Man With the Gold Arm [Import, Soundtrack]

Elmer Bernstein | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 9, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Soundtrack
• Label: Polygram UK
• ASIN: B00005NI7M
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,335 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Clarke Street

2. Zosh

3. Frankie Machine

4. The Fix

5. Molly

6. Breakup

7. Sunday Morning

8. Desperation

9. Audition

10. The Cure

11. Finale

Editorial Reviews

Reissue of the classic Bernstein soundtrack which is acknowledged as one of the most tense an intense motion pictures ever made. The score was groundbreaking in it's day, reflecting the tightness of the film with it's palpitating, sometimes sinister jazz and symphonic arrangements. The jazz sequences are arranged and played byShorty Rogers and His Giants with Shelley Manne. 2001.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ...influential & entertaining..., December 3, 1999

By 

DJ Rix (NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man With The Golden Arm (Soundtrack) (Audio CD)

Unbelievable that this influential & entertaining jazz score from the Fifties is not available as a domestic release. The star of this music, the sound of Frankie Machine, the Man With the Golden Arm, is jazz great Shelly Manne. Manne is featured as a soloist, in a big band number & in the rocking title themes. The ensemble is loaded with top West Coast musicians, including Fluegelhornist & arranger Shorty Rogers, whose contributions to these numbers are considerable. Pete Candoli & Milt Bernhart also take turns in the spotlight. Bernstein wrote a simple & pretty love theme, Molly, in his usual style.

This score combined with Bernstein's similar music for The Sweet Smell of Success would be a great CD. His jazz score for the TV show, Staccato, is also worth seeking out.

Bob Rixon, WFMU

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Score on CD at Last, May 14, 2004

By 

Thomas Bumbera (Maplewood, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Man With the Gold Arm (Audio CD)

Finally! An affordable CD reissue of one of the great jazz film scores! The reviewer who criticized the sound quality apparently didn't have to live with Decca's fake stereo lp version for twenty years, or spend years trying to track down a mint copy of the original lp, or he would realize that THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH THE REMASTERING on this disc. It accurately captures the studio sound as recorded in glorious mono in 1955. If your're a Bernstein fan, don't hesitate to add this to your collection.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it's the original, February 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Man With the Gold Arm (Audio CD)

I can understand one reviewer's opinion of this cd, if they are too young to have ever owned the original Lp. The quality IS top notch and it does NOT need remastering. If it sounds a little "stodgy" it's only because of the recording practices of the day, which happened in very dry studios. This is pre-Star Wars. It also helps to be familiar with the movie and the story. The dry sound actually enhances the reality of the plot.
I WOULD like to see Bernstein do a new recording, with a top notch symphony orchestra playing in a large hall, like he recently did with "To Kill a Mockingbird", but as far as this original sound track is concerned, this is the same as the original Lp, perhaps even cleaner. IT'S A WINNER!