The beast must die

[wooly]

last night me and the wife were watching "the beast must die" - a film we'd taped a couple of weeks ago. we both got well into the soundtrack, a kind of library wah funk thing going on, composed by douglas gamley.

anyone got any idea if it came out on or at all? i'd love to have that theme tune.

[Seventies Kid]

You're right Wooly, the theme tune and the incidental music to "The Beast Must Die" is brilliant, one of my favourite 70s British soundtracks, by the Australian composer Doug Gamley. It's also a great, if slightly cheesy film.

Unfortunately, this soundtrack was never released - a real shame in my opinion. As a minor consolation, there are a few UK 70s tracks that sound very similar to the music from this film, such as Cy Payne's "Countdown" (Chappell Library 1974 - as featured in my "British Big Band Funk" article) and Ray Davies' "Heavy Water" (from his "I Believe In Music" LP - check out my chart this month&#33

My advice - if like me, you want this OST on CD, buy the DVD when it comes out this month and dub it straight onto CD-R!

[wooly]

cheers olly - pity about that!!! that bit near the start of the film where he's being chased around... wide open funky breaks!!! couldn't believe my ears. also, the very cool pye speaker in the land rover was a nice touch.  

incidentally, has doug gamley done any good library stuff?

[theeman]

thanks to the Robert Farnon Society...

John Douglas Gamley was born in Melbourne, Australia, on 23 September 1924. He came to England in the early 1950s, and his talents as a composer, arranger and pianist were soon in demand. He composed and scored the music for many films, and his credits include "Tom Thumb" (1958), "And Now The Screaming Starts!" (1973), "Madhouse" (1974), "The Beast Must Die" (1974), "The Land That Time Forgot" (1975) and "Enigma" (1982). He also worked alongside Henry Mancini for "Shot in the Dark" and "Charade". As many readers will already know, Douglas was a close musical associate of Robert Farnon, both in films and at recording sessions involving Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, George Shearing and numerous others. Douglas made many recordings with Joan Sutherland, and was active in both the classical and popular spheres. In his later life he tended to spend six months of the year in Australia, where he conducted the Australian Pops Orchestra. The rest of the time was divided between working in London, and relaxing in Italy, where the climate suited him better as an asthma sufferer. Douglas was a charming, gentle man who could always be relied upon in any musical situation. He died in London on 5 February 1998.

[wooly]

ed - cheers for that. it seems he did quite a few scores for the amicus horrors during the 70s, including "from beyond the grave" which scared me shitless as a kid. my main memory of that film is diana dors doing some voodoo before serving up some beans on toast to her husband.

[Seventies Kid]

Another 70s British film with a brilliant, unreleased soundtrack is "I Don't Want To Be Born" - a horror/thriller from 1975 starring Joan Collins.

It features a very funky score by Ron Grainer full of wah-wah and very strong funk beats - a real shame it never came out on LP or 45.

[sermad]

Cool website.

http://www.britishhorrorfilms.co.uk/index2.shtml

[saru75]

That is a good site, nice to see it mentions "Dr Jeckyll　and Sister Hyde" - campest horror film ive ever seen!

[Col Wolfe]

Quote[/b] (sermad @ Dec. 08 2003,08:54)]Cool website.

http://www.britishhorrorfilms.co.uk/index2.shtml

Nice to see Horror Hospital on there - haven't seen it for ages but I seem to recall it having a deWolfe score with a fuzzy rock band at the start and a skipfull of funky gear throughout the film? Yes? No? If yes, on what vinyl?

[sermad]

Have you got it on tape col? (the film that is).

[Lord Thames]

Quote[/b] (Col Wolfe @ Dec. 09 2003,11:20)]

Quote[/b] (sermad @ Dec. 08 2003,08:54)]Cool website.

http://www.britishhorrorfilms.co.uk/index2.shtml

Nice to see Horror Hospital on there - haven't seen it for ages but I seem to recall it having a deWolfe score with a fuzzy rock band at the start and a skipfull of funky gear throughout the film?  Yes?  No?  If yes, on what vinyl?

The rock band were called 'Mystic'.

The score was all de Wolfe, but I think it was all fairly run-of-the-mill doomy orchestral stuff, apart from a nice Tijuana-type tune when the bloke with the big afro is walking up to the hospital.

'The Haunted House Of Horror' on the other hand - Reg Tilsley score, plus a few de Wolfe tracks by the Lemon Dips, Electric Banana and Tilsley Orchestral chucked into the mix - now there's a soundtrack album I'd like to see!

Reg's theme for 'The Bodystealers' is great too!

On the subject of 'The Beast Must Die', this seems to be the only time Douglas Gamley ever did big-band funk - it's very atypical of his work.

[wooly]

Quote[/b] (Lord Thames @ Dec. 09 2003,11:55)]On the subject of 'The Beast Must Die', this seems to be the only time Douglas Gamley ever did big-band funk - it's very atypical of his work.

it's crying out for a release.

noticed last night that his name cropped up on "girl on a motorcycle". music by les reed of course, but conducted and arranged by gamley.

[Lord Thames]

Quote[/b] (wooly @ Dec. 09 2003,11:58)]

Quote[/b] (Lord Thames @ Dec. 09 2003,11:55)]On the subject of 'The Beast Must Die', this seems to be the only time Douglas Gamley ever did big-band funk - it's very atypical of his work.

it's crying out for a release.  

I quite agree - it's been a favourite of mine for years.

I don't suppose there's any possibiliy of the tapes surviving? If it was a Hammer, there might have been. But I think the music tapes for the two Dalek movies Amicus did are still around, so anything's possible! Perhaps we should get Jonny Trunk onto this?

The music was recorded at CTS in Wembley in 1973, by the way, fact fans!

[Col Wolfe]

Quote[/b] (sermad @ Dec. 09 2003,11:23)]Have you got it on tape col? (the film that is).

I think I've still got a VHS copy stuffed away somewhere - interested in a copy when I'm back from my hols?

Totally agree with Lord Thames re The Haunted House Of Horror - great sounds inc. Lemon Dips "I Am The Man" being played on a 45 (supposedly&#33 at the party. Shame the last half of the film is shot in virtual darkness. Does win the prize for the grooviest psycho ever though.

I dig Dracula AD1972 too - much prefer the 'now' films of, er, then rather than the olde days settings.

My alltime fave Brit Horror is The Sorcerors - blinding club scenes from Blaises + plenty of celuloid spent on the resident band Lee Grant & The Capitols - great modbeat outfit. Also lots of foxy young girls running around with pale lips & dark eyes......oooh starting to get excited now....

[Seventies Kid]

I'd be intirgued to know how you found out "The Beast Must Die" score was recorded at CTS in Wembley! CTS was/is the best British studio, and one of the best in the world with great engineers working there in the 70s - guys like John Richards, Dick Lewzey, Dick Plant and Dave Hunt.

Any idea who recorded "The Beast Must Die" soundtrack, and who played on it?