DEVIL AT 4 O'CLOCK / THE VICTORS

Label: FSMCD Vol.8 No.9
Date: 1961/1963
Tracks: 25
Time = 70:58

Two original soundtracks from Columbia movies, originally available as LPs on Colpix label. DEVIL AT 4 O'CLOCK is Spencer Tracy, Frank Sinatra volcano rescue drama. George Duning provides dramatic score with strong architectural appeal: furtive, rhythmic unison string figure opens score, plays important role during first half, then disappears. Soaring minor-key main theme quickly takes over then plays sizeable role in variations during later action sequences. Haunting, secondary love theme appears but avoids convention as well: composer eschews typical diatonic line in favor of ever-winding, wide-interval melody. Beautiful harmonies keep it warm, complex shape keeps it interesting. When all is said and done, Duning zeroes in on new "redemption" idea for chorus, actually closes score with dramatic reading of it for combined choir, orchestra. This is rich music with considerable variation! FSM CD couples it with music from 1963 WWII film THE VICTORS. Here, Sol Kaplan anchors with forward-moving patriotic flavor march, then works with variety of "source" ideas that play for romance, serve as themes for female characters, play in jazz fashion, so forth. Conventional scoring takes back seat. Both scores appear in stereo with presentations identical to their original LP counterparts albeit one Frank Sinatra vocal for THE VICTORS wasn't available for licensing. Liner notes combine all text and graphics from original albums plus considerable new info. George Duning, Sol Kaplan conduct.

THE DEVIL AT 4 O'CLOCK 1. Devil at 4 O'Clock-Main Title (1:40) 2. Theme for Camille (1:56) 3. Up the Mountain (2:24) 4. Didn't You Know (5:52) 5. Wail for a Village (1:40) 6. Big Quake and Trek (1:51) 7. Lava Trap (3:57) 8. La Fleur (1:40) 9. Dead Child (1:43) 10. I Thee Wed (1:56) 11. Prayers for Charlie (3:17) 12. Farewell to Camille-End Title (2:31) THE VICTORS 13. The Overture (4:03) 14. Main Title (2:14) 15. The Olive Grove (2:57) 16. The Wolf Pack (2:14) 17. Signora Maria (2:38) 18. Off Limits (2:14) 19. My Special Dream (2:37) 20. Jean Pierre (3:16) 21. The French Woman (2:47) 22. No Other Man (3:16) 23. Magda's Theme (3:25) 24. Sweet Talk and Death Fight (3:54) 25. March of The Victors-End Title (2:29)