Spartacus

[Willy 0]

A couple of years ago there was an excellent restored and remastered release of Alex North's Cleopatra, which I still enjoy a lot.

As for North's other masterpiece, Spartacus, I've only been able to track down the cd-release of the original lp on MCA classics, and the 'More music from Spartacus'- release on Tsunami-records, which suffers from very poor soundquality.

Does anyone know if there's ever been a decent re-release of Spartacus like they did on Cleopatra?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Nope, it's considered one of the Holy Grails of Golden Age film music.

[Incanus 5,714]

Stefancos wrote:it's considered one of the Holy Grails of Golden Age film music.

I wanted so badly to hear the score, but after watching the movie I was appaled how awfully intrusive, clumsy and quite frankly bad the music was. It all clatter and crash (as much of the historic spectacle scoring was those days). I did nothing for me except made me want to smash the movie to the wall. This is my humble opinion about it. As for movie made about Antiquity it was ok but Kirk Douglas should be flogged for that wooden performance.

I must say here that I like many of the Golden Age scores. E.g. Miklos Rozsa's Julius Caesar and Ben-Hur are brilliant. Still Spartacus doesn't have the same kind of appeal. Maybe Cleopatra would be worth checking out.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Well you are nothing if not original in your POV.

I for one have never seen the film or heard the score, so my opinion is meaningless.

[HPFAN_2 0]

I have never seen the movie but i love the score. The main theme is just beautiful! On a whole it's a wonderful score.

[Morn 8]

Wow, who'd have thought that Incanus hates good action music. North is not a composer who liked to reduce his standards for ease of listening for the masses.

Varese desperately wants to release the whole score but has trouble gaining the rights to do so.

I think this score is as good as Williams best stuff.

[Incanus 5,714]

Have I seen and heard the wrong Spartacus?? To me the music was nothing special. I think I should watch the movie again and listen to the score more carefully(it blares out quite hugely one its own though). Perhaps it opens to me on the second time around (or not). This is still a matter of taste and mayhaps the score won't ever become a classic in my mind.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

It's a tough score to be sure, but that doesn't make it a bad score. It's very complex and very harsh, but rightfully ranks as one of the greats.

Oh, and be careful with Cleopatra... as far as I remember, Spartacus qualifies as easy listening in comparison.

Goldsmith and Townson wanted to do a re-recording of Spartacus for Varese, but Goldsmith declined when they couldn't bring up enough money for decent rehearsals.

Marian - who'd like a good Spartacus release.

[Greg1138 3]

I'M SPARTACUS!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Spartacus is NOT from Gloucester.

[Willy 0]

It's a tough score to be sure, but that doesn't make it a bad score. It's very complex and very harsh, but rightfully ranks as one of the greats.

I must admit that I'm not very fond of the music during the last big battle scene, but tracks like 'Vesuvius Camp' and 'Gladiator Fight to the death' remain fascinating. The rhythms are very complex, but once you get into them, they become irresistable.

Oh, and be careful with Cleopatra... as far as I remember, Spartacus qualifies as easy listening in comparison.

Cleopatra is more complex in the way it combines a lot of different themes, which indeed makes it difficult, but most of it is also less a-tonal than Spartacus. So maybe it could be more enjoyable to people who aren't into the harsh tones of Spartacus.

Goldsmith and Townson wanted to do a re-recording of Spartacus for Varese, but Goldsmith declined when they couldn't bring up enough money for decent rehearsals.

Indeed, it said so in the booklet of 'Alex North's 2001' (great recording by the way). They wanted to do Cleopatra and Spartacus at once... Not a very good idea.

Maybe we should raise a fund for the ultimate re-release of Spartacus...! :roll:

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Are the mastertapes of this score still around?

[Willy 0]

According to Morn, Varese is having troubles with the rights to release the complete score, so I guess the mastertapes are still there.

But considering the high quality of re-recordings like 'Vertigo' by McNeely it might be a good idea to record it all over again. If some company could just afford it...

We really need to raise a fund here!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Morn is not an authority on anything here.

[King Mark 3,631]

Yes but Spartacus is Morn's favourite score so he must have read up on it.

