2-CD release of entire classic Miklós Rózsa fantasy soundtrack in stereo, coupled with first CD release of original United Artists 1974 soundtrack album from genuine first generation stereo masters recently located in vaults in Italy!

The 1974 sequel to The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad is no stranger to release on compact disc.  Originally issued as a single disc, it was sourced from the only available element at the time, a stereo copy of the vinyl LP.  A few years later, Prometheus reissued this LP program and added a second disc containing the mono stems as edited to picture for release, again from the only available sources.  For this go around, Intrada offers the CD premiere of the first-generation stereo album masters produced by United Artists Records for release in 1974 and recently located in storage vaults in Italy, courtesy Sony Music.  In addition to presenting the album from the original masters, Intrada includes the complete score as well, this time drawn from restored stereo music stems and also from surviving ½˝ three-channel stereo scoring session masters, ¼˝ two-channel stereo mixes and 35mm full-track transfers.  Although the LP program runs a generous 55 minutes, this new stereo program of the complete score runs nearly 90 minutes, all included on this 2-CD set.

Miklós Rózsa visited the land of the Arabian Nights twice during his long and distinguished film music career—first in 1940 (The Thief of Bagdad) and then in 1974 (The Golden Voyage of Sinbad).  The Golden Voyage score is lush and exotic, clearly from the pen of Rózsa, yet he fashioned something darker and perhaps subtler than his first foray into the realm of fantasy.

In The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, the race is on between Sinbad (John Phillip Law) and the evil Prince Koura (Tom Baker), both searching for a missing amulet which, when united with two other pieces, will bring the bearer three gifts: youth, a shield of darkness and untold riches. Sinbad discovers the first piece when one of his sailors shoots down Koura’s winged messenger, the homunculus. He finds the second in the possession of a mysterious vizier (Douglas Wilmer) who wears a mask to cover his disfigured face. When he realizes that the two pieces constitute a nautical chart, he sets out to find the third all the while being followed by Koura.

All previous CDs used heavily-processed LP sources for album program while expanded tracks were transferred from mono film stems, thereby reproducing all truncated edits, awkward films assemblies contained therein. Intrada release finally presents cues in full from new stereo elements including precious, newly-discovered actual three-channel scoring session masters, original two-track stereo tapes plus small handful of restored 35mm stereo stems courtesy Columbia Pictures and skilled engineers at Chace Audio. Gordon Hessler follow-up to famed 7th Voyage Of Sinbad again showcases legendary stop-motion talents of Ray Harryhausen with stars John Philip Law, Caroline Munro, Tom Baker amongst the live-action characters. Brian Clemens scripts, Charles Schneer produces with Harryhausen. Rózsa pulls out all stops, provides lavish, magnificent score with equal parts epic adventure, rousing action. Main theme is sweeping nautical idea for Sinbad, replete with a distinctive “tri-tone” (the unstable augmented fourth interval) in its melodic shape. Sinister villain Khoura also displays same interval but now plays to menace and evil. Other themes are replete with swirling Oriental colors of Arabian Nights fantasy, still others bring extraordinary animated creations of Harryhausen to frightening life. Witness vivid cues for Homunculus, Siren, Kali, Gryphon and Centaur. Inventive, imaginative scoring! Newly-expanded selections now offer complete versions of many film cues that had endings dialed out or sections truncated entirely for finished film and previous CD releases. Pinched sound of actual recordings plus small number of myriad room noises (including brief low level “thumps” during “The Storm”) were present on all masters and could not be avoided. But incredible discovery of so much new material in stereo being made available on CD for the first time ever more than compensates.

Hearing many cues play without abrupt film edits is a delight. In addition to entire score and original album presentations, Intrada 2-CD set also provides all surviving three-channel scoring session cues, offering dynamic, detailed audio as never before heard anywhere! Amongst these are variety of full source cues scored by Rózsa in his typically colorful, highly original period style. Also great fun to hear rousing set-piece “Sinbad And Crew Fight Siren” in such crisp sound from three-channel masters! All cue titles come from Columbia scoring session paperwork. Spectacular flipper-style cover package design by Joe Sikoryak offers both original United Artists album graphics and richly drawn international campaign artwork. Informative liner notes from Frank DeWald plus detailed comments about various restorations, assemblies of cues and extensions from edited film versions also appear in lavish booklet. Miklós Rózsa’s 70’s masterpiece in all its glory at last! Miklós Rózsa conducts the Rome Symphony Orchestra.