Music Reviews

The Beau Hunks

LeRoy Shield’s Our Relations

Basta

This is the full score from Our Relations, a Laurel and Hardy film from 1936. You may think it takes a unique individual to appreciate this music; on the contrary, it’s difficult to deny the wit and delicacy of these compositions. Sophisticated beyond its time, LeRoy Shield’s music set the mood and nuance behind not just the pratfalls, but pivotal plot points and setups. This is a performance of the full score to the film, including many compositions which (shamefully) never made it to the final cut. The CD is accompanied by an eye-opening booklet detailing not only the background behind the music and film, but also the nature of the business at the time – while the number of zeros in the average film budget has increased in the last 60 years, the Byzantine machinations of Hollywood seem to have changed little. Highly educational and entertaining, this is very recommended for any film and music buff.

Basta Audio/Visuals: http://www.bastamusic.com


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