Marty & Will at long last break their podcast quarantine and ask "was there anything beautiful in this strange and frightening year?".


download Catching Up: The Quarantine

Musical excerpts from:Onward (2020) - Mychael Danna & Jeff Danna - Pixar Animation Studios (Dan Scanlon, dir.)
Soul (2020) - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste - Pixar Animation Studios (Pete Docter, dir.)The Last of Us Part II (2020) - Gustavo Santaolalla - Naughty Dog (Neil Druckmann, dir.)Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) - John Williams - Lucasfilm Ltd. (J.J. Abrams, dir.)
and featuring songs from: Silk Sonic, Dua Lipa, Arizona Zervas, Surfaces, Clairo, Hamilton, and Cuco
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After focusing on Herbert Stothart's fantastic underscore, we bring our attention back to the magical songwriting partnership of Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. The song score to The Wizard of Oz is unlike any other, built from infectious melody, peerless lyrics and surprising structure. Moving piece by piece through Arlen & Harburg's work brings us face to face with some of the most classic songs of the 20th century. 80 years since the film's release, titles like 'Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead', 'Follow the Yellow Brick Road', and 'If I Only Had a Brain' continue to be indispensable to our cultural lexicon. We chart the development of the many Oz songs, along the way uncovering music removed from the final cut of the film (but thankfully not lost to history). Today's episode is an absolute bash; we can't wait for you to join us in celebrating this stunning score of scores.


Listen to episode 8m3 The Merry Old Land of Oz

The Wizard of Oz -Herbert Stothart (score), Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg (song score) - 1939 - Metro Goldwyn Mayer (Victor Fleming, et al, dir,)

The Wizard of Oz in Full Score - Herbert Stothart, Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg - Omni Music Publishing (conductor score)
https://omnimusicpublishing.com/product/oz/

The Wizard of Oz - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [Deluxe Edition] - Warner Archive Collection
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/wizard-oz-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-deluxe/1455918173

IMDB
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/

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We devote today's episode to the Academy Award-winning underscore to The Wizard of Oz and its composer Herbert Stothart. His musical tapestry is a technicolor extravaganza itself - lavish, sensitive and irreplaceable.  Written with a stunning lack of ego, Stothart's score pushes powerful musical ideas into the spotlight, be they melodies of songwriter Harold Arlen, inspired excerpts from classical literature or the ingenious inventions of the composer himself. This is a score that takes advantage of every potential musical moment to lift the film upwards and upwards - to quote lyricist E.Y. Harburg - "to a place behind the sun, just a step beyond the rain..." Join us as we revisit the wonderful world of Oz, courtesy of Mr. Herbert Stothart.


Listen to episode 8m2 Introducing Herbert Stothart

The Wizard of Oz -Herbert Stothart (score), Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg (song score) - 1939 - Metro Goldwyn Mayer (Victor Fleming, et al, dir,)

The Wizard of Oz in Full Score - Herbert Stothart, Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg - Omni Music Publishing (conductor score)
https://omnimusicpublishing.com/product/oz/

The Wizard of Oz - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [Deluxe Edition] - Warner Archive Collection
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/wizard-oz-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-deluxe/1455918173

IMDB
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/

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We are ecstatic to begin our next film subject, The Wizard of Oz (1939), arguably the most magical film ever produced. At the heart of our movie is a song that changed the world. "Over the Rainbow" is one of the most lauded, most performed, and most beloved pieces of music we know of and our dive into the film begins with a conversation centered on this Arlen & Yarburg-penned standard. We discuss the special history of the song and the way in which it vividly paints our heroine Dorothy's inner world. What began 80 years ago as a humbly staged song on a Kansas farm has become a powerful anthem around the world - built not from bombast but from melodic beauty, harmonic depth, and lyrical aspiration. Join us as we explore and celebrate the song that speaks to the dreamer in us all - "Over the Rainbow".


Listen to episode 8m1 Over the Rainbow

The Wizard of Oz -Herbert Stothart (score), Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg (song score) - 1939 - Metro Goldwyn Mayer (Victor Fleming, et al, dir,)

The Wizard of Oz in Full Score - Herbert Stothart, Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg - Omni Music Publishing (conductor score)
https://omnimusicpublishing.com/product/oz/

The Wizard of Oz - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [Deluxe Edition] - Warner Archive Collection
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/wizard-oz-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-deluxe/1455918173

IMDB
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/

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Today's Reel Change concludes our delightful dive into the history of the Movie Musical. We continue our travel backwards in time, as we step song by song down memory lane. We hope today's selections (by no means intended as an exhaustive 'greatest of' list) spark joy in the way only great movie musicals can.

