MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES / WRITTEN ON THE WIND

OUT OF PRINT CD. Another long awaited CD premiere for two vintage soundtracks originally released by Decca in the fifties.

As with Imitation of Life, previously released on the DCM label, Man of a Thousand Faces may be considered a major opus in the long career of the discrete composer named Frank Chester Skinner. Here again, quantity and quality go together, the 122-minute movie offering an hour of music for large orchestra, conducted con brio by Joseph Gershenson. A gorgeous 41-minute selection was retained on the LP album.

One recognizes in Man of a Thousand Faces Skinner’s propensity to draw inspiration from the classical repertoire, both for the arrangements and the melodies. This approach perfectly suits Joseph Pevney’s black and white movie, which assumes a documentary look in recreating the life and career of actor Lon Chaney, from the silent era to the dawn of talking pictures.

On the other hand, the Written on the Wind soundtrack release filled only one side (22 minutes) of an LP, the music for this Douglas Sirk melodrama being more concise. Victor Young wrote the main title song performed by The Four Aces, whose melody is integrated into Skinner’s incidental score without becoming too intrusive.

Both high quality analog recordings were restored using the most advanced digital technology to deliver the best of the two worlds. 12-page full color booklet. ---From the label.

MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES (1957) mono

Music composed by Frank Skinner
The Universal-International Orchestra conducted by Joseph Gershenson

01. Main Title 7:03
02. Forgiveness 4:28
03. Apprehension 3:27
04. In Stitches 3:43
05. Married Strangers 1:34
06. Box of Tricks 2:25
07. Family Circle 9:04
08. Frightened Father 2:32
09. End Title 6:46
Total Time: 41:09

WRITTEN ON THE WIND (1956) mono

Song and Main Title theme composed by Victor Young
Backgroung music composed by Frank Skinner
The Universal-International Orchestra conducted by Joseph Gershenson

10. Written on the Wind (Victor Young - Sammy Cahn) 1:42 sung by The Four Aces
11. Suite I 9:19
12. Temptation (Nacio Herb Brown - Arthur Freed) 1:56
13. Suite II 9:00
Total Time: 22:07

Grand Total: 63:16