Quartet Records, in collaboration with Paramount Pictures, presents a remastered, remixed and expanded edition of one of Henry Mancini’s most evocative and powerful dramatic scores: THE MOLLY MAGUIRES.
Directed by Martin Ritt in 1970, starring Sean Connery, Richard Harris, Samantha Eggar and Frank Finlay. Written by Walter Bernstein, the movie is set in Pennsylvania coal country in 1876 and is loosely based on the true story of a small band of Irish miners/terrorists called the Molly Maguires.
Henry Mancini was hired to compose the film score after the previous one by Charles Strouse (BONNIE AND CLYDE), famous composer of stage musicals and some film scores, was rejected. Mancini wrote a sensitive, dramatic, delicate score with an Irish flavor that was always close to his heart; he considered it one of his favorites.
Originally released on vinyl at the time of its premiere, the album has been reissued on CD several times, most recently in 2012 by Kritzerland in a limited edition that included Mancini’s score and the premiere of the rejected Strouse.
For this centenary celebration of Henry Mancini, Chris Malone remixed the score, eliminating the unpleasant hiss in previous editions using new technology. We were also fortunate that new elements appeared in the Paramount vaults, and the score has been released in a more complete form, with more than 20 minutes of previously unreleased cues, and revised and alternate versions. Finally, Mr. Strouse’s unused score has been newly remixed and included in this set.
The 24-page package includes in-depth new liner notes by film music writer Jeff Bond.
