Creature from the Black Lagoon

Monstrous Movie Music

Music Composed by Various Artists

Conducted by Masatoshi Mitsumoto

Orchestral reconstructions and music preparations by Kathleen Mayne

Performed by the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Slovakia

Produced by David Schecter & Kathleen Mayne

Release Date: 2000

     If you dig the scores for classic black-and-white monster flicks, you'll be in seventh heaven with this release from Monstrous Movie Music. In addition to the score from Creature from the Black Lagoon, this CD also features a selection of music from the Tarzan films and The Alligator People. The performances from the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Slovakia are top notch, and the sound quality is nothing short of excellent. 

     Re-scoring old film music is a hard task I'm sure, but the results are usually quite grand. Just witness the excellent job on the King Kong release from Marco Polo. The same tender loving care is evident here, from the hefty linear notes (which contain a track-by-track analysis along with film and score info) to the abundance of material on the disc. It is easy to tell that all involved in this project love these classic films and their respective scores.

      As far as the music itself goes, if you like this style of film scoring, it should be a great listen. However, if you like more of the contemporary sound and usually shy away from the likes of such composers as Herrmann, Mancini, or Newman, then you will only be frustrated by this CD. Generally the music contained on here is quite good, with my personal favorite being the score to The Alligator People. Creature from the Black Lagoon has it's moments, but the little three-note motif for the creature itself gets quite annoying. It pops up far too often, and the brass section usually gets really crazy on the last note. The Alligator People is generally more subdued and creepy (in the 50s horror score type of way...that violin sure works well!). The Tarzan music is quite good too, but there really isn't enough of it to get a good feel for the scores.

     As I stated before, if you just love music from this period, and you're a big sucker for these films, order this album NOW! Otherwise, unless you have a specific interest in the content, you might want to play it safe. ****

Track Listing

The MGM Tarzan Films

1 - Fanfare / A Cannibal Carnival (1:35)

2 - In the Woodland (1:16)

3 - Tarzan Montage (0:26)

4 - End Title (0:13)

5 - New End Cast (0:30)

6 - My Tender One (1:07)

Creature from the Black Lagoon

7 - Main Title (1:17)

8 - Prologue (1:48)

9 - The Webbed Hand (0:33)

10 - The Diver (1:07)

11 - Marine Life (0:30)

12 - Almost Caught (1:19)

13 - Digger's Failure (0:48)

14 - Unknown River (1:09)

15 - Tale of the Mermaid (1:06)

16 - Salvage of the Lady Luck (4:05)

17 - Duke's Little Helper (0:34)

18 - Kay and the Monster, Part 1 (2:35)

9 - Kay and the Monster, Part 2 (1:51)

20 - Tony Visits Port Royale, Part 1 (1:50)

21 - Brad Rescues Tony, Part 2 (1:22)

22 - Henry's Trap (0:50)

23 - Clay Meets A Badman (2:25)

24 - That Hand Again (1:02)

25 - Monster Caught (1:04)

26 - Minyora's Plan (0:59)

27 - Monster Gets Mark, Part 1 (2:14)

28 - Monster Gets Mark, Part 2 (2:49)

29 - End Title (1:54)

30 - End Cast (0:27)

The Alligator People

31 - Main Title (2:00)

32 - Truth Serum (1:51)

33 - Shocker (Part II) (0:47)

34 - Dark Memories (0:59)

35 - The Swamp (1:12)

36 - Cobalt Bomb (1:11)

37 - His Mother (1:05)

38 - Shocker (Part I) (1:24)

39 - Get that Gator (0:21)

40 - Alligator Head (1:54)

41 - Paul's Death, Part I (0:46)

42 - Paul's Death, Part II (0:57)

43 - The End (0:17)

44 - Alligator Piano (1:28)

Bonus Tracks

45 - Unknown River (complete) (1:17)

46 - Main Title (2:00)

47 - His Mother (1:07)

48 - Alligator Head (1:59)

49 - Paul's Death, Part II (0:56)

Total Running Time: 64:28