Olivia Newton-John film soundtrack 'Toomorrow' released on CD Feb 2014

Real Gone Music in the US is releasing the 1970 debut album from forgotten group Toomorrow on CD for the first time on February 4, 2014. The album doubled as the soundtrack to their self-titled film, a screwball British musical comedy about college students and aliens (!) The band project was intended as a multimedia pop culture experience with film and television tie-ins not unlike the Monkees. Don Kirshner, the man behind the Monkees, was involved with the creation of Toomorrow under the misguided assumption that he could mimic the success he had already had. In the fashion that came to define most of Olivia's silver screen roles, the film is fairly dreadful but the music is fun, disposable 1970s fare ably produced by the late Phil Ramone. Vocals are mostly split between Olivia and Ben Thomas and at times the sound is very reminiscent of the Monkees with a female voice in the mix.

Kirshner once famously said the film would never be released again during his lifetime, and true to his word it wasn't. After he passed in 2011, it took little over a year for Pickwick to license it from the director's estate and issue it as a budget DVD in Europe. The same thing has obviously happened with the music here. No sign of the single 'I Could Never Live Without Your Love' and its B-side 'Roll Like A River', two non-album tracks produced by Bruce Welch in an effort to reverse the band's fate after the movie crashed and burned in cinemas. It was released on Decca Records, so perhaps there were licensing hurdles there. It's a shame as they are two of the better songs to come from the group.

Real Gone Music's blurb for the release is:

Long before she was Sandy, the good girl of Rydell High, or Kira, the Olympian muse of the roller disco Xanadu, Olivia Newton-John was just plain Livvy, the girl singer with dreams of the big time in the 1970 sci-fi movie musical Toomorrow. This little-known motion picture was the brainchild of music impresario Don Kirshner and Harry Saltzman, best known for co-producing the first nine James Bond films with Albert R. Broccoli. And Toomorrow wasn t just the movie s title. After a lengthy talent search, Kirshner and Saltzman assembled the band Toomorrow, whom the music mogul modestly described as the best-looking total group that ever existed. Why the misspelling? As drummer Karl Chambers put it in the film itself, I dig it! We re too much, we re too morrow! At least Kirshner thought so he had visions of Toomorrow achieving the success of his previous creations the Monkees and the Archies, and enlisted the aid of songwriters Mark Barkan and Richie Adams (along with composer Hugo Montenegro) for the movie s bubblegum-meets-rock tunes. But, weighed down by legal problems surrounding Saltzman, and a premise Toomorrow was going to save a race of aliens called the Alphoids from an existence-threatening sterility of sound that was silly even by late- 60s B-movie standards, the movie went nowhere. The soundtrack, however, boasting the nascent superstar Newton-John, has attained serious cult status over the years, and our Real Gone release marks its first reissue in any format, with notes by Joe Marchese and remastering by Maria Triana at Battery Studios in NYC. Like the cover says, Launch out on a musical cosmic trip with the new Toomorrow!



It can be pre-ordered here.


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Well Chris, that is good news!

I honestly thought I'd never see this on CD in my (dwindling) lifetime. We just have to hope it's not a vinyl rip! Actually, I think I've read some good reviews of Real Gone stuff, so maybe that won't be an option. Shame about the absence of the single... You're right, they are 2 of the strongest tracks by the group.

Please God, don't let them use that dreadful Pickwick DVD as inspiration for the project!

Anyway, thanks for that news. It's made my night!

 

Yes, the Pickwick DVD of the film was not great quality, but it's fitting that the re-release of the soundtrack has commanded more attention to detail - it's by far the better of the two! I never thought this would be released either, so it's a very pleasant surprise. 'Toomorrow' might not be the most essential soundtrack in Olivia's discography, but it completes an important part of the story in regards to her early recorded output (as well as making the jump to the rootsy folk of 'Olivia Newton-John'/'If Not For You' album seem even more impressive).


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I can't believe we've had to wait 44 years for it to be released properly! That has to be some kind of record!

Believe it or not, I've never heard the soundtrack in it's entirety... I've seen the LP on eBay and Esprit over the years but it's always been wildly over-priced and often in poor condition.

