The Omega Man 2.0—Unlimited

Retrograde FSM-80127-2 The Omega Man 2.0—Unlimited

Liner Notes

Contents

The Last Man on Earth 1

Engineering the soundtrack. . . 2

Making a chilling sound. . . 3

It’s a Family Affair 3

A CD Is Legend 4

Jeff Bond’s Omega Man Memories. . . 6

Swingin’ at Neville’s 8 Liner notes ©2008 Film Score Monthly, 6311 Romaine Street, Suite 7109, Hollywood CA 90038. These notes may be printed or archived electronically for personal use only. For a complete catalog of all FSM releases, please visit: http://www.filmscoremonthly.com

The Last Man on Earth

Following the smash success of Planet of the Apes teresting element of the story from an actor’s point in 1968, actor Charlton Heston entered a brief phase as of view is the last man on Earth is a fantasy idea a science fiction hero. It was a logical development for that almost everyone thinks about,” the actor says to- a man who had played some of the greatest historical day. “The idea of never having to have your clothes figures ever depicted and who had made an effective laundered because when your shirt gets dirty you just spokesman for humanity in two of the Apes movies as toss it away and go in the store and pick up a couple well as the subsequent Soylent Green (1973). Heston’s more. . . the idea of being the last man on Earth is kind bearing was such that the only type of role he seemed of a staggering, almost God-like identity. We had a lot unequipped to play was that of a regular guy. of interesting ideas like he talks to himself a lot, which The Omega Man was a loose adaptation of Richard you do when you’re alone, and if you’re always alone Matheson’s novel I Am Legend, which concerned the you would do it more. He plays chess with himself last man on Earth and his struggle with a race of deadly with his military cap on the bust of Caesar, and I think vampires. In 1964 Roger Corman had made a low- that’s all very good stuff.” budget version in Italy starring Vincent Price (under The economical production took advantage of the title The Last Man on Earth). John and Joyce Corring- early Sunday mornings in downtown Los Angeles to ton’s script for The Omega Man updated the tale as a depict the sprawling city as a barren ghost town in science fiction narrative about the aftermath of a geno- which Neville jogs, drives and shops at his leisure dur- cidal bacteriological war. Heston portrayed Robert ing the day. A box-office success upon its release, the Neville, a military scientist who had developed an ex- film was received indifferently by critics but has since perimental vaccine just in time to spare himself from gained a heady reputation as a cult experience. Even in the onslaught of the plague. 1971 the political overtones of the story were evident, Unfortunately for Neville, the last man on Earth with Heston’s character, a product of the conserva- is not alone. At each sunset a vicious tribe of Luddite tive military, struggling against the antiestablishment, barbarians—the “Family”—emerges from the shadows counterculture forces of Matthias’s Family. For Heston, to loot and burn. They are led by Matthias (Anthony the political elements were a natural outgrowth of the Zerbe), a former news commentator determined to re- story. “I’ve been a conservative all my life, and in my verse the terrible effects of humanity’s stewardship of view a conservative does just that: he tries to conserve planet Earth. “We mean to cancel out the world you civilization,” the actor says. “And that’s what Neville civilized people made,” he says. “We shall simply is trying to do.” The film was also groundbreaking in erase history from the moment where science and tech- another way. “That was the first film in which a black nology threatened more than they offered.” actress played opposite a white leading man, and I’m Ensconced in an apartment house compound very proud of that,” Heston continues. “I thought Ros- laden with security devices, Neville is the last remain- alind Cash was great and that we should use her.” Al- ing symbol of the world Matthias and his diseased fol- though it is unclear if the movie was the first film his- lowers mean to destroy. Every night Neville fights off torically to feature such casting, The Omega Man was hordes of zombies while doggedly attempting to track certainly one of the earliest high-profile motion pic- down their secret nest. Eventually Neville discovers an tures to do so, and Cash’s streetwise commentary on additional group of human survivors led by Lisa (Ros- Heston’s character is a highlight of the film. alind Cash) and Dutch (Robert Koslo): people who live In the three-plus decades that have passed since in hiding from both Neville and the Family, and who The Omega Man was made, composer Ron Grainer’s have not succumbed to the plague—yet. tuneful, pop-flavored score has gained a reputation The Omega Man ranges from action to social com- equal to that of the film in its cult appeal. Eschewing mentary, and is quite effective when it deals with the hard-edged, dissonant sound that dominated sci-fi Neville’s loneliness, his sad attempt to keep the rituals movies of the period, Grainer’s work is melodic and and habits of his old life alive, and his desperate battles catchy, with a beautifully somber, Baroque-style title with Matthias’s creatures of the night. At its best it is a theme that firmly places the story in an elegiac perspec- highly enjoyable comic book adventure, with Charlton tive. It is a strange hybrid of conventional film score, Heston an incredibly manly action hero and Anthony wordless rock opera and highly dramatic cocktail mu- Zerbe a deliciously arch super-villain who wrings the sic. juice out of each line he delivers. According to producer Walter Seltzer, a longtime Heston got the production going after reading friend and associate of Heston’s who made seven films Matheson’s novel during a plane trip. “The most in- with the actor, Grainer produced exactly what the film-

