Spartacus (1960 Film) [Soundtrack]

Alex North | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 14, 1991)
• Original Release Date: October 7, 1960
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000002OGF
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,125 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Main Title

2. Spartacus Love Theme

3. Gladiators Fight To The Death

4. Blue Shadows And Puple Hills

5. Homeward Bound: On To The Sea/Beside The Pool

6. Hoeful Preparations, Vesuvius Camp

7. Prelude To Battle: Quiet Interlude/The Final Conflict

8. On To Vesuvius: Forward, Gladiators/Forest Meeting

9. Oysters And Snails-Festival

10. Headed For Freedom

11. Goodbye My Life, My Love- End Title

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly inspirational and moving., March 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Spartacus (1960 Film) (Audio CD)

Very rarely in life does a work of art effect you profoundly for ever. So has this soundtrack effected me from the first time I heard it in 1960 when I was just 13. To truly appreciate it and be moved by it, you need to see the movie because Alex North's inspiring score was trying to enhance the themes of love and commradery and loyalty and other noble qualities of life. The music stands well on it's own but if one wishes to elevate his emotional responses to the above mentioned concepts, I suggest he see the movie along with listening to the soundtrack. Mr North has truly given us a gift for now and all ages to come. If you have a similar appreciation for this music, I would enjoy hearing from you.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where's the rest?, May 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Spartacus (1960 Film) (Audio CD)

A previous reviewer states that the absence of the complete score on cd is the 'biggest whole in the catalog'. It's worse than that - it's a travesty. We have Cleopatra on two discs, Ben Hur on 2, King of Kings on 2 - the list goes on. Where's Spartacus? The bootlegs have the unpublished cues - in STEREO - so they're out there - waiting. We're waiting . . . . to BUY it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An undeniable labor of love for soundtrack afficionados., August 6, 2010

By 

Gary Vidmar (Colorado Springs) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spartacus (Audio CD)

Alex North's score for this epic film is one of the most beloved of all time, and that's more than obvious with the release of this 2010 box set to commemorate the composer's birth centennial, and coincidentally, the 50th anniversary of the film. The contents include over an hour of stereophonic music from the soundtrack, plus a monophonic record of all the music from the film in sequence (along with alternate takes and outtakes).

There's a very-interesting, double-CD containing various musicians' takes on the film's love theme, which, after you listen to the score, is really it's hook. It's surprisingly effective; listening to the various interpretations, one after the other, doesn't get uninvolving or overbearing, which is saying a lot for North's deceptively simple melody line. It's hard to pick a favorite: I liked Lalo Schifrin's best, because of it's rich arrangement and stirring strings; Nathan Barr and Lisbeth Scott made the least impression, making it sound like the wailing dirges and pastiche scoring methods used for GLADIATOR, TROY or 300. A couple of the contemporary composers put an electronic spin on things and they only made the jazz artists like Bill Evans, Ramsey Lewis and Carlos Santana sound fresher than ever. A couple of the purposeful piano versions were tinny. It's an intriguing extra that proved enjoyable and appreciated, and everyone involved should be congratulated.

There's a dvd with conversational comments by various musicians on North's work, and it makes for a wonderful appreciation piece. It's inclusion is also a great extra.

When all is heard and said, it's hard to imagine a more pleasing gift for fans of this music score (and the film). The set is packaged in a high-gloss, attractive slipcase that takes advantage of the extraordinary Saul Bass visuals associated with the film (as do the CDs). A four-disc, clamshell, jewel case is used for the original score. A standard, double-CD jewel case houses the Love-Theme-and-Variations discs (with it's own set of notes). A single-disc, jewel case contains the DVD interviews (anamorphic widescreen - also with it's own set of notes). There's a glossy, hardcover, cd-sized book included with everything anyone would want to know about the film, the score and the composer. It's loaded with first-rate illustrations.

The most disappointing thing about this fabulous soundtrack package is that the complete original score was not preserved in stereophonic sound, especially given it's importance. SPARTACUS received a full 65mm Super Technirama restoration back in 1991, so it's a glaring shame that the discrete 6-track, magoptical music elements don't exist anymore.

Note: The reference level for the recordings seemed set slightly high, but it in no way affected the quality of the recordings. The CD-mastering is very good. I listened to the recordings in a THX home theater using their music mode and it sounded splendid.