Dirty Harry soundtrack

[Guest Chaney]

Word on the Film Score Monthly Message Board is that a respectfully presented soundtrack to the movie Dirty Harry -- with the involvement of Lalo Schifrin -- is scheduled to be released this month.

1 Prologue / The Swimming Pool

2 Main Title

3 Harry's Hot Dog

4 No More Lies, Girl

5 Scorpio's View

6 Red Light District

7 Scorpio takes The Bait

8 The Cross

9 Goodbye, Callahan

10 The Stadium Grounds

11 Floodlights

12 Dawn Discovery

13 Off Duty

14 The Strip Club

15 Liquor Store Holdup

16 City Hall

17 The School Bus

18 End Titles

Bonus Tracks

19 Floodlights (Take 1)

20 City Hall (alternate)

21 The School Bus (alternate)

22 The Swimming Pool (original version) /

Scorpio's View Parts 2 &3 (alternate vocal takes)

All of the cues have been completely remixed from the (very wide) 16 track masters and are in superb sound quality.

Anyone else waiting on this one?

I owned a few soundtracks many years ago but haven't really kept up with the genre.

I have been drooling over the soundtrack to The Taking of Pelham One Two Three released by Retrograde Records, a specialty label of The Film Score Monthly. Have a listen to the main title HERE. Good stuff, eh!

[patricia]

Quite often people scoff at me for owning soundtracks. The fact that Clint Eastwood is a jazz aficianado would seem to me to be a good reason to look for the soundtracks attached to the movies he has directed, set in recent times, such as "Bird", "Play Misty For Me", "Tightrope" as well as the "Dirty Harry" films.

Another film which has a soundtrack that actually rises above the film itself's medeocre-ness is "Walk On The Wild Side", which was where I first heard the title track, played by Elmer Berstein's orchestra. I like Jimmy Smith and Brook Benton's versions better, but that was where I first heard it and was enchanted by it's moodiness and passion.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Thanks for the tip. I've never heard all of this soundtrack and from the looks it's not what Schifrin did with the ADR big band and re-hash "Bullitt" note for note with a new recording from a few years back but an actual re-issue. Nothing can beat that "Bullitt" soundtrack in all of Schifrin's oeuvre.

[couw]

cannot really remember the actual film music of Dirty Harry, aren't these mostly short stings and cues? Great film of course!

[The Mule]

You should check out the soundtrack to Eastwood's THE GAUNTLET. The music was composed by the late great Jerry Fielding (THE WILD BUNCH, STRAW DOGS), arranged by Lennie Niehaus, and Art Pepper and Jon Faddis are soloists on a few tracks.

The music is better than the movie, actually...

Edited April 13, 2004 by The Mule

[tonym]

You should check out the soundtrack to Eastwood's THE GAUNTLET. The music was composed by the late great Jerry Fielding (THE WILD BUNCH, STRAW DOGS), arranged by Lennie Niehaus, and Art Pepper and Jon Faddis are soloists on a few tracks.

The music is better than the movie, actually...

I remember thinking exactly the same thing. Especially the closing credits where I craned my neck to read all the musical info.

Did anyone think this is where they got the idea for The A Team?

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Frazetta poster sketch-

[Man with the Golden Arm]

[BruceH]

You should check out the soundtrack to Eastwood's THE GAUNTLET. The music was composed by the late great Jerry Fielding (THE WILD BUNCH, STRAW DOGS), arranged by Lennie Niehaus, and Art Pepper and Jon Faddis are soloists on a few tracks.

The music is better than the movie, actually...

Yes indeed! If the movie had been as good as the music then it would have been one of the highlights of the 70's.

[BruceH]

I have been drooling over the soundtrack to The Taking of Pelham One Two Three released by Retrograde Records, a specialty label of The Film Score Monthly. Have a listen to the main title HERE. Good stuff, eh!

"Bump bump BUMP...ba-dump bump BUMP"

Actually, movie soundtracks were the first type of record I started collecting, at about the age of 13. Now they tend to just be song compilations, but they used to be actual SCORES which would mentally put you back in the film.

[Guest Chaney]

"Bump bump BUMP...ba-dump bump BUMP"

...

Bruce! Amazing rendition! It's as if I'm on that hijacked train!

[brownie]

Did I miss something? Can't recall anything really outstanding about Lalo Schiffrin's music except that it fit well with the violence displayed in the movie. Far from being a favorite film of mine! This was a film that emphasized America's fascination with violence, same as a number of films starring Eastwood or Charles Bronson that were made around the same time.

One Eastwood-Don Siegel I much preferred was 'The Beguiled', another film that was disturbing but went much deeper that that 'Dirty Harry'.

Just my opinion!

And another vote for the sountrack to 'The Gauntlet'. And yes, the music was better than the movie!

[patricia]

Did I miss something? Can't recall anything really outstanding about Lalo Schiffrin's music except that it fit well with the violence displayed in the movie. Far from being a favorite film of mine! This was a film that emphasized America's fascination with violence, same as a number of films starring Eastwood or Charles Bronson that were made around the same time.

One Eastwood-Don Siegel I much preferred was 'The Beguiled', another film that was disturbing but went much deeper that that 'Dirty Harry'.

Just my opinion!

And another vote for the sountrack to 'The Gauntlet'. And yes, the music was better than the movie!

