Sweet Smell of Success

Sweet Smell of Success is the soundtrack to the 1957 Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions film of the same name. The music from the film was released by Decca Records in June 1957 on two separate long play records; one featuring Elmer Bernstein's score, the other with Chico Hamilton Quintet's music. Production and release The film score was composed, arranged and conducted by Elmer Bernstein, but the picture also featured jazz themes performed and recorded by the Chico Hamilton Quintet. The music was published and copyrighted through producers Harold Hecht and Burt Lancaster's own music publishing company, Calyork Music, which was affiliated with BMI. Calyork Music's third partner, Loring Buzzell, was responsible for securing the release of the music on soundtrack albums through Decca Records. It was a landmark event in the soundtrack industry; the first film to have two separate soundtracks, each featuring completely different music. One LP featured Bernstein's score, the other LP featured Hamilton's band. Sweet Smell of Success spanned two soundtrack LPs and two promotional singles. The first soundtrack LP was released in July 1957 by Decca Records (catalog DL 8610) and featured the jazz score composed by Elmer Bernstein. That same month, the lead single was released by Decca Records with the songs The Street and Toots Shor's Blues (catalog Decca 30379). The second soundtrack LP featured music composed and performed by the Chico Hamilton Quintet, who also appeared in the film. Decca Records released this LP in August 1957 (catalog DL 8614) and promoted it with a single by Mark Murphy featuring Goodbye Baby on the A-side and The Right Kind of Woman on the B-side (catalog Decca 30390). The liner notes of the 2008 compact disc reissue state that the Bernstein score was recorded on June 12, 1957, and the Hamilton tracks on July 12, 1957, but that is inaccurate. The same reissue also omits one of the Hamilton tracks from the disc. The film premiered June 27, 1957, so the music had already been long-recorded. The dates provided in the compact disc liner notes most likely reflect the original LP release dates, which coincides with mentions in Billboard magazine.