John Barry's KING RAT (1965) - 2019 Intrada Edition premieres film recordings

[Jay 37,339]

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INTRADA Announces:



KING RAT
Music Composed and Conducted by JOHN BARRY
INTRADA ISC 434

This is not a story of escape. It is a story of survival.

Intrada's latest release is John Barry's 1965 score to the Columbia Pictures film King Rat. A project that started out as a straight reissue of the Sony Legacy release from years ago took a remarkable turn when Intrada made a startling discovery during review of the master elements. What initially appeared to be a master of the mono LP program revealed itself to be the complete film sessions. The original Mainstream LP was a re-recording Barry conducted specifically for LP, including many different and new cues just for home listening. The more stark, somber film score had yet to see any form of release. This new album presents both a remastered edition of that original stereo LP program as well as the world premiere of the original film recording. The package includes notes by Barry expert Jon Burlingame.

John Barry's career took off to soaring heights in the '60s, bringing not only a plethora of important film scoring assignments, but also bringing a new sound previously unheard of and making him a sought after composer. It was during this period he had become part of the James Bond franchise, but also scored many other films including The Quiller Memorandum, The Knack and How to Get It, The Ipcress File, and of course, King Rat.

The film concerns American corporal King (George Segal) whose wheeling-and-dealing savvy has made him the a black marketeer par excellence in a prisoner-of-war camp in Singapore, incurring the jealousy and wrath of a handful of the ranking officers above him—notably the camp’s provost marshal, Lt. Grey (Tom Courtenay), a by-the-book martinet who is determined to take King down. King spots British officer Marlowe (James Fox) speaking in Malaysian and, well aware of how useful this skill could be, recruits him for some of his illicit but profitable activities. An American sergeant (Patrick O’Neal) and a British colonel (Denholm Elliott) are also on King’s payroll, and the top-ranking English officer (John Mills) effectively looks the other way. Other principal characters include a cynical doctor (James Donald) and an American enlisted man (Todd Armstrong). The final minutes of the film feature an early film appearance by Richard Dawson (Hogan’s Heroes) as a British paratrooper who arrives to inform the prisoners that the war is over.

Listen to the podcast with Doug Fake about this release: https://www.dropbox.com/s/yaxtkra7lcrwi ... t.mp3?dl=0

INTRADA ISC 434
Barcode: 720258543400
Retail Price: $19.99
SHIPPING NOW
For track listing and sound samples, please visit http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.11967/.f

 

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John Barry
Label: Intrada Special Collection Volume ISC 434
Film Date: 1965
Album Date: 2019
Time: 71:40
Tracks: 37
Price: $19.99

 

  

 

World premiere of John Barry soundtrack plus remastered original album on CD! George Segal, Tom Courtenay, James Fox, Denholm Elliott, Todd Armstrong, Patrick O’Neal, James Donald, John Mills play WWII POW’s in Japanese prisoner of war camp in 1945 Singapore. Changi jail requires few guards for the captured soldiers make little attempt at escape. Indeed, there is no safe place to escape. The men simply exist, starved, emaciated. American corporal “King” (Segal) is different. Well-fed, mannered, clean. King Rat is the powerful story of why. Bryan Forbes directs from James Clavell’s 1962 novel, based on his own experiences. Clavell also fashioned the scripts for the landmark POW film, The Great Escape (1963) and the WWII aerial combat picture, 633 Squadron (1964). Burnett Guffey handles the Academy Award-nominated b&w cinematography. Columbia Pictures releases in 1965. 

 

For original music, Forbes turns to his composer-of-choice, John Barry. In an incredibly fertile period for the composer that also saw Thunderball, The Ipcress File, The Knack, Four In The Morning and Mister Moses that same year, Barry scored a dramatic, arid and claustrophobic score for strings emphasizing the lower registers, plus cor anglais, flute, oboe, French horn, solitary trumpet, harp, piano, xylophone, tympani… and the striking color of cimbalom. Often Barry takes his opening theme and moves the idea through various highly exposed solo players, now oboe, now muted trumpet, now cor anglais, now cello. And by keeping most of the score in the key of F minor, Barry generates an almost hypnotic effect. Here’s some really cool news! Intrada planned on bringing to CD the best-sounding stereo presentation of the original 1965 re-recorded Mainstream album as part of our acclaimed CD series of classic 60’s Mainstream and Ava titles. In fact, this album is included here as tracks 26 - 37. For this classic record, Barry completely re-scored much of the music, uplifting its tone considerably, expanding a small secondary motif into an entire marching theme and developing the main theme into full-fledged instrumentals he sub-titled “Just As You Were”. 

 

When the album masters arrived, in an incredible find within, we located the long-lost actual film scoring session elements, complete and in excellent condition, revealing a much darker and graphic soundtrack - one that had never been previously released! While its duration is similar to the LP program, the contents are considerably different. What a treat for fans of that original album in particular and John Barry’s music in general! Turn over enough stones and one can discover the most precious gems hidden underneath!! Authoritative notes by Jon Burlingame and flipper-style cover designed by Kay Marshall offering both original film artwork and Mainstream LP art completes important package. John Barry composes, conducts. Intrada Special Collection CD release available while quantities and interest remain!

 

Complete Original Soundtrack
01. Emblem & Main Title (4:06)
02. King Spots Marlowe (0:24)
03. A Close One (0:32)
04. Tuned In (1:33)
05. Courage Please (0:37)
06. Larkin Visits (2:42)
07. Grey Pangs (1:14)
08. Bored To Death (1:06)
09. There Is A Radio In This Hut (0:27)
10. It’s The Bunk (1:27)
11. The Boots (0:43)
12. Grey Again (1:37)
13. Dog Meat (0:48)
14. Captain Grey (2:04)
15. Gangrene (0:25)
16. Touch And Go (3:34)
17. The First One (1:39)
18. We’ve Done It (2:12)
19. Delicious (0:59)
20. Caught (0:57)
21. Have A Listen (0:56)
22. It’s Over (1:47)
23. Welcome To Changi (0:43)
24. Bad News (1:50)
25. End Titles (0:59)
Total Original Soundtrack Time: 36:15

 

1965 Re-Recorded Album
26. King Rat March (3:04)
27. Main Title (4:06)
28. Tuned In At Changi (1:59)
29. Just As You Were (3:13)
30. There Is A Radio In This Hut (3:30)
31. Just As You Were (2:43)
32. Touch And Go (2:59)
33. Grey’s Day (3:57)
34. Just As You Were (2:14)
35. The Recovery Of Marlowe (3:15)
36. The End Is At Hand (1:44)
37. King Rat March (2:05)
Total Album Time: 35:15

 

http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.11967/.f

[Naïve Old Fart 9,513]

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[Jay 37,339]

Oh dip.  I just listened to these samples, and I enjoyed them too.  Too many releasing coming out to stay on top of!

[Jay 37,339]

Sold out

 

https://store.intrada.com/s.nl/sc.16/category.66697/.f