DAVID SHIRE SELECTED WORKS

This album gives a small overview of the work composer David Shire created in the 1970s, his busiest and most fruitful period. Thanks to Warner Bros., we are able to bring to you - for the first time ever in any format - Shire’s music for the western “Skin Game,” a western starring James Garner and Louis Gossett Jr. The former plays con man Quincy, while the latter portrays his black friend Jason. Quincy differs from most cowboys since he firmly believes that black people are equal to whites and should be treated as such. Together, they make it their mission to trick hypocrites and white supremacists by pretending to go into business with them. At one point Quincy sells Jason as a slave, only to then help Jason escape.

Additionally, we present cues from Shire’s work for “Summertree” (starring Michael Douglas), “Tell Me Where It Hurts,” and “Something for Joey,” which features one of the composer’s own favourite melodies.

This recording is an opportunity to reflect on the variety of styles and colors Shire evoked on these soundtracks. Each one is entirely different. While “Tell Me Where It Hurts” has some jaunty, uplifting moments, “Summertree” is a somber score for a small ensemble. Its main theme had to be simple, as Shire recalls, for Michael Douglas needed to play it in the film as a piece of diegetic music – and the actor was not a proficient guitar player. With its jazzy elements “Something for Joey” is the most eclectic of the quartet. “Skin Game” is an entirely different beast, an energetic western score for a large orchestra that pays tribute to the works of Ennio Morricone and Quincy Jones without devolving into a series of cliches.

We are grateful to Warner Bros. for allowing us to release 20 minutes of the latter score.

The 64th CD-release of Caldera Records features a detailed booklet text by Stephan Eicke and elegant artwork by Luis Miguel Rojas. The CD was mastered by Richard Moore and produced by Stephan Eicke.