The Music of My Childhood at last!

The annoying thing about soundtracks is that their a specialty music niche. At the best of times I'm lucky if I can get my hands on the music of a movie close to after seeing it. With the advent of the internet things are getting much better, and a lot of the big franchises are now pushing their music before the release of the film (this trend being one of the few cool things to come of The Phantom Menace).

Most modern movies typically release their score. Though they can still be frustrating to get, and still sometimes aren't released till WELL after the movie. Transformers being a good example (finally 6 months after the film was the score put out).

In the case of older films, well before the digital expansion of the music industry, getting their music was only a fantasy up until recently...

Two of the big Dinosaur movies of my childhood had music that has been on my wish list since I was 10.

Finally a decade and half later I've gotten my hands on them!
Ringo Stars spoof of Caveman/Dinosaur epics has one of the catchiest and cute themes ever. Helping forever etch this song into my musical psyche was its use in the introduction to my fav video game of all time, Dinosaur Wars on the Amiga. In it a Ringo style caveman walks along the screen to the song until suddenly the music stops the caveman turns to the audience, screams, and is instantly squished by a Tyrannosaur foot and leg from off screen.

This CD was released in 2005, but as it was a specialty label I didn't catch wind of it until a random internet search last year. It wasn't till this week when whining about wanting the album that Rhonwyn suggested I check on Itunes for it. I have the best girl friend ever! She not only suggested the place to get it, but also let me use her account and puter to download it. All for the low cost of $14 NZ! It would have cost me almost double that to ship it down here!

Caveman while making my wish list was more for the cute theme song than the whole album. It also is by a composer that hasn't ever been on my radar.

My other acquisition this week on the other hand has been at the top of my list forever...

Jerry Goldsmith's score to Baby Secret of the Lost Legend, has been a lost legend in and of itself!!!

Sentimental aside. This was the first film I ever saw in a theatre (that I can remember anyway). Though an awesome Dinosaur film for its time, it was also a little brutal for 4 or 5 year old me. The part were the daddy Sauropod gets blown away by the Army was a very traumatic scene, and I can still remember how terrified I was of seeing the Dinosaur pumped full of lead... However once I was older 8-9ish this was a staple film of my childhood rentals.

This film had two major themes that have been in my head since those young me rentals. Their in my top 20 themes of ALL time, and my favourite of Goldsmith's. Which is saying something. I love Goldsmith. He was way more diverse and talented than John Williams, and I have many favs of Jerry's, but the themes from Baby are always in my head.

The foremost being the action suspense theme. Whenever I find myself humming a "made up" soundtrack for something I inevitably base it on this brilliant bit of Goldsmith. Now that I have it my plagiarism finally comes home... Not having it in pure listenable form made it sort of imaginary if that makes sense ;p

Also the theme for the adult Sauropods is the music of finding a Dinosaur for me. The scene where the heroes come across the Sauropod in the swampy clearing for the first time is up there in the greatest Dinosaur scenes ever filmed. Aside not sure why those always have Sauropods in them? Their not even my favourite kind of Dinosaur.

For the last couple of years I'd futilely check every 6 months or so on the Internet for a possible release of this score. Nothing other than a substandard bootleg, and a unbelievably expensive special edition Jerry Goldsmith compilation album that had the adult theme on it, but costing $200!

So like usual in the cycle the other day I plug this into Google to be astonished by real hits!!!

After all this time it had BEEN released... Haza! Than I track down the company that is selling it... It was released exactly a month ago from when I found it. Perfect I think time to get me a copy. Till I see the most dreaded words on these sort of releases. SOLD OUT!!!

There is this unbelievable stupid aspect to soundtracks of collectors wanting them to be collectors items... So the record labels print ridiculously small runs. Like in the case of Baby a mere 3000 copies. Meaning that unless you're on top of it, and buy in the first few days of an albums release you're hooped. I missed Ghostbusters by a day!

Needless to say I was way too late on finding out about this one to buy a copy (for less than $100 bloody dollars!!!).

Thankful salvation came in the form of Alex who helped me secure a copy of the disc (for way less than a $100!!!!). He is the dude!

Now I can listen to music easy having two of my all time most wanted scores of all time. All that remains is Ghostbusters... Stupid limited runs!