What are you listening to now?
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BTW, I couldn’t understand how to link to a Spotify album on the forum. That option appealed to most but linking artwork works well too. (But, me being me, having my two posts of artwork where the artwork are different sizes is REALLY annoying me (seeing all the different artwork sizes over at the similar FSM topic is similarly annoying) – though I do know now what I need to do to standardise sizes.)
Thanks for the feedback. I must have missed doing something crucial to the process because it didn’t work for me. But at least I think that I am almost there!
BTW, I found the Paris Concerts CDs vary variable as a listening experience: some cues went into my “favourites” playlist, and some tracks I just couldn’t listen to. A lot of the more “quirky” scores just didn’t feel there was much life to them.
This 2-CD set just confirms to me that I am VERY picky about re-recordings or concert performances. The performances have to be either really faithful to the original OST versions, or they have to be completely different and trying something different (e.g., I may like something like STAR WARS done by a penny whistle sextet).
But, anything that’s trying to be faithful to the original but there’s something different from the OST – like a instrument solo that’s not quite there, or a vocalist that doesn’t quite match the original – then I don’t tend to like it. Even if an album that I have grown to love is rereleased with “improved mastering” that plays about with the mix of the instruments, then that turns me off too.
Yes, I sorta agree. If there is going to be a new take on a famous piece of film score, I’d rather it be something radical.
But I love re-recordings of ancient scores more than the original tracks. Good sound quality always trumps original fidelity.
The re-recording of “ancient” scores is a case by case thing for me. I have a copy of the original score of Steiner’s SHE (released by BYU/FMA I think). But the Morgan/Stromberg re-recording on Tribute (again, I think) was like a breath of fresh air.
But the re-recording of KING OF KINGS (a release I supported) is one that I haven’t listened to all the way through. Despite the lower quality sound (though it’s not bad) the original is just so much more vibrant in the playing. And I could say the same for the CONAN re-recordings.
Good sound quality always trumps original fidelity.
I agree! I actually know both KING OF THE KINGS recordings and like both. Actually find all Tadlow Rozsa new recording great. I think it is realy a matter that you love what you heard first and are used, both performance and sound wise. I tend to agree a bit on CONAN therefore and more often listen to the older Varese albums. I don’t have the Intrada expansions.
I have two KING OF KINGS albums – the original re-recording and the TWELVE CHORUSES one. “The Prayer of the Lord” is the best thing he ever wrote, even though it’s a straight-up psalm.
With this massive, 4-hour, fan-made compilation, I have no immediate need for individual Scott soundtracks (I only have GREYSTOKE individually outside this, since I have a close connection to that film). A truly impressive body of work.
Ooh, tricky. GREYSTOKE, ATONY & CLEOPATRA, THE FINAL COUNTDOWN, WINTER PEOPLE, WALKING THUNDER, SHOGUN MAYEDA, THE SHOOTING PARTY are some off the top of my head. THE DECEIVERS has a pretty lush, Golden Age-like love theme.
GREYSTOKE is my favourite, so you can always start with a suite from that.
His scores for the Costeau documentaries are also nice. And his score to LIONHEART (that Van Damme action movie) is far better than the movie 😉
Going back to John Scott for a moment. One of my favourite tracks is the end credits to Scott’s music fir SHOOT TO KILL. And, based on that track alone, I was keen on hearing the rest of the score.
However, SHOOT TO KILL is a good example for me of a score with a great single track. The rest I just didn’t like at all.
I wished that I liked the new ABBOTT AND COSTELLO re-recordings.
It’s not the quality of the recording. That’s excellent. I just don’t really like the style of the music. And I cant see how this specific score was such a “Holy Grail” for people.
But, I love how these scores are being given new life in the re-recordings and I hope it succeeds enough to make it worthwhile to do more.
I love SHOOT TO KILL (the movie), but score never did much for me. Too “shrill”, in lack of a better word.
Now playing:
Featuring a certain John Williams on piano, 1959. Love these flutey-jazzy-swingy cocktail versions of famous film themes.
While I’ve listened to Williams’ Sinfonietta many times over the years, I’ve spent less time with Penderecki’s “Pittsburgh Overture” and Mayuzumi’s “Music for Sculpture”, which make up the rest of this super rare Deutsche Grammophon LP. They’re really wonderful, explorative works to get lost in.
Michael J. Lewis’ score is quite lovely, released on a promo. It barely uses Williams’ theme, so it’s allowed to shine all on its own, in a nicely curated half-hour program. Romantic, lush, and without those silly symbal crash periods Lewis likes to incorporate in a lot of his other music.
A million enthusiastic posts about this on FSM, so I decided to give it a go. I think I did a few years back as well, without it really registering. Well, it has some lovely, bucolic passages, for sure, but it’s much, much too long. Will need a serious whittle.
To be perfectly honest, I don’t like this 1992 album. The combination of an opera soprano, solo piano and covers of non-opera standards is the anti-thesis of what I like to listen to. BUT…it has Williams behind the keys on what was his last whole album as piano performer. That’s always interesting to hear. And it’s where I’m at in my walkthrough, so I had no “choice” but to play it now.
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