©2008 Film Score Monthly 1 Retrograde FSM-80127-2 • The Omega Man 2.0—Unlimited • Liner Notes makers had in mind. “We didn’t want to go too way bass to act as a rhythm section. out,” the producer recalls. “The temptation was to Although the score features at most 49 players, make it kind of weird. We wanted a certain element many cues eschew strings entirely for a complement of of exotic sound but we didn’t want it to sound like a “only” 17—for example, the motorcycle getaway that futuristic party, and he got the idea very quickly. It’s is the back half of “On the Tumbril.” The mysterious melodic and not atonal, which is always a temptation. “Neville creeping around” sequences feature five play- That was all by design; that’s the way we wanted it.” ers (two on organ and three on percussion); the cue that Grainer wrote distinctive melodies not only for concludes “Neville Crashes Through” is a simple duet Neville and his opponents in the Family, but also lyri- for organs. cal material for Neville’s romantic relationship with The stellar sound of The Omega Man can be at- Lisa, a theme for the community of children she and tributed to Grainer’s orchestrations and a carefully Dutch shepherd, and lovely, thoughtful music for one close-miked recording by longtime Warner Bros. en- youth’s recovery from the plague and his pivotal inter- gineer Dan Wallin, which give the work a high-gloss vention in the conflict between Neville and Matthias. sheen that belies its budgetary limitations. Wallin The score essays a light pop vibe in keeping with the recorded the orchestra on three tracks, left-center-right, music of the period while remaining highly dramatic and the synthesizers on a fourth track that was later and effective: Grainer’s strategy was to keep the acous- dubbed with the orchestra. This album was mastered tic forces of the orchestra tonal and accessible, while as- from a ½00 multitrack tape of the orchestra synchro- signing the score’s more unusual sounds to two early nized with a mono ¼00 recording of the organs, as re- Yamaha synthesizer organs—the EX-42 and YC-30— tained by the Warner vaults in superb condition. and a unique instrument called a waterchime. Eschew- The Omega Man was a unique effort for Australian- ing trumpets and tuba, Grainer’s brass forces feature born Ron Grainer, who had made a name for him- four French horns and as many as eight trombones, self fashioning catchy television themes for British pro- even in the quieter passages, to give the score a mel- grams like Man in a Suitcase, Steptoe and Son, Doctor low, masculine feeling. To this end, cues involving Who and The Prisoner, the project for which he was the “Omega Man” theme (the main title) feature horns, best known by American audiences. Although he while those with Neville’s theme and the Family theme scored movies like The Assassination Bureau and To Sir, feature trombones—no cue has both. Likewise the With Love, The Omega Man gave the composer an un- string section focuses on the lower shades of viola, cello precedented opportunity to display his skill at scor- and bass, with violins added only to some of the largest ing drama, action and suspense. Suffering from failing passages (such as “Zachary Makes His Move”). The eyesight, Grainer scored only a handful of films (sev- beefed-up percussion section features timpani, cymbal, eral made for television) after The Omega Man and had marimba, xylophone, tabla and African drums as well largely retired by the end of the ’70s. He died of spinal as the aforementioned waterchime. For the pop-styled cancer in 1981 in Sussex, England at the age of 59. cues, a rock drum kit joins piano, guitar and electric —Jeff Bond Engineering the soundtrack. . .

The Omega Man is a classic movie score record- The Omega Man benefits from Wallin’s technique of ing: big and full when it needs to be (“The Omega close-miking the individual instruments. “I generally Man,” “Richie on the Roof”) but never losing focus mike everything the same,” he explains. “I don’t rely of its component colors. The individual instruments, on the Decca Tree like most people do. Most people do some of them highly unusual, retain their presence to the room and they use microphones for the first chairs. the point where you feel them being played in front of I go the opposite way: I mike the sections, and then I you. The man at the mixing board? Dan Wallin, who fill-in with the room. I think a scoring mixer should has recorded over 350 scores since the 1960s. be able to produce all the sounds, not just an orchestra “I was at Warner Bros. for 18 years,” Wallin re- scoring sound.” calls. “I did Dirty Harry, Bonnie and Clyde, Cool Hand The Decca Tree is one of the original techniques Luke, Camelot, Finian’s Rainbow, The Wild Bunch, Billy for recording stereo sound, dating from the 1950s, in the Kid—you name it.” Over the course of his ca- which the orchestra is captured mainly by a triangle reer Wallin has recorded everybody from Jerry Gold- of three microphones suspended above the conductor. smith to John Williams to Lalo Schifrin, and is presently Wallin’s philosophy is much more appropriate to film [in the year 2000] the mixer of choice for Elmer Bern- work, where the clarity of the instruments is more im- stein. portant than a facsimile of a concert recording. This

©2008 Film Score Monthly 2 Retrograde FSM-80127-2 • The Omega Man 2.0—Unlimited • Liner Notes is especially true for such bizarre scores as The Omega muddy and too distant. If you mike in sections like I Man, where pop percussion and organs are side by do, all those things will just happen naturally—all the side with traditional instruments. “I just don’t like the soloists will come out.” Decca sound,” Wallin explains. “It’s too blurred, too —Jeff Bond Making a chilling sound. . .

The decaying bell-like punctuation featured re- a faucet to let the water out. I carried a hose with me peatedly in The Omega Man was created by the water- so I could go to any faucet in the room and fill up the chime, an instrument invented by renowned percus- trough.” sionist Emil Richards. Its ring is so organic because it The waterchime became a staple of sci-fi scoring is literally caused by dipping a bell into water. of the late ’60s and early ’70s, also appearing in Jerry “I was into microtonal music at the time and to Goldsmith’s The Illustrated Man and Michel Colom- find out something I could do to make a tone micro- bier’s Colossus: The Forbin Project, as well as David tonal was very interesting to me,” Richards remem- Shire’s more earthbound Farewell, My Lovely. Richards bers. “I was looking in antique shops for ethnic in- does not think he handled it personally on The Omega struments, and I came across these four disks about Man (he often loaned it to other performers), but does ten inches round all the way up to 14 or 18 inches for remember a humorous anecdote from the instrument’s the largest ones—they had come out of a huge grand- early days: “I did a picture with Jerry Goldsmith. The father clock and they rang G, C, D, E. So I went to a drummer Shelly Manne was on it, and on the second guy working at the drum shop by the name of Howie day of the movie he brought goldfish and dropped Oliver, and I asked him if there was some way he could them into the trough. When you dropped the discs into put a trough with some pulleys on these discs, with a the water after hitting them, the water would vibrate pedal so that my hands were free to play the instru- and these fish would just stop in their tracks when the ment and drop them in water. There was a counter- sound was happening.” weight to balance it, and four discs on the trough with —Jeff Bond It’s a Family Affair

