CAVEMAN

Label: Aleph 032
Date: 1981
Tracks: 10
Time = 54:11

World premiere of original soundtrack to prehistoric comedy with Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid, Shelley Long. Lalo Schifrin plants tongue in cheek, leads orchestra in caveman comedy, dino battles, snippets from "the classics" (Ravel's Bolero, Alford's Colonel Bogey, others) and serves up funny music with ample musical content. Main theme is syncopated idea with emphasis on intervals of third, plays over stone-age rhythm section. Schifrin sets theme in motion during titles, lets go of it until cave people "discover" music. Here idea becomes clever vocal reprise over "clicking stones". Dino battles get colorful (though never overblown) music with nods to more serious stop-motion animation fare: unison low brass identify lumbering motions, fanfare horns speak for roaring beasts, so forth. Keynote is fun! Lengthy tracks a major asset. Though perhaps not dead-center mono, be aware stereo separation is ostensibly non-existant. Otherwise, colorful production reaches the top drawer. Nick Redman produces CD with class, Jon Burlingame writes notes with style. Lalo Schifrin conducts. A whimsical knockout!

1. Caveman (Main Title) 2. The Kissing Plant (6:25) 3. The Horn Lizard (5:21) 4. Tyrannosaurus Rex (4:25) 5. Homo Erectus (6:26) 6. Pterodactyl (7:11) 7. William Tell Overture (3:25) 8. March of the Caveman (2:01) 9. Prehistoric Dance (5:15) 10. Caveman (End Title) 3:02