House of Usher (Reissue)

Reissue of original Lex Baxter soundtrack from landmark 1960 debut of American International Pictures cycle of highly successful Edgar Allen Poe-themed horror movies featuring Vincent Price. (Contents identical to Intrada 2011 release). Also known as The Fall Of The House Of Usher, Roger Corman directs, Richard Matheson scripts. Intrada presents entire score from only surviving music elements available through MGM - the music-only dubbing masters used in final production of film. Happily these include no dialog or effects, albeit assemblies and edits of many cues were, of course, already locked in. For early screenings of movie, Baxter supplied an "Overture" to get audience into proper mood. Cue was dropped from subsequent re-releases of film and initial home video presentations but happily was present on scoring elements and also appears on our CD. Baxter scores for full orchestra plus chorus, writes music both soothingly tonal, frighteningly dissonant. Score is lengthy, covering some three-fourths of the picture! Informative notes by Tim Greiving, handsome graphic design by Joe Sikoryak. Score recorded at Samuel Goldwyn Studios in May 1960, Les Baxter conducts. 1. Overture (3:03) 2. Main Title (2:00) 3. Roderick Usher (4:02) 4. Madeline Usher (2:50) 5. Tormented (2:24) 6. Lute Song (1:00) 7. Reluctance (3:58) 8. The Sleepwalker (4:12) 9. The Vault (2:36) 10. The Ancestors (2:58) 11. House Of Evil (4:53) 12. Catalepsy (4:13) 13. Pallbearers (2:03) 14. Buried Alive (8:14) 15. Fall Of The House Of Usher (13:50)