to-the-original
style that results from Goldsmith's close involvement with the project,
has always made the 1989 Intrada release an excellent buy. After the
1989 product went out of print in the 2000's, the label revisited it in
2013 and remastered the digital recording with the newest capabilities.
Also included on this unlimited pressing are three previously unreleased
takes from those sessions, including two versions of the short, more
upbeat "End Cast" cue, the latter of which has some intriguing studio
dialogue featuring Goldsmith speaking with musicians. In 2021, the label
offered another remastered, extremely limited re-issue of the 2013 album
on CD but also made high-resolution download options available shortly
thereafter.
The Film Score Monthly release of 2000 finally provided
the original recording in its entirety. Several extra cues were
available from those sessions that were never performed by the London
Symphony Orchestra in 1989. The whole score was pressed onto the CD,
including the source-like cantina music, in mono sound; the producers of
the album chose these tapes over available stereo ones because the mono
tapes were in better condition. For a comparison, however, FSM offered
five select tracks found in decent shape that had been mixed into
stereo. The difference in the quality of the soundscape is very evident,
especially in the incorporation of the non-traditional elements like the
whip. Even within the stereo selections, there is a vast difference in
clarity; the "Main Title" stereo cue is a highlight of the entire
production, vastly superior to its mono counterpart. (It even gives the
re-recording a run for its money.) Thrown in as a bonus is the
little-known vocal version of the title theme, which has all the fun
characteristics of those overly-dramatic songs that frequently blessed
1950's Westerns. In 2014, Kritzerland remastered the stereo sources for
their own album, a woefully short-printed run that, like their
Breakheart Pass product, immediately sold out. Luckily, La-La
Land Records appended this same remastering to their
100 Rifles
album of 2018. Avid fans of the composer will note interesting
differences in pacing and mixing between the two recordings, with the
rhythms of the original recording often performed at significantly
faster paces and the percussion reduced in presence for the
re-recording. These differences are of interest because of Goldsmith's
control over the re-recording, suggesting that these "corrective" moves
were by his own choice. Also factoring into the equation is the
difficulty of the composition; the London performers tackle Goldsmith's
complex constructs a bit differently. Overall, the 1989 re-recording
will likely best satisfy digital-era listeners curious about the
composer's early ventures for 20th Century Fox, especially with
The
Agony and the Ecstasy attached, and the 2013 and 2021 Intrada albums
are clearly the better presentation of that version. Veteran collectors
will likely want to hear both recordings, though, necessitating the
original recording as best heard on the stereo Kritzerland and La-La
Land albums. On any album, be prepared for a more thoughtful listening
experience once you pass the obvious performances of the main theme.
@Amazon.com: CD or
Download
- Music as Heard on the 1989, 2013, and 2021 Intrada Albums: ****
- Music as Heard on the 2000, 2014, and 2018 Albums: ***
- Overall: ****
| Bias Check: |
For Jerry Goldsmith reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.26
(in 124 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.29
(in 153,454 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
|
