la la Land

Don Ellis & Brad Fiedel - The French Connection Collection (2016) {2CD La-La Land LLLCD1408 Limited Collector's Edition rec 1971, 1975}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 766 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 354 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 186 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971, 1975, 2016 La-La Land Records | LLLCD 1408 | Limited Collector's Edition of 2000 units
Jazz / Stage & Screen / Soundtrack / Avant-Garde Jazz

Great thriller soundtracks back to back on one CD – the soundtracks for both French Connection films, both handled by funky jazzman Don Ellis – plus the even rarer score for the later Popeye Doyle film, by Brad Fiedel – packaged here with other rare bonus tracks too! The music by Don Ellis is really incredible – a real cut above other 70s cop and action soundtracks, with a dark edge that shows that Ellis had been listening to some of the hipper European soundtrack composers of the time, but was still also cool enough to kick in with a badass kind of groove whenever he could! The instrumentation on the tunes is very odd – familiar, yet askew – as trumpet, guitar, and keyboard bits come off with some very weird effects. The sound of Popeye Doyle is a bit different – given that the film was an 80s TV addition to the French Connection narrative – with Ed O'Neil in the lead role that was previously handled by Gene Hackman. But Brad Fiedel's score is still pretty nice – definitely more 80s in its instrumentation, but handled with a mode that echoes the Ellis years, with the flavor of a decade later. This 2CD package has way more material than the previous issue – with a total of 48 tracks from the first two films – and 29 more from Popeye Doyle – a whopping 77 tracks in all, with some great notes too!

Written and directed by Academy Award nominee Damien Chazelle, La La Land tells the story of Mia [Emma Stone], an aspiring actress, and Sebastian [Ryan Gosling], a dedicated jazz musician, who are struggling to make ends meet. Set in modern day Los Angeles, this original musical about everyday life explores the joy and pain of pursuing your dreams.

The show begins with an abbreviated version of "Long Distance Runaround," with just Anderson and his acoustic guitar. "Yours is No Disgrace" is unrecognizable, as Anderson turns it into an alternative acoustic rock song, which has its own sense of urgency and takes a classic Yes song that he's done who knows how many times, and turns it on its head- a very interesting cover of his own work…

Lalo Schifrin - Planet Of The Apes (1974) {2CD Set, La-La Land Records LLLCD1336 rel 2014}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 435 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 300 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 44 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1974, 2014 Fox / La-La Land Records | LLLCD 1336
Jazz / Classical / Soundtrack / Stage & Screen

La-La Land Records and 20th Century Fox present the remastered and expanded 2-CD SET of the original score from the 1974 television series PLANET OF THE APES, based on the famed sci-fi feature franchise and starring Roddy McDowall, Ron Harper and James Naughton. Renowned composer Lalo Schifrin (MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, DIRTY HARRY, ENTER THE DRAGON, RUSH HOUR), along with Earle Hagen and Richard LaSalle, bring the primal action and drama of the APES saga to orchestral life, resulting in a vivid companion piece to the groundbreaking scores from the original feature film series. Produced by Nick Redman and Mike Matessino and mastered by Daniel Hersch, this amazing 2 CD SET is limited to 2000 Units and features more than 2 hours of exciting music. Exclusive, in-depth liner notes from writer Jeff Bond takes you behind the scenes of the show and its scores, while Jim Titus’ striking art design will drive APES fans bananas with delight!

La La Land is somewhat of a companion piece to Tremblers and Goggles By Rank and continues to explore a path of diversity in styles and in longer, more adventurous song structures.