Fans have been asking for a "Nero Wolfe" soundtrack since the show hit the air -- the music is out of this world. A couple of months ago I wrote an e-mail to Intrada, a label that has been issuing a number of limited-edition soundtrack CDs -- including music by Michael Small, the composer for "Nero Wolfe." I wrote in hope that they would investigate doing an Intrada Special Collections soundtrack release for "Nero Wolfe," which was Michael Small's final screen credit.
The sound of "Nero Wolfe" also owes a lot to music editor Kevin Banks, and to Timothy Hutton and Aurore Giscard d'Estaing, for their inspired choices in production music. Kevin Banks wrote briefly about his involvement with the show and provided the titles of many pieces chosen, in notes preserved on the site of The Wolfe Pack. Quirt1 provided the link but the page has been moved; use this link and go to the bottom of the page:
http://www.nerowolfe.org/htm/AE_tv_series/music.htm
In the past few weeks I've been on a music hunt, using that site as a point of departure. A number of the titles are on CDs from KPM, Sonoton, Carlin, Koka, Omnimusic and JW Media -- CDs that sometimes come up for auction on eBay. I've entered what I've verified to date here at IMDb. In the left sidebar for each "Nero Wolfe" episode, click "soundtrack listing." In most instances you'll see the specific CD and track number.
And, in a very few instances (listed below) the music is available for download at Amazon.com, or on iTunes. You can click to hear a preview; the songs themselves cost less than a dollar.
Maybe the production music companies will make more of this music available for download, in time. Or maybe someone will finally issue a "Nero Wolfe" soundtrack and take the money we've been trying to give them for years. But for now, happy hunting!
[Note to buyerh: I've searched and searched for the tune that's used at the end of "Death of a Doxy," but I haven't found it yet. I've also been unable to find the music used in the closing of "Too Many Clients," which I also love.]
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CHAMPAGNE FOR ONE
"Jazz Suite No. 2 (Suite for Promenade Orchestra), VI - Waltz 2" (Dmitri Shostakovich)
Shostakovich: The Jazz Album
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Chailly
Opening sequence and recurring dance theme
iTunes; Amazon.com B0000041ZT
"Go Big Daddy" (Rick Krive)
Cramer crashes the brownstone looking for Laidlaw
iTunes; Amazon.com B002HI01FM
EENY MEENY MURDER MOE + DISGUISE FOR MURDER
"Siesta Serenade" (Ib Glindemann)
Titles; also used in "Over My Dead Body"
iTunes; Amazon.com B001E42GNU
OVER MY DEAD BODY
"Tom Toms Jam" (David Steinberg)
Archie goes to the Maidstone Building to get the goose; also used in "Death of a Doxy," "Before I Die" and "Cop Killer"
iTunes; Amazon.com B002HI26VE
DEATH OF A DOXY
"King Swing" (Ken Miller)
Archie walks away from Orrie in the paddock
iTunes; Amazon.com B002HI3R4O
MOTHERHUNT
"Rhonda's Eyes" (Scooter Pietsch and Sidney James)
Archie meets Anne Tenzer after she becomes an heiress; this is background music, heard only briefly in the episode
iTunes
"Dad's Boogie A" (Otto Sieben)
Archie and Lucy's slow dance changes to a jitterbug; this recording is slowed down considerably for the episode
iTunes; Amazon.com B0037BW1ZQ
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quirt1
15 years ago
Hey Walter, since you seem to be a big fan of the series, how about listing your favorite episodes in that thread on this board?
As a very knowledgable fan of NW, your opinions would certainly be interesting- to me anyway.
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profh-1
14 years ago
Just heard a piece of KPM music used for the opening theme of a NERO WOLFE
MYSTERY episode, "BEFORE I DIE".
It's "HIT & RUN" by Ralph Dollimore from "KPM 82: ARCHIVES VOLUME 2--DRAMA". Very appropriate, as that's what happens TWICE in the same story ("rat tat tat tat tat!")
I couldn't NOT notice this, as it's one of the tracks I included on my own
custom comp, "PROFESSOR H'S KUSTOM KPM KOMP". (And I was just running a copy of
the CD off for somebody YESTERDAY.)
I did a search on the IMDB, and it turns out this same piece of music has been used on REN & STIMPY, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, and other shows.
I made a point of adding it to the database for the NW episode.
No idea what album it might have originally appeared on, but it's available to hear at the KPM website. (Also the APM website, but since they redid the site in 2005, I haven't been able to figure the damned thing out.)
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walter_finch
14 years ago
Well, if this isn't great — thank you, professor. "Hit and Run" is Track 6 on KPM 129, Music for the Movies. "Louise," the title music for "Cop Killer," is Track 22 on the same CD. Great detective work, and thank you for adding it to IMDb, too.
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lukefan
13 years ago
Thanks for this Walter I'm glad someone loved this show enough to notice the music! Love Archie and Lucy's jitterbug! Best dance evah!
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