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The Western Scores of Jerry Goldsmith


Brundlefly

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Can anybody tell me anything about Breakheart Pass? The suite on YouTube indicates a very fine score that is very similar to Take a Hard Ride. Is it worth trying to find one of the OOP Kritzerland copies? I asked Bruce Kimmel for one of the supposedly remaining copies, but I didn't get a clear answer.:(

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Did you tell him up front that you wanted to order one of his holdover copies? I guess it's possible he got a lot of requests at once and he had to honor them in the order received. Maybe check again with him one more time. Otherwise, if you can find the La-La Land album for much cheaper that one is still worth getting (heck, I kept my copy because it has in depth liner notes, unlike the Kritzerland). Aside from a few seconds of overlay on another cue, the only new cue available on the Kritzerland album ("Here They Come Part 2") can be heard at 32:12 of this podcast interview I did with Bruce:

http://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/902063-odyssey-interviews-bruce-kimmel

 

I do think it is one of the better underscore cues in the score, both exciting and interesting. I will say that this is not one of my favorite Goldsmith western scores (I still like it, to be sure, but it's probably in my bottom five Goldsmith westerns if we are ranking them) because, despite having an awesome main theme, a lot of it is suspense music and not overtly thematic. The several cues that do develop that main theme are pretty great, though. But IMO definitely not in the caliber of Take a Hard Ride, even if I can hear the similarity in sound (I think they were maybe composed within a year of each other, so the synth elements are similar).

 

Yavar

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There are two or three cues of note, the rest is rather dry (the movie is as well). I wouldn't invest more than 15€. There is a funny suite on Spotify:

 

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  • 3 months later...

Breakheart Pass

Oh my God, that's a catchy main theme! In April I couldn't have a proper conversation for about two weeks, because I was inwardly humming and dancing. Apart from that awesome theme there are a few very cool action cues (one of them sadly in inferior sound quality) and the synths are much less awkward than in Take a Hard Ride. And I also really like the sneaky tension building music, although it is far away from spectacular. I know, objectively this is not one of Goldsmith's best western scores, but it is maybe one of my personal favourites.

Thanks for drawing my attention to that second to none offer on Ebay, @Yavar Moradi!

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You're very welcome; I'm glad there was an affordable copy for you to acquire, in your quest to expand your Goldsmith collection with definitive editions of all his western scores. :)

Yeah, it's unfortunate that Here They Come Part 2 is in inferior sound quality (because it's taken from the music stem rather than original tapes), but I think you'll agree it was worth having rather than leaving it off the album altogether which is what the LLL edition did. While I think a higher percentage of Take a Hard Ride is badass, I can understand if you prefer this one overall and I do agree the synths are less abrasive. It's just that, if I were editing my own "album" arrangements of both scores, let's just say that I'd be saving more cues from Take a Hard Ride as "essential", whereas I'd probably end up with around 15 minutes of badass music from Breakheart Pass. That theme in particular is so freakin' good we really need some label to do a Goldsmith "Frontiers 2" modern recording album of western themes and suites, including this one of course. Or maybe if Intrada does produce complete new recordings of Black Patch and Face of a Fugitive, they could include a modern recording of the Breakheart Pass theme as a bonus cue...

http://www.intrada.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7967

 

http://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/813340-vote-goldsmith-for-kickstarter

 

Yavar

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2 hours ago, Yavar Moradi said:

It's just that, if I were editing my own "album" arrangements of both scores, let's just say that I'd be saving more cues from Take a Hard Ride as "essential", whereas I'd probably end up with around 15 minutes of badass music from Breakheart Pass.

I absolutely agree.

 

Did I mention the outstanding overall sound quality of the CD which I find as surprising as Take a Hard Ride from the same year. (Also the year of The Wind and the Lion and The Reincarnation of Peter Proud - two scores that cannot be particularly proud of their sound quality.)

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I don't think Breakheart Pass sound particularly amazing... Rio Conchos from over 10 years earlier sounds better, in the amazing Kritzerland Mike Mattesino remastering (which LLL also used). It doesn't sound terrible, to be sure.

But sound quality can vary wildly for scores from the same year, depending on where they were recorded, who recorded them, what medium they were recorded on, and how well that medium was preserved. I was absolutely FLOORED by how good the 30s scores on Intrada's amazing Waxman 4 CD set (released the same day as Damnation Alley) sounded. I'd never heard a 1936 film recording sound so good...it was more like a solid recording from two decades later. In fact the 30s scores sound better than the 40s scores on the same set.

