Home Alone - 25th Anniversary 2CD Edition by La-La Land Records (2015)

[Luke Skywalker 1,793]

On 13/12/2022 at 7:32 PM, rough cut said:

We’re visiting family in Madrid, Spain, when I noticed this playing in the background for the kids.

 

 

Cool!

 

weird as more or less is a literal translation of the english song while the official film version sung by a spanish singer in the end credits had a different translation

[rough cut 1,714]

Cool, right?! Especially since the parents who picked the video/playlist purely did it with the purpose of entertaining their two kids (age 3 and 1). All videos have is accompanied by a ‘cute’ animation and the playlist compiles a selection of christmas songs with some traditional Spanish christmas music as well.

 

And then, suddenly, I hear Johnny! It’s incredible what reach that man has. 

Here’s the full playlist:

(JW at 48:22, same animation as above)

 

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,178]

On 02/12/2022 at 11:39 AM, BB-8 said:

I've only got the expanded HA2 and the HA OST.

 

Am I missing anything significant?

 

It's absolutely essential. It's a rare case of an expansion where an unused alternate is actually one of the very best cues from the entire score:

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,033]

 

2 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

It's absolutely essential. It's a rare case of an expansion where an unused alternate is actually one of the very best cues from the entire score:

 

 

Do we know whether JW did this arrangement?

[Steve 590]

7 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

 

Do we know whether JW did this arrangement?

Yes, he also did the one from the OST.

[Trope 520]

On 25/12/2022 at 12:41 AM, Holko said:

Maybe that they're trying to count them, Buzz is interfering, and they're miscounting them because the neighbour kid "stands in for" Kevin?

Okay, so the "hard" in "Hard Count" refers to the difficulty of the counting process, and is not a typo or misreading of "head" (as in "head count"). Thanks!

[BB-8 3,461]

Perhaps it should be "Herd Count".

[igger6 894]

Not exactly concert-related, but I just found this and it's fantastic:

 

 

 

[bollemanneke 3,338]

I have to say this and I have to say it now: I love, LOVE that moment around 2:04 in the album version of Have Yourself a MLC and how he sings the first line after that crescendo. Ah, the joy of winding down with Christmas music in February.

[bollemanneke 3,338]

Question: Why did a track like Setting the Trap not need an (extended version) as it's a bit longer than on the OST?

 

Also, it's a bit unfortunate that in the end credits, the cue after Holiday Flight starts a bit too late, the first note should clearly overlap with the end of HF.

Finally, it seems a bit strange that phone machine could not be its own track.

[Steve 590]

A very nice video from 1991 with Williams playing some of "Somehwere in my memory" on the piano and talking about scoring the film:

 

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,178]

Oh, excellent! I came across a short version of that recently, but that was an article embed. The YouTube version is longer, and allows me to download it - for next year's pre-Christmas film night, I'm (already) planning to do Home Alone (which I haven't seen in forever), and now I can play the Williams video as an opener (never miss a chance to educate and enlighten your film audience about film music!)

[bollemanneke 3,338]

Do we know where this comes from? Is it on a Blu-Ray?

[Jay 37,322]

It's a piece made for the US television program Entertainment Tonight.

[Steve 590]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

It's a piece made for the US television program Entertainment Tonight In 1990.

It is from 1991 according to the video.

[Tom 4,640]

I did not realize how little time and how close to the premiere that Williams scored this.  Crazy how good he is when he is pure instinct.  

[BB-8 3,461]

Amazing how JW is able to transform a profane slap-stick childrens' movie into something of ever-lasting value that one simply cannot say no to.

[Brando 1,857]

I remember reading in the booklet that he said he was “enchanted” by it when he was at that screening held at Amblin I think it was? It’s cool how he sees a (on the surface before release) a relatively small movie and thinks it’s magical and wants to retell it musically and then creates something that people remember upon the first watch.

[Marian Schedenig 8,178]

38 minutes ago, Brando said:

It’s cool how he sees a (on the surface before release) a relatively small movie and thinks it’s magical and wants to retell it musically and then creates something that people remember upon the first watch.