The Omega Man has been one of the those passion- deep gratitude to Warner Bros. for authorizing this pre- ately desired but frustratingly unavailable soundtracks miere CD release and for keeping their music masters since the film’s release in 1971. Ron Grainer’s music in such pristine condition. is so memorable and catchy, particularly the melan- It is always sad to work on an album for which choly main title theme with its unforgettable melange` the composer is no longer with us. In the case of Ron of styles capped by major chords built on a minor scale. Grainer and The Omega Man, we were unable to un- The whole score seeps with melody, despite the cover even a single instance of him discussing the score seemingly disparate elements of pop, orchestral, jazz in print. Danny Gould, a veteran of the Warner Bros. and avant-garde effects. It is deeply accessible and music department, started at the studio shortly before solidly tonal, yet sounds nothing like a film score by the The Omega Man score was recorded and recollects that titans who otherwise chronicled the Silver Age of sci-fi Grainer was a kind gentleman who made adventurous cinema. The only possible comparison could be to the use of the Yamaha EX-42—a large white organ that sat early jazz-based scores of John Barry, as both Grainer in the middle of the scoring stage like a prop from a and Barry were recently graduated from British pop sci-fi film. The star and producer of this film, Charl- arranging, and wrote with melodic cells at the fore of ton Heston and Walter Seltzer, recollect with fondness their thinking—but on anything other than a structural Grainer’s contribution to their work, and we thank level, the musicians were worlds apart. them for their insights. How was it possible that this music has never been While producing this album, we did uncover available on an album? The Omega Man was not a something unexpected yet recognizable. If you journey mammoth-sized production—one reason why the pro- past the end of the last track you’ll find it—a peek into ducers sought out Grainer for one of his few forays in the world of Ron Grainer and The Omega Man. [Note: American cinema—and no LP was planned at the time This refers to a bonus track, exclusive to the out-of- of its release. A 45rpm single was either planned or print first edition, of Grainer conducting a children’s pressed (featuring the two cues combined as track 2 of chorus in source music that is heard late in the film.] this CD) but certainly never distributed. We extend our —Lukas Kendall

A CD Is Legend

Most record labels have an artist or title that de- in The Wild Bunch) or synthesizer organ (you see where fines their brand. For us it’s The Omega Man. It fits ex- this is going)—it was often recorded on its own monau- actly into the soundtrack niche we wanted to fill at the ral ¼00 tape, synched with the 35mm and ½00 units. outset of our series: a tuneful blend of avant-garde and As a result, most of The Omega Man score has two pop from the peak of the Silver Age that was a Holy sets of music masters with identical slate numbers. The Grail to its followers—but still culty and little known main title, for example, is slated 7537-2, but actually ex- by the general public. It was a natural choice for us to ists as two pieces of tape: M705-7537-2, the three-track release because we were huge fans ourselves—we, per- ½00 stereo left-center-right orchestra, and M778-7537-2, sonally, were desperate to hear the music away from the monaural ¼00 master of the YC-30 and EX-42 or- the film. And it was an utter delight to spring upon gans. To get the “complete” master of all the instru- soundtrack collectors in the early months of 2000— ments, you need to transfer both the ½00 and ¼00 tapes the kind of lovingly packaged soundtrack treasure we and synch them—best done nowadays on a computer wanted to give the world. using ProTools. The Omega Man has been a defining title for us be- When we produced the 2000 CD of The Omega hind the scenes as well: it was our first license with Man, I didn’t know any of this—I called Dan Wallin, Warner Bros. and began a longstanding relationship the brilliant recording engineer, who kindly explained that has continued for the majority of our catalog—film it, as did some longtime employees at Warner Bros. scores from the Warner Bros., historical M-G-M and who recalled The Ancient Ways when presented with RKO libaries. It’s safe to say that 70the groundwork the physical evidence. (Among them were Jeff Harris, of this initial release. We’re lucky ducks and we know the studio’s music archivist, whose father, Don Har- it. ris, was the music editor on hundreds of Warner Bros. I usually avoid first-person writing in our liner movies from this period.) So after a false start or two, notes but will break that tradition because of the excep- the Warner Bros. sound department transferred the tional and personal nature of this project. The Omega ½00 and the ¼00 tapes for The Omega Man—but one ¼00 Man was one of my first-ever titles as primary CD pro- tape was not available, containing the organ channel ducer and I worked hard to forge the relationship with for three cues: 2M3 (“Needling Neville”), 6M2 (“Bad Warner Bros. on several fronts: music licensing, art- Medicine for Richie”) and 7M3/8M1 (“Zachary Makes work licensing, music research, master procurement His Move”). Maybe some of you noticed. and manufacturing. We have undertaken this historic I’m getting upset just thinking about it again. Any- (for us) second edition for sound business reasons—it way, we put the CD out—and it sold like crazy. I don’t will sell well—but also creative ones: I was never en- remember how long it took, but in a few years it sold tirely satisfied with the original release. This may come out entirely. Good—except not so much for the people as a surprise, because I was smart enough to keep my who still wanted a copy. This, I knew, was not a good mouth shut, but the 2000 release was missing some or- situation: it may be flattering to have your product sell gan overlays and I was always disappointed that a few on eBay for hundreds of dollars, but that was money tracks were not what they should be—and it was my out of our pocket, not into it. The way I saw it, every fault in not communicating with the studio in order to time someone bought a used copy of The Omega Man find all of the elements. for $100, that was $100 that did not go toward the pur- In 1971 Warner Bros. was in its last days of record- chase of other, lesser-known FSM CDs directly from us. ing film scores to dual sets of three-track stereo mas- In addition, I personally had to listen to the voices ters: one on 35mm magnetic film and a “backup” on of (and read the e-mails from) the nice people who ½00 tape. The 35mm units were used (physically cut practically begged for a copy. And—there are people up) to make the finished film soundtrack, and the ½00 out there who can attest to this—I literally gave away units were kept as a safety copy. (Soon thereafter, the loose discs (without the packaging) that I had lying studio began to record film scores on 200 16-track mul- around. Eventually, I found some loose booklets and titrack tape; the 35mm and ½00 units were also made tray cards at the printers and packaged a box of copies as a live mix, but the mulitracks were kept as an ul- and gave them away; we called it a “warehouse find” timate backup in case a cue needed to be remixed— and asked customers to buy $200 in other FSM CDs but this only happened after The Omega Man.) From in order to get the “free” Omega Man CD. Maybe we around 1964 to 1972, if a cue had a special solo that were exploiting a gray area (at the time, the license had was best recorded on its own channel distinct from the technically expired), but I’ll tell you one thing: nobody orchestra—a “fourth channel” like a vocal, guitar (as complained. In fact, they ate it up.

