New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Cinemedia Promotions) - "The music to the Wicker Man is quite extraordinary. I think it is probably the best music I have heard in a film"
Christopher Lee Lord Summerisle - The Wicker Man
Against all odds, one of the most talked about soundtracks in movie history has finally risen to the surface. Believed for years to be lost, destroyed or even buried deep beneath a motorway, this disc contains Paul Giovanni's original music to The Wicker Man that has never been released. These historic recordings have up to now only been heard by a select few.
Based on the themes of fertile pre-Christian practices of pagan Britain, The Wicker Man did not follow the predictable formula of 1960's British horror movies. The equally non-formulaic music score was provided by talented songwriter Paul Giovanni, and his assistant Gary Carpenter. With only six weeks allotted to write, research, and record the soundtrack, Paul draws on the rich traditions of Celtic music to present a brilliant collection of eclectic folk songs underpinned with aeons-old verse.
The first 8 tracks are the stereo masters which would have been the soundtrack to The Wicker Man that
Paul Giovanni originally intended for album release but ultimately never happened because of the film's troubled history. These masters have been carefully preserved over the years and are now presented for release for the first time.
The following three tracks were recorded for the film and used for playback purposes on set, but only exist in mono versions. These have been digitally restored and enhanced for CD release. The balance of the tracks have been compiled from various sources (with occasional sound effects) and present elements of the background score to the film to give a more complete representation of this unique score.
Timeline:
August, 1972: The music is recorded for the film.
1973: The Wicker Man is released as the lower half of a double-bill with Don't Look Now and is almost forgotten. Composer Paul Giovanni's plans for a soundtrack release are scrapped.
1977 / 1978: The Wicker Man gets a US theatrical release and the beginnings of a cult following thanks to the efforts of Christopher Lee and Robin Hardy (director). Varese Sarabande announced a soundtrack release but this didn't happen (for whatever reason).
1992: Simon Wells, budding author / journalist, writes to Silva Screen suggesting it would be a good idea to release the album. Past interviews with Paul Giovanni show that a soundtrack master was prepared. David Stoner of Silva Screen contacts the current owner of the film, Lumiere Films, and establishes that tapes containing music and effects are in storage. On hearing a cassette of some of this material, David decides that the quality is too poor and a key song "Gently Johnny" is missing.
1998: Trunk Records release the soundtrack to TWM. On listening to it, Silva Screen realizes that it is the same source as the tapes previously heard. Mono, loads of effects on the top and one song missing. The album sells very well in spite of this.
2000: Simon Wells, now an author and working on a book about cult British movies, contacts David Stoner. As part of his research, he has contacted Gary Carpenter, the Associate Music Director on The Wicker Man to talk about the music since Paul Giovanni is now deceased. During this conversation, Gary reveals that he has Paul's original album master in his possession plus other previously unreleased music. Simon immediately contacts David Stoner.
2002: Finally with all of the appropriate clearances, the master tape is digitized, cleaned and generally brought back to life.
October, 2002: The CD containing the album that Paul Giovanni had always envisioned is released in the UK.
October 2010: The CD is cleared for release in the US.