 

Yavar

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  • 3 months later...
On 11/8/2018 at 11:54 AM, Yavar Moradi said:

I'd like to announce our return to the regular Goldsmith Odyssey with our latest episode, covering Jerry's first three (out of six total) scores for the long-running classic western series, Gunsmoke. And we have a truly special surprise, in that we are premiering these three complete Goldsmith western scores in very good-sounding MUSIC ONLY form for our listeners, thanks to collector Ron Burbella who had some of them on reel-to-reel tape he had acquired some time ago. These are incredibly varied works, with something for everyone -- don't miss your chance to hear what is effectively NEW Goldsmith!

 

https://www.buzzsprout.com/159614/853743-episode-14-gunsmoke-doc-judge-the-blacksmith-the-wake-1960?fbclid=IwAR0k7yIdg6xGfYb4GlxYXPox8QurAUa5ehN--8D97YO6behVGvuaFrcaIVM

 

74cb75bab2243992e98fab5156007185827084cf


And now, almost a year later, we have arrived at two MORE wonderful Goldsmith western scores for the Gunsmoke series, also music-only exclusives thanks to Ron Burbella! Have fun exploring them in our latest Goldsmith Odyssey episode...

http://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/1958638-episode-22-gunsmoke-love-thy-neighbor-old-faces-1961

74cb75bab2243992e98fab5156007185827084cf

 

Looking forward to hearing what you think, @Brundlefly -- how is your journey through Jerry's westerns output progressing, since you last posted?

Yavar

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On 7/17/2019 at 9:47 PM, Yavar Moradi said:

That theme in particular is so freakin' good we really need some label to do a Goldsmith "Frontiers 2" modern recording album of western themes and suites, including this one of course.

 

Yavar

 

I would love for that to happen. It would make a terrific bonus CD if Intrada does ever get to recording Black Patch / Face of a Fugitive.

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  • 5 months later...

Not really. I've bought One Little Indian (but until now it is just decorating my CD shelf), plus I familiarized myself with Bandolero! by using it as background music for Red Dead Redemption II - to great effect! But that's about it. I have currently several Goldsmith scores in my collection that I haven't listened to yet - The Great Train Robbery, One Little Indian, Raggedy Man, Warning Shot and The Swarm.

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6 hours ago, Brundlefly said:

Not really. I've bought One Little Indian (but until now it is just decorating my CD shelf), plus I familiarized myself with Bandolero! by using it as background music for Red Dead Redemption II - to great effect!

 

So you've only been experiencing Bandolero in the background of the game (cool as it is), but not straightforwardly as an album? :o
Glad you like it, at least. It's a neat mix between lighthearted (the whistling, and usually the main theme) and dark/gritty (some of the action music and supporting thematic material). I really really like it.


You really must give One Little Indian a chance, though. Edit out 2-3 instances of Lawrence of Arabia riffing, and you've got arguably the most purely enjoyable Goldsmith western score on album (good sound quality, no suspense/unpleasant tracks, just great themes and great action music).

 

7 hours ago, Brundlefly said:

I have currently several Goldsmith scores in my collection that I haven't listened to yet - The Great Train Robbery, One Little Indian, Raggedy Man, Warning Shot and The Swarm.


Ok, order of priority:
1. THE SWARM (trust me)
2. One Little Indian
3. The Great Train Robbery
4. Raggedy Man
5. Warning Shot (easily the least of these even though I love the Miss Alice track...do you have the new one paired with Archer?)

Yavar

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9 hours ago, Brundlefly said:

I have currently several Goldsmith scores in my collection that I haven't listened to yet - The Great Train Robbery, One Little Indian, Raggedy Man, Warning Shot and The Swarm.

 

I have not listened to those either (although I do not own Warning Shot and only have one track from Raggedy Man), plus another 30 or so Goldsmiths in my collection I have never played. Off hand things like Love Field, Malice, The Sand Pebbles, Along Came a Spider, The Last Castle, Matinee, Rent- A- Cop, Breakheart Pass, Breakout, High Velocity, Contract on Cherry Street, The Going Up of David Lev and on and on.

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6 hours ago, Yavar Moradi said:

Ok, order of priority:
1. THE SWARM (trust me)
2. One Little Indian
3. The Great Train Robbery
4. Raggedy Man
5. Warning Shot (easily the least of these even though I love the Miss Alice track...do you have the new one paired with Archer?)

All of these scores I have the newest releases of. And The Swarm is naturally the most interesting title.