Years pass—it is now 2007. I am no longer the ig- record company—not using the archival rate, but pay- norant 25-year-old who produced the first edition of ing the full price (actually, a percentage thereof, as The Omega Man missing some organ overlays. Indeed, the union’s standard rates have gone down in recent I am now an ignorant 33-year-old, but I have learned a years). And what do you know? It wasn’t that much lot about producing film score CDs over the course of more money than what a “second archival pressing” 150+ titles and two box sets. In particular, I’ve learned (which doesn’t yet exist) would have cost. Those folks many of the tricks of the trade (and invented a few my- in college were right. self) in order to get around lost or damaged elements. So I picked up the phone (er, e-mail) and made an- Some of my hijinks include using acetates to restore the other call: I asked Warner Bros. if I could renew our missing center channel in Some Came Running and ex- license. They said yes. (We love Warner Bros.) I asked ploiting the “pitch-and-time” function in ProTools to the archivists at Warner Bros. if they could find the correct a number of scores that were digitally recorded missing organ tapes. The answer was maybe. The stu- at the wrong speed. (This is to say nothing of our dio did find the correct organ solos that overlaid onto CD of The Satan Bug: half stereo music and half mono “Surprise Party” and “After the Ball” (track 3)—this music-and-effects, but again—nobody complained.) If was not even the fourth channel but a separate “fifth only I could have another crack at The Omega Man, channel” overlay added a week later in 1971. (I don’t I thought, I could fix the nagging mistakes. . . maybe even want to explain what we used on the 2000 CD. the “lost tape” really was lost, but I could get the or- Get me drunk at a party and I’ll tell you.) gan part through some magic technique, like off of a Now, the missing tape. To make a long story monaural dubbing stem. short—they found it. Where was it? Probably in the There was just one problem: I’d be making a liar archives all along. But the only finger I have to point of—myself. For years I had sworn we could not re- is at myself—for not knowing who and how to ask. It press the Omega Man CD because our rights had ex- can be easy to grouse about missing masters but one pired. This was true. We do not make most of our CDs of the archivists at Warner Bros. put it in perspective limited editions out of some diabolical plan to scare to me once on the phone: you are asking, he said, up sales (although it does help in that regard). Most for a piece of tape from a movie made decades ago, of the scores we release—all of the ones recorded in owned by a multinational corporation with thousands Los Angeles (and this goes for other labels too)—were of employees, one of the largest media companies in performed by American Federation of Musicians play- the world, that has gone through numerous changes ers and we have to pay the union “re-use fees” in or- in ownership and management. And almost all of the der to issue the recordings on CD. In recent years the time, when you ask for a piece of tape, someone looks union has become highly cooperative in making dis- in a computer, goes “there it is,” and you have it a few counted archival rates for vintage scores—but there is a days later. So, if once in a while something can’t be cap on the number of units you can make: 3,000. Why found right away—or even at all—consider yourself 3,000? Because when this deal was hashed out in the way ahead of the game. early 1990s—essentially facilitating the last 15 years of He was right. Honestly, in your own life—do you film score CDs, and almost everything we have of vin- know where everything is? What lurks in the attic or tage titles in our collections—the participants (who in- basement? If someone asked me for my high school cluded Fox’s Nick Redman and the AFM’s Sue Collins) diploma, I have no idea where it is. I remember I got estimated that 3,000 was the generally accepted num- one. Anyway.. . we got the missing Omega Man reel, we ber of soundtrack collectors in the world. redid the master completely, and eight years later, this So this was a real (as opposed to fake) impediment “2.0—Unlimited” version of The Omega Man is exactly to reissuing The Omega Man. What did I do? I remem- as it should be. Is it gratifying? YES! bered the advice of several people in college: if you One wildcard remains: what will people think eventually, one day, ever want to go on a date with a when we ask them to buy The Omega Man all over woman, you have to ask. So I called my contact at the again? Actually I know the first thing they’ll ask, and AFM: I asked if we could do a second run of 3,000, or it will have nothing to do with The Omega Man: they’ll maybe 2,000. They started to work up a quote but it ask when we will reissue our other out-of-print titles was new territory and would involve running things like The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure. up the flagpole. How long this might take, nobody The answer is, not anytime soon. Those scores involve knew. much larger orchestras and studio relationships that Then I had a brainstorm. I knew the Omega Man are no longer active for us. orchestra was not particularly large: I asked what it In order to maintain the collectability of the origi- would cost if I just paid the reuse as if I was a “real” nal edition of The Omega Man I wanted to package the

©2008 Film Score Monthly 5 Retrograde FSM-80127-2 • The Omega Man 2.0—Unlimited • Liner Notes second edition without our exhaustive liner notes— world to enjoy feels like capturing lightning in a bottle. instead printing them here, online. That way every- For me, personally, The Omega Man is a lesson in body can read them, yet the first edition remains spe- perseverance, creativity and hard work—it just won’t cial. (The first edition is also the only place you can find die. The mistakes of the 2000 CD haunted me for sev- the bonus track of the children singing, conducted by eral years, but it offered a chance for redemption. It’s Grainer.) I also thought it would be cool, for a change, a lot like life in that way: it keeps going, whether you to package the second edition almost like a rock record want it to or not, and you can either roll over and sulk and not an archival soundtrack, with minimal packag- or you can rise to the challenge, fix your mistakes and ing. . . like the old days when soundtrack packages had stay on top of it. And when the problems are too big almost nothing in them and yet you were grateful just for you to manage yourself, you can reach out and to have them. As always Joe Sikoryak, our fearless art ask your fellow man (I’d say women too, but this is a director, obliged. You be the judge whether or not it’s film music site) for help. Privately, I asked the folks at a worthwhile exercise in nostalgia. Warner Bros. and the AFM, and publicly, I ask you, our The lessons of The Omega Man are many. One that loyal listeners, to understand the story behind the two hardly needs repeating is that this is the incredibly cool editions. I wish I had produced the CD better in the music. Who knows where Ron Grainer got this par- first place, and I wish it had been continually available, ticular collection of melodies for an apocalyptic sci-fi but better late than never. At least I hope, after reading Charlton Heston film—it sounds like the best-ever ver- this essay, you appreciate the journey that got us to this sion of this era of British jazz-rock mood music—but point. But whether you are confused, intrigued, satis- it’s like he stumbled onto the mother lode of melodic fied or whatever: listen to the music, you’ll feel better. kernels of that time and that place. To be able to ex- —Lukas Kendall tract this music from the film and put it on a CD for the Jeff Bond’s Omega Man Memories. . .

