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DracStarFan

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About DracStarFan

  • Birthday January 14

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  1. They also did Judge Dredd. The Kamen score will be Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves! Thnaks, guys. I recall STARGATE being a rather "heavy" orchestral score. Hope they do more in the future.
  2. 1941, huh? Interesting. I guess this is the entire score? I've never really heard that score. Never could sit through the whole movie either when it came on TV. I didn't know that Shirley Walker composed music for SPACE: ABOVE & BEYOND. I've liked her ever since her masterful conducting of Elfman's BATMAN score in 1989 w/ the Sinfonia of London Orchestra (I wonder what else they've produced/performed musically since), and the TV show in 1992, I believe. Thanks again, Jason. I'm curious to hear parts of the actual score of SUPER 8, since I clearly remember hearing Williams-esque flourishes throughout. Kind of surprised that they'll release the score a full month after the film's release. Try doing that with a John Williams score (like with TIN TIN and THE WARHORSE)...people buy his scores before seeing the movies just to get an introduction to what will be up on the screen.
  3. Well said. I agree totally. I often think of John Williams as a 20th/21st Century American Patriot reincarnation w/ the soul of a nameless 19th Century Romantic Russian/German composer. His Romantic musical soul is always what makes me love him so much. I have to imagine that his tendency for Romance has to play a role in his personal life, as well. I just can't imagine him being an emotionally-unintelligent man at nearly 80. I remember when I saw John at Lincoln Center 3 Summers ago, I lamented that he was "up there" in years, yet still seemed vital and significant. I said out loud, "John has to live forever. He can't die for another 50 years." and a very old lady, in passing, said, "He's a composer. They have very long lifespans. They're happy. They're doing what they were put here to do. Don't worry." I've always thought that that was such a great, reassuring thing for her to say. From her lips to The Man Upstairs' ears...
  4. Funny, I've always been under the impression that the overall consensus was that, sonically, the '04 and '07 editions are identical; but, that these editions are sonic improvements upon the second remastering from the (the '93 Edition was the first transfer, I believe) 1997 Special Edition CDs, since bit transparency was better post-2000 onwards (16-24 bits, etc.) on standard CDs. I've heard people (who've owned the '97s) state that there is a bit more clarity and depth to the DSD remasters of the 21st Century. I only had the 1980s printing of the 1977 double LP of A NEW HOPE, so, as good as the analog LP is (and mine has no scratches), this newest edition is out of the world. As happy as I was on Xmas '04, I was disappointed when the screensavers didn't work, the artwork was nowhere to be found, etc. And, then when I saw the 30 Years of The Music From STAR WARS, and "the powers that be" fixed the glaring errors of the other box set, I was saddened and ticked. I think the annotation booklet problems stem from the fact that other record companies own those editions - RCA Victor for the 1997 CDs, and Arista for the 1993 anthology, so Michael Mattessino's liner notes (for example) can't be included w/in another (Sony) label's package. Still stupid, though...especially considering that the 1993 and 1997 box sets are both out-of-print (though still available online...Amazon, esp.). I can only assume(?) that the forthcoming prequels box set will have its total act together. It's still totally cool to think that this score has sold around 4 million copies since 1977 (and that's just counting EPISODE IV!) Williams is a Musical God. Keep listening to good, inspiring music fellow audiophiles!
  5. Hi, Faleel, In the first place, the 2007 30th Anniversary Edition of Star Wars has better packaging: - 3 double CD sets in mini-LP form (meaning, the 12" double LP that I have from 1977 has been miniaturized to reflect the exact details/artwork/seals/record label that were there from each soundtrack's first pressing) w/ matching inner sleeves for each disc. So, if you weren't a first-generation STAR WARS fan, or you didn't pick up these scores during their initial release, you can have an exact, modernized replica of what came out in 1977, 1980, and 1983 respectively. - Secondly, you get a brand new collection of musical selections, known as THE CORELLIAN EDITION (kind of like a STAR WARS suite, but not exactly...I wish it were, though), from all six of the STAR WARS films, also w/ deluxe packaging/artwork. (The 2004 box set didn't have this CD) - Third, and what may hurt the most if you bought the 2004 edition (because it was kind of advertised to feature this extra), is the special CD-ROM disk for you PC that features liner notes, poster advertisements, and some of the historical icons of the three different soundtrack eras (1977-1983). This disk would've been even cooler if it had included all of the historical musical information about the STAR WARS universe that was contained w/in the 1997 Special Edition and/or the annotations from the 1993 edition, which was a collectors' paradise: Replete w/ a booklet featuring artwork, sketches, cue-by-cue analysis by a music historian, photos from the important segments of the film to correlate to the musical pieces on the soundtracks (mind you, I've never held this '93 edition in my hands (UGH!), so I'm going on second-hand information). Of course, it would have TOTALLY ROCKED if a reprint of that booklet had been included in the 30th Anniversary package (why does it seem like we fans have a better grasp of Quality Control/Assurance than those who work in those departments?); however, copyright infringement might have been the rationale for why it wasn't featured here. STINKS! - The saving grace for us who got the sonically-excellent 2004 edition is that both box sets feature the same Direct Stream Digital remastering, so the sound of the CDs are exactly the same. Listening to A NEW HOPE in DSD sound is like hearing it anew every time. Statistically, supposedly about 70% of listeners aren't able to tell the difference in sonic fidelity of DSD, but I think I can. It's so much smoother, clear-as-a-bell, and has great depth of sound and spatial differentiation. Maybe it helps that I have a Sony Digital CD Discman, so it's probably the best audio system to hear a Sony-mastered disc on. Honestly, in a magical, artistically-just world, any of us who were denied the promises of the 2004 edition, should've gotten a free copy of the 2007 version in the mail, just to square things away. Am I right? That's why I would LOVE Mr. Williams to give me a copy of the 30th Anniversary Edition...and, if he had the other two editions lying around (specifically, the historical annotation booklets, the CDs aren't necessary), I'd probably want those, too. That'd probably be the only way to get a true, completeist (both musically and annotatively) version of this gargantuan musical opus.