 

3 hours ago, JTWfan77 said:

I have not listened to those either (although I do not own Warning Shot and only have one track from Raggedy Man), plus another 30 or so Goldsmiths in my collection I have never played. Off hand things like Love Field, Malice, The Sand Pebbles, Along Came a Spider, The Last Castle, Matinee, Rent- A- Cop, Breakheart Pass, Breakout, High Velocity, Contract on Cherry Street, The Going Up of David Lev and on and on.

Well, Malice, Along Came a Spider and Rent-A-Cop are easily some of the least interesting and worthwhile scores of this man's entire career.

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16 hours ago, Yavar Moradi said:

So you've only been experiencing Bandolero in the background of the game (cool as it is), but not straightforwardly as an album? :o

It was more like I was playing the game in the background while listening to the music in order to find some pictures that fit the scope of the score. But straighfordwardly listening to the album alone - I only did that once or twice.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I wonder if a new Deluxe Edition of The Ballad of Cable Hogue (not among my favorite Goldsmith western scores on disc, but in the film it is *wonderful* and perfect) might be produced some day, as it turns out the previous Varese Club release was incomplete (and missing one of the loveliest pieces of score). NOTE: Most Club titles Varese didn't get perpetuity rights on (see: LLL's ability to expand Magic) but Cable Hogue appears to be a rare exception as they are still selling a digital version on iTunes (which seems to be a good indicator of what they control).

Quoting from Steven Lloyd on the FSM board (also including his comments about The Mephisto Waltz for the heck of it, even though not a western):

Quote

It's delightful to learn that you and Kevin hold THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE in such high regard. I'm the rare hardcore Peckinpah fan who holds this as my personal favorite film (as it remained the director's favorite among his own work). I don't actually expect the label would bother expanding this one, since the original edition languished in the Varese warehouse for nearly four years until the picture was issued in a DVD box set along with three more famous Peckinpah Westerns ... after which the Varese CD sold out within a few months. I don't expect that timing was coincidental. If people will only watch the film, they appreciate it; including Goldsmith's music!

The HOGUE score remains underappreciated because the film is still so little-seen, and the general Goldsmith market likely perceives it as disappointingly short, on top of featuring three songs (two even written by someone else). But as a few of us know, it's definitely peak Goldsmith in both beauty and narrative power. (People don't have to settle for just MY word for this: I was delighted to learn years ago that Joe Dante named it as his own favorite Goldsmith score of all.)

But I'll get to business by confirming that the initial Varese CD was definitely not complete, even though its booklet notes offered no explanation for certain issues.

1) Most important to me, the disc is missing the opening 1:54 from the score's longest cue ("The Guest") -- which happens to contain the single finest instrumental variant of the composer's main theme, covering Hildy's arrival at Cable Springs. Damage to elements? I have no idea, since nothing was mentioned about this.

2) A few minutes of banjo/fiddle/tack piano source music heard from the town saloon are expendable, yet fun in context. But because years ago I had the chance to leaf through a music file on the Warner Bros. lot, I saw that two of those source pieces (possibly the ones I like best) were originals written by Arthur Morton. (There's also yet another Richard Gillis song there, sung briefly onscreen, that has never been missed.)

And 3) the existing CD opens with an alternate take of the film's Main Title song -- at least a different vocal take, in which lyricist Gillis conspicuously chuckles as he sings the word "grinning." (That's so "on the nose" that I've no doubt Goldsmith insisted on more subtlety; but the preferable film take is not what ended up on the Varese release.) EDIT: I forgot to specify the offending "chuckle" as coming only during the final line of the Main Title's vocal track.

By the way, Kevin -- the Jason Robards/Stella Stevens vocal duet of "Butterfly Mornin's" was recorded in mono on the set (which was reported elsewhere, as well as in the CD booklet notes), so it would remain the same even in a remastered edition.

I offer the above for the record. As a devotee I'd love for the gem of CABLE HOGUE to be complete on disc; but my grasp of reality keeps me from believing that Varese would find a revisit worth their investment. I thank those who are left for having issued it the first time, as I had wanted it for more than 30 years!

