Was there ever a more striking iconic image to help define pop-culture of the 1970’s?
The only images that spring to mind are Farah Fawcett’s smiling poster and the cover of the ‘Grease’ album. There had been long speculation in the press at the time that ‘newcomer’ Christopher Reeve was ‘too skinny’ for the role so the Producers response was to send Reeve on special photo shoots in New York to pose on the banks of the East River and overlooking Central Park to prove the Man Of Steel was indeed real. The first hint that the production was a serious take on the legend is the fact Superman is presented here without a hint of irony in a contemporary setting in broad daylight looking as if he’s just walked off of the front page of his own comic book. Reeve’s steely gaze in the spectacular new Superman costume is the kind of cover editors dream of and so was used repeatedly all over the world to announce his arrival on the big screen…
A long-overdue continuation of this magnificent collage – apologies to those who have been waiting patiently!
Further additions to complete the set are upcoming but for now, enjoy..!!
In conclusion to the posts detailing the Superman Soundtrack library I present this fascinating pair of double disc releases from 1998 and 2000, respectively. These infinitely contrasting CD’s are notable for being the first full rehashes of John Williams original score since the 1978 soundtrack album, supplemented by previously unreleased material.
Curiously, Varese Sarabande were there first, with a 20-track adaptation ably performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Emmy Award winning composer (SeaQuest DSV) John Debney. Simply but gracefully presented, the set makes up for any lack of WB involvement by utilising hitherto unseen paintings for Superman: The Movie by Bob Peak for the cover and liner notes (2nd and 4th pics). This, plus the never-before-published music from The Helicopter Rescue (Disc 2, Track 1) quickly made the album a must-have and somewhat of a rarity today.
Not be outdone, two years later Warner Brothers Archive label Rhino would offer a humdinger of a package as a sparkling update/re-issue of the original John Williams material that re-addressed the balance by offering 35 tracks of remastered music mostly peppered with previously unreleased material. Exquisitely packaged, with an holographic slipcase and colour liner-notes, this Michael Matessino-produced spectacular was considered definitive until the discovery of even better source material during research conducted for the upcoming Superman: The Movie Special Edition on DVD. It would be the best part of a decade before the reels discovered in Pinewood Studios vaults would yield the ultimate box-set…
Due to unprecedented demand from fans the world over, Hot Toys has finally revealed the teaser photo above confirming their next figure to be Kal-El himself…!
Stay tuned for updates…
Following on from the musical theme of recent posts, here is a selection of vintage images promoting the soundtrack incorporating what was to become one of the most instantly recognisable theme tunes of Movie history.
Legendary Composer John Williams, while forever associated with Spielberg and Lucas is nonetheless responsible for the greatest Superhero music of all time despite twice nearly losing out on the job to Jerry Goldsmith. From the top – rare full-page ad from Variety announcing Warner Bros. as the top Music Publisher of 1978, ad for the 7″ single release, Sheet music cover for ‘Can You Read my Mind’ as performed by Maureen McGovern, and Japanese 7″ Single record sleeve.