One of the most thrilling aspects of working for her tie-died ’70s shawl to reveal that she has become a Lukas Kendall and Film Score Monthly has been the zombie too, the knowledge of her upcoming betrayal chance to be involved in putting out some of my put my heart squarely in my throat. “dream soundtracks,” favorite scores that I fell in love Ron Grainer’s score is gorgeously melodic, with as a teenager. I would watch movies like Fantastic thrilling—and the pop elements, something my eas- Voyage, Logan’s Run, The Satan Bug, The Illustrated Man ily embarrassed teenage ears would have normally re- and The Omega Man every time they ran on television jected, this time only added to the excitement. When I and I was enough of a nutcase (in a time of prehistoric began collecting scores the inaccessibility of The Omega technology) that I would sit with a cassette recorder Man became particularly poignant because I began to and microphone and tape the sound coming out of one recognize that while there was an obvious market for tinny, four-inch speaker on the front of my family’s liv- Jerry Goldsmith scores—meaning that more and more ing room TV set so I could go back and listen to the of them would likely be released—it became obvious scores (and dialogue). Because, of course, there were that The Omega Man was too obscure and maybe just no LPs, cassettes, CDs or any other release of most of too outside of what “soundtrack collectors” seemed to these scores at the time. want released. I don’t want to rank those scores, but there was As we began doing Film Score Monthly CD re- always something special about The Omega Man for leases in earnest with Twentieth Century-Fox and the me. I found it a thrilling little midnight movie as a possibilities of getting into other studios began to be- 13- or 14-year-old, and despite what some would say is come real, we talked about the scores we wanted to do the bastardization of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend and The Omega Man came up, especially when Lukas novel, I still ﬁnd this by far the most involving treat- found a contact at Warner Bros. I remember being on ment of the story. Somehow Anthony Zerbe leading the Warners lot at the dedication of the Clint East- a bunch of white-faced zombies in what Charlton He- wood scoring stage, with Clint standing just a few feet ston’s Robert Neville dismissively describes as “Hal- away from us while Lukas and I broached the idea loween costumes” is far scarier than what today’s Hol- of doing The Omega Man to the studio’s longtime mu- lywood delivered with a budget two hundred times sic executive Danny Gould, a guy who seemed gen- what was available in 1971—I always believed He- uinely excited about this kind of music preservation— ston’s Neville, despite the actor’s superhuman pres- enough that he told us about jumping into a dump- ence, was in danger, and when Rosalind Cash unravels ster at Warner Bros. after he’d seen a pile of music

©2008 Film Score Monthly 6 Retrograde FSM-80127-2 • The Omega Man 2.0—Unlimited • Liner Notes manuscripts and records trashed during some office master of The Omega Man blasting on my car stereo, clean-outs. and headed up Coldwater Canyon. I remember my growing excitement as the deal I eyed the houses as I ascended the hills above Bev- moved forward, still wondering if the music even ex- erly Hills (maybe they actually were the Beverly Hills). isted in listenable form at Warners—and I remember They looked impressive, no doubt—because you know the unbelievable day the newly transferred DA-88s that any house in this area with more than one floor has were delivered to the office, and the incredibly frus- to cost several million dollars. But as I neared the top, trating wait to hear them. (Damn it, why didn’t we it seemed like the homes weren’t all that glorious—not just have a DA-88 player in the office?) Best of all was what I expected Moses, Andrew Jackson and Leonardo the day we actually heard the music and found out da Vinci, let alone Robert Neville, to reside in. And that not only was it all there and listenable, but thanks I kept missing his street address—where the hell was to recording engineer Dan Wallin it actually sounded this place? Finally I noted a side drive off the drive- great. way to one decent-sized mansion and saw the correct Now there was just one final element to which I address there. I took the driveway down a few yards could actually contribute something useful: liner notes. around a corner and suddenly encountered this enor- We had a contact for producer Walter Seltzer, who mous. . . edifice. It was a gate that looked capable of proved very helpful with his recollections, and he rec- holding off the Mongol hordes, or keeping the chosen ommended we contact Charlton Heston’s office, par- ones inside Egypt’s walls where they belonged. I was ticularly since in those days we had to get photo ap- buzzed in and the enormous gate drew aside. . . I took provals from some of the actors who appeared in the the road, which now curved along a massive cliff face films whose scores we released. with a view of the hills below lit by late afternoon sun. I phoned Heston’s secretary, expecting someone Finally I was face to face with Heston’s Xanadu autocratic and aloof, but she proved to be easygoing (I think he always just referred to it as “Coldwater” and helpful as we sorted through the issues of photo in his memoirs)—an elegantly impressive compound approval and such. By this time I had mostly finished with half a dozen cars and a horse head statue from my liner notes with never a thought about including Ben-Hur in the courtyard. any comments from the star of The Omega Man. But Heston’s secretary met me at the door and pointed since I had his secretary on the phone, I nervously to her right, where the man’s office lay. Yes, my heart asked if it might be possible to get Heston to agree to a was in my throat but this was just another human being short interview about his experience on the film. “Well, after all—he couldn’t possibly measure up to all this let me ask him,” she said, putting me on hold. build-up in person. About 30 seconds later the familiar voice of Moses The secretary opened the actor’s office door and said, “Hello?” WHAT?!? This had to be some Heston sat before me at his desk. Behind him the mistake—it couldn’t be this easy! Plus I hadn’t actually wall was one huge picture window and the afternoon prepared to do an interview.. . but Heston was agree- sun, gleaming off the mountains below, bathed his still able, gracious and helpful, and when I wrapped things impressive shoulders and that unmistakable, granite- up by asking if it bothered him that people talked about hewn face in a golden, heavenly light, nearly blind- his politics a lot, he said not at all and gave me a great ing me in the process. Heston was as genial in per- quote that tied his Robert Neville character into his son as he was over the phone, flashing that Jaws-like conservative philosophy. smile (he’s always sported the most impressive set of At that point I was just thrilled to have talked to teeth in Hollywood) and crunching my weak hand in Charlton Heston on the phone. When I got his secre- his mighty paw. He seemed very much as he always tary back on the line, however, there was a problem: had—the only thing missing was that lanky, angular the photos I’d faxed her for approval weren’t readable. Heston stride, now reduced to a gentle old man’s hob- “You can either mail them to us or drop them by the ble. But I’m convinced that he found the location for house, I suppose,” she suggested. his house, and had the resulting mansion constructed Somehow I managed to make it sound like I around it precisely so he could provide that Zeus-like wouldn’t really mind dropping by Charlton Heston’s first impression to anyone walking up to the door to house all that much despite the enormous inconve- his office. Heston was nothing if not a showman. nience it would cause me. I got the directions, grabbed —Jeff Bond the photos and leaped into my beat-up Toyota, the CD