The existing MEPHISTO WALTZ disc definitely lacks the three cues identified earlier by MarkS. (The original booklet notes do not claim "completeness," to the label's credit). I agree that the final two missing cues are highlights -- especially when a ceremony summons Satan himself, who appears only as a human shadow cast across Jacqueline Bisset as her eyes widen, and the string section's notes rise up to and right past the top of the scale!

https://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=140019&forumID=1&archive=0&pageID=2&r=844#bottom

Have you had a chance to listen to any of those Goldsmith scores you had on hold, @Brundlefly? Also, you may be interested in this Gold Nugget episode of The Goldsmith Odyssey, if you haven't heard it yet. We go back through the last two years of Goldsmith releases (since the podcast started), discuss them and their merits, and play substantial samples:
http://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/3459226-gold-nugget-6-expanded-archival-collection

Yavar

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On 6/27/2018 at 1:16 AM, Yavar Moradi said:

I don't know as I live in the US -- you can always shoot them an email and ask; you're pretty friendly about it. I will say that I haven't read any complaints on the board about customs charges when ordering from LLL, like I have many times with Varese. I do hope you're able to take advantage of the sale. $75 before shipping for eight brand new complete Goldsmith western scores (counting the two Loners + theme as one) is a pretty amazing deal, I gotta say. I was happy to pay full price for these!

 

Also, just a heads up, but Intrada has had their One Little Indian reissue discounted for a little while now too...of course this LLL sale is a higher priority, assuming you won't be stung too badly by customs fees.

http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.10887/.f

 

Yavar

 

Does the remastered version considerably improve on the earlier edition?

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10 minutes ago, Romão said:

 

Does the remastered version considerably improve on the earlier edition?

 

I hadn't even realized that Intrada's reissue was remastered! (Or maybe I forgot.) I see now that they say it is slight:

Doesn't sound like a huge improvement, if you already own the earlier edition. Great score though!

Yavar

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My mistake, Yavar, I mean to quote the post pertaning to the Rio Conchos Intrada re-recording of the Excalibur line

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4 minutes ago, Romão said:

My mistake, Yavar, I mean to quote the post pertaning to the Rio Conchos Intrada re-recording of the Excalibur line


Ohhhh... the selling point there for me is that includes a little more music that was recorded at the LSO sessions but left off the original album because Jerry wanted it. Both versions sound pretty freakin’ amazing, let me tell you... Wall of Fire performed by the LSO is just awe-inspiring!

 

Yavar

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  • 9 months later...

@Brundlefly time to add another one (a surprise premiere!) to the stack:

http://www.intrada.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8686
 

This one is more of a noir/drama western so has a really different sound from many of his other ones (it’s also maybe his most Golden Age sounding score) but I really love it.

 

Yavar

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  • 4 weeks later...

74cb75bab2243992e98fab5156007185827084cf

 

https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/8192306-odyssey-soundtrack-spotlight-face-of-a-fugitive-1959

 

Have you had a chance to listen to the Soundtrack Spotlight I did, @Brundlefly? Looking forward to adding this to your Goldsmith westerns collection?

 

Yavar

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Here is our crazy Black Saddle podcast (the longest we have ever done, in fact) -- let me know what you think if you ever find time to listen. I'm crazy proud of it and not-so-humbly consider it a significant piece of Goldsmith journalism:

 

gold_nugget_8.jpg

 

 

https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/8223919-gold-nugget-8-black-saddle-history-of-a-theme-1958-2020

 

This was, in fact, the first TV series title theme Jerry ever wrote* and the story behind it must be heard to be believed. He gave credit at the time to his brother in law, J. Michael Hennagin (also a composer trying to get a start in Hollywood, albeit with far less success), who was credited on the first two LP cover versions... he wasn't publicly credited with the theme until a 1962 LP cover, and even then he shared credit with his later regular orchestrator Arthur Morton (why? listen to the show)... and in the end it became the longest-lived and perhaps most widely performed theme of his entire career -- no joke! Listen to the podcast and find out how.

Yavar

*for one that actually made it past a pilot episode (The Sergeant and the Lady and perhaps some other unsold pilots for with Jerry provided a main theme pre-date this.)

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  • 1 month later...

I finally started listening to One Little Indian. Bought it back then, because it was about to go OOP, but until now it left my radar completely.

 

It is much better than I expected. I kinda dreaded that the comedic parts would remind one of the cheesy moments in Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend. The kind of ironic/drolly moments here are much more reserved and have an exotic vibe, so they're fairly enjoyable and won't annoy me after multiple listens.

Overall, the rest of the score is very much in the vein of this thread's topic. The calm moments remind me of Take a Hard Ride. The main theme reminds me of Take a Hard Ride as well as Bandolero!. There is a certain chord progression and melodic figure that is applied for all three of these.

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And a yearning tune for the little boy that is quite nice in a Disney-but-a-bit-more-sophisticated way. Thirsty Boy and A Free Man are highlights.

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20 hours ago, Brundlefly said:

I like Camel Trouble. As I said the comedic parts are exceptionally enjoyable, cause they are not too childish.

