CATLOW

Sheriff Cowan (Richard Crenna) was once great buddies with shifty Catlow (Yul Brynner), a suave cowboy eager to fill his own pockets. This friendship has come to an end. Still, Catlow is so charming that even Cowan, who is now on the other side of the law, finds himself unable to hate his opponent. One day, Cowan is tasked with arresting Catlow. Similar to the gangster, the sheriff is nothing if not committed.

“Catlow”was producer Euan Lloyd’s first collaboration with a young jazz pianist and composer from Croydon, England: Roy Budd. Over the course of nearly 15 years, they worked on six films together, among them some of Budd’s biggest successes. Still, director Sam Wanamaker’s first choice was Bernard Herrmann, Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary creative partner. Herrmann was offered the film, though when Lloyd watched “Soldier Blue” in the theatre with its energetic score by Roy Budd, he withdrew the offer to Herrmann.

Within a few weeks, Roy Budd crafted an energetic, tuneful score that plays with the idioms of Hollywood western music and Ennio Morricone’s Italo-westerns, while infusing the work with elements of upbeat jazz. It gave Roy the opportunity to flex his muscles as a composer of energetic action pieces. “Catlow” is a varied mix of elements and styles that doesn’t have a boring minute in it. Roy crafted diegetic music such as piano cues for an early saloon scene, as well as military music, variations on the rousing main theme, Mexican guitar, and dance pieces. It stands as one of his biggest achievements.

For decades, the recording tapes were considered lost. We found them a few years ago. Unfortunately, one reel remains missing to this day, meaning that more than a handful of cues could not be included on this release. The album was sourced from two different tapes, one mono and one stereo. Considering that the mono tapes consisted mostly of suspense and source music, we took the controversial step to mix in the stereo cues with the mono cues. We understand this might be irritating to some, but we are glad that the sound quality is at least consistent and the experience an entertaining one.

The 72nd 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.