Randy Newman’s movie score gets a welcome vinyl upgrade.
Randy Newman – Pleasantville: Original Motion Picture Score – Concord Music (1998)/Varèse Sarabande VSD00809 (2024) Stereo double color blast vinyl, ****1/2
(Randy Newman – composer, conductor orchestrations; Don Davis – orchestrations); featuring The Hollywood Studio Symphony)
The 1998 movie Pleasantville was a unique achievement in popular culture. Gary Ross’ film-within-a-film captured the heartwarming Americana spirit with sardonic humor and commentary on popular culture. In some ways, the film soundtrack was hoping to be reminiscent of standard 1940’s scores with specific instrumental shadowing. But the nuances and occasional darker contexts limited the selection of a film composer to one… Randy Newman! Newman’s ability to intermingle rich melodies and quirky motifs were always integral parts of his composing process. Not surprisingly, both the movie and score received Oscar nominations and Pleasantville became a cinema touchstone.
Varèse Sarabande has released a re-mastered eye-popping color blast double vinyl. This expanded edition includes previously unreleased material and represents classic movie scoring as performed by The Hollywood Studio Symphony. These brief songs, cues and fragments are evocative of the various scenes in the film. Side One opens with full orchestration on “The Pleasantville Theme” which elicits vintage nostalgia. Newman is a music historian. He can inject elements of swing jazz (“Get Ready”), but is equally comfortable in creating a woodwind-driven spacey atmosphere (“New TV Remote And The Fight”) with both playfulness and a slightly menacing foreshadowing. The hilarious “We’re Stuck” has a tango motif and will remind everyone of the over-the-top breakfast scene. There are processional movements (“School And Basketball”) and complex emotional music (“In The Bath” and “Make-Up”) that are delicately moving.
What Newman is always adept at is conveying mood. “The Art Book”, and the extended version of “Real Rain” display an elegiac, swirling beauty that utilize the orchestral textures effectively. With some goofiness, “Let’s Go Bowling” is lighter fare. Touches like a bassoon on “No Umbrellas” are intricate. A certain highlight is the musical progressions on “Burning The Books”. After a gentler first part, strings and brass envelop a harsher resonance. Side Three kicks off with another sad number (“The Aftermath”). Then, there is a transition to warmth on “The Mural” and aspirational hymnal vibes on “A New Day”. It sounds and feels like every note is placed with impeccable timing, transitioning from dramatic to ethereal, lilting to fulsome. There is a consistent hybrid of celestial, visceral humor (the recurring tango riffs) and gospel-infused aesthetics. All of these are present on “Pleasantville End Credits”. There are a variety of alternate and extended cuts.
Kudos to Varèse Sarabande for re-introducing a varied and musically adventurous soundtrack of a great movie by Randy Newman. The gatefold packaging, protective sleeves and color blast vinyl will delight vinyl aficionados. Additionally, the graphic design is unique.
Highly recommended!
—Robbie Gerson
Pleasantville: Original Motion Picture Score
TrackList:
Side One: The Pleasantville Theme; Get Ready; New TV Remote And The Fight; We’re Stuck (The Breakfast Scene); School And Basketball; Mr. Johnson And Missed Shots; In The Bath; Bud’s A Hero; Make-Up
Side Two: The Art Book; Real Rain (Extended Version); Let’s Go Bowling; Together; Waking Up; No Umbrellas (Extended Version); Nude Painting; Punch; Burning The Books
Side Three: The Aftermath (Extended Version); Mural; A New Day; Goodbye; Pleasantville Bumper; The Sweater; Make Up (Film Version); The Art Book (Alternate); Together (Film Version)
Side Four: No Umbrellas (Alternate); The Aftermath (Alternate); Mural (Film Version); A New Day (Alternate); A New Bus (Film Construct); Pleasantville Them Play-Off; Pleasantville End Credits Suite
