Customer Reviews

Mannix (TV Soundtrack)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Not as expected. I remember listening to the original tracks from the 1960's. I was always marveling at the wonderful adlibs and fantastic instrumentation. It made me want to listen to the record over and over. But this version is very watered down. There are a lot of sections that needed more imagination and excitement. The "adlibs" were too simple and uninteresting. There were only a couple of surprises, both good and bad. The good one was "The Girl Who Came In With the Tide". It almost equaled the original by using a stronger beat. The only thing missing was the ocean sound effect from the first version. The worst surprise was the "Mannix Mixdown". It was an unwanted "modernization" of the original Mannix theme, using rap-style sounds and "Check It Out" voices. Who was that for? Certainly not the intended purchaser of this album! Personally, I was disgusted by this inclusion. Curiously, Amazon.com didn't include any samples for this album. Perhaps they figured that it would detract from the sales. I know that I wouldn't have bought this CD if I had heard what was done to the original tracks. If you want a CD to use for elevator music, this would be my choice. On the whole, it was a boring album.

I wish I had checked out this disc at amazon.com first! Instead I made a foolhardy impulse buy at the Tower Records. This is not a reissue of the Mannix score from the sixties. It is a nineties re-recording with some additional material. The cover makes no mention of the recording date, though, to be fair it does not say "original" soundtrack. Just another in an ongoing unscrupulous practice in the music biz. How hard is it to say "recorded in 1999" on the back cover? Do I regret my purchase? Nah. "The Shadow" and "The Girl Who Came in With the Tide" are among the best '90s recordings of the genre. Had I been adequately informed about the recording date, however, I would not have purchased it.

Thanks to my fellow reviewers, I had time to downsize my expectations for this disk before it appeared in my mailbox. As with the recent release of the "Bullitt" soundtrack, this is neither a reissue nor a reproduction of the music from the 1969 "Mannix" LP. What the WDR Big Band has given us instead is a re-interpretation of that music, executed with Teutonic precision - and, unfortunately, Teutonic soul.

This CD is burdened by the same minor irritations that kept "Bullitt 2000" from being a truly great recording. Tunes that should be taken fast are taken slow. Tunes that should be taken slow are taken at a trot. A trifle too much bass. The drummer could probably do a killer job on Zeppelin's "Kashmir", but Schifrin's music deserves more. Back in college, I played this disk for a buddy (now a professor of physics at Stanford). When "Hunt Down" started, he listened for a few seconds, then observed "It's tightly arranged, but gives the drummer a lot of freedom." Indeed it does. It's a shame that Herr Haffner couldn't have availed himself of more of it.

Nevertheless, the band on occasion rises above its limitations (or cleverly works within them) and delivers a few gutsy and deliciously 60's-retro performances. "Turn Every Stone" is a standout. The original version was a tiresome repetition of a single brass riff that left the listener feeling like he'd been hit with a stun gun. There was a tenor solo in there
somewhere, but it was shouted down by the brass and buried way down in the mix. For all its sound & fury, it just didn't GO anywhere. The WDR has remedied this. Haffner's Led-footed drumming perfectly complements the Branford-style alto squealing, and together with the relentless brass line transforms this into a wonderful piece of street music.

The same could be said of "Fear", even though the hissing "Aaahhh..." at the beginning sounds like the vocalist is savoring her first cup of morning coffee. The band soars, and the guitar work is what it should have been on the original. "End Game" comes close to greatness; but again the drummer's timidity (he has chops, he just seems afraid to use them) holds the piece back. On the original, there's a drum break at the end of the last tympani solo that drives the tune home. Needless to say, it doesn't happen here, but overall I'd give it a solid A-.

"Hunt Down" - Too measured, and considerably milder than the 1969 version. The French horns lent that one a sense of urgency that's missing here, and the tenor solo seemed to kick the orchestra into high gear. That kind of interplay just doesn't seem to happen anywhere on this CD. B+

"The Shadow" - A different take, but not bad. The guitar solo has been replaced by an understated alto sax a little reminiscent of Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side". B+

"Warning: Live Blueberries" - Classical and stately, but (as usual) taken a tad too slow, and feels at times almost ponderous. It's curious that there are no conducting credits listed, unless "tonmeister" is Deutsch for "conductor". A-

"Mannix (long version)" - Better than the short version that opens the CD. After a few Liberace-like trills, the pianist tries to redeem himself, but is so determined to play fast that he doesn't take the time to think about what he wants to say. A little space would have been nice. It ultimately falls to the sax player to rescue the melody. B.

"Mannix Mixdown" - Based on what others have written about this CD, I was fully prepared to hate this track, but oddly enough I didn't. I can forgive it as an interesting experiment that failed. Marrying a classical dance rhythm (the waltz) with a contemporary one (hip-hop) is an intriguing concept, but Schifrin's music is too melodic to be well-served by a genre almost entirely about the beat. Besides, I'm of the generation that just doesn't Get this kind of music. At least they stuck it at the very end of the disk. D+

Now, how about some music from "T.H.E. Cat"? And how about finding a different orchestra to record it?

This is not the original recording but a recreated and "inspired" by the TV series. For sure it was composed and conducted by Lalo himself, so it's not some kind of fake re-recording. What is "recreated", and what is "inpired by" is difficult to say. You must be a Mannix addict to find it out.
Some tracks really kick ass, as of course the main Mannix track.
The tracks are played by a german TV orchestra and they have done a great job. Brass sections are crisp and full of energy. But some tracks are obviously "arranged" with some sampled string sections ...
I also would have like more action and suspense muscic instead of some average "easy listening" tracks.

Disappointed to find out that the CD was a re-recording by Lalo back in 1999 (said so in the Liner notes, but it might have swayed my purchase had I seen this tidbit on the OUTSIDE of the cover).
Still, it's a fun CD to listen to. Lalo is Lalo, regardless of WHEN the recording took place. However, collecting purists will likely pan this CD cause it isn't the original release.
Am I sorry I bought this CD? No. The general feeling of the show and the time period are adequately conveyed. A little of the edge is gone.
Perhaps one day they'll resurrect the original soundtrack and digitally remaster it! I'll buy that, too!

Ok. A TV series with stories full of action, a perfect ground for Schifrin's stuff. And here he is in perfect command on what he does the best.

'Mannix' counts on the great WDR Big Band from Germany.

This CD stands for a great album independently from the series.

I'm a big fan of the series, and had always found the music interesting. Vinyljunkie1960 on youtube has a clip of the original LP, got my interest up again, so when I found this I bit. The product is not the original theme as done on tv... It's better. Interpretations don't stay static for 40 yrs in music with a virtuoso composer like Schifrin, so the work is different. Elevator music? no... Something I'd play every day? Also 'no'. Just good work by a real master of the craft.