Northwest Passage: classic Western scores From MGM, Vol. 2 (1940-1974)

FSM continues its informal annual tradition of releasing a 3CD set of classic western film scores with a second volume of westerns from the historical M-G-M film library:

Northwest Passage (Book I—Rogers’ Rangers) is the 1940 adventure score by Herbert Stothart, M-G-M’s premier composer in the 1930s and ’40s, presented in nearly complete form from the monaural optical film masters, with a few otherwise lost cues added from the film’s music-and-effects track.

Many Rivers to Cross (1955) is a comedy western score by Cyril J. Mockridge, conducted by no less than Miklós Rózsa, with a song (“The Berry Tree”) by M-G-M songwriter and executive Saul Chaplin. This score survives in glorious three-track stereo from the original 35mm magnetic film.

A Thunder of Drums (1961) is a cavalry adventure score by Harry Sukman, also presented in true stereo. Dominated by grim and martial passages, the music also features romantic strains anticipating Sukman’s scores for TV’s Dr. Kildare.

At the end of disc 3 is a television rarity: David Shire’s 1974 TV movie score for The Godchild (a John Badham-directed adaptation of Three Godfathers, a western story filmed several times earlier). It is a brief and spare work demonstrating the composer’s gift for simplicity and melody—presented in excellent stereo sound.

The film titles for this album were selected in large part from listener responses to our last westerns collection. So keep listening, and keep suggesting titles!

Complete liner notes for this album can be found—for free—online at our website. 

Finally: our previous two western collections, centered respectively around The Unforgiven and The Naked Spur, promptly sold out. We have increased the manufacturing run on this volume to 2,000 copies—but don’t delay!

Tracklist

Main Title/Portsmouth Harbor 3:48
Harvard Pie/Calling on Elizabeth 2:20
At the Tavern 1:00
What’s This Map? 1:45
Rogers Convinces Amherst 0:26
Exit to Crown Point 0:50
Exit and Addenda to Crown Point 1:07
Long Boat Row/French and Indians/French Camp Fires 4:21
Through the Rain/Indian Atrocities 2:42
First Swamp/Morning 1:29
Second Swamp/Leaving Webster Behind 2:10
Indian Messengers/Provisions for Men 1:05
To the St. Francis River 0:27
I Could Capture Quebec/Repeated Instructions 2:42
Langdon Is Wounded 2:14
I Can Walk 3:05
Tired Marchers 0:52
There’s the Lake/Take a Vote 1:35
Crofton’s Vengeance 1:52
Dead Indian’s Head/Avery/Hunt Is Reminiscent/Langdon Drags Back/Friendship 4:42
The Last March 1:16
Fort Wentworth 1:40
Fife and Drums Corps/Inspection 1:57
You’ll See a Nation 1:10
To Find a Northwest Passage 2:53
Total Time: 50:20

Bonus Tracks
*Contain Sound Effects
Main Title* 1:54
Over the Hill * 3:37
Human Chain* 5:41
Elizabeth* 0:34
Main Title (original opening) 1:52
Main Title (orchestra only) 1:53
Total Time: 15:44

Total Disc Time: 66:12

DISC TWO
Many Rivers to Cross (1955)
Music Composed by Cyril Mockridge, Conducted by Miklós Rózsa
Song: “The Berry Tree” by Saul Chaplin, Sung by Sheb Wooley
Main Title 1:53
Gourd Seeds 1:56
Bushrod Gets Bushed/Here Comes Mary/Barren River 3:55
Come See My Cave/In the Cave 4:46
Invitation to a Wedding 1:09
Luke and Bushrod Fight 1:23
Fight Continued 1:06
Nail Shoot Part 1 0:46
Nail Shoot Part 2 0:40
Contrary Mary and Mooning 2:01
Bushrod 2:02
So Long Mary/Mary’s Vocal/Sandak Sings/Off to Bowling Green 2:11
Thirty Days/Steppin’ Mary 2:02
Interrupted Love 2:46
Busted Romance 1:28
Bushrod Save My Chee-ild/Montage/Came the Dawn 4:04
Back to Barren River/Bushrod Finds Sandak/Where’s Mary?/Mary’s in Trouble/Stalking/What Took You So Long? (abridged)/Frontier Woman/Strategy/More Strategy/You Won Me/End Title—New/End Cast 17:52
Total Time: 52:35

Bonus Tracks
Main Title (instrumental) 1:50
Here Comes Mary (original version) 0:12
Mooning (original version) 1:14
Arkansas Traveler (Square Dance) (arr. George Bassman) 0:23
Wedding Waltz (arr. Robert Franklyn) 1:31
So Long Mary/Mary’s Vocal/Off to Bowling Green (original versions) 2:41
Thirty Days/Steppin’ Along (original versions) 2:18
Interrupted Love (original version) 0:40
What Took You So Long?/Seeking Shelter 1:19
End Title/End Cast (original versions) 1:02
Main Title (instrumental, alternate) 1:20
So Long Mary/Mary’s Vocal/Sandak Sings/Off to Bowling Green (instrumental) 2:11
The Berry Tree 0:50
Total Time: 17:59

Escape From Fort Bravo (1953)
Music Composed and Conducted by Jeff Alexander
Song: “Yellow Stripes” by Stan Jones
Main Title/Foreword (corrected mix) 2:59
Total Disc Time: 73:46

DISC THREE
A Thunder of Drums (1961)
Music Composed and Conducted by Harry Sukman
The Rape/Main Title 2:44
Who Goes There? 2:34
The Funeral/Step Inside 2:03
Tracey/Go Away 2:38
Meet Miss Hamilton/No Payment 0:36
To an Asylum/Peeping Tom 2:26
The Fight 1:12
Sentry’s Murder 1:13
Well Mister 1:23
God Speed to You 3:04
Oat/This Is Your Bivouac 4:31
Gresham’s Oats/The Bodies 3:29
Not a Chance 2:25
Thru the Underbrush 1:02
Stay Alive Son 0:59
Take Cover/The Attack/Shift Position/Second Attack 5:26
Nobody Dies 2:01
A Bad Mistake 1:45
Good-bye Laurie/Good-bye Tracey 2:16
End Title 1:30
Total Time: 46:00

Source Music
Tracks 23, 24, 25 Composed and Performed by Duane Eddy
Second Waltz 1:29
Two Step 0:47
Water From a Bad Well 1:29
Ballad of Camden Yates 1:50
Fort Canby Dance 3:25
Total Time: 9:11

The Godchild (1974)
Music Composed and Conducted by David Shire
To the Sentries 1:21
Taking a Look 0:57
Into Town 1:24
“In Here, Nat”/Texas Gringos 1:16
Movin’ Out 0:51
Umbrellas 1:05
Water Hole/Dead Horse 1:37
Desert Trek/The Schooner 2:14
William Returns 0:52
Papa Cress 1:48
William Returns/A Baby? 1:45
“This Is All That There Is” 1:48
Let’s Get Going 2:06
Adios/End Title 2:16
Total Time: 21:48

Total Disc Time: 77:12