Roy Budd
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Malte Müller.
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16. December 2025 at 10:02 #7024
We’ve touched on this composer a few times in other threads.
GET CARTER is one of my favourite films, so I noticed his name early on. Despite this, I never explored his work systematically, so I was later fascinated by his versatility, composing both jazz and orchestral music with equal ease, even conducting albums with orchestral evergreens by Williams, Goldsmith et.al.
And he managed ALL of this before he died at 46, two years younger than I am now.
Beyond GET CARTER (and SOLDIER BLUE – another childhood favourite that I saw with my dad, whose score was recently issued on Caldera), I also like FEAR IS THE KEY, MAN AT THE TOP and MAMA DRACULA, in particular.
Any favourites, opinions or stories about Budd you’d like to share? What are some of his jazz albums I should check out?
16. December 2025 at 10:14 #7025Budd is great. GET CARTER, SOLDIER BLUE and FEAR IS THE KEY (can someone find the car chase cue without SFX please?) are all great. I like all scores but have a spot for the groovy ones. Others like that are THE STONE KILLER, THE INTERCINE PROJECT, MARSEILLE CONTRACT, THE BLACK WINDMILL oder DIAMONDS. Many sound so fresh still. But the more orchestral ones like SINDBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER, WILD GEESE ones or his silent movie score to PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (although the main them reminds me of something else but I don’t remember what) are also good.
16. December 2025 at 10:32 #7026FEAR IS THE KEY (can someone find the car chase cue without SFX please?)
Indeed, that would be great. But I don’t think it exists. Same as the Brian May cue on MAD MAX 2.
16. December 2025 at 12:34 #7027Oh, and by the way, as I’m listening again to GET CARTER now, that — too — is riddled with sound effects and dialogue. The dialogue tracks can be weeded out, but not the train SFX in the main theme. Sheesh. If I want to experience the film, I’ll watch the bloody film!
16. December 2025 at 13:36 #7028Yes, I forgot about that… Really bad habit to add dialogue to soundtrack releases. But it is less intrusive than with that car chase…
I like that the Stallone remake used the theme. Tyler Bates’ “remix” is not that bad:
17. December 2025 at 10:13 #7042Big fan of Roy Budd here.
One score not mentioned yet is 1982’s Who Dates Wins,Lewis Collins as an SAS captain trying to avert world war three and save his wife and child at the same time.
Like Get Carter, the main theme is a deceptively simple melody, but crafted into a staccato and compulsive track that holds the attention.
The car chase theme from Fear is the Key is so indelibly fixed in my head that a version without the sound effects would probably feel unfinished!
17. December 2025 at 13:27 #7048One score not mentioned yet is 1982’s Who Dates Wins,Lewis Collins as an SAS captain trying to avert world war three and save his wife and child at the same time.
There is no real bad Budd score (I don’t have all I think). I know that one as THE FINAL OPTION generally. Not sure what the German title is or if I ever saw it.
17. December 2025 at 15:24 #7058Roy Budd? Never heard of him.
…until I discovered his two albums of adventure and space music with the LSO, including the most extensive suite available of Newman’s The Mark of Zorro. I then discovered his gorgeous score to the 1925 silent The Phantom of the Opera. Alas, I’m not that into other music of his that I’ve checked out.
21. July 2026 at 14:00 #12936Caldera just released Roy Budd’s CATLOW which was believed to be lost except the few tracks on the original SOLDIER BLUE album:
https://www.caldera-records.com/catlowTempted to get that! Sadly I missed their ZEPPELIN release being to slow which apparently is out of print now.
21. July 2026 at 14:54 #12938Yes, I saw that. Will definitely check out. The mono/stereo mix sounds a bit weird, but my tinnitus-affected ears can hardly separate between them anymore.
21. July 2026 at 15:06 #12939Thanks for moving my post. Somehow miss the Budd thread on searching… Don’t really mind the Stereo/Mono mix while listening to the samples. I would notice via headphones certainly but not a big deal if that is all that’s available.
22. July 2026 at 00:37 #12951I have a number of Budd scores. But my go-to is a two-disc comp of his ’70s stuff, Get Budd.
Curious how film score fans feel about sound effects in non-film music. Do people dislike sound effects in any/all music, or just film scores?
I personally LOVE the car sounds in Carter and Fear, and would never want to hear them any other way.
22. July 2026 at 08:58 #12954Curious how film score fans feel about sound effects in non-film music. Do people dislike sound effects in any/all music, or just film scores?
I’d rather be without them everywhere. But I dislike them more on soundtracks. Why? I guess because rather than using them more abstract and conceptual like in non-film music, they want to funnel my attention and my experience towards ONE particular source, the film. I prefer to associate more freely.
22. July 2026 at 09:46 #12957Yeah, would love to have these Budds without sound effects, even if they are less annoying on CARTER and I got to love with them in FEAR for 20+ years. Unless it is an audio play or similar I neither want dialogue nor sound effects…
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