| CLOSE WINDOW |
|
FILMTRACKS.COM
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of Rio Conchos (Jerry Goldsmith)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... on the 2013 or 2021 Intrada albums featuring Jerry
Goldsmith's own re-recording of most of the score if you seek an early
glimpse at the composer's darker, folksy Western style in pristine
digital sound.
Avoid it... on that re-recording if you are a Goldsmith purist interested instead in a superior presentation of the original recording on several other products, regardless of how badly aged its sound may be.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Rio Conchos: (Jerry Goldsmith) With Westerns at
their all-time high in popularity during the early 1960's, director
Gordon Douglas' Rio Conchos provided in 1964 much of the same
story as the John Wayne film The Comancheros just a few years
earlier. But despite the common threads in character stereotypes and
plotline progressions, Rio Conchos 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 Lonely are the Brave and a
variety of lesser known television and feature scores for the open
expanses of America's West, Goldsmith's contribution to Rio
Conchos 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 Rio Conchos. 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.
TRACK LISTINGS:
1989 Intrada Album:
Total Time: 56:20
2000 FSM Album: Total Time: 75:28
2013/2021 Intrada Album: Total Time: 60:03
* previously unreleased 2014 Kritzerland / 2018 La-La Land Albums: Total Time: 58:14
NOTES & QUOTES:
All of the albums' inserts contain extensive notes. The 2013 Intrada album's
insert includes notes about the circumstances of the additional music included.
Copyright ©
2000-2024, Filmtracks Publications. All rights reserved.
The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Rio Conchos are Copyright © 1989, 2000, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2021, Intrada Records, Film Score Monthly, Intrada Records, Kritzerland Records, La-La Land Records, Intrada Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 1/21/00 and last updated 5/28/21. |
