Sold Date: September 30, 2020
Start Date: April 1, 2019
Final Price: £20.00 (GBP)
Seller Feedback: 1451
Buyer Feedback: 0

Here I have for sale the UK release of the original film soundtrack to ‘The Golden Seal’ (1983), composed and conducted by John Barry. It also features a title song by Glen Campbell.

John Barry and Dana Kaproff, Glen Campbell ‎– The Golden Seal (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1983)

Condition (refer also to notes at bottom):
Vinyl – EX. Clean on visual inspection. Played just pre-listing and sounds superb. Stored responsibly.
Outer sleeve (Cover) – G. Colours are unfaded and clean. Severe corner/edge wear although spine is fair and intact. Some medium creasing, mainly near spine. Disc showthrough outline and some scuffing, dents and nicks on front and rear. Residual area where sticker once was top right of front by the yellow circle. Disc showthrough outline evident on front and reverse. Top flipback has entirely come away from front.
Inner Sleeve – EX. Original. White paper open ‘window’ sleeve. Minor folding; clean and intact.


Label: Compleat Records ‎– CLTLP 351
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: UK
Released: 1983
Genre: Classical, Stage & Screen, Country, Vocal, Theme
Style: Soundtrack, Score, Instrumental, Easy Listening

Tracklist
A1. Letting Go (Performer – Glen Campbell). 3:35
A2. The Story Begins. 2:37
A3. Voyage To Dutch. 2:40
A4. The Legend. 2:00
A5. Williwa. 3:30
A6. The Bridge. 1:35
A7. Face To Face. 4:12

B1. The Frolic. 4:30
B2. Swimming Lessons. 2:25
B3. Close Call. 2:12
B4. The Choice. 3:00
B5. You're Safe Now. 2:18
B6. Goodbye. 5:10

Composed By – Dana Kaproff, John Barry
Main Themes composed by John Barry / Music Score by Dana Kaproff


Review:

The Golden Seal sounds like it should be about Queen Victoria, have been made in the 1950s and scored by Miklos Rozsa, but actually it is about a golden seal.  I suppose nobody could accuse the filmmakers of not coming up with a literal title.  The legendary seal in question lives somewhere near the Aleutian Islands and it becomes one boy's quest to find it - little knowing that he is unwittingly allowing two rival hunters to find it too, and collect the great bounty which has been placed on its poor little head.  To make matters worse, one of the hunters is the boy's father - dads, eh?

Musically, the film represents a rare collaboration between Barry and another composer.  He would have scored the film himself, but a scheduling conflict meant Octopussy had to take priority, so Dana Kaproff (more well-known for his television work) was brought on board to write some of the score, mostly based on Barry's themes.  And what themes they are!  If you can truly resist a full-on long-lined Barry theme then, frankly, there's not much hope for you; I can't, and there are some great ones here.

"The Frolic" is an absolute Barry gem, a classic worthy of going alongside all his others.  The film's main theme sandwiches a majestic piece of opulent adventure music, the kind of soaring piece Barry has delivered with such panache on several occasions.  The frolic referred to in the track title is between the boy and the golden seal in the water, and those moments provide similar musical highlights later on.  "In the Water" features a full reading of the main theme; and the outstanding "Goodbye" tugs at the heart strings in no uncertain terms.

While the main musical highlights come from the tracks credited exclusively to Barry in the album booklet, the Kaproff sections are not without their moments.  The latter composer wrote the score's few moments of real action music; "The Bridge" is rather exciting, and Kaproff also scored much of the film's action-packed conclusion, with the highlight being the pairing of "The Choice" and "You're Safe Now", the former featuring a propulsive brass figure and the latter - featuring a reprise of a harmonic theme by Barry introduced much earlier in the score - releasing the tension in a very satisfying way.  While the action music sounds nothing like what Barry would have written, Kaproff skilfully manages to keep it entirely integrated into the overall feeling of the score - there are no jarring transitions from Composer A to Composer B here.

The final musical element is the very pleasant song "Letting Go", written by Barry and his regular lyricist Don Black, based on his main theme, sung by the great Glen Campbell.  Of course it's not hard-hitting, but it's a charming inclusion in the Barry song repertoire.  The Golden Seal is a very impressive score and album.

Don't be put off by the word "and" after "John Barry" on the front cover, this is a fine piece of music which will appeal to Barry's legion of fans as well as anyone else who likes thematically-rich family adventure music.



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Postage and packaging FREE to UK.

Will post worldwide.
Europe (Royal Mail International Standard) – £6.50.
Europe (Royal Mail International Tracked and Signed) – £11
N and S America, USA, Canada (Royal Mail International Standard) – £9
Asia, Australia, Japan (Royal Mail International Standard) – £11.

Sorry but no returns are 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.