ribonucleic
06-15-2013, 02:10 AM
Not only are there the production numbers you would expect for the era in Radioland Murders, but you also have all the filler material heard around those features, including numerous commercial jingles. McNeely's primary job was to arrange a wide variety of era-appropriate songs and re-record many of them with fresh vocals and instrumental clarity. On top of that, he wrote several jingles (including some of the lyrics) for a range of products advertised on WBN, most of them stereotypically saccharine but a few on the funnier side. In between all of this is a limited amount of original score, most of it defined by the jazz of the era (to coincide with the songs) but some of the later cues of suspense requiring the services of the full orchestra. The period songs are exactly as you would expect for Radioland Murders, their high jazz style guided by Johnny Mercer, Gene Autry, Ralph Rainger, and Irving Berlin. Most of them are enthusiastic and optimistic to a fault, expressing the gleaming delight of the station's most attractive material but also serving as humorous counterpoint (embodied best by "Love is on the Air Tonight") to the many killings happening at the station. McNeely's original jingles are highly entertaining, from the feel-good (though nearly 1950's-styled) "Applebaum Shorts" to the faux-campfire "Gene's Pork and Beans." By "King's Washing Machines" and others, these little vignettes become akin to their own musical numbers, the xylophone seemingly a common thread in their background instrumentals. There isn't much original score to be found on the album release for Radioland Murders, and most of that material outside of the suspense music at the climax is directly tied to the surrounding big jazz numbers in style. One specialty cue, "Gork, Son of Fire," exhibits McNeely's orchestral sense of humor quite well, his spin on vintage sci-fi wonderment well executed. Even more memorable, however, is his duo of "The Killer is..." and "Death on the Radio Tower," nearly ten minutes of outstanding action and drama that isn't entirely original but clearly a lasting highlight in McNeely's career. Some of the bursts of force from the ensemble in these cues foreshadow the swirling magnificence of the storm cue in Virus. They both owe quite a bit to Bernard Herrmann, however, because aside from the fleeting, original thematic constructs that stomp through these two cues, it's Herrmann's classic Vertigo that really defines them. Hinted in the previous cue but absolutely saturating "Death on the Radio Tower," the Vertigo references become increasing prevalent. McNeely, who would conduct that famous score just a couple of years later for an acclaimed, full re-recording, handles it with admirable respect despite its humorous application. - Filmtracks
1. Love is On the Air Tonight - written by Johnny Mercer and Richard Whiting (2:03)
2. Welcome to Radioland (3:43)
3. WBN Logo/Applebaum Shorts (0:44)
4. A Guy What Takes His Time - written by Ralph Rainger (3:08)
5. Back in the Saddle Again - performed by Tracy Byrd (1:54)
6. Gene's Pork and Beans (0:58)
7. I'll Be Glad When You're Dead (You Rascal You) - written by Sam Theard (2:11)
8. Suspect Roundup/Spy Story (3:39)
9. That Old Black Magic - performed by Billy Barty (1:36)
10. Crazy People - written by Edgar Leslie and James V. Monaco (2:06)
11. Java Jive - written by Ben Oakland and Milton Drake (1:26)
12. In the Mood - written by Joseph Garland (3:16)
13. Interrogation Opera (2:47)
14. King's Washing Machines/WBN Logo (1:15)
15. That Old Feeling - performed by Rosemary Clooney (3:13)
16. I Miss You So - performed by The Voltage Brothers (2:51)
17. Husdson Automobiles/Darabont's BBQ Sauce (1:25)
18. Tico, Tico/Don't Let Your Love Go Wrong/WBN Logo (4:06)
19. What'll I Do - performed by Joey Lawrence (2:44)
20. Gork, Son of Fire (2:26)
21. The Killer is... (4:36)
22. Death on the Radio Tower (5:05)
23. And the Angels Sing - written by Johnny Mercer and Ziggy Elman (1:59)
24. End Titles ("And the Angels Sing" Medley) (4:41)
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