Join us and be prepared - you may find yourself suddenly and uncontrollably bursting into song.

[Note: This 2-part podcast focuses on songs from live-action Movie Musicals. A future Reel Change will cover the wonderful tradition of music from Animated Musicals].



Listen to Reel Change: The Movie Musical (Part II) 


Today's Selections:


Little Shop of Horrors “Little Shop of Horrors” (music: Alan Menken, lyrics: Howard Ashman)
Annie
“Maybe” (music: Charles Strouse, lyrics: Martin Charnin)

Grease “You’re the One that I Want” (John Farrar)

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory “Pure Imagination” (Leslie Bricusse / Anthony Newley)

Hello Dolly “It Only Takes a Moment” (Jerry Herman)
The Sound of Music
“The Sound of Music” (music: Richard Rodgers, lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein)

Mary Poppins “A Spoonful of Sugar” (Richard Sherman / Robert Sherman)

The Music Man “Marian the Librarian” (Meredith Wilson)

West Side Story “Something’s Coming” (music: Leonard Bernstein, lyrics: Stephen Sondheim)

Carousel “If I Loved You” (music: Richard Rodgers, lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein)

Calamity Jane “The Deadwood Stage” (music: Sammy Fain, lyrics: Paul Francis Webster)

Singin' in the Rain “Singin' in the Rain” (music: Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics: Arthur Freed)

Annie Get Your Gun “They Say It's Wonderful” (Irving Berlin)

Meet Me in St. Louis
“The Boy Next Door” (Hugh Martin / Ralph Blane)
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Today's Reel Change begins a delightful dive into the history of the Movie Musical. For a twist, we start in the present day and move backwards in time, step by step, song by song in a most melodious walk down memory lane. We hope today's selections (by no means intended as an exhaustive 'greatest of' list) spark joy in the way only great movie musicals can.

Join us and be prepared - you may find yourself suddenly and uncontrollably bursting into song.

[Note: This 2-part podcast focuses on songs from live-action Movie Musicals. A future Reel Change will cover the wonderful tradition of music from Animated Musicals].



Listen to Reel Change: The Movie Musical (Part I) 


Today's Selections:


Mary Poppins Returns “Nowhere to Go but Up” (music: Marc Shaiman, lyrics: Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman)

The Greatest Showman “A Million Dreams” (Benj Pasek / Justin Paul)

LaLa Land “City of Stars” (music: Justin Hurwitz, lyrics: Benj Pasek, Justin Paul)

The Last Five Years “Nobody Needs to Know” (Jason Robert Brown)

Les Miserables “Castle on a Cloud”
(music: Claude-Michel Schönberg, French lyrics: Alain Boubil, English lyrics: Herbert Kretzmer)

Sweeney Todd “Pretty Women” (Stephen Sondheim)

Enchanted “That’s How You Know” (music: Alan Menken, lyrics: Stephen Schwartz)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas “Christmas, Why Can’t I Find You” (music: James Horner, lyrics: Will Jennings)

Robin Hood: Men in Tights “Marian” (music: Hummie Mann, lyrics: Mel Brooks)

Newsies “King of New York” (music: Alan Menken, lyrics: Jack Feldman)

Dick Tracy “More” (Stephen Sondheim)
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Today Marty & Will get together for an unedited chat over one of their favorite pieces of recent film music - the songs & score to Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman's Mary Poppins Returns.


download Catching Up: Mary Poppins Returns

Mary Poppins Returns (2018) - Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman - Walt Disney Pictures (Rob Marshall, dir.)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5028340/

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Today Marty & Will turn their attention to some of their own compositional work, starting with the pieces used as theme music for UnderScore.

This is the first in a new series of episodes (Composer's Corner) where composers will share the inspirations, approaches and backstories to their own unique music.

Thank you so much for another great year of movie-music podcasting. We look forward to the exciting year ahead - happy holidays!


download Composer's Corner: The Music of UnderScore

Find the music from today's episode:

Marty
www.martybmusic.com
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
iTunes 
Spotify 

Will
www.williambmusic.com
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
iTunes
Spotify

see also: 
Super Marcato Bros
Honeytone Music

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It is our immense pleasure to share our conversation with Audio Engineer/Composer Alan Snelling. [Excerpts of this interview were included in our arc of episodes devoted to the score to STAR WARS - we are delighted to be sharing the full extent of our conversation with you on today’s podcast].

