Two of the best 60s soundtracks EVER on 1 CD! Fantastic!
Cinemathechie | CA United States | 01/28/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have over 400 soundtracks, and I can safely say that this is among the most pleasurable, memorable, and immediately gratifying of any in my collection. I own nearly all of John Williams' work on CD, so I bought this for Williams' score to "Penelope," which I believe has never been available on CD before this release. I listened to this CD nearly a dozen times within one week of purchasing it! It's that good!The first half of the disc is devoted to Vic Mizzy's "Don't Make Waves, Make Love." I had no idea what to expect at all from "Don't Make Waves." I had never heard of Vic Mizzy prior to purchasing this CD, nor had I heard of the film. The good news is this soundtrack is great and just as enjoyable all the same. But on to the real star of the CD (for me, at least)...John Williams' delightful score to "Penelope" begins on track 14 with the film's title song, and Williams does a masterful job, as always, of weaving the melody into the rest of the score. "Penelope" is similar in style and composition to Williams' work the following year (1967) on "A Guide for the Married Man" (which is available on another fantastic CD exclusively from Film Score Monthly). Listeners familiar with some of Williams' more famous works may recognize a prescient foreshadowing of his theme from "Jaws" (1975) in track 25, along with other subtle hints at famous musical ideas he would later develop for future blockbusters.This is a CD where nearly every single track is likeable, and, in most cases, memorable; ALL are a great pleasure to listen to!The bottom line is: if you're a John Williams fan, like me, you NEED this CD. It's one of his best of the '60s and a perfect example of his early mastery of an established genre. If you love 60's music, you'll love this CD. Even if you don't like 60's music, if you dig catchy melodies, themes, and rhythms, this CD is for you! Unfortunately, this CD went out of print relatively soon after it was released (the record company, Chapter III, went out of business). Trust me, though - it's worth tracking down!Williams' versatility is one of his greatest strengths (he can write brilliant music in any genre). If you've only heard his scores to "Star Wars," Indiana Jones, et al. (which are among his best, it is true), you've just sampled a part of his genius. Listen to this CD along with his scores for "Rosewood," "Stanley & Iris," "The River," and "Jane Eyre" to get a good sampling of the variety of great music this man is capable of composing and conducting. Happy listening!"
Track Listings (25) - Disc #1