 

The question is, of course: How magical was it before Williams worked on it? How "big" (in narrative scope, not commercial success) was it without music? 

[Tom 4,640]

1 hour ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

The question is, of course: How magical was it before Williams worked on it? How "big" (in narrative scope, not commercial success) was it without music? 

The movie had a lot of heart, so there would have been something.  However, in terms of what other composers might have done, the melancholic/Christmas/fun combination is really hard to nail.  Guaraldi did it perfectly, but that is about it.  I think Williams was essential in this case.  

[Edmilson 7,398]

I love that in the early 90s JW had his telephone right above his piano, so when it rang (and I imagined it rang all the time) he didn't need to get up to answer it 

 

Also, I'd like to think that this made easier for him to play some notes on the piano during a phone call with Spielberg or any director/producer he happened to be working with.

 

[Tydirium 1,166]

12 hours ago, Steve said:

A very nice video from 1991 with Williams playing some of "Somehwere in my memory" on the piano and talking about scoring the film:

 

 

 

“…in all my 30 years of writing."

 

It’s kind of surreal to hear him say that, and then think of the fact that he’s been writing another 30(+!) years since that statement.

 

Also wild to think that when Home Alone came out, around the same amount of time had passed between Heidi and it (22 years), as has passed between HP1 and DOD… Really puts things into perspective, and makes those late 60s/early 70s scores feel not quite so long ago.

[GerateWohl 4,343]

4 hours ago, Tom said:

The movie had a lot of heart, so there would have been something.  However, in terms of what other composers might have done, the melancholic/Christmas/fun combination is really hard to nail.  Guaraldi did it perfectly, but that is about it.  I think Williams was essential in this case.  

From the kind of movie I would have said, Home Alone could have been typical Alan Silvestri territory. And I am sure, he could have provided a fine score, too. Of course not on the level of Williams. But that would not have been necessary.

[BB-8 3,461]

4 hours ago, Edmilson said:

 

ET home phone...

[QuartalHarmony 542]

BBC Radio 3 has just played a track from HA1 as part of their live Christmas Eve programme. It wasn’t an obvious choice of track - anyone care to guess which they played?

 

Mark

[Bespin 8,480]

9 minutes ago, QuartalHarmony said:

BBC Radio 3 has just played a track from HA1 as part of their live Christmas Eve programme. It wasn’t an obvious choice of track - anyone care to guess which they played?

 

Mark

 

'The Man of the House,Police Check'?

[QuartalHarmony 542]

Well done - Man of the House, it was. Interesting choice, when there are so many ‘obvious’ tracks they could have chosen.

[Edmilson 7,398]

4 hours ago, QuartalHarmony said:

BBC Radio 3 has just played a track from HA1 as part of their live Christmas Eve programme. It wasn’t an obvious choice of track - anyone care to guess which they played?

 

I'm pretty confident it was this:

 

 

[rpvee 805]

Cute interview! And always so nice to hear Williams play his own famous themes.

 

I was able to filter out the talking and combined the two bits of playing to put together a whole little statement of the theme.

 

 

 

[bollemanneke 3,338]

Classic FM played a horrid RSNO arrrangement of Somewhere in my Memory. Can we please ban these kinds of things and play the originals?

And now Christmas at Hogwarts played by Prague. Even better.

[Marc 758]

Merry Christmas everyone !! 📯🎁🎺
 

 

[igger6 894]

The Chicago PBS affiliate played a Christmas concert from DePaul Univerty the other night, which ended with “Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!” blissfully transitioning to instrumental for the credits. I commented to my brother that it sounded like Dustin Hoffman swordfighting a T. rex on Christmas, which I proceeded to input into an AI image generator, and here’s what I got. 
 

I also highly recommend “Merry Christmas, Ya Filthy Animal” by the Black Flamingos if I haven’t shared it here before.  A surf guitar Home Alone medley—what’s not to love?

 

Merry Christmas to the filthy animals of JWFan!

 

 

[Luke Skywalker 1,793]

What is protruding from the trex elbow?

[Jay 37,322]

AI has a very hard time with fingers and hands on people, I guess that extends to animals too

[Marian Schedenig 8,178]

It has roots, too.