Sold Date: March 12, 2019
Start Date: March 2, 2019
Final Price: £20.00 (GBP)
Seller Feedback: 1084
Buyer Feedback: 14

Here I have for sale the British release of the original motion picture soundtrack to ‘Gold’ (1974), composed and conducted by Elmer Bernstein.

Elmer Bernstein – Gold (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1974)

Condition (refer also to notes at bottom):
Vinyl – VG-EX. Clean on visual inspection. Played just pre-listing and sound clarity is great throughout.
Cover (Outer Sleeve) – F-G. Rubbing, scuffing and mottling on front, mainly due to disc showthrough outline. Some marks, dents and creasing in from edges. Tiny corner nicks and slight edge wear. Reverse shows more rubbing and mottling and a tear across catalogue label in top right corner. Minor disc showthrough outline and creasing marks near spine.
Inner Sleeve – G. Original. White paper sleeve with window and plastic lining. Clean and intact. Minor crimping/folding. Staining on one edge. Sellotape near window to repair a tear.


Label: Philips ‎– 9299 225
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: UK
Released: 1974
Genre: Stage & Screen, Easy Listening, Funk, Vocal, Pop
Style: Soundtrack, Score, Theme, Instrumental, Contemporary

Side A
1. Gold (Main Titles) (02:05) – performed by Jimmy Helms
2. The Lovers (04:16)
3. The Apartment (02:01)
4. The Mine (04:04)
5. Trapped (02:12)
6. Johannesburg (03:51)
7. Wherever Loves Take Me (02:50) – performed by Maureen McGovern

Side B
8. Flight (02:13)
9. Where Have You Been All My Life? (03:43) – performed by Trevor Chance
10. Sunday At The Mine: The Music / The Gum-Boot Dance (05:39)
Source Music
11. Diggin' (03:10)
12. Flood! (02:43)
13. Aftermath (02:19)
14. Gold (End Titles) (02:08)
performed by Jimmy Helms


Composed By, Conductor – Elmer Bernstein
Mastered By – DB
Producer – Jack Fishman

Matrix / Runout (Side A runout - etched): DB
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout - stamped): 9299225 1Y//1 420 05 1 1 5
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout - stamped): 9299225 2Y//1 420 05 1 1 5



Review:


The dynamic Elmer Bernstein soundtrack for Peter Hunt gold-mine action movie with Roger Moore, Susannah York, Ray Milland.

“Gold is a film with every ingredient - spectacular crime, action, romance, riches."  Not my words, but those of Roger Moore, who admittedly wasn't an entirely disinterested party since he starred in it, but the movie - based on a Wilbur Smith novel - was popular on its 1974 release.

The story of a ruthless businessman who tries to manipulate his company's share price by deliberately flooding its own gold mine was directed by Bond veteran Peter Hunt, and a number of Bond alumni were amongst the crew; not John Barry, though, with scoring duties instead falling to the great Elmer Bernstein.

The film opens with a main title sequence designed by Maurice Binder, accompanied by a brassy, dynamic song with lyrics by Don Black - sound familiar?! 

"Gold" is an exceedingly silly song, sung with gusto by an admirably straight-faced Jimmy Helms, and in its own way is a 1970s camp classic.  The song melody is used as the film's main theme, cropping up in various instrumental guises, most notably the jazzy "The Mine" - it's cheesy beyond belief, but quite wonderful. 

The composer extracts a motif from the theme and uses it to bind the action music together, most notably in the suspenseful "Trapped" and the explosive "Flood!", both of which are very fine pieces.

There are two other main themes, both quite romantic in nature, and both also turned into songs.  The main love theme first appears in "The Lovers" (and later in a vocal arrangement, sung by Maureen McGovern) - a lovely, soaring piece which is quintessential Bernstein.

The other is first heard in "The Apartment" and is lighter, breezier piece.  Its vocal arrangement is belted out by Trevor Chance in "Where Have You Been All My Life?"

This is clearly not top-tier Bernstein, and at times it's so cheesy it almost hurts (particularly the songs), but Gold is an exceptionally enjoyable score. 

Ever wonder what Bernstein would've done with a James Bond title song? Listen here, find your answer! (In fact, actual film production is filled with 007 talent.) In addition to brazen title song, Bernstein collaborates with lyricist Don Black on two other songs, one which garnered considerable attention for composer at time.

His score features wide array of music: muscular action, beautiful melody, signature jazz, grim suspense, glittering background cues, you name it.

At the time, this was a very generous-length 1974 Philips label stereo LP. Elmer Bernstein conducts.



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Postage and packaging FREE to UK. Will post worldwide. Europe £6.50; North and South America, USA, Canada £9; Asia, Australia, Japan £11. No returns accepted.

Payment by cheque (UK only) or Paypal please.

Please see my other soundtrack listings.

Thanks for looking and happy eBaying!


ITEM CONDITION - items are graded according to Record Collector definitions - see below:

MINT: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

EXCELLENT: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing.

VERY GOOD: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

GOOD: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

FAIR: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and / or defaced.

POOR: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

BAD: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection filler.