Press Release from Dragon's Domain:
Dragon’s Domain Records presents THE GIL MELLÉ COLLECTION – VOL. 2, featuring the world premiere releases of two scores composed by Gil Mellé from his lengthy filmography.
Released in 1981, THE LAST CHASE is a dystopian science fiction film directed by Martyn Burke (POWER PLAY), written by Christopher Crowe, Roy Moore and Burke, starring Lee Majors, Chris Makepeace, Burgess Meredith, Alexandra Stewart, Diane D’Aquila, George Touliatos and Harvey Atkin. Set in a post-apocalyptic 2011, the United States has become a police state that outlaws private vehicles. Franklyn Hart, (Majors) a former race car driver who lost his family to a virus, secretly restores his orange Porsche to escape to 'Free California' with electronics expert Ring McCarthy (Makepeace). Their journey symbolizes the resistance against an oppressive regime, drawing huge public support. Initially tasked with stopping them, Air Force pilot J.G. Williams (Meredith) ultimately sacrifices himself to aid their escape. Gil Melle's score for THE LAST CHASE combines a full symphony orchestra with custom synthesizers, capturing themes of adventure and freedom.
Airing on television in 1976, DYNASTY was written by James Michener (HAWAII, CENTENNIAL, TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC) and Sidney Carroll, starring Stacy Keach, Harris Yulin, Harrison Ford, Sarah Miles, Gerritt Graham, Tony Swartz, Amy Irving, Charles Weldon, John Carter and Rayford Barnes. DYNASTY was a television movie that chronicled the rivalry between the Blackwood brothers over a period of 35 years. Gil Mellé's score for DYNASTY was composed for a large chamber orchestra, evoking a style reminiscent of Aaron Copland, effectively capturing the film's historical setting and the complex personal relationships within.
For nearly five decades, composer Gil Mellé innovated in mixing electronic and orchestral music when he wasn’t playing the nuances of modern jazz or enjoying his collection of unique microscopes at home. Mellé had made a mark in the world of jazz as an outstanding baritone saxophonist and composer who was also noted as a painter. In film and television, his music has been extraordinarily notable, if not well preserved, on records and CDs. His TV-movie music in the early ’70s included a trio of high-profile films for television: MY SWEET CHARLIE, THAT CERTAIN SUMMER, and FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY. His most well-known film score was THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, but as an innovator in the use of electronic music in movies of the 1970s and ’80s, Mellé contributed to a many science fiction, fantasy, and horror television and feature film scores, including NIGHT GALLERY (theme and episodes), THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN (original TV-movie), A COLD NIGHT’S DEATH, THE QUESTOR TAPES, KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER, STARSHIP INVASIONS, WORLD WAR III, and many others. Mellé’s efforts preceded almost everyone else’s experiments in electronic film music and resulted in the first true electronic film score.
Dragon’s Domain Records presents THE GIL MELLÉ COLLECTION – VOL. 2, featuring the world premiere releases of music composed by Gil Mellé for THE LAST CHASE and James Michener’s DYNASTY. This release includes liner notes written by G.B. Kenmir and the music has been mastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland.
