INTRADA Announces Dimitri Tiomkin's THE WAR WAGON

Roger Feigelson · **Joined:** Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:47 pm **Posts:** 3415

INTRADA Announces:

THE WAR WAGON
Composed and Conducted by DIMITRI TIOMKIN

The score for the 1967 Universal Studios western The War Wagon is nothing short of classic Dimitri Tiomkin: full of outdoor melody, unbridled energy and ripe with orchestral color. As with his classic western score to High Noon, the main theme is based on an strong main title song -- “Ballad Of The War Wagon”—energetically performed by expert singer Ed Ames. It is a typical Tiomkin confection, with lyrics from his High Noon collaborator, Ned Washington. As with his other classic western scores, The War Wagon boasts Tiomkin's own singularly unique writing style with numerous bowed, plucked and pizzicato effects from the strings and busy running figures from all the players, not to mention an enormous amount of tongued (staccato) figures, trilling passages and mordants (very brief trills) in woodwinds. He also required generous amounts of flutter-tonguing from his brass players as well as having them constantly change mutes. But the orchestral fury Tiomkin unleashed in his action music and the ever-changing myriad solo colors he delivered from his woodwinds and brass was without peer.

For this premiere release, Intrada had access to the 1/2" stereo masters in mint condition stored in the Universal vaults, allowing for this complete presentation of this never-before-released Tiomkin western in stunning sound -- this late period score is as energetic and exciting as any Tiomkin ever wrote.

The War Wagon tells the story of Taw Jackson (John Wayne), newly released from prison, where he’d been sent on trumped-up charges engineered by corrupt mining company honcho Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot). While in jail Pierce stole Taw's ranch and is now pulling a fortune in gold and Taw swiftly concocts a scheme to hijack Pierce’s War Wagon—an armor-plated vehicle always accompanied by two dozen gunmen—as it conveys half-a-million in gold dust to the safety of a local bank. Putting together a motley team, Taw makes an uneasy partner of Lomax (Kirk Douglas), a gunman who plays both ends against the middle by also offering his services to Pierce, who hires him to kill Taw.

This release is limited to 2000 units.

INTRADA Special Collection Vol. 146
Retail Price: $19.99
AVAILABLE NOW
For track listing and sound samples, please visit
http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.6789/.f

niall · **Posted:** Mon Oct 11, 2010 4:09 pm

Absolutely Top Class release from Intrada! Thanks so much to all concerned, some of us have waited a long, long time for this soundtrack! You folks are going 'great guns' can't wait to hear it. Goodnight, Doug, Roger, Hampsters one and all!

WorkingWithKnives · **Posted:** Mon Oct 11, 2010 4:24 pm

This is great. Late 60's Dimitri Tiomkin in stereo. Looking forward to it.

Hey, the link to the cover scan isn't working on this announcement thread.

haineshisway · **Joined:** Tue Aug 10, 2010 10:52 pm **Posts:** 109

Two posts??? This is a GREAT release - I'm singin' the title song right now!

Mark.Hammon · **Posted:** Mon Oct 11, 2010 5:55 pm

Anakin McFly · **Posted:** Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:17 am

This is a true classic from the 60's (yeah even for an 80's kid like me !), and a long overdue release ! I can't say I've been waiting for this release during the last 50 years, but I'm very happy it can exist now in 2010. ORDERED !...

ajhintrada · **Posted:** Tue Oct 12, 2010 7:40 am

This sounds very exciting, Tiomkin sounds like he's really hitting his stride. I didn't think I'd be buying Intrada for a while but BAM, BAM two crackers I can't resist.

vinylscrubber · **Posted:** Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:12 am

After 43 years, it's almost an out-of-body experience to hear THE WAR WAGON in pristine stereo. It's the release I'd never thought I'd see.

Thanks, Doug, Roger, Joe and all the hamsters. You've made my year.

lima · **Posted:** Wed Oct 13, 2010 7:57 am

Amazing release; Beautiful artwork!

Thanks so much!

WorkingWithKnives · **Posted:** Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:55 pm

Arrived today. And was a nice package it is. Really like the alternate cover option in the insert. Looking forward to giving this quality score from Dimitri Tiomkin a spin.

Lokutus · **Posted:** Tue Oct 19, 2010 12:41 pm

Got mine today and playing... the sound quality is great. The score is good too.. but that alternate front is excellent! They are both great...

Douglass Fake · **Joined:** Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:48 pm **Posts:** 2773

It's interesting that some of you people prefer - or at least make mention of - the alternate cover inside. It's what Joe calls a "flipper". Joe, Roger and Jeff all preferred that more colorful artwork to what we used on the front... which was my choice, largely because it was the artwork campaign that I recalled when I was just a little kid going to see the movie. Oh, well... flip away.

Silly clue tidbit: we're doing this "flipper" concept again on another much more ambitious project coming up. And again, everyone here chooses one piece of artwork while I alone go with the other. Being the "Grand Poobah" however does have its privileges... you'll be getting my choice on the front, their choice on the flipside.

--Doug

crwdfwtx · **Posted:** Wed Oct 20, 2010 7:54 pm

James MacMillan · **Posted:** Sun Oct 24, 2010 1:03 pm

Got this today. Marvelous, worth buying for track No 1 alone! A late work by a composer still on top of his game, and something I never thought I'd ever hear on a CD. Thank you Intrada for getting this done.

TerraEpon · **Joined:** Thu Sep 07, 2006 5:45 pm **Posts:** 785

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INTRADA Announces Dimitri Tiomkin's THE WAR WAGON

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