Original soundtrack now available on CD

As previously announced, Monstrous Movie Music (MMM) has released the original motion picture soundtrack from Destination Moon.

The CD retails for $19.95 and is in a limited edition of 1000. Besides the music, the release contains a 20-page booklet of liner notes on the film and Leith Stevens's score.

This is the actual music heard in and recorded for the film in 1950, not a re-recording. Although early reports some months ago said the release would be missing approximately 30 unidentified seconds of the music, in fact it contains the complete soundtrack, including not only the entire Woody Woodpecker cartoon sequence, but several cues that were recorded for but not used in the final film. [Update: there is in fact a brief missing passage, from the cartoon sequence; see the review below.] Abbreviated versions of the soundtrack were issued on LP shortly after the film's release, and again around 1978, but this is the first-ever release of the entire original soundtrack.

You can order the CD from either MMM (mmmrecordings.com) or Screen Archives Entertainment (SAE: screenarchives.com). A word of caution if you order from SAE: In 1957 an orchestral re-recording of much of the score was made in Vienna, and this has been available on CD since the 1990s. SAE still carries this disc, so if you order from them be sure you click on the correct CD. You can readily tell the difference between the two by their cover art: MMM's has a painting depicting the film's astronauts on the moon, with their ship behind them, almost like a photograph from the movie. The CD of the 1957 re-recording shows a picture of an actual 1960s rocket taking off, with a yellowish moon superimposed on the side.

MMM's release of the Destination Moon soundtrack complements its release last April of the original soundtrack from DM's 1950 cinematic rival, Rocketship X-M, which is also definitely worth getting.

After I receive the CD I'll update this post with a review of it.

Review and comment on the CD, added 11/22/12, amended 12/17/12 (with a correction 12/29/13):

Granted that Destination Moon is one of my favorite films, and I've always liked its music, this CD is one of the best soundtracks I've bought.

To start with, it is indeed the complete soundtrack, with one very brief exception that appears to be lost -- in the Woody Woodpecker sequence, where Woody drops his shotgun after firing it.

Now, there are some cues not heard in the film, but these are very few and, with one exception, solely within existing tracks -- not entire, separate tracks with all-new music. The lone exception is track #14, labeled "Countdown", which is assumed to have been written for the sequence where the ship prepares to take off from Earth. (Evidently the available information as to precisely which part of the film this music was written for is confusing, but this is the logical presumption.) It's actually somewhat reminiscent of the similar track composed for Rocketship X-M.

Otherwise, there are just a couple of extremely brief, nearly indiscernible, passages of music not heard in the film. The only track where I can definitely pick out a brief but obvious passage that was edited out of the final print is the next-to-last one (#34), the end music -- a repetition of a cue which lasts not more than 10 seconds or so. Essentially, therefore, with the mostly minor execptions I've mentioned, this is the complete soundtrack as heard in the film. (There's also a bonus track, #35, called "Harmonic Glissando", the underdub for the scene where the astronauts first gaze out on the moonscape from the ship's portal.)

Purists may have some quality issues with the disc. This CD was taken from the original acetate recordings made in 1950. As you'd expect, after 62 years there has been some degradation in the records, resulting in some crackle, like static, in the background of many of the tracks. For the most part this is not at all a major issue; it's not unnoticeable, but it's not distracting either, and it varies throughout, from nothing to slight background noise. In only one (#32) is there any kind of loud or prolonged bit of such "static", lasting around 26 seconds, but again, it doesn't really interfere with the music. Sure, it would have been nice to have had perfect recordings available, but such was not the case. Considering the age and passage of time, the fact that these recordings even exist, let alone in their totality, is amazing enough. It's the age-old choice: would you rather have the music with some slight audio flaws, or not have it at all? That's really no choice.

As mentioned, the disc contains not only all Leith Stevens's music, but also the separate score from the Woody Woodpecker cartoon sequence. This music was written by the uncredited Clarence Wheeler, a prolific composer of music for B pictures who worked for Woody creator Walter Lantz for fifteen years. One quick cue, called "Woody Hits the Ground", is the only bit of the film's music that's missing (apparently lost); it underscores Woody falling off his umbrella when it turns into a shotgun. A loss, but not crucial.

What's interesting in listening to this CD is just how evocative the music, including the cartoon sequence's, is, even when heard in isolation from the film. More than most movie music, DM's really conveys the feel of the film and its story. You can listen to it and viscerally enjoy the film itself, which isn't often the case with a soundtrack. This shows just how critical the music is to the picture's tone and enjoyment. Stevens received a Golden Globe nomination for this score, though he lost to Franz Waxman's great music for Sunset Boulevard.

Accompanying the disc is a 20-page booklet of liner notes that carries extensive and interesting information on the score and each of the cues. But the booklet has one glaring fault: while it's knowledgeable and respectful of the music, it's rather harsh about the film itself. This is an unfortunate aspect of several of MMM's CD booklets: while the music is always treated with care and regard, many of the films themselves come in for unnecessarily insulting comments.

Generally this attitude is adopted toward lower-budget films, so I was surprised and dismayed to see such a dismissive and (incidentally) inaccurate description and assessment of Destination Moon included with this CD. The bulk of the (brief) overview of the movie attacks it over the Sweeney character, referring to him as "resident moron" and missing the character's purpose within the plot. It's also disdainful of the script, the actors, the direction and just about every other facet of the film (including the Woody Woodpecker cartoon), save for the special effects and art direction (both nominated for Oscars). Why MMM countenances such unfortunate remarks about the films from which they derive their music is unfathomable. It's almost as though they're telling their customers that, you're an idiot for ever watching this movie in the first place, but here's the music for you. MMM definitely needs to exhibit the same appreciation for and understanding of the films as it does for their music. The sarcastic tone regarding the films leaves a bad taste in the mouth that the quality of the rest of the notes can't remove. Respect for the music should go hand-in-hand with respect for the film.

Yet notwithstanding this flaw, this CD is excellent overall and well worth the modest price. I've listened to it again and again and always find it compelling. Anyone who loves such rare and classic scores should pounce on this one, keeping in mind it's a limited edition.