Re: speaking of boxed sets..

[Jon Drukman <jsd@gaffa.MIT.EDU>]

The omnipresent Dave Hsu:
>Anybody have a review of the new CD of music from Warner Brothers cartoons
>from 1936-1952?  How about the recent Edie Brickell & New Bohemians album?

The Phoenix ran a heartwarming review of Edie Brickell - completely
TRASHED the album.  Ah, gave me that special glow...  Didn't top the
recent Melody Maker thrashing of the new Megadeth LP though ("This is
Megadeth's 183rd album..." "YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THIS ENTIRE ALBUM
SOUNDS LIKE ALREADY...")

As for the other disc, that's THE CARL STALLING PROJECT: Music From
Warner Brothers' Cartoons.  I think you've got the dates wrong, but my
CD is at home right now.  Anyway, apart from the dodgy sound quality,
this disc is a MUST for anybody who grew up watching Bugs outwitting
Elmer, or the Coyote having mesas dropped on his head.  It's amazing
how well the music works on its own.  Some of the tracks have sound
effects, some have bits of dialogue, but mostly it's just Stalling's
frenzied stop/start/turn on a dime zaniness cutting through.  The disc
has a mix of complete soundtracks and montages of similar themes put
together by the producers, Hal Willner and Greg Ford.  The "anxiety
montage" is particularly cool - that wonderful "teeth chattering"
theme is great.  This music is light years ahead of its time, and it's
too bad that Stalling died before he could be respected as a serious,
brilliant composer instead of a "corporate square."  He invented the
whole "tick" method of scoring for animation, incidentally.

The disc has some great behind the scenes moments, including Milt
Franklyn (Stalling's erstwhile orchestrator and eventual successor)
hectoring a piano player who wasn't getting quite the right feel to a
part...

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