Swingin’ at Neville’s

Ron Grainer recorded almost all of his score to The beautifully elegiac pop title music. Although it is the Omega Man over three days in May 1971. The dates and best-remembered music in the score, Grainer is spar- orchestral groupings were as follows: ing in his use of this long-form melody: it serves as May 17, 1971, morning: The first session consisted an overview of the story and as a baroque and somber of the five-player “C” orchestra: Yamaha EX-42, YC- headstone for humanity, playing mainly in reflective 30, and 3 percussion. This was for the smallest organ- moments in which Neville is allowed to think back on based cues. his former life. May 17, 1971, afternoon: The “A” orchestra be- Where Have All the People Gone (1M3, “B”) gan recording in the afternoon of the first day, with 45 Neville crashes his automobile as the title music ends, players at most: 5 woodwinds (four flutes and one bass and Grainer’s theme for Neville is introduced as the clarinet, with two of the flutists doubling on alto flute), ostensible last remnant of humanity “shops” for a new 4 French horns, harp, EX-42, YC-30, guitar, fender bass, car at a corpse-littered auto dealership. The “B” sec- 3 percussion, 12 violas, 12 cellos and 4 basses. The main tion of this melody (a three-note fanfare followed by a title kicked off this session. (This is referred to as the dark resolution) is played first in a ghostly passage for “A–1” orchestra below.) organ and trombones as Neville eyes a calendar page May 18, 1971, morning: The “A” orchestra con- that inadvertently marks the final days of civilization. cluded the next morning but with a different configura- The primary theme for Neville is introduced in a motion: 4 trombones, piano, EX-42, YC-30, guitar, fender rose treatment for trombone, emphasizing the man’s bass, 4 percussion (one always on drum kit), 16 violins, solitude and loneliness while playing ironically off 8 violins, 8 cellos and 4 basses. This was the largest or- Charlton Heston’s masculinity. The repeating five-note chestra, totaling 49 players, and performing the large- phrase that dominates the theme plays through many scale cues (like “Neville Crashes Through”) requiring of the film’s action sequences in various guises, provid- trombones and violins. (This is referred to as the “A– ing Heston’s character a dogged, indomitable accom- 2” orchestra below.) paniment as he struggles against impossible odds. May 18, 1971, afternoon: The “B” orchestra (to- 3. Surprise Party (2M1, “B”) A bluesy treatment taling 17 players) doubled the trombones but omitted for guitar introduces Grainer’s theme for the Family strings for action cues such as “The Getaway”: 8 trom- as Neville returns home and is ambushed by waiting bones, piano, EX-42, YC-30, guitar, bass guitar, 4 per- zombies. The rock-based, syncopated Family theme cussion (one always on drum kit). Percussion and or- (reminiscent of Grainer’s title music to The Prisoner) gan overlays were recorded at the end of this session. cleverly points to the counterculture roots of the clan; May 19, 1971: Four jazz source cues were recorded the intervening, five-note “B” theme is often asso- on the final day with 5 players: saxophone, vibra- ciated with the conflict between Matthias (the Fam- phone, drums, bass and piano. Concluding the ses- ily’s leader) and Neville, adding a fateful quality to sion was another piece of source music, “Old McDon- Matthias’s venomous oratory about his opponent and ald Had a Farm” sung by children’s choir (which can be earmarking several pivotal moments in the film. found only on the out-of-print 2000 FSM CD). (This is After the Ball (2M2, “B”) The main Family theme referred to below as the “S” orchestra, for “source”—so returns in a sneakier mode, with jazzy counterpoint designated by FSM, not the Warner Bros. paperwork.) from organ, as Neville activates the compound lights May 25, 1971: The next week Grainer recorded the and the skulking Family members scurry away. additional organ overlays that appear over “Surprise 4. Needling Neville (2M3, “A–2”) Neville re- Party” and “After the Ball” (track 3). sponds to heckling from the Family by exploding in anger, and the Family theme plays full-force over 1. A Summer Place (1M1, “S”) As Robert Neville scenes of the members burning and pillaging, then (Charlton Heston) tools around an abandoned Los An- with quiet resolve underneath a conversation between geles in his convertible, he pops in an 8-track tape to Family leader Matthias (Anthony Zerbe) and disciple soothe his nerves: Max Steiner’s popular theme music Zachary (Lincoln Kilpatrick). Neville’s theme returns to the soapy 1959 drama A Summer Place. In the fin- in the same lonely treatment for trombone heard ear- ished film, the music stops abruptly as Neville fires a lier as Neville fixes himself dinner in a pathetic effort few rounds of automatic ammo at a shadowy figure he to maintain the rituals of a normal life; organ chords spies inside a building. and an underlying rock beat hammer home the con- 2. The Omega Man (1M2, “A–1”) After a pause, stant presence of the Family. Neville resumes his drive to the tune of Ron Grainer’s The Family Wait (3M1, “A–1”) After a flashback

