Manchurian Candidate [Soundtrack]

David Amram | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 25, 1997)
• Original Release Date: October 24, 1962
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Premier Recordings
• ASIN: B000002063
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #253,382 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Overture

2. Some Soul From Seoul

3. Theme From the Manchurian Candidate (Jazz Version)

4. Queen Of Diamonds

5. Cantina Latina, Korea 1952

6. Politicians On Parade

7. Unrequited Love

8. Slightly Manchurian Blues

9. Dare To Dream

10. Long Road To The White House

11. Return Of A Hero

12. Home Again, 1952

13. Theme From The Manchurian Candidate (Main Title)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This soundtrack album deserves a re-issue, September 30, 2010

By 

allemande (Columbia, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Manchurian Candidate (Audio CD)

The 1997 release on the Premier label of David Amram's music from "The Manchurian Candidate" seemed almost too good to be true, and perhaps in a way it was. There were some irksome problems with the master tape used for this release, primarily heard as dropouts in several tracks. Perhaps worst of all, the Main Title music is marred about ten seconds from the beginning by a brief series of dropouts: evidently the tape had become jammed once during a playback, and a section of it had been folded and crumpled in the process. Each crease represents a loss of signal, and the multiple dropouts are clustered together, distracting for listeners. I have faith that this recording could be restored, using technology I have heard employed in many other (and older) recordings. David Amram's music from this iconic film deserves restoration, and a re-issue.
For those who don't know this recording, it is in mono, as was fairly standard for movies from 1962, and the sound quality, aside from the issues mentioned above, is quite acceptable. It would certainly be welcome to have this album re-released with the sonic flaws corrected, but until a re-issue appears I would recommend acquiring the Premier disc, if it is available. The music is forward-looking and interesting, and there is a lot of it, the disc's playing time well over an hour. In addition, the booklet of program notes contains an essay discussing the music in the context of the film, plus movie photo stills and a page of comments by the composer. Get it, enjoy it, and try to overlook the occasional problems with the source tape.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Amram's dark Americana unearthed on CD, November 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Manchurian Candidate (Audio CD)

Using a harmonic vocabulary from the post-Alex North school of film composition, David Amram provides a nice balance of modern effects, rich string writing, and scene support. Unfortunately he also has the tendency to let his ideas run away with him, forcing the sound engineer to blanch back the volume on Amram's bold crescendos simply to allow for the dialogue to be heard. On the CD though the sound rings true, with no interruption from Frank Sinatra, and with very little audio analog hiss.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Out of print?, May 23, 2008

By 

J. Rone - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Manchurian Candidate (Audio CD)

All I can assume with the high price and the fact that it isn't available anywhere else is that this soundtrack is out of print. I'm not much of an instrumental film score buff, but this one has always appealed to me. The main theme always reminded me of Birth of the Cool-era Miles Davis. It's the use of a full brass and wind section and the queasiness of the chord changes. Sophisticated, frightening, beautiful. I just wish I could buy the thing.