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Hans Zimmer's The Lion King (2CD Legacy Collection)


Giftheck

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Probably a bit sturdier than the Hobbit cases, too. The discs slide into sleeves (the last two pages in the book). It's a nice package.

Yeah and the discs easily slide in and out, unlike some other cardboard cases where they get scratched to hell.

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So, as we've moved discussion here, here's the answer about the differing mixes, provided by Hybrid Solder on H-Z.com:

Well, when you do a score, you basically record different stems... I don't know, maybe 10 to 15 layers (synth section, brass section, solo, percs, whatever)...

Then the music mixer (in the case of TLK Jay Rifkin) mixes those stems the way he wants (brass louder here, solo instrument there, percs low etc...) for the final stereo mixdown.

Hans didn't like the original mix, and honestly when you listen to it now, it's kinda weak compared to this new mix...

So they grabbed the original master tapes with the stems and Alan Meyerson, Hans's long trusted recordist & mixer did the work for that new release, and in my opinion it's greatly done. He put up front a lot of instruments & little things that were buried in the previous mix...

That's what the remix is here...
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He founded Media Ventures with Hans, they had a falling out and a lawsuit over something that I can't recall. He held the rights to the name MV which is why it's Remote Control Productions now.

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I haven't followed the story of Mr. Rifkin. What makes him so infamous?

In a nutshell: he and Hans Zimmer createrd Media Ventures way back in the 80s. But in 2003, Zimmer left Media Ventures and Rifkin accused Zimmer of attempting to force a disband of Media Ventures by 'poaching' composers from the company and he tried to sue Zimmer for $10million. Zimmer countersued, though after that I can't seem to find anything pertaining to the outcome.

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Thanks for the info, guys. I was wondering the difference between MV and Remote Control as well, but that explains it. Is MV still around?

No, Media Ventures does not exist any more.

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I got my copy. I am truly amazed at this set. The music is remastered so well. The mix was done well; you can hear things previously inaudible in the film, such as chorus and instruments. The sound and recording is more dynamic. This was 1994, and it sounds as if the music was recorded yesterday. Walt Disney Records did an excellent job.

Only one small issue (four, technically):

On Disc 1, track 4 and 5 blend with each other, so there is no clean ending to "Hyenas In the Prideland."

On Disc 1, track 17 and 18 blend with each other, so there is no clean ending to "Nala, Is It Really You?"

On Disc 1, track 18 and 19 blend with each other, so there is no clean opening to "Remember Who You Are."

On Disc 1, track 20 is comprised of Hans Zimmer's music AND "Timon's Hula Song", and the two blend with each other, so there is no clean ending to "This Is My Home."

Other than that, very nice set.

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The leak.

The leak

But thats a bootleg.

True but it's the only place IF, for some bizarre reason, you still want the Rifkin mixes. I only used it to separate a few of the cues out.

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True but it's the only place IF, for some bizarre reason, you still want the Rifkin mixes. I only used it to separate a few of the cues out.

Likewise for me on using it to separate some cues.

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I just noticed something. I compared the beginning of "This Land" (the first half being "We Are All Connected") on the 1994 soundtrack release with the beginning of "We Are All Connected." It seems that the film uses a slightly different flute solo performance.

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I just noticed something. I compared the beginning of "This Land" (the first half being "We Are All Connected") on the 1994 soundtrack release with the beginning of "We Are All Connected." It seems that the film uses a slightly different flute solo performance.

The Rifkin mix uses a synth flute at that part.

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Wow...

So, the Jay Rifkin mix ended up being used for the film AND the 1994 soundtrack release.

This new release is what Hans Zimmer's original intention was for the music, right?

This new release is the definitive when it comes to the music from the film.

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Wow...

So, the Jay Rifkin mix ended up being used for the film AND the 1994 soundtrack release.

This new release was Hans Zimmer's original intention for the music, right?

This new release is the definitive when it comes to the music from the film.

Correct. Zimmer, didn't like the Rifkin mixes and I can see why now I've listened to this. Rifkin tended to dumb down certain instruments and emphasise others, or he would replace instruments with the synth instruments from the demos. It's great that you can finally hear the strings properly in Stampede, and I was surprised to hear the choir at the end of the last track: the mixing done by Rifkin was all over the place there.

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I know. I was surprised to hear the chorus near the end of "The Rightful King". It is not just that, but throughout the score there are chorus that is near impossible to hear in the film.

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That is a shame. Also, given Hans Zimmer from the early 2000s to now, I am surprised at the way the music to The Lion King has been treated in this release. It is clear that Hans Zimmer definitely wrote the music for mostly orchestral and choral elements. The sound is real and organic. He did the same treatment for "The Prince of Egypt" in 1998. It is a shame that he does not seem to do that anymore.

