For the first time Danny Elfman, the man known for scoring wide swath of American cinema, will have his score for Mission: Impossible available on vinyl. Featuring liner notes by Brian Satterwhite, this two-LP set will be available in either Red Light / Green Light vinyl or strictly Translucent Red. The former will be limited to only 1,000 copies.
In Consequence of Sounds’ exclusive interview with Mondo’s record label manager Mo Shafeek, he discussed the decision behind finally releasing the music for the Mission: Impossible and which future properties are next in line for a vinyl recording.
Shafeek noted that his sense of nostalgia for guilty pleasure 90’s blockbuster cinema lead him to considering the film in the first place, noting his belief that it has one Elfman’s best scores. Unfortunately he was unable to confer with the man himself due to bandwidth.
That being said, Shafeek was clear he won’t typically work on a project unless it means a lot to him personally. “Being a huge fan of this franchise, something like this was very easy to put together,” he said. “But traditionally we assign each film to an artist who is a fan of that particular film, show, or game, and let them run wild. And we strive to make each release as purposeful and special so that a fan would appreciate the little touches. In this case, the gum that goes… ‘boom.'”
Mondo has already done similar re-issues for the films Hellraiser and Josie and the Pussycats. Following the release of the latter, Mondo has been receiving requests for a variety of film scores, many that Shafeek admits he had not considered before. “Everyone has a film they love that is not seen as a commercial or a critical darling … so the likelihood of it getting a deluxe re-issue, or a Criterion Collection Blu-Ray is very small,” said Shafeek. “I’d like to think what we are doing is giving a lot of those films the showcase they deserve.”
In the future, Shafeek has an ever-changing list of films that he would like to see get the Mission: Impossible treatment. However, he acquiesced to revealing his at-the-moment top three: Yann Tiersen’s score to Amelie, the original Jem and the Holograms TV series, and the rest of the Mission: Impossible franchise.
The upcoming album can be pre-ordered from Mondo’s official website.
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