Coma/Westworld/The Carey Treatment FSM Goldsmith Karlin

This 2CD set features three 1970s M-G-M soundtracks for films involving the work of renowned "Hollywood author" Michael Crichton, including two related to the medical field.

The Carey Treatment (1972), based on Crichton's pseudonymous novel A Case of Need, starred James Coburn as an unconventional pathologist who solves a murder mystery at his Boston hospital. The melodic score by British phenom Roy Budd recalls his "mod symphonic" caper and adventure scores such as Get Carter, Fear Is the Key and The Black Windmill. This is the premiere release of the complete soundtrack.

Westworld (1973) was a popular "high concept" film starring James Brolin and Richard Benjamin as tourists at a futuristic amusement park. The park's humanoid robots run rampant (including a gunslinger portrayed by Yul Brynner) and Benjamin is forced to flee for his life. Fred Karlin's quirky, unconventional score combined ersatz western scoring, source cues, and strikingly original electronic music (with acoustic flavorings) by the versatile composer and performer. The Westworld soundtrack was earlier released on LP and CD, and this album features an expanded presentation with several corrected mixes.

Finally, Coma (1978) was a medical thriller starring Genevieve Bujold as a doctor who uncovers a terrible conspiracy at her hospital. Jerry Goldsmith's long-admired score came amidst what many consider to be the peak of his action and suspense writing: the late 1970s (e.g. Capricorn One, The Cassandra Crossing and others). The coiled, imaginative cues (spotted exclusively in the second half of the picture) feature strings, pianos and percussion (no brass) for a terrifying musical analog to the queasiness of the medical profession. Coma was earlier released on LP and CD, and this album features the complete, expanded soundtrack.

FSM's jam-packed 2CD set includes bonus tracks and outtakes for all three films, and a colorful 28-page booklet with liner notes by Jeff Bond and Lukas Kendall. All three scores are in newly remixed stereo.