Alfred Hitchcock Presents... Signatures in Suspense

In the compilation album "Alfred Hitchcock Presents… Signatures in Suspense", we are treated to a delightful selection of music from most of the master filmmaker's American films. Beginning with, of course, the "Theme from Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (aka "Funeral March of a Marionette", the album then progresses through music from most of Hitchcock's films.

The original recordings of themes from Dial M for Murder and I Confess, both composed by Dimitri Tiomkin, are presented, as well as music from Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, Marnie, Torn Curtain (both the original Bernard Herrmann recording and the John Addison version), Topaz, Frenzy, The Wrong Man, Family Plot, and The Trouble with Harry. Almost all of these recordings are the original recordings, except for Psycho, which is a suite recorded by Herrmann with the London Symphony Orchestra, and Topaz, Frenzy, and The Wrong Man are all re-recordings done by Paul Bateman and Elmer Bernstein for a 1993 album on Herrmann's works.

The real treats of the album, however, are the abundance of previously unreleased recordings. Hip-O Records, part of the Universal Music Group, must have had some exclusive access to the Hitchcock archives at Universal for some of this material. "Juke Box #6" from Rear Window is some jazzy source music. The cues from Marnie have never been released in their original form, as well as the three infamous cues from Torn Curtain – which was Herrmann's last (rejected) score for Hitchcock. While a re-recording of the complete score was done last year for Varese Sarabande Records, this is the first time that the original recordings have been released to the public. The final gem is the "End Credits & End Titles" cue from Family Plot – which is the only Hitchcock film scored by master composer John Williams – and has never been released on album before.

As a retrospective on Hitchcock's film (and their music), this album is top-notch. The liner notes, written by Steve Smith (who wrote a book on Bernard Herrmann) are extensive, and the 14-page booklet also includes an introduction by Danny Elfman. Presented in a fold-out case, the artwork is very elegant and deserves mention. Ultimately, this is probably one of the best compilation albums for Hitchcock's films that is available on the market today, and anyone who is a fan of his work shouldn't be without it. Additionally, the sheer amount of unreleased cues should make this an instant purchase for any film music fan.