Alan began his career in the late seventies as the assistant to audio engineer Eric Tomlinson at Anvil Studios in Denham, England, where he shortly became involved in such landmark projects as Star Wars, Alien, and Superman (to name but a few). In our delightful and long-ranging chat, Snelling recounts unforgettable stories from the recording sessions of these treasured films. Along the way, we'll encounter the likes of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Richard Donner, Jerry Goldsmith, Hans Zimmer, and the composer who left perhaps the greatest impact on Snelling and Tomlinson - John Williams. Alan is an incredible craftsman, phenomenal storyteller, and an incredibly generous human being; experiencing his wisdom is a true privilege. Enjoy!


 Listen to Interview: Alan Snelling

Return of the Jedi (1983) - John Williams - 20th Century Fox (Richard Marquand, dir.)
  -The Return of the Jedi
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - John Williams - 20th Century Fox (Irvin Kershner, dir.)
  -Lando's Palace
The Great Train Robbery (1978) - Jerry Goldsmith - United Artists (Michael Crichton, dir.)
  -No Respectable Gentleman
Star Wars (1977) - John Williams - 20th Century Fox (George Lucas, dir.)
  -The Land of the Sandpeople
  -Inner City
  -Main Title
  -Rescue of the Princess
  -Cantina Band
  -The Desert and the Robot Auction
  -The Princess Appears
Dracula (1979) - John Williams - The Mirisch Corporation (John Badham, dir.)
  -To Scarborough
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - John Williams - 20th Century Fox (Irvin Kershner, dir.)
  -The Training of a Jedi Knight
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - John Williams - Paramount Pictures (Steven Spielberg, dir.)
  -A Thought for Marion / To Nepal
Brideshead Revisited (1981) - Geoffrey Burgon - Granada Television (Charles Sturridge, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, dir.)
  -Julia's Theme
Ladyhawke (1985) - Andrew Powell - Warner Bros./20th Century Fox (Richard Donner, dir.)
  -Phillipe Describes Isabeau 
Star Wars (1977) - John Williams - 20th Century Fox (George Lucas, dir.)
  -The Throne Room and End Title
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - John Williams - 20th Century Fox (Irvin Kershner, dir.)
  -The Wampa's Lair / Vision of Obi-Wan/Snowspeeders Take Flight
  -Jedi Master Revealed / Mynock Cave
  -The Imperial March
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1984) - John Williams - Warner Bros (Richard Donner, dir.)
  -The Departure
Superman (1978) - John Williams - Warner Bros (Richard Donner, dir.)
  -Leaving Home [5M3]
  -Prelude / Main Title March
  -Can You Read My Mind (Alternate Instrumental)
  -The Flying Sequence
A Pinprick of Light (2018) - Alan Snelling - Stranger Than Paradise Prod. (Kasra Karimi, dir.)
  -Manfred's Room

Alan Snelling
http://www.up4loud.com/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0811074

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Marty & Will craaaawl back from the dead just in time to for a listening party of some spooktacular Halloween movie music. Ready your candle and brave this dark corridor with us for there's something lurking in the shadows, something ghostly..
What was that?... From whence comes this chilling sound?... What terrifying harmony... Yet what ethereal melody... I'm drawn helplessly closer... prisoner to the music of this dark & evil night.
Bwahahaha...

Happy Halloween everyone - thanks for listening!

To accompany today's podcast we've prepared a Spotify playlist featuring many of the pieces listened to (see below). Enjoy!

download Listening: Happy Halloween

UnderScore Podcast Playlist ■ HALLOWEEN (Spotify link)



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Today’s the day! After 5 episodes exploring the context & composition of this historic, world-changing score we’re finally ready to sit down to watch 1977’s STAR WARS in its entirety. As mentioned previously, our commentary corresponds to the original theatrical cut of the film. At the moment this is a difficult copy to obtain commercially, but is available in a few sources including the special features of the 2006 DVDs, pre-1997 VHS and laserdisc copies and various fan preservation editions online. The snare drum rolls of Alfred Newman’s 20th Century Fox opening fanfare should be a helpful sync point for lining up your audio. Thank you so much for listening - producing these episodes has been a profound and humbling experience that has left us forever changed. Here we go... #maytheforcebewithyou #always #thankyouforlistening


Listen to episode 7m4 The STAR WARS Commentary

STAR WARS - John Williams - 1977 - Lucasfilm Ltd./20th Century Fox (George Lucas, dir,)

Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra - John Williams Signature Edition - Hal Leonard (conductor score)
https://www.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.action?itemid=4490057&lid=150&keywords=john%20williams%20signature&subsiteid=1&

IMDB
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/?ref_=nv_sr_5

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