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That is a shame. Also, given Hans Zimmer from the early 2000s to now, I am surprised at the way the music to The Lion King has been treated in this release. It is clear that Hans Zimmer definitely wrote the music for mostly orchestral and choral elements. The sound is real and organic. He did the same treatment for "The Prince of Egypt" in 1998. It is a shame that he does not seem to do that anymore.

Did Rifkin mix that one too? Because Zimmer apparently hates the mixes to a lot of the scores that he has done, so I get the feeling that if he got the opportunity, he'd hand all his previous scores over to Alan Meyerson to mix them properly for complete releases.

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Nope, it was Meyerson.

So Zimmer should be happy with that one, then. I wouldn't know, not having actually heard the score.

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The score is in the same league as his score to The Lion King. Unfortunately, it has never had a proper release yet.

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That is a shame. Also, given Hans Zimmer from the early 2000s to now, I am surprised at the way the music to The Lion King has been treated in this release. It is clear that Hans Zimmer definitely wrote the music for mostly orchestral and choral elements. The sound is real and organic. He did the same treatment for "The Prince of Egypt" in 1998. It is a shame that he does not seem to do that anymore.

Did Rifkin mix that one too? Because Zimmer apparently hates the mixes to a lot of the scores that he has done, so I get the feeling that if he got the opportunity, he'd hand all his previous scores over to Alan Meyerson to mix them properly for complete releases.

I was not just referring to Rifkin when he mixed the score, but Hans Zimmer nowadays. Oh well.

The Burning Bush is one of his best cues.

Absolutely. It is one of the best moments in the film AND the score. I still shed a few tears upon seeing the visuals and hearing the motif associated with God that Hans Zimmer wrote.

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That is a shame. Also, given Hans Zimmer from the early 2000s to now, I am surprised at the way the music to The Lion King has been treated in this release. It is clear that Hans Zimmer definitely wrote the music for mostly orchestral and choral elements. The sound is real and organic. He did the same treatment for "The Prince of Egypt" in 1998. It is a shame that he does not seem to do that anymore.

Did Rifkin mix that one too? Because Zimmer apparently hates the mixes to a lot of the scores that he has done, so I get the feeling that if he got the opportunity, he'd hand all his previous scores over to Alan Meyerson to mix them properly for complete releases.

I was not just referring to Rifkin when he mixed the score, but Hans Zimmer nowadays. Oh well.

I was referring to the Prince of Egypt score, not his more recent scores. Of that, I can agree. He's definitely more synthetic in his approach to composing these days, though I did like the Dark Knight trilogy scores.

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Zimmer, more synthetic?

In his approach rather than his instrument use. The Lion King is quite synth heavy, but it still sounds lively. I can't say that of his recent scores like TASM2.

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Wow, thanks for the info guys. Seems like this new release is essential to have.

EDIT: Holy shit! Just listened to some snippets. The sound difference is quite significant, to be honest. Great score got even better!

The score itself was my first ever soundtrack album and that's what got me into collecting. I bought it for songs, but the "other" stuff proved to be more interesting in the end. So this release is a big, big deal for me. Hearing how much more interesting it sounds (read "acoustic") here makes me really excited.

Karol

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I am listening to Hans Zimmer's score, and I still cannot believe how well the score has been remastered. Not to mentioning hearing the previously unreleased music for the first time ever, in this amazing sound quality... It is truly amazing.

Truly, with The Legacy Collection: The Lion King, "there is more to hear than has ever been heard."

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You know, maybe Disney should revisit The Lion King. What I mean is that they should take this remastered soundtrack and incorporate it in the film. I mean, they're are times in the film where the score does not have the impact that it should; the original audio does not seem balanced with the sound effects and dialogue at times.

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You know, maybe Disney should revisit The Lion King. What I mean is that they should take this remastered soundtrack and incorporate it in the film. I mean, they're are times in the film where the score does not have the impact that it should; the original audio does not seem balanced with the sound effects and dialogue at times.

You may have a point. I remember watching the film on VHS on our old Dolby Pro-Logic system and the musical mix wasn't always great, especially during the stampede sequence. But when it was, boy it was great, even in good old stereo surround. I will have to get the film on blu-ray one day, or just hope for a remastered edition in the future.

My copy of the Legacy Collection is on its way, and considering the substantial upgrade in sound quality, I'm sure it will be an ear-opener. Even though I've heard the songs way too many times, it won't stop me singing along with them once again. I'm 39, but I'm very geeky that way... :D They just blend in so well with Zimmer's score.

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So I know that the SCORE has been completely remixed for this new set, revealing original orchestral elements that had been replaced with their counterparts from the synth demos in all prior releases.

But what about the SONGS? Is there any changes to those in the new set?

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The songs have been remastered as well, and they sound just as good as the score.

For instance, in the film, the pan pipe in "Circle of Life" is a synthesizer. On this release, it is a real pan pipe solo; the chorus is more audible as well. In "Be Prepared" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," the choral parts are heard more clearly.

The entire set was well put together.

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