It is a shame that the single won't be included. The soundtrack should have been full of bright, poppy tunes like that. Maybe they're saving those songs for the 2 CD deluxe edition down the line!

 

I wrote to Real Gone Music about the missing single and they said 'There are licensing issues and we can't include it. But thanks for the interest. Tapes were in rough shape but it sounds pretty good'. It seems like there has been a fair bit of care afforded to the remastering, which is more than we could have hoped for at this point. I have a mint copy of the LP but have never dared to play it - a jewel in my much-studded ONJ collection! There are vinyl rips doing the rounds as digital files on the internet which have been my go-to versions, although my first exposure to the album was on a cassette copied from another fan years ago. It felt surreal to finally hear songs from a project that I felt was buried so deep it was impossible to find! It's not Olivia's strongest soundtrack outing but I've always loved her performances on the title track and 'Going Back'. She never recorded songs that sounded like these tracks again, so they remain worthwhile tunes to seek out.


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I always felt that although Toomorrow were supposed to be 'sound of the 70s', the actual songs sound like they're from the mid-60s. I could imagine Matt Monro having a pop at the title track! It's going to be a really short CD, though!

Sad about the single, but thanks for clarifying.

 

Now I don't have to rip my album though I probably never would. I'm not a fan of the soundtrack. I also have a 45 but I don't think it's the one you both are talking about.

I had high hopes for the soundtrack with having Kirshner and Olivia on the same project. I didn't like it much. And I may be in the minority but I actually liked the movie. Rather trippy fun. I feel they had an interesting idea with the aliens and wish they went even crazier with that angle.

 

Chris, Thank you so much for contacting Real Gone Music, and giving us that info: 'There are licensing issues and we can't include it. But thanks for the interest. Tapes were in rough shape but it sounds pretty good'. To truly KNOW they've gotten access to the original TAPES is nothing short of AMAZING... (That Pickwick DVD was horrible, sound only out 1 speaker, picture like many gens down video !)

 

Woo hoo! It should be out this week! I've preordered it, obviously, but if anyone manages to get it on release day, some comments on sound quality, etc would be appreciated. It's a US release and I'm not expecting mine for a couple of weeks unless Amazon surprise me.. Still, I suppose if I've waited 44 years, another 2 weeks won't hurt! Looking forward to hearing it. I've only heard the music played in the movie. Have never owned the LP.

 

She does seem to be putting on more of an English accent on the songs I've heard. Nice to hear her young, pure voice, though. She had it in spades even then.

 

I'm eagerly awaiting the CD of the Toomorrow soundtrack (Amazon says it shipped Monday, 2/3/14), but it's a little bittersweet, as the original LP has long been the greatest treasure in my vinyl collection, and it will be losing its status as one of the rarest recordings I own. Sure, the LP will still be rare, but the music itself will be easily obtainable -- until the CD goes out of print.

I could look on the bright side; if the CD sells poorly and goes out of print quickly, it could become as valuable as an original LP...

Ah, well. I do have the Toomorrow non-album 7" single, so I still have one honest-to-goodness ONJ rarity.

 

I doubt the value of the 'Toomorrow' LP or single will drop anytime soon. Very few were made and prices for the two are still very high. I don't own either, but wish I did! The only rare-ish things I own of Olivia's are the early MCA CDs. Anyway, hope you enjoy the CD. I've ordered it, but living in the UK will have to wait another couple of weeks to get it. Let us know what the sound quality/packaging etc is like when you get it.

 

Show me the way to happiness valley!

It arrived in the mail today. Currently listening to it. Sounds okay but a bit shrill. Sounds old, which may be a good thing. I have the original vinyl. If I have time later I'll try to compare.

Here are some quick shots. I'm not sure why they went with yellow for the label as the picture sort of disappears. Squint and you may see it.

 

At least the packaging is nice! Thanks for those pictures. About the sound, does it sound like it's from a master tape? Please tell me it's not sourced from vinyl. My absolute most hated thing!