K.M.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

When it comes to North, I'd say among the people of this board Morn pretty much is an authority.

Marian - who found Cleopatra tougher than Spartacus... but then, I've only seen half the movie and don't have the CD.

[Incanus 5,714]

I must say the music opens a little to me after second viewing and listen . I have watched the first hour and still the only music appealing is the Main Title and the Love theme(in various scenes), which is actually very good. The action material is just too clattery and clumsy(the scenes like the storming of the gladiatorial school and gathering the slaves from the countryside contain an almost comical march) for my taste.

I keep listening. Perhaps I will see the light

[Morn 8]

Yes well, it's great action music, but is more of an acquired taste.

And Marian is right about Cleopatra, it's less harsh. But no less modernistic and probably more experimental.

The film was restored around 1991, if you'll notice on the DVD the music has excellent sound quality, which probably means the music was restored . MCA owns the rights to the score. Varese would have to buy it off them assuming they'd even want to sell, varese is willing to release it, it being one of Townson's favourite scores.

[Morlock 11]

I think it's a fantastic score, but I agree with North, that there is no need for more than 70 minutes of this score on an album.

Unfortunately, North is the most major film composer I still don't get. There are very few scores of his I like. I'm still working on it (a few years ago I would've said the same thing about Goldsmith, but I've come a long ways since).

[Incanus 5,714]

Those damn, bloody xylophones!!! North should have left them out. Clickity- clackity- clack in almost every friggin action scene. Apparently I do not get this "brilliant action music". Still I have to take some of my negative remarks back. The end battle has impressive music. Here the military might of Rome is wonderfully illustrated by the music. I love the low register music in the beginning of the battle. Though cacophonic at times it has much more the dramatic edge that is required. The finale is the saving grace of the score for me.

[David Coscina 3]

North's music seems to be really under-represented on disc for the most part. Dragonslayer is another excellent, uncompromising score that should be mass released again on CD but hasn't. I also would love to have his score for Good Morning Vietnam as well- that moving string elegy is as emotive and effective as Barber's Adagio IMO (and I'm a huge Barber fan BTW).

[A24 4,331]

Of all film composers, North uses the strangest (read: difficult to follow) time signatures.

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Alex Cremers

[Morn 8]

And that's why he's the best, Alexcremers, as Fiery Angel says, uncompromising.

I think it's a fantastic score, but I agree with North, that there is no need for more than 70 minutes of this score on an album.

Well currently there is only 40 minutes. But I know what North means, the score, maybe due to Kubrick, is not as well organized as Cleopatra, though there is heeps of excellent material not on the offical CD.

[David Coscina 3]

Alex, it's not that North used odd meters, but more that he had frequent meter changes and asymetrical divisions of rhythms that created that odd time signature feeling in his music- not unlike Bartok and Stravinsky, both of whom I hear stylistically in North's music, especially Bartok.

[David Coscina 3]

Oh, I saw a bit of Cleopatra the other night on television just to hear North's music. Totally amazing. I don't have it but I think I'll be buying that fairly soon.

[Willy 0]

You should. It's a very addictive double-cd that just keeps getting better and better. The wealth of melodies and the way they are combined is amazing.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

So when I bought this old MCA edition of Spartacus, it seems some jerk put the 1988 Trax disc in there instead. So my question is, are the 1988 Trax disc and the 1991 MCA the same master?

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Fyi

VARESE finally did release the complete score- in mono- and seventy minutes of stereo.

 

Unable, to bask in the glory of this achievement ( and the guaranteed healthy sales) Townson proceded to sabotage the project and his label, by making it into a self-indulgent , costly, xtravaganza of excessive  Northian proportions.😒

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, The Big Man said:

So when I bought this old MCA edition of Spartacus, it seems some jerk put the 1988 Trax disc in there instead. So my question is, are the 1988 Trax disc and the 1991 MCA the same master?

No one knows. Give up your quest and get on with your life.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

What life?

[bruce marshall 1,315]

I guarantee someone at that ' other place ' knows.

It's a hotbed of SPARTACANIA!