LAWRENCE WELK - TV Western Theme Songs

LAWRENCE WELK

TV Western Theme Songs


THE SOUND OF

CORAL RECORDS

HIGH-FIDELITY


CRL 57267

Printed in U.S.A.
LONG PLAY 33 1/3 RPM


SELECTIONS INCLUDE:


Side One

1 BALLAD OF PALADIN
R. Boon-S. Rolfe-J. Western
From TV Series "Have Gun Will Travel"

2 THE RESTLESS GUN
M. GReen-D. Kahn-M. Lenard
From TV Series "The Restless Gun"

3 (Roll Along) WAGON TRAIN
S. Fain-J. Brooks
From TV Series "Wagon Train"

4 BROKEN ARROW
P. Sawtell-N. Washington
From TV Series "Broken Arrow"

5 SUGARFOOT
M. Steiner-R. Heindorf-P. F. Webster
From Warner Bros TV Series "Sugarfoot"

6 TALES OF WELLS FARGO
M. Greene-S. J. Wilson
From TV Series "Tales of Wells Fargo"


Side Two

1 THE LEGEND OF WYATT EARP
From ABC TV Series "The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp"
H. Warren-H. Adamson

2 MAVERICK
D. Buttolph-P. F. Webster
From Warner Bros. TV Series "Maverick"

3 CHEYENNE
W. Lava-S. Jones
From Warner Bros TV Series "Cheyenne"

4 GUNSMOKE
G. Spencer-R. Koury
From TV Series "Gunsmoke"

5 TWENTY MULE TRAIN
H. Raylor-M. Raskin
From TV Series "Death Valley Days"

6 MY CALICO GAL
M. Greene-S. Wilson
From TV Series "Buckskin"


There is a certain (quite pleasant) inevitability in the musical merger of two of television's most potent forces: Lawrence Welk and The Adult Western.The almost universal popularity of each is an established fact among viewers, as Bert Piel calls us all, yet it is one of the mysteries of our time why no one before this conceived the idea of having Maestro Welk shake musical hands with his fellow tenants of the Great Glass House.

Well, that oversight is hereby remedied, and the exciting and memorable "main title" themes that serve to introduce such brethren of the Colt as Paladin, Matt Dillon, the Mavericks, Cheyenne, Major Adams, Wyatt Earp, Vint Bonner, Jim Hardy and other trusty heroes are now presented front and center to receive the inimitable, highly listenable and always delightful Welk treatment.

The Western is, of course, one of our most touching, typically American folk myths. We know in our hearts and minds, before the opening commercial (which always seems endless!) reaches its close, that the good guy will always win; that the bad guy or guys will end up sadder, wiser, behind bars - or dead on dusty Main Street. We know our hero will be sorely tried; he'll be beaten, ambushed (dry-gulched or bushwhacked, son!), betrayed (she's purty but she really don't mean no good, Miiister Dillon), and in general made a fool of. But the relentless combination of masculine merit, the honest face and the fast draw, will see him through. Outlaws visibly blanche at the mention of his name (did you say Vint Bonner?) and he frequently is wounded; yet he's always as sound as a dollar comes next week. The bad guys still tend to wear black hats; the good, white ones. The "Doc" is ever to be trusted, never to be listened to. Cattle are still being rustled like mad; Civil War scars never quite heal, do they? And we still hear the familiar film cry, head'em off at the pass!

Sure, they're easy to poke fun at. They're repetitive, predictable, convention-bound, bloody, and oversimplified. But as the various TV rating services mercilessly prove each week, we watch 'em, we listen to 'em and we love 'em. All of us.

Why? Because the world of the Western is a man's world, where sense of duty and personal heroism are a dual way of life. The Western hero is a man's man, with lithe, animal prowess to distinguish him. He wears a glint of death on his hip and a reminder of The Law on his lapel. If there is a better myth in which to lose one's self; a better escape from the humdrum, the irrational and the complicated, it has yet to reveal itself. Meanwhile back at the ranch-type (or split-level) the guns
begin to boom across the land each night as the dinner dishes are put away.

The TV Western has as its progenitor the Hollywood film Western. Beginning with the earliest "talkies" and culminating in such classics as "High Noon", "Red River", "The Gunfighter", "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral", "The Hanging Tree", etc., the supporting music accompanying the Western has drawn on the country's top composers. On television, Western musical themes continue the "High Noon" tradition; each show has its own memorable and distinctive "main title" introduction and finale. Strung together, as they are here, they make wonderful listening, evoking a composite portrait of hundreds of happy half-hours in the West. And Lawrence Welk's unique sparkling arrangements make them even more memorable.

Welk - whose own weekly TV shows are viewed by millions - is probably the most popular music-maker of our Television Age. His skillful palette of talented performers, good music, superb presentation and genuine personal charm have seldom been blended to better advantage. So, let's all follow the downbeat of Maestro Welk as the TV set lights up and ... they went thataway!

- Mort L. Nasatir