Brownie,

I own both "The Beguiled" and "Play Misty For Me" and of his early movies, they are my far and away favourites, particularly "Play Misty......". Nice soundtrack.

But, of the later ones, "Tightrope" has a great soundtrack, I think.

[BruceH]

As I recall, The Beguiled is one of the few Eastwood films that doesn't need any special pleading---it's just a good film. Can't remember the music, though.

[garthsj]

Did I miss something? Can't recall anything really outstanding about Lalo Schiffrin's music except that it fit well with the violence displayed in the movie. Far from being a favorite film of mine! This was a film that emphasized America's fascination with violence, same as a number of films starring Eastwood or Charles Bronson that were made around the same time.

And another vote for the sountrack to 'The Gauntlet'. And yes, the music was better than the movie!

MAYBE THIS DISCUSSION SHOULD GO INTO THE "MOVIE" SECTION OF THIS LIST...

"The Gaunlet" is a wonderful film if you understand what Eastwood was doing. It is actually a very funny film, and once I point out to my students what is "really" happening here, the entire film becomes a hilarious comedy. This film was made as a direct answer to the increasing criticism of the "Dirty Harry" films. Basically Clint is saying, "You complain about violence, I will show you real violence." and so, in the course of the film, he kills a house, several cars, a motorcycle and a very big bus! You actually have to see how these inanimate objects "die" to get the point ... especially as the house literally heaves a loud sigh just before collapsing in death. The slow death of the bus is much more intimate, and an integral part of the plot. My suggestion is to rent it, sit back with a glass of wine, and watch it within that context; it will do wonders for your appreciation of Eastwood's "finger" to his critics.

BTW, the soundtrack is great ... and Lennie Niehaus has done a wonderful job of arranging the music for most of Eastwood's films ..

[brownie]

Garthjs, thanks for your views on 'The Gaunlet'. Will watch for a rerun of that film. I can always use watching an hilarious film. Missed that angle when I saw it a long time ago.

I like the soundtrack anyway. Big fan of Lennie Niehaus here...

[Guest Chaney]

The Dirty Harry soundtrack is now up for preordering at CD UNIVERSE. (Available June 8.)

[brownie]

Terry Gibbs in his autobiography 'Good Vibes' also mentions that Art Pepper was in the band that played

music for Burt Reynolds' 1981 film 'Sharky's Machine'. This one:

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0083064/

Gibbs mentions an all-star band was assembled for the music, including Gibbs and Buddy de Franco, plus

Art Pepper and Marshal Royal on alto, Conte and Pete Candoli, Sweets Edison on trumpet, Carl Fontana

and Bill Watrous on trombone, Ray Brown on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. Bob Florence wrote the

arrangements. And Sarah Vaughan and Joe Williams sang the theme song.

Seems that Burt Reynold who is a jazz fan handpicked the musicians.

This should be interesting music.

Anybody saw that flick? Is there a soundtrack of the music somewhere?

[BruceH]

Terry Gibbs in his autobiography 'Good Vibes' also mentions that Art Pepper was in the band that played

music for Burt Reynolds' 1981 film 'Sharky's Machine'. This one:

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0083064/

Gibbs mentions an all-star band was assembled for the music, including Gibbs and Buddy de Franco, plus

Art Pepper and Marshal Royal on alto, Conte and Pete Candoli, Sweets Edison on trumpet, Carl Fontana

and Bill Watrous on trombone, Ray Brown on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. Bob Florence wrote the

arrangements. And Sarah Vaughan and Joe Williams sang the theme song.

Seems that Burt Reynold who is a jazz fan handpicked the musicians.

This should be interesting music.

Anybody saw that flick? Is there a soundtrack of the music somewhere?

Isn't that the one that's a lame partial remake of "Laura"? Lot of terrific musicians brought together for a crappy movie.

[brownie]

BruceH, never cared much for Burt Reynolds as an actor and doubt that he was any good as a

director. But at least he knew how to pick good musicians. Wish I could hear what that soundtrack

sounded like!

[medjuck]

"The Gaunlet" is a wonderful film if you understand what Eastwood was doing. It is actually a very funny film, and once I point out to my students what is "really" happening here, the entire film becomes a hilarious comedy. This film was made as a direct answer to the increasing criticism of the "Dirty Harry" films. Basically Clint is saying, "You complain about violence, I will show you real violence." and so, in the course of the film, he kills a house, several cars, a motorcycle and a very big bus! You actually have to see how these inanimate objects "die" to get the point ... especially as the house literally heaves a loud sigh just before collapsing in death. The slow death of the bus is much more intimate, and an integral part of the plot. My suggestion is to rent it, sit back with a glass of wine, and watch it within that context; it will do wonders for your appreciation of Eastwood's "finger" to his critics.

BTW, the soundtrack is great ... and Lennie Niehaus has done a wonderful job of arranging the music for most of Eastwood's films ..

Garth: My memory is that it's also a film where Eastwood makes fun of his Dirty Harry persona. Sondra Locke keeps having to explain the obvious to him implying constantly that he's not too

bright. Most critics seem to think that it's only in films like Broncho Billy or (god-forbid) The Bridges of Madison County that Eastwood plays against type. That may be true but in Gauntlet and Every Which Way But Loose he suggests that his usual hero may be strong, but he's dumb. In both cases this idea is voiced by the films' heroine.