  6. In terms of the technicalities of music, I am profoundly not knowledgeable. However, I would always, even at age 5 or 6, state that Williams' ability to be so PRESENT in the works/movies he scores is all-consuming: Think of the first 5 minutes of STAR WARS...to this day, the music coupled w/ the imagery is TOTALLY ICONIC...think of the ending of the trench scene w/ Vader losing to The Millennium Falcon...think of the effect the first 5 minutes of JAWS had w/ that music; I was only 5 when I saw that movie, but compare that shark attack/death scene to Hermann's PSYCHO and they're both on the same visceral level...think of the eeriness and Romantic Gothicism of DRACULA...CLOSE ENCOUNTERS' Mothership...E.T.'s innocence...RAIDERS' March...The TEMPLE OF DOOM piece...The Duel of the Fates...AMERICAN JOURNEY's kaleidoscopic aural historicity. To me, it is his intense EMOTIONALISM that always impacts me. He also really seems to ENTIRELY complement the works he scores to the point that you can't think of the imagery, plots, stories, conceits w/out the accompanying music...it becomes the life-blood of the scenes or stories that are being told. Proof? Two things: When we hear of a Spielberg or Lucas film, we think, "...and John Williams"...the three have become a triumvirate. When we hear John Williams is scoring ANYTHING, we immediately get sonic impressions of where we think he'll go...many of us enthusiasts are kind of mentally already there waiting for him to takes us on the ride... Another proof of how ubiquitous the distinctness of John Williams? From the second the AMBLIN logo appeared on the screen - to the last shot of the makeshift alien spacecraft taking off in to the outer reaches of space - I ALMOST unconsciously forgot that John Williams hadn't written the score for SUPER 8. I know that J.J. Abrams never told Michael Giacchino to compose a "Wiliiams-esque" score for his "Spielbergian" film; but, I'm absolutely certain that Giacchino was working on his own half-pastiche/tribute to The Master. I wonder what John Williams thought when he saw/heard the score for the movie? It must have been an uncanny experience... "Hey, I used to score movies like this in the 1970s, too."
  7. Am I the only one who heard a VERY (as I suspected it would be all along) Williams-esque score throughout SUPER 8? From the beginning of the movie, I was thinking, Wow, I could swear John Williams wrote this score...I'm hearing tropes galore. I guess it's very safe to say that the soundtrack/score is (as the film is a pastiche/homage to Steven Spielberg circa 1970s-1980s) a pastiche/homage/tribute to the First Golden age of John Willams circa 1970s-1982. It'll be interesting to hear samples of what that score sounds like when it gets released. The movie was a complete success as a tribute to Spielberg...but, unfortunately, wasn't a very memorable Sci-Fi Thriller/'70s-style movie. J.J. Abrams' decision to represent all of the different aspects of Spielberg - JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, 1941, ET, THE GOONIES, JURASSIC PARK - made the end result too "tame" for me, since he wanted the film to have a very sweet, feel-good ending; rather than a disturbing, jolting, heart-pounding conclusion. I was looking for something more JAWS/HALLOWEEN/ALIEN/JURASSIC PARK than GOONIES/CLOSE ENCOUNTERS/ET. I think if the film hadn't been marketed (in the "teaser") as a Sci-Fi/Area 51/Horror film last year, I wouldn't have been as half-disappointed as I was while watching it.
  8. Who doesn't? Agreed. It's nice to know that there are other enthusiasts of that long-ago score and film. Funny, Frank Langella correctly estimated that that score is rather "under the radar" when it comes to many discussing his oeuvre; yet it's one of his best, most powerful scores in his entire career. Can't you imagine what that score will sound like in 21st Century sound? If La-La Land's reissue of BATMAN were any indication, I'd be thoroughly pleased. I saw Williams in concert 3 years ago at Lincoln Center in NYC, and, if I had gotten the opportunity to meet him, I would have: 1. thanked him for giving me great music to listen to over the last 34 years, 2. made a musical request for either the MAIN TITLE/STORM SEQUENCE or THE LOVE SCENE from DRACULA, 3. I would have asked him to talk to the powers that be about getting both DRACULA and REVENGE OF THE SITH release in complete forms (though, I'm pretty certain, regarding EPISODE III, he and Lucas have an idea about when they'll be doing that...my guess is there'll be a future box set prequel trilogy to complement the original trilogy box sets from 2004/7). 4. I also would've asked John to PLEEEAASE send me a copy of the 2007 edition STAR WARS soundtrack box set, and sign it somewhere (I wouldn't play the music discs though, since I already have them from the other box set)...I got the 2004 edition for Xmas, and was so "ticked" to find out that the 2007 edition had the packaging and CD-ROMS that we thought we were getting w/ the first edition. Thank God the DSD sound is the same. I wonder if Sony will master them in the same format, though the 2-disc EPISODE I soundtrack is TOTALLY EPIC, and doesn't need any further sonic/packaging treatment. I sure hope Williams' upcoming TIN TIN soundtrack comes packaged in a similar fashion. How cool would that be?!
  9. I'm still holding out hope that one of these labels will reproduce and master/remaster John Williams' 1979 theatrical version score for DRACULA. That is my second favorite score, after STAR WARS: EPