Ron Goodwin (1925-2003) was one of the top soundtrack and light music composers and conductors in England from the 1950s through the start of the 21st century. Indeed, he was something of a pop culture institution in his own right on that side of the Atlantic, and even caused a few ripples in... [+] Expand

Ron Goodwin (1925-2003) was one of the top soundtrack and light music composers and conductors in England from the 1950s through the start of the 21st century. Indeed, he was something of a pop culture institution in his own right on that side of the Atlantic, and even caused a few ripples in America as well, at a time when few British artists outside of the comedy field ever did. This double-CD set covers his whole career in two major bodies of work, the first disc devoted to "The Early Years -- Popular Singles" while the second covers "Ron Goodwin's Original Compositions from Films and LPs." It's pretty impressive in both categories, beginning with the first single ever issued under his own name, "Jet Journey," in 1953 (from Parlophone and produced by its young assistant head, George Martin), and encompassing his hit renditions of works by Trevor Duncan and other composers of light music, as well as his covers of various television and movie-related themes, including those by Leonard Bernstein ("On the Waterfront") and Georges Auric ("Song from Moulin Rouge"). His treatment of Bernstein's brooding, introspective main theme is almost comical from a purely analytical standpoint, with its extroverted, string-laden arrangement, which turns the dark-textured original into an upbeat piece of musical exotica. The second disc, containing Goodwin's music from such major feature films as 633 Squadron, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (represented by a beautiful mini-suite), Where Eagles Dare, and Battle of Britain, will be much more familiar to most Americans -- there will even be a revelation or two in his stirring, string- and horn-driven theme from The Trap, and a few of his album themes. The sound throughout is excellent, and it is easy to understand the basis for Goodwin's popularity as a recording artist -- whether working in mono, either in the 78 era or the 45-rpm format, or in stereo later on, he had a knack for bringing out the richest characteristics of the sound of his strings, in particular, and for writing bold, stirring parts for the brass and horns. A good deal of what's here would fit well into the late-'50s/early-'60s category of "space age pop" and can be appreciated on that basis, for enthusiasts of that musical genre. The set, in a narrow double jewel case, also comes with extremely thorough annotation by several hands, reflecting Goodwin's importance in his own country -- and some of what's there may surprise even some of his fans, who may not have known the full range of the man's musical activities. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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