 

I didn't keep any cue with 'camel' in the title. :)

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  • 2 months later...
On 5/28/2021 at 2:44 AM, Brundlefly said:

I finally started listening to One Little Indian. Bought it back then, because it was about to go OOP, but until now it left my radar completely.

 

It is much better than I expected. I kinda dreaded that the comedic parts would remind one of the cheesy moments in Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend. The kind of ironic/drolly moments here are much more reserved and have an exotic vibe, so they're fairly enjoyable and won't annoy me after multiple listens.

Overall, the rest of the score is very much in the vein of this thread's topic. The calm moments remind me of Take a Hard Ride. The main theme reminds me of Take a Hard Ride as well as Bandolero!. There is a certain chord progression and melodic figure that is applied for all three of these.

 

One can definitely hear the kinship between these scores all written by the same composer. Glad you like One Little Indian more than you expected. I really enjoy it.

 

One of the things we noted in our Black Saddle podcast above (did you ever listen to it?) was the similarity between his theme for that and his Breakheart Pass Main Title a decade and a half later: the strident long-lined brass theme over a base of strummed guitar. Very cool connection.

 

Have you picked up Intrada's premiere release of Face of a Fugitive yet, Brundlefly? (Or listened to it on Spotify?) Very curious whether you like it as much as other later Goldsmith westerns.

 

Plus, this thread is worth a bump for this big news: his first ever western score (and first ever feature film score, period) will be getting a premiere recording on Intrada with William Stromberg conducting the Royal Scottish National Orchestra -- it was announced on Kickstarter a couple of weeks ago and has already surpassed its goal!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/129145902/black-patch-the-man-jerry-goldsmith-new-recording

 

Exciting times for fans of Goldsmith westerns! This will mean that only (most of) his TV western output remains unreleased...

 

Yavar

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  • 5 months later...

@Brundlefly you will soon be able to complete your collection of Goldsmith's western film scores. Having heard it a couple weeks ago, I can confidently say this is my favorite new Goldsmith recording since Intrada's 1989 LSO recording of Rio Conchos and The Artist Who Did Not Want to Paint!

 

https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/9988703-production-report-black-patch-the-man-2021-intrada-recording

 

production%20report.jpg

 

This was recorded a mere three weeks after the October sessions in Scotland, with guests Douglass Fake, Roger Feigelson, and Jeff Johnson of Intrada, plus reconstructionist extraordinaire Leigh Phillips and conductor William Stromberg. I planned it as a two hour conversation but everyone was having such a great time talking about the recording that it grew into over three hours, with the third hour having some of the most fun exchanges between everyone. At the time we recorded this, David and I hadn't heard any of the new recording beyond what was shared on social media, so we couldn't call this a Soundtrack Spotlight. But we ended up waiting until January to edit this behemoth, so we were able to incorporate substantial excerpts of the new recording throughout!

 

I hope everyone enjoys this one-of-a-kind look behind the scenes of a monumental new Goldsmith recording.

 

Yavar

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1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

What about the music?


Well you can hear a pretty substantial preview of it throughout our recently released Goldsmith Odyssey Production Report: https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/9988703-production-report-black-patch-the-man-2021-intrada-recording

 

Yavar

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6 hours ago, Yavar Moradi said:

Roger shared the original cover art they commissioned from Jim Titus:

 

 

I especially like what he came up with for The Man.

 

Yavar

Aw man!

You ' ruined' the surprise!😠

 

😉

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5 hours ago, Yavar Moradi said:


Well you can hear a pretty substantial preview of it throughout our recently released Goldsmith Odyssey Production Report: https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/9988703-production-report-black-patch-the-man-2021-intrada-recording

 

Yavar

 

But is it good?

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4 hours ago, Brundlefly said:

Jim Titus is now doing Intrada art work?!:D


So far just for their two Kickstarter re-recordings.

 

7 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

It sounds great, especially the realistic crickets!


Unfortunately the Cricket Union wanted too much money so you’ll have to make do without them on this new RSNO recording.

 

9 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

But is it good?


Affirmative.

 

Yavar

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9 hours ago, bruce marshall said:

When are you idiots going to stop taking this moron's bait?

Huh?😠

 

Warning given for violating rule #1

 

On 30/04/2021 at 5:04 PM, JWFan Moderators said:

1 - The following types of posts are not allowed:

  • Personal attacks -- BE RESPECTFUL of one another, allow for differences in opinions, and don't make anyone feel that they cannot post their views.

 

Please be respectful of your fellow JWFanners.  Thank you.

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