Tag Archives: Aleph Records

My Life in Movies (vinyl edition)

For Record Store Day (April 22, 2017), Lalo Schifrin’s Aleph Label issued a handsome, spectacular-sounding 2-LP condensation of his 4-CD My Life in Music collection from 2012, focusing on his work for films and television. I revised my original liner notes for this special, 1,000-copy limited edition, produced by the one and only Nick Redman. Here is the rundown of what’s on it, and for those of you who don’t have the CD box, it’s well worth tracking down for its 1970s Schifrin rarities (including themes from The Beguiled, Charley Varrick and Concorde: Airport ’79). I really love this set, and what a joy it is to drop a needle on a record again…

Enter the Dragon

I love this movie, and I can confirm that I’m far from the only guy who also loves this score (just ask Brett Ratner how he decided to hire Lalo Schifrin for the Rush Hour movies). It is, of course, the greatest kung-fu movie ever made, with an amazing performance by Bruce Lee both as star and fight choreographer. Lalo Schifrin’s score was originally released in 1973 as a 26-minute LP but then expanded by producer Nick Redman into a 56-minute CD by Warner Home Video in 1998. I was privileged to write the notes for that expansion, interviewing the composer and delving into the creation of this iconic score. So for Aleph’s reissue of the latter — expanded slightly to include the film’s main title, with Lee’s unique shouts — I have adapted my earlier essay.