(recalling the plague destroying the world, and how vibes, drums, bass and piano. Neville survived thanks to an experimental vaccine), 9. Jumped by the Family (4M5, “C”) The groan of the Family theme resumes over Matthias speaking to a Yamaha organ returns over glassy synth chords and the Family how they will “cleanse the world” through timpani as Neville explores the recesses of a wine cel- fire. (In the flashback, Matthias is seen in his earlier life lar, only to be jumped by zombies. as a television news anchor.) The Trial (5M1, “C”) Bach-like organ riffs sound 5. Swinging at Neville’s (3M2, “S”) To accom- in Matthias’s courtroom antechamber as the Family pany his dinner, Neville turns on some mood music: leader has his “brothers” show the captured Neville the this jazz composition written by Grainer, which later “marks”—their ghostly all-white eyes, greeted with becomes the suspense music just before Neville en- dramatic organ chords and shifting tones from the wa- counters Lisa. terchime. Swinging at Neville’s (3M3, “B”) This is the only 10. On the Tumbril (5M2, “A–1”) The Bach- score cue not included on FSM’s previous release of influenced organ licks return to launch one of the The Omega Man: an underscore variant of “Swinging score’s set pieces as Neville is dragged to his own at Neville’s” that was meant to segue out of the source funeral pyre in the center of Dodger Stadium. The cue as Neville responds to the Family’s fire-catapult at- “Omega Man” theme is played full force, with stab- tack by shooting back with a sniper-like machine gun. bing accents from the string section and full-blooded It was not used in the finished film, and left off the ear- horn performances. The Family’s “B” theme resolves lier FSM CD for that reason. the ceremony as Matthias calls the conflagration to 6. Another Night—Another Day (3M4, “A–1”) order—until the stadium lights come on, immobiliz- The “Omega Man” theme plays over a transition from ing the photo-sensitive clan. Grainer’s rock-oriented night into early morning. action music launches in time with the stadium lights, The Spirits Still Linger (3M5/4M1, “C”) An elec- the Family theme rocking out in protest as a mysterious tronic groaning sounds over echoing keyboard tones figure rescues Neville. as Neville scrounges for supplies in an abandoned de- The Getaway (5M3/6M1, “B”) Grainer begins his partment store; Neville’s theme returns for a moment characterization of Lisa by switching the Neville mo- in a child-like arrangement as he samples clothing tive to piano, the instrument that will be associated and aftershave. The eerie groaning and chilling organ with her throughout much of the film: here it plays as chords are capped by a shrill blast of synthesizer noise romantic sparks fly between Neville and Lisa during as Neville uncovers two cadavers; tabla rolls and build- their first, heated conversation. They make their get- ing percussion underscore his subsequent discovery of away on motorcycle while fighting off hordes of robed a dead Family member. Although Grainer’s suspense Family members, all to the tune of an aggressive trom- music provides the score with its most discordant ma- bone take on Neville’s masculine theme and unsettling terial, even this largely percussive passage exhibits a contrapuntal organ effects. pleasing tonal quality. 11. Bad Medicine for Richie (6M2, “A–1”) A 7. Shopping Made Easy (4M2, “C”) The jazz mellow theme for guitar and strings underscores the melody from “Swinging at Neville’s” returns in an treatment of Richie (Eric Laneuville), Lisa’s younger eerie treatment for keyboard as Neville wanders brother, who is slowly “turning” into one of the photo- through a clothing store, perversely tempted by scant- sensitive zombies until Neville administers an experi- ily clad female mannequins. Heavy percussion erupts mental serum. as Neville hears a dropped coat hanger and whirls to Richie on the Turn (7M1, “A–1”) As the treat- focus on a mannequin that looks strangely out of place. ment continues, Grainer adds more disturbing synth Where Did Lisa Go? (4M3, “A–1”) Glassy synth effects. effects sound as Neville sees the “mannequin” begin to 12. All Through the Night (7M2, “S”) As Neville move, revealing Lisa (Rosalind Cash). Grainer segues and Lisa relax for a romantic dinner, Lisa sets the tone to a bizarre pop version of the “Omega Man” theme as with a recording of this Cole Porter classic. Neville chases Lisa outside; glissandi and harsh synth 13. Zachary Makes His Move (7M3/8M1, “A–2”) chords combine in a strained synthetic version of the ti- Neville’s action motive sounds an alarm over shrill tle music, adding a hallucinatory effect as Neville ques- strings as the Family cuts the power to Neville’s com- tions his own shaky perceptions of reality. pound. A repeating rhythm of piano and synth effects 8. ’Round Midnight (4M4, “S”) Neville heads to begins a long sequence in which Neville’s manly theme an abandoned bar to relax. He listens to a cassette tape (played by low strings) contrasts with the delicate pi- featuring this jazz standard by Cootie Williams and Th- ano treatment for Lisa and the sound of the Family elonious Monk, arranged by Grainer for saxophone, theme. As Zachary climbs toward Neville’s balcony,

