PSYCHO: Bernard Herrmann's Complete Music For Alfred Hitchcock's Suspense Thriller
CD Includes Digital Download / Digital Booklet
Dragon’s Domain Records presents PSYCHO, featuring music composed by Bernard Herrmann (CITIZEN KANE, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, VERTIGO) for the 1960 horror classic directed by the legendary Alfred Hitchcock, written by Robert Bloch and Joseph Stefano, starring Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire and Simon Oakland.
Released in 1960, PSYCHO focuses on an encounter between Marion Crane (Leigh) and Norman Bates (Perkins) and its aftermath, in which Arbogast, a private investigator (Balsam), Marion’s lover Sam (Gavin) and her sister Lila (Miles) investigate her disappearance. On the run after embezzling money from her former employer, Marion makes a fateful stop at the Bates motel, where she meets shy proprietor Norman and Marion’s fate is changed forever... Now considered one of Hitchcock’s best films and arguably his most influential work, PSYCHO was seen as a departure at the time from his previous film, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, as it was filmed in black-and-white, on a small budget, with the same crew Hitchcock used for his television series, ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS. The film was a massive success in its day, spawning three sequels, a remake, a made-for-television spin-off and a television series.
Bernard Herrmann is one of the greatest composers of motion picture music in the twentieth century. He is considered the man behind some of the most original and distinctive film scores. He was a master at evoking psychological and dramatic tension in his music to suit the dramatic needs of a film. He won his only Oscar in 1947 for writing the score for THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER. Herrmann made a powerful mark in radio and in 1934 he began a 25-year career as a conductor and composer in radio, working for the CBS. In 1938, he scored the notorious infamous presentation of Orson Welles’ Halloween production of H. G. Wells’ THE WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast. He is best remembered for his collaborations with some of Hollywood’s most celebrated film directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Martin Scorsese and Brian DePalma. Described as a perfectionist, he believed that most directors didn't have a clue about music so he would blithely ignore their instructions. His filmography includes CITIZEN KANE, THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, VERTIGO, MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, CAPE FEAR, FAHRENHEIT 451, OBSESSION, TAXI DRIVER and many hours of episodic television including THE TWILIGHT ZONE and HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL, among others.
First released on vinyl in 1975 by Unicorn-Kanchana and later released in the early days of the compact disc format, this recording captured the first complete presentation of music from PSYCHO as performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by the composer himself in 1975. Dragon’s Domain Records is excited to bring PSYCHO back to the marketplace under license from Unicorn-Kanchana, newly remastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland and retaining the original album liner notes by Christopher Palmer.
PSYCHO is a limited edition release. PSYCHO will begin shipping the week of October 28th, 2025.
01. Prelude (2:08)
02. The City / Marion / Marion and Sam (4:34)
03. Temptation (3:06)
04. Flight / The Patrol Car / The Car Lot / /The Package / The Rainstorm (8:43)
05. Hotel Room / The Window / The Parlor (4:01)
06. The Madhouse (2:14)
07. The Peephole (3:10)
08. The Bathroom / The Murder / The Body (2:07)
09. The Office / The Curtain / The Water / The Car / The Swamp (6:39)
10. The Search (A) / The Shadow / Phone Booth (2:23)
11. The Porch / The Stairs / The Knife (4:33)
12. The Search (B) / First Floor / Cabin 10 / Cabin 1 (6:09)
13. The Hill / The Bedroom / The Toys / The Cellar / Discovery (5:24)
14. Finale (5:45)
BONUS TRACKS
15. The Hill / The Bedroom / The Toys / The Cellar /
Knife (reprise) / Discovery (film edit) (1:49)
PSYCHO: A NARRATIVE FOR STRING ORCHESTRA
16. Part 1: Prelude (2:08)
17. Part 2: The Madhouse / The Murder / The Water / The Swamp ( 6:23)
18. Part 3: The Stairs / The Knife / The Cellar / Finale (6:36)
Total Time: 78:37
