NEWS

17 Sep 1998

Composer James Bernard, whose work dominates the forthcoming compilation album (photo: Lionel Cummings)

Work is almost complete on the new soundtrack album The Hammer Film Music Collection - Volume One. Compiled by Gary Wilson, the compact disc will be the first to gather together the very best original theme scores from the Hammer archives. "We have been working on this project for nearly a year now," he told us, "and we have put together a superb package. A lot of money and effort has been invested into restoring the original soundtrack tapes, I think people will be astonished when they hear some of the music we have discovered."

Scheduled for release on 31 October 1998, the album will feature the work of a number of composers including James Bernard, Don Banks and Carlo Martelli, for films such as Dracula, The Gorgon and Moon Zero Two. Sixteen pages of illustrated sleeve notes, a highlight of which is a tribute by Hammer chairman Roy Skeggs to conductor Philip Martell, will accompany the CD.

"This is an ongoing project," says Gary. "Further volumes will feature additional themes, the best incidental scores, and some previously unheard outtakes."