The Man With The Golden Arm Soundtrack CD
The Man With The Golden Arm.
1956, Sanctuary.
Elmer Bernstein.
MCA/Spectrum, 2001, 544 627-2
Rating: 
Elmer Bernstein’s effective jazz score to Otto Preminger’s movie and Nelson Algren’s book about dope addict and gambler Johnny Machine (Frank Sinatra) is a wonderful mix of swagger and swing. From the opening notes (’Clarke Street’), sounding uncannily like Willie Dixon’s ‘I Just Want To Make Love To You’, it is evident that Bernstein wrote this as a character study, almost a musical biography, charting the highs and lows of Machine’s downfall. Given a tremendous boost thanks to Shorty Rogers and His Giants with drum legend Shelly Manne, particularly on ‘Desperation’ and ‘Audition’, Machine’s desire to one day play drums in a big time band makes Bernstein’s intelligent scoring integral to the film’s story. ‘Molly’ and ‘Sunday Morning’ introduce a more sombre aspect to the score but, as reflected in the up-and-down nature of Machine’s character, these are interspersed with shrill passages that define the psychological and physical tensions, brought about through addiction, underpinning the entire film. Combining symphony and jazz orchestra, Bernstein has created a score that works on two distinct levels, managing to combine them beautifully; it is a shame that the compilers of this release did not follow through with some decent liner notes and complete the package as Bernstein would undoubtedly have hoped.
The Man With The Golden Arm Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Clarke Street/The Top/Homecoming.
2. Zosh.
3. Frankie Machine.
4. The Fix.
5. Molly.
6. Breakup/Flight/Louie’s/Burlesque.
7. Sunday Morning.
8. Desperation.
9. Audition.
10. The Cure/Withdraw/Cold Morning.
11. Finale.
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