 

They have a picture of the master tape box so I'm hoping it's from that. I'm listening to the vinyl now, which kicked on my subwoofer, the CD did not. Take that for what it's worth. I think the vinyl sounds better and I'm now currently ripping it. The CD sounds fine though.

I noticed the back covers says "Toomorrow was. . ." and then lists the band.

 

Yes, I noticed the picture of the master tape box after I'd asked my question! I'm looking forward to getting it. It can't be any worse that that Pickwick DVD of the film!

 

My CD arrived earlier this evening, and I'm finally able to sit an listen with headphones. Overall, the sound is pretty good. Not perfect, but certainly not bad. The sound is honestly quite close to that of the rip I made of my LP years ago; I don't detect much difference in the EQ.

As my LP copy is VG+ at best, the CD is a definite improvement with regard to surface noise. My initial reaction is that the CD sounds like a decent flat transfer of the album master tape.

 

My copy is on its way. It will be quite the experience to listen to it on CD. I have never listened to my LP copy (it has been treated like gold for however many years I've had it!) and the rips I have collected over the years have been fairly average, so I'm really looking forward to hearing a 'clean' version.

The packaging looks good. The image of the master reels is a nice touch, as is the use of the 1978 re-release film poster on the back. It would have been nice to see more photographs of the group in the booklet, just as it would have been nice for the missing 7" and its B-side to be included, but this is already above and beyond what I would have expected for a lost soundtrack.


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I know they said it would be more money to add the bonus tracks but I really wonder if they knew about that single and B-side and it was just too late to add them.

I had only played my vinyl once a long time ago. When I played it yesterday after listening to the CD I was surprised at how good (and clean!) the vinyl sounded.

 

Just wanted to say that I received my 'Toomorrow' CD today. Thanks to Pizza's pictures I knew what it would look like, but I'm happy to say it sounds pretty good too! It's a bit 'thin' sounding, like a lot of 60s music can be on CD but it's crystal clear and, thankfully, not sourced from vinyl!

This is the first time I've heard the soundtrack in it's recorded form. I never had the LP so the only times I've heard the songs are when watching the movie. Olivia isn't featured heavily as previously stated but does nice lead vocals on 'Goin' Back' and 'Walkin' On Air'. The latter I don't think I've heard before. Was it in the movie? I think Olivia sounds great and I was surprised to hear her stretching her voice here more than she does on her first couple of studio albums. She really lets fly in places! It's nice picking out her voice on the other tracks against the rather bland male lead vocals.

The instrumentals are cute. A couple of them reminded me of the music they used to play in the skits on the old Benny Hill shows! The album is less than 30 minutes long, but on first hearing, I have to say it's far better than I expected. Maybe I'm just in a good mood! Real Gone have done an excellent job on this release. The music sounds good and the packaging is nice too. Honestly, it's worth the 44 year long wait!

 

I was really disappointed when I first played my LP soundtrack of Toomorrow a long time ago. I loved the Monkees and the Archies and expected more of the same. Plus Olivia only sang lead on a few songs. So, I played it once, was glad to have it in the collection but felt no need to play it again anytime soon.
I was surprised at my reaction when I played the CD. I won't say I love it but I did enjoy it for it's dated sound. It made me pull out the LP and give it a spin too while ripping it.

 

It is a lot better than I expected. I've only ever seen poor quality versions of the movie. Sadly that's including the Pickwick 'official' DVD! I think I was more trying to make out what was happening on screen rather than focus on the music! It's difficult to predict if any of the songs would have been chart worthy in 1970. I would think not, probably. The material is nowhere near the class of the Monkess and Archies songs, that's for sure.

 

I'm shocked that this wasn't everywhere after Grease and Xanadu. Unless the rights were a bear.

 

Listened to the Real Gone CD today and absolutely loved it! Great Hugo Montenegro sound effects and vocals and some really good, charming slices of innocent sixties sci-fi soundtrack sensational sounding lushiousness! Played it twice already!

 

I was pleasantly surprised by it too. I never had the LP so I only heard the music when various poor quality videos/DVDs of the film were playing. They've done a good job cleaning the soundtrack up.