OLD BOYFRIENDS

Planned - but never released - 1979 David Shire soundtrack album from Joan Tewkesbury drama starring Talia Shire finally becomes available on CD! Sterling cast surrounding Talia Shire includes Keith Carradine, Richard Jordan, John Houseman, John Belushi. Story of Talia Shire's dissolving marriage and her reflections on previous troubled relationships affords composer David Shire ample opportunity to write multiple themes, each with unique melodic lines, harmonic colors. Highly dramatic ideas also weave into tapestry. Shire anchors with gorgeous love theme for Dianne & Wayne, uses it as main building block but allows numerous other themes to share spotlight as well. Aggressive, charged main title launches score in propulsive mode, then individual thematic ideas emerge as score progresses. Brief but powerful! Interestingly, distributor Avco Embassy had confidence in Academy Award potential of Shire's score, engaged Columbia Records to prepare soundtrack album featuring 31 minutes of Shire's work (plus four unrelated standards sung by John Belushi), then promoted demo album for voting consideration. Commercial LP was planned but then cancelled. Actual stereo album masters remained locked in Sony vaults until now. Crisp recording by Dan Wallin brings considerable impact, detail to orchestral performance. Though score ultimately did not win recognition it deserved, composer was able to reprise main love theme many years later in his successful 2007 musical Take Flight about the history of early aviation. Now Shire fans can finally enjoy Old Boyfriends in the world premiere release of his score, presented as he originally produced and assembled it for album release back in 1979. Notes by Tim Greiving provide details about this rare score, Joe Sikoryak package design features original campaign artwork. David Shire conducts. Intrada Special Collection CD available while quantities and interest remain!