MODERN HARMONIC IS RELEASING TWO MORE NICHOLAS CARRAS SOUNDTRACKS TO VINYL ON OCTOBER 25TH!
Modern Harmonic has truly found their niche and continues to release cool soundtrack LPs of classic Horror, Sci-Fi, Exploitation, and Cult film oddities. They are so cool in fact that I own several... though I still don't have a turntable. (Ha! That's so ME!) Their latest duo of records offer up the previously unreleased music from composer Nicholas Carras, for MISSILE TO THE MOON and SHE DEMONS. Fans of tympani drums and electric violins take note - you'll definitely want to pick these up at the end of the month!
MISSILE TO THE MOON (1958)
About This Release: While this 1958 sci-fi film may have been a rather careless construction (and heavy on the cardboard) there was clearly more thought involved in hiring Nicholas Carras, whose score is equally thunderous and evocative. Strings accentuate the bevy of space beauties and the sounds of electric violin are manipulated to create otherworldly and theremin-like space sounds, all celebrated in an orbit of delectable dialog.
MISSILE TO THE MOON is a fairly entertaining movie considering it was filmed in seven days. It’s totally illogical, has mostly substandard acting, features a dilapidated giant arachnid and cardboard sets that look like they were painted during a liquid lunch break. Director Richard Cunha undeniably used more sense in hiring Nicholas Carras to score his film than he did in deciding to make the picture in the first place. Carras manages to add a sense of scope to the minimal production values in MISSILE TO THE MOON; his exciting score somehow making us forget that 75% of everything in the movie is either a very slow-moving monster or something made of cardboard. There’s nothing subtle about this musical concoction, nor should there be given the outlandish screenplay.
Not only did Carras have a strong melodic sense and solid dramatic instincts, but he also knew how to take advantage of his severely limited music budget. So even though he could afford only 23 players (a small orchestra for the time) with a meager nine-piece string section, one of them was an electric violin, which added much-needed volume as well as a sci-fi flavor. He further emphasized this latter effect by having composer Jack Cookerly’s “Magic Box” keyboard invention process the electric violin’s sound to make sound like an otherworldly Theremin doppelgänger
Carras used woodwinds, brass, organ, and a lot of vibraphone to add color to the score, to where you barely notice the absence of a piano or harp, surprising omissions in a movie with so much female pulchritude. As he did in a number of his other low-budget scores, he provided in-your-face tympani to add thunderous contributions whenever needed.
As Carras has demonstrated with MR. PETER'S PETS, DATE BAIT, and HIGH SCHOOL CAESAR, even when presented with a ridiculous the storyline, he treated the tale with the utmost seriousness. This way, when your disbelief can no longer be suspended, the music provides a steady mainline of entertainment on its own!
This LP release will be available on October 25th and will cost between $23 - $30! You can order yourself this soundtrack now from AMAZON or directly from MODERN HARMONIC!
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| Modern Harmonic's MISSILE TO THE MOON LP on "Rocket Red" vinyl! |
Additional Details:
- Straight from the Nicholas Carras tape archive to its first true soundtrack!
- Includes a replica film poster and notes from notorious B-movie cinephile David Schecter!
- A space capsule on rocket red vinyl cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed at Third Man!
Track List:
- Prologue (0:16)
- Escaped Prisoners (dialog)
- Main Title (1:50)
- Suspense (0:31)
- Rocket Ship Suspense (1:11)
- Rocket Trap (0:43)
- Panel Flash (0:32)
- We’re Heroes (dialog)
- Blast Off (1:57)
- Off Balance (0:27)
- Moonshine (0:51)
- On The Moon (1:32)
- Rock Man Rock (2:22)
- In The Caves (1:22)
- Oxygen (0:13)
- Cave Suspense (2:01)
- The Lido (0:48)
- Court In Session (1:16)
- Now You Must Rest (dialog)
- Are These Real? (dialog)
- Sweethearts On Parade (0:45)
- Show Me (dialog)
- Minds Over Men (1:13)
- Don’t Think (dialog)
- Boy Meets Girl (1:59)
- Cat Fight (0:40)
- Mind Over Matter (1:04)
- Space Flirting (dialog)
- Spider Monster (1:49)
- Drum Sweetness (1:33)
- Spider Bait (1:10)
- Lethal Lever (0:53)
- Do Or Die (2:31)
- Release The Gas (dialog)
- Do Or Die Reprise (0:23)
- Oxygen Escaping (dialog)
- Final Escape (3:43)
- Gotta Get Out Of Here (dialog)
About This Release: Nicholas Carras’ soundtrack for SHE DEMONS adds a much needed shot of drama and excitement to the wide range of bizarre charms captured on screen. Carras employs thundering tympani and a small ensemble for an enthralling score, highlighted by a drum-propelled dance and "Oscar-worthy" dialog.
This is the first true soundtrack to this 1958 sci-fi/horror “movie.” Once you’ve seen the film, you’ll never forget it, so take that as either a recommendation or a warning!
Despite the low budget Nicholas Carras had to work with that only permitted 22 players (which was small for the time), he takes full advantage of his limited musical resources to make the picture seem much bigger than it otherwise would have been. Thundering tympani provides a lot of that power, with about a dozen brass and woodwind players being used in many different combinations to keep the accompaniment from getting stale. There isn’t a lot of piano in the score because the composer needed organ in many of the cues, and couldn’t afford a second keyboardist. The most memorable piece is obviously the drum-propelled dance, which was also wisely adapted for the film’s main title, but there’s much more to the soundtrack than that.
Modern Harmonic's SHE DEMONS soundtrack LP will also be available on October 25th, and should cost approximately $23! Add this to your personal record collection today and order yourself one from AMAZON, or directly from MODERN HARMONIC!
Details:
- Straight from the Nicholas Carras tape archive to its first true soundtrack!
- Includes a replica film poster and notes from notorious B-movie cinephile David Schecter.
- An occult cult classic on "demon green" colored vinyl cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed at Third Man!
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| Modern Harmonic's SHE DEMONS LP on "demon green" vinyl! |
- News Announcement (dialog)
- Opening Credits (1:43)
- Inside Of Your Hat (dialog)
- Washed Up On The Beach (0:22)
- Footprints In The Sand (0:19)
- Blood Stains (dialog)
- Snake In The Jungle (2:12)
- Ambushed On The Beach (1:18)
- A Dead Body (1:00)
- Chances In The Jungle (dialog)
- Dance (0:53)
- Beautiful Again (dialog)
- Guards Round Up Dancers (0:20)
- She’s Dead (dialog)
- Caged Women (0:33)
- She Demon (0:28)
- Tension (0:30)
- Underground Lab (1:22)
- A Tough Crust (dialog)
- Subterranean Smooch (1:23)
- Suspense (0:17)
- Hiding (1:50)
- OK Big Boy (dialog)
- Fight (1:51)
- Caught (0:12)
- She Demons, Hah! (dialog)
- Mona Enters (0:12)
- Menace (0:16)
- Torture (1:06)
- Escape (1:38)
- Experiments On My Wife (dialog)
- Nazi Pursuit (1:48)
- How Bad Is Your Face? (dialog)
- Mona’s Face (0:13)
- In The Tunnel (0:52)
- Final Battle (0:36)
- A Fortune Cookie (dialog)
- End Title (1:09)
- Trailer (1:06)
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