THE HEROES OF TELEMARK/STAGECOACH – Original Soundtrack Recordings

THE HEROES OF TELEMARK

Composed and Conducted by MALCOLM ARNOLD

STAGECOACH

Composed by JERRY GOLDSMITH
Conducted by ALEXANDER COURAGE

Two sensational ’60’s Mainstream albums, completely remastered from newly-discovered elements, together on one CD!

Intrada’s latest release from the Mainstream catalog features two entire albums that were originally released on vinyl in the mid-60s. Stagecoach makes its first appearance on CD from the first-generation multi-channel album masters and The Heroes of Telemark makes its world premiere release on CD.

Anthony Mann directs The Heroes Of Telemark with Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Michael Redgrave. Malcolm Arnold writes fanfare-like main theme in bright major key, identifies melody with Norwegian Commandos determined to prevent Nazis from gaining atomic bomb in October 1942. Their mission: destroy the Vermork Norsk Hydro plant in Telemark county of German-occupied Norway. Arnold fills exciting score with flourishes for ski runs, requisite military martial music, aggressive action sequences and soaring romantic material for “Anna”. Yet no matter where Arnold goes, vibrant main theme and corresponding major chords stay close by. Dynamic finish is another asset to this vibrant, powerful score! Intrada premiere CD release mastered from recently located first-generation original 1965 album masters. Both mono, stereo versions of actual recording were pinched, aided little by excessive reverb. Stereo version, while genuine, offers minimal imaging. After auditioning both, Intrada chose stereo version, adding to Arnold’s vastly under-represented catalog of film scores on CD. Stagecoach re-recording, oft-reissued, finally arrives on CD for first time from newly-discovered actual 1″ recording session tapes made in January 1966 when Jerry Goldsmith re-recorded virtually all of his score for classic Mainstream album, save final bars of closing song “Stagecoach To Cheyenne” (sung in film by Wayne Newton, on album by The Bill Brown Singers). All previous releases (including actual OST versions) have been compromised in their mixes. Finally, hear all of Goldsmith’s incredible detail as it was meant to be heard, from gentle marimba rolls behind solo guitar (“The First Born”) to dazzling array of banjos, bass harmonica, percussion (“Escape Route”), from crisp muted trumpet with orchestra (“The Aftermath”) and staccato xylophone figures (“A New Passenger And The Reward’) to soft harmonica counter-melody above delicate guitar (“All Is Forgiven”). This is Stagecoach at last heard as never before! Spotlight goes to “Family History”, one of legendary composer’s most gentle, moving cues of all time. Interesting final detail: all previous reissues have odd edit that repeats half of “A New Passenger” for second time, then just stops. Having session master allows us to correct anomaly at last. Gordon Douglas directs Fox 1966 remake of classic 1939 John Ford/John Wayne western with large cast including Ann-Margret, Bing Crosby, Red Buttons, Van Heflin, many others. Flipper cover art designed by Joe Sikoryak offers beautiful reproductions of both original album covers. Informative notes on both productions by John Takis complete exciting package. Malcolm Arnold conducts his score, Alexander Courage conducts Stagecoach.
Arnold’s main theme for The Heroes of Telemark is characteristically broad and exuberant. Part fanfare and part processional, the theme presses forward with a majestic sweep.  It is the score’s keystone, appearing in settings both grandiose and subdued, shifting from major to minor when appropriate, and surfacing in various guises within the pulse-pounding action and suspense sequences.  The score was recorded at Cine-Tele Sound Studios in London under Malcolm Arnold’s baton and featured a pinched audio quality.  The stereo imaging is minimal and the recording was originally locked down with an abundance of reverb, giving the overall album a very “wet” sound with limited clarity.  Intrada located both the original stereo and mono album masters and determined the same audio limitations existed on the mono masters, though without the benefit of any stereo separation at all, so  Intrada elected to use the stereo master.

The Heroes are nine Norwegian saboteurs — Resistance Fighters who stopped the Nazis from gaining a vital ingredient for making the atomic bomb. Their lonely acts of courage succeeded where gliders full of crack British Commandos failed and a massive bombing raid by more than a hundred American Flying Fortresses could not knock out a fortress-like factory hidden ina distant Norwegian valley.

Moving from WW II Europe to the old west, Stagecoach was a remake of the famous John Wayne western and also featured an  all-star cast, : Ann-Margret, Red Buttons, Michael Connors, Alex Cord, Bing Crosby, Bob Cummings, Van Heflin, Slim Pickens, Stefanie Powers  and Keenan Wynn.  Jerry Goldsmith was along for the ride as well, providing a score with more subtlety and depth than the usual genre fare. Goldsmith avoids spending much time on action scenes, which are largely unscored and does not squander his time on a plethora of themes or motifs for the overflowing cast. Instead he delivers a spare and spirited score of unexpected beauty. The featured musical colors are harmonica, mouth harp, guitar and accordion, evoking the intimacy of a lonely campfire while pulling against the scale of the screen and the bumpy ride in store for its occupants.

For the album re-recording session, Jerry Goldsmith newly recorded virtually every sequence from his brief film score save the closing bars of the final song, “Stagecoach To Cheyenne” by Lee Pockriss and Paul Vance, sung in the picture by Wayne Newton but on the album by The Bill Brown Singers.  All previous CD releases were drawn either from vinyl or from 2-track mixes that omitted much of the orchestral detail in the score.  Even the original LP was prepared from watered-down mixes.  With this CD release of the score, every orchestral detail is at last available, newly mixed from the 1˝ masters made at the recording sessions in January 1966.