Neville struggles to restart the building generator and news of the cure. return to protect Lisa. Grainer does a spectacular job Richie Is Caught (10M3, “A–1”) Richie’s theme of tying together the triple plot threads in one well- returns in an even more concerned mode as he enters developed musical sequence, and he engages in a bit of Matthias’s lair and is confronted by members of the foreshadowing by allowing the piano to take on lighter Family. (The first half of this cue was dialed out of the versions of both Neville’s theme and the Family theme finished film, but it was meant to overlap “Neville and during shots of Lisa’s vigil, implying the divided loy- Dutch.”) Tabla percussion and organ shrieks accom- alties on which the film’s plot will eventually turn. pany shock cuts of the ghostly Family members’ faces. 14. Making Lisa (8M2, “A–2”) In the aftermath of This segues into a brief recapitulation of the Zachary’s attack, Neville finally has his way with Lisa opening phrases from “Zachary Makes His Move” as and Grainer’s score turns smooth and lightly romantic, Neville stockpiles equipment for a rescue mission. This dominated by Lisa’s piano-based melody. edit was made in post-production; the scene was not Cobwebs and Vials (8M3, “C”) Neville and Lisa originally scored by Grainer. It is a familiar moment visit the county morgue in search of medical supplies of the score and has been recreated for this album, the as the title music plays eerily on organs. only such “tracking” replicated on the CD. Hope Springs Eternal (8M4, “A–1”) A new and Lisa Joins the Family (10M6, “A–2”) The Fam- hopeful theme for Dutch’s group of children (synco- ily material continues as a traveling shot reveals that pated like the Family theme, but representing a differ- Lisa has “turned” to the “light side”—succumbing to ent future) is introduced for a deleted scene that would the plague. have made more explicit the film’s subtext of Neville Star Chamber (10M4, “A–2”)/Neville Finds as Christ. A young girl, who earlier in the film asked Richie (10M5, “A–2”) The Family theme (in “Star if Neville was God, leaves daisies and apples outside Chamber”) and “Omega Man” theme (in “Neville his apartment in prayer for him: “Please—I brought Finds Richie”) are heard as Neville infiltrates the court- you this stuff. Don’t let them take me and put me in a house only to discover the brutalized body of Richie. bag. . . please!” (The beginning of “Star Chamber” was meant to ac- Gravestones and Surprises (9M1, “C”) A second company deleted footage in which Matthias, presiding deleted scene was meant to appear after a reel change: over the captured Richie in “court,” incites his follow- Lisa, visiting the graves of her parents, encounters a ers into a chant that all but seals the boy’s fate.) These young girl who is suffering from the plague—and is two cues were originally located prior to “Lisa Joins the herself holding a dead infant. Family,” but were flip-flopped with that scene so that Lisa Shopping (9M2, “B”) The track resumes Neville’s solemn “Oh my God” (punctuated by a single with music used in the picture as Lisa shops alone; the strike of the waterchime—actually an overlay repeated mood lightens considerably. from 1:56 of “On the Tumbril”) could segue immedi- 15. Richie on the Roof (9M3/10M1, “A–1”) ately into his action revenge. The original FSM CD Grainer produces some of the most haunting and beau- of The Omega Man featured a “hybrid” sequence that tifully melodic music in the score as Neville and Richie inserted “Lisa Joins the Family” between “Star Cham- debate the wisdom of leaving the malevolent Family ber” and “Neville Finds Richie.” members alive. Echoes of the main title’s “B” theme Neville Crashes Through (10M7 Pt. I “A–2”) An rock in indecision between two notes as Neville pon- action treatment of Neville’s theme appears as human- ders the question of whether to show mercy to the bar- ity’s last warrior races through the streets in a jeep, at- barians, while Richie’s theme moves between a rich tacking the Family head on. string arrangement and a more hollow treatment for Music Box (10M7 Pt. II, “C”) Grainer engages keyboard. in a fascinating conceit as Neville battles Family mem- 16. The Future Is Secured (10M1A, “A–1”) The bers in front of a toy store: the main theme plays out warm children’s theme returns for a brief scene in in a ghostly, music-box-like duet for the EX-42 and YC- which Neville informs Dutch that his serum success- 30 organs during a brutal exchange of crossbow bolts fully reverses the effects of the plague. and machine gun fire. (This is proscribed by the film’s Neville and Dutch (10M2, “A–1”) An uncertain timing notes: “This being a toy store now visible, use a motive for strings and harp continues with Richie’s simple music-box theme here.”) material as the young boy leaves a note for Neville. 17. The Trap (11M1, “A–1”) Neville returns to Neville and Dutch discuss leaving the city in the wake his compound to find Lisa hidden in the dark. She of their success with the serum; the music accelerates emerges to reveal that she is now a member of the Fam- suspensefully as Neville discovers Richie’s note, telling ily, and that she has brought Matthias and his broth- him that the boy has decided to go to Matthias with ers into Neville’s sanctuary. The elegiac title theme

©2008 Film Score Monthly 10 Retrograde FSM-80127-2 • The Omega Man 2.0—Unlimited • Liner Notes plays wistfully on keyboards and strings as Lisa and 18. Dutch Takes Over (11M5, “A–2”) Neville’s Matthias reveal themselves; Neville’s fanfare emerges theme plays in a melancholy treatment for piano, in a rhythmically shifting treatment as Matthias has strings and guitar as Dutch and the children find Lisa his men destroy all of Neville’s possessions and tech- and the expiring Neville. Neville’s theme returns in a nology. The Family theme finally dominates, in a tri- rhythmic, downbeat treatment that was meant to con- umphant setting for strings and horns. tinue through the end titles. Nemesis for Neville (11M2, “A–2”) Waterchimes Dutch Takes Over (11M5 Alternate, “A–2”) In and organ chords sound as Neville turns the tables and the film, the concluding statement of Neville’s theme briefly takes Matthias hostage to the tune of a heroic was replaced by a final tag of the children’s theme, an trombone setting of Neville’s motive, quickly transi- upbeat coda that played ironically over the final, sym- tioning to a treatment for piano as Neville drags Lisa bolic image of Neville crucified in a fountain of his own into an elevator and outside. More rock percussion life-giving blood. Both the unused end titles and the greets Neville as Matthias begins a siren-like call to version heard in the film conclude this album, in that Lisa. Neville’s theme blasts forth as the hero is struck order. by Matthias’s lance. “I think we wanted the downbeat ending and the Matthias the Victor (11M3, “C”) Mortally distributor insisted on the other one,” Walter Seltzer re- wounded, Neville sinks into a fountain as the title calls. “Playing that upbeat music over a man who’s ba- melody plays in a ghostly, fragmented rendition for sically being crucified seemed a little weird to me, but synths. then the whole picture was kind of weird, so I couldn’t (The next music heard in the film, slated 11M4, is complain. I know Heston and I wanted the downbeat Dutch’s group of children singing “Old McDonald Had end title.” a Farm.” This can be heard exclusively as an unmarked —Jeff Bond and Lukas Kendall bonus passage at the end of FSM’s first edition CD.)