Twin Peaks Soundtrack Design Mix 4:Windom Earle Mix

Twin Peaks Soundtrack Design Mix 4:

Windom Earle Mix (45:01)

My Twin Peaks mix series continues with my favorite group of mixes- the Windom Earle mixes. As many of you know, Twin Peaks was scored in a pretty unconventional way. Instead of being scored for the screen, it was mostly scored in bulk recording sessions that created a "library" or "archive" for the music editor and directors to later pick and choose from. One of the unsung heroes of the show for me is music editor Lori Eschler, whose mixes/edits and choices helped make TP what it was.

And nowhere is this more evident than in the mixes and edits created for Windom Earle. "Windom Earle's Motif" is one of, if not the, most interestingly used tracks in the series- not the best track, just the most interesting in the way it was used. When the track was first released, I was disappointed because it wasn't what I was used to hearing in the show. In fact, it was never actually played from start in finish by itself in the series. And the more comedic sounding middle section is only heard twice. After I went back and really studied how it was used in the series, I was happy they released the original as is, because I could go back and recreate the mixes.

It most likely wasn't created with "Earle" in mind, as it pops up as early as episode 14 during Maddy's murder, but it soon became connected to Earle. I find it so interesting that this short little track (even shorter when you consider it is already slowed down to half speed) was used chopped up, repeated, and mixed with other tracks to create a signature sound for the character- and mostly using just the first and last sections of the track.

Anyway, here is a mix of mostly recreated mixes from the series. Check out track 12 for my favorite track- a mix combining the many ways the track was used in the series. I feel its much more representative of how people remember the track from the series.

Listening to these mixes, its easy to see what an amazing job Lori did creating these for the series.

Listen to the mix on Mixcloud here. And check out the full size art in the Twin Peaks Extra tab above.

1. Earle's First Pawn (Mix) (3:07)

Recreation of mix heard in episode 21.

(Opening sequence as Cooper & gang investigate the dead vagrant)

Mix includes:

Earle's Theme (Pitched-Up)

Windom Earle's Motif

Packard’s Vibration (Original) [ending]

Black Lodge Rumble

Back To Missoula

2. Laura Palmer's Theme (Caroline Version) (TV Mix) (3:13)

Recreation of mix heard in episode 21.

(Cooper tells Truman about Caroline Earle)

Mix includes:

Earle's Theme

Laura Palmer's Theme (Caroline Version)

Laura Palmer's Theme

3. Dark Forces (Earle Edit) (2:11)

Recreation of mix heard in episode 21.

(Leo stumbles upon Earle’s cabin in the woods. We first see Earle)

Mix includes:

Earle's Theme

Dark Forces

Windom Earle's Motif

Earle's Theme (Pitched-Up)

4. White Lodge Rumble (Earle Mix 1) (2:58)

Recreation of mix heard in episode 22.

(Earle helps Leo write the poem/letter to the girls)

Mix includes:

Audrey's Prayer (Earle's Flute)

White Lodge Rumble

Windom Earle's Motif

5. Josie’s Death (Mix) (3:53)

Recreation of mix heard in episode 23.

(Josie dies, Cooper sees Bob & the Midget, Josie trapped in drawer pull)

Mix includes:

White Lodge Rumble

Laura Palmer’s Theme (Ethereal Pad Version)

The Culmination

Dance Of The Dream Man

Windom Earle’s Motif

Back To Missoula

6. White Lodge Rumble (Earle Mix 2) (2:53)

Recreation of mix heard in episode 24.

(Leo gives Earle his slippers, Audrey walks the runway)

Mix includes:

Audrey's Walk (Earle's Flute)

White Lodge Rumble

Windom Earle's Motif

7. Leo Returns (Windom's Deck Mix) (2:01)

Recreation of the re-edit heard in episode 25.

(Earle shows his card deck to Leo, with Donna, Shelly, & Audrey as queens and Cooper as king)

8. Audrey's Walk (Earle's Flute) (Alternate) (0:31)

My best attempt at recreating this track using the original, released version. Still unsure if they created it this way, or if it was an entirely different (unreleased) take/version.

9. 24 Hours (Windom's Tale Mix) (3:03)

Recreation of mix heard in episode 26.

(Earle tells the story of the Black & White Lodges to Leo and Rusty)

Mix includes:

Audrey's Walk (Earle's Flute) [half-speed]

24 Hours

Audrey's Walk (Earle's Flute) (Alternate) (unreleased – extracted)

10. Windom Earle's Motif/Dark Forces (Combo Mix) (2:31)

Recreation of mix heard in episode 26.

(Earle shoots/kills Rusty)

Mix includes:

Audrey's Walk (Earle's Flute) (Alternate) [half-speed]

Windom Earle's Motif

Dark Forces

Scary sounds [bootleg]

11. Fear Is The Key (Mix) (4:36)

Recreation of mix heard in episode 28.

(Earle, listening in on Cooper & Truman, is excited to realize that fear is the key)

Mix includes:

Owl Cave

Laura Palmer's Theme (Baritone Guitar Punctuation)

Unease Motif (The Woods)

Dark Forces

Windom Earle's Motif

12. Windom Earle's Motif (Extended Flute Mix) (3:57)

Mix that combines the many ways “Windom Earle’s Motif” is used into one mix. Combined with the various flute tracks. This is much more representative of how people think of the track than the original.

Mix includes:

Windom Earle's Motif

Audrey's Walk (Earle's Flute)

Earle's Theme

Audrey's Prayer (Earle's Flute)

+ extracted sounds

Earle's Theme (Pitched-Up)

13. Windom Earle's Motif (Extended Mix) (3:49)

Same as the above, only without the additional flute elements.

14. Dark Mood Woods (Earle Mix) (5:03)

Original mix that “Earle-izes” “Dark Mood Woods”.

Mix includes:

Dark Forces (Normal Speed)

Dark Forces

Earle's Theme

Owl Cave

Dark Mood Woods

Dark Mood Woods (Studio Version)

Windom Earle's Motif

15. Earle’s Theme (Pitched-Up) (1:13)

Full pitched-up version. Parts of the pitched up track were used in episode 21 (see tracks 1, 3 & 12)