Search - Jerry Goldsmith :: The Sand Pebbles: Original Motion Picture Score (1997 Re-recording)

A Mixed Blessing

R. J. Teed | Dearborn, MI United States | 01/21/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 1966 movie starring Steve Mcqueen was epic in scope and the music compliments it nicely. The score deserved a rerecording and finally got one a few years ago by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Goldsmith. The CD is a mixed blessing. The performance is good, however some of the quieter parts are barely audible. It's also a shame the CD left out good music from the film and original album which I am fortunate to possess on vinyl. The original album's overture was left out on the CD in favor of a new arrangement Goldsmith put together that mainly features the love theme. The original overture is more powerful and has a more epic sound. Otherwise, this is a very good CD and is among the best of Goldsmith's extensive 60's output."

Incomplete version of one of Goldsmith's best

Reginald D. Garrard | Camilla, GA USA | 11/28/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Varese-Sarabande has recently released a more complete "deluxe" edition of the score. It contains the twelve cuts found on the '97 version, as well as seventeen others.Here are the tracks found on the 2002 release:1. Overture (2:16)
2. Main Title (2:57)
3. Getting Acquainted (3:53)
4. Hello, Engine (1:24)
5. Death Of A Coolie (:57)
6. Maily Appears (1:07)
7. Training A New Coolie (:40)
8. Repel Boarders (Mono) (2:40)
9. The Mission at China Light (2:05)
10. Death of A Thousand Cuts (4:46)
11. Act One Finale (:59)
12. Entr'acte (1:02)
13. Back To Port (:53)
14. My Secret (4:00)
15. Jake and Shirley (4:24)
16. A Conversation (2:02)
17. The Wedding (6:11)
18. Coolies Jump Ship (1:50)
19. State Of Siege (5:53)
20. Frenchy's Death (2:19)
21. Maily's Abduction (2:49)
22. Final Mission (5:46)
23. Battle Continues (2:12)
24. Death of the Assassin (1:46)
25. Sniper (:58)
26. Almost Home (Finale) (1:00)
27. End Title (:38)
28. Exit Music (2:39) BONUS TRACKS:
29. Overture (alternate) (2:54)
30. Chinese Love Theme (2:26)Total running time: 76:28"

A Great Soundtrack But Not Definitive

D. A Wend | Buffalo Grove, IL USA | 09/23/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One of Jerry Goldsmith's phenomenal gifts as a composer was his ability to evoke a place in music. Here, Mr. Goldsmith draws a picture of China during a turbulent time. The Sand Pebbles is an ambitious and highly dramatic film that offered a wide scope to the composer. He caught the taught drama of the story and its exotic location but also wrote a love theme that became a successful song (And We Were Lovers) with words supplied by Johnny Mercer. The Sand Pebbles is among his most successful scores and was nominated for an Oscar; it is one of the few films that Mr. Goldsmith scored that has an overture.



This CD is a re-recording of the score with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Mr. Goldsmith, making for a more vivid sound than a transfer of the original soundtrack. The new recording of the score allowed the composer to include new tracks that had not appeared on the original recording, such as The Wedding and Frenchy's Death. However, The Sand Pebbles contained more music than is present on this CD. As the other reviewers have pointed out, a 2002 soundtrack release timed out at over 76 minutes. So, as excellent as this CD is it is not a definitive recording.



The accompanying booklet described the action behind each of the tracks and points out interesting aspects of the music. There are a few stills from the movie in the booklet and a nice photograph of Jerry Goldsmith. This score is one of the essentials for a Jerry Goldsmith film score collection but what we have here is an extension of the original soundtrack, not a complete recording of the music.

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