Timeline
Jerry Goldsmith, The Hollywood Studio Symphony
SACD Surround Sound/SACD Stereo/CD Audio
(Varese Sarabande 0302-066600-2)

High Fidelity Review readers will recall that the release of Jerry Goldsmith’s score for the film Timeline has been much anticipated. Goldsmith was initially hired to do an “orchestral” for Timeline but the film was released with an “action” oriented score composed by Brian Tyler. Fans of the composer have been interested in hearing his music for the movie and Varese Sarabande announced in December that they planned a Surround Sound SACD edition of the Goldsmith score. With today’s release, movie fans can now hear the orchestral score for the film.

According to Robert Townson of Varese Sarabande “The release of his score for Timeline was something that was very important to Jerry Goldsmith. He called me himself and asked if I could please make sure there would be a CD. He knew how important it was to his fans that this work not be relegated to becoming a studio archive footnote. I was present at every recording session and knew how extraordinary it was. Even though it was totally unprecedented with a major film studio, it was my intent from the very beginning to make sure that this score was released. There is still a lot of Jerry Goldsmith music to unearth from the various film studios and Varиse Sarabande will remain forever devoted to caring for and preserving it. But Timeline, Jerry Goldsmith’s penultimate composition, now becomes the final new score that we will ever be able to offer from the beloved Maestro. With its release we celebrate the memory of a great man who led one of the most exemplary careers in film music history.”

Album Selections
1. The Dig
2. Cornflakes
3. No Pain
4. To Castlegard
5. Find Marek
6. The Rooftop
7. A Hole In The Wall
8. Move On
9. Be Careful
10. Ambushed
11. Setting Up
12. Greek Fire / Light the Arrows
13. Prepare for Battle / Victory For Us
14. To My Friends

The Great Train Robbery
Jerry Goldsmith
SACD Surround Sound/SACD Stereo/CD Audio
(Varese Sarabande 0302-066500-2)

The Great Train Robbery is a well known film written and directed by Michael Crichton. It starred Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland and Lesley Ann Down in a train robbery caper film that was released in the late 1970’s for theater viewing and more recently in 5.1 audio for DVD Video release. The SACD Surround Sound release of this soundtrack had not been previously announced by the label, so it’s appearance this week proved to be a pleasant surprise to the composer’s fans.

Robert Townson of Varese Sarabande says that “The Great Train Robbery, like most of the vast body of Goldsmith’s work, had aged exceptionally well and stands a well remembered and much loved opus. When it was discovered that a set of 24 track masters existed for almost the entire score, the opportunity of taking advantage of the latest technologies in sound reproduction proved irresistible. SACD is a glorious step forward in home audio reproduction with sample rates allowing for an unprecedented fidelity. To further take advantage of the multi-channel capabilities of the format, recording engineer Bruce Botnick and I undertook a remix of the entire score on the Todd AO Scoring Stage in Studio City, California in January of 2004. The sound of the tapes was astounding and we can here share with you the glorious music we rediscovered on that day.”

Album Selections
1. Main Title
2. Breakfast In Bed
3. No Respectable Gentleman
4. Clues
5. Rotten Row
6. The First Key / Bordello Raid
7. Kiddie Kaper
8. Street Attack / Casing the Station
9. Over The Wall
10. Night Entry
11. Double Wax Job
12. The Tombstone
13. Departure
14. The Gold Arrives
15. Torn Coat
16. End Title