The Mephisto Waltz with John Takis. *I would like to apologize as there are some audio issues in this episode. Released in 1971, The Mephisto Waltz was almost a response to the cult hit Rosemary's Baby. In this film,  Alan Alda plays a music journalist named Myles Clarkson, whose career as a piano player came to an end when his debut concert received terrible reviews. Then, Clarkson and his wife find themselves on the path of the Macabre when an aging pianist wants to trade souls with Myles so that he can become immortal. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by film score journalist Jon Takis to take a deep dive into Jerry Goldsmith's score to the film The Mephisto Waltz. We compare it to two of his other scores, Planet of the Apes and "The Invaders," an episode of The Twilight Zone. We talk about his techniques used for this score, including over dubbing, playing cues backwards, and the unique sound known as "The Lion's Roar," and determine that this is a strong contender for Goldsmith's creepiest score. Chapters In Memorial (00:00:00)  "Princess Leia's Theme" (from Star Wars composed by J. Williams) (00:00:39)  Melodic Treks Intro (00:03:04)  Contest and Happy New Year! (00:04:02)  "Part of the Bargain" (from The Mephisto Waltz composed by J. Goldsmith) (00:06:23)  Welcome, John! (00:08:04)  Let's Jump In (00:19:04)  The Mephisto Waltz Trailer (00:24:16)  "Main Title" (from The Mephisto Waltz composed by J. Goldsmith)  (00:27:52)  "The Mephisto Waltz" (F. Liszt) (00:31:09)  "Main Title" (from Planet of the Apes composed by J. Goldsmith) (00:36:25)  "The Invaders" (from The Twilight Zone composed by J. Goldsmith) (00:40:00) "End Title" (from The Mephisto Waltz composed by J. Goldsmith)  (00:45:09) "Dogfight" (from The Mephisto Waltz composed by J. Goldsmith)  (00:50:34)  "A New Miles" (from The Mephisto Waltz composed by J. Goldsmith)  (00:53:20)  "The Search Continues" (from Planet of the Apes, composed by J. Goldsmith) (00:55:58)  "The Hospital" (from The Mephisto Waltz composed by J. Goldsmith)  (00:59:58)  Spoilers! (01:02:53)  "One Night in Mexico" (from The Mephisto Waltz composed by J. Goldsmith)  (01:05:11)  Clip from "The Last Day of Scoring The Mephisto Waltz" (01:09:21)  Host Brandon-Shea Mutala Guest John Takis Production Brandon-Shea Mutala (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Bobby Tucker (Associate Producer) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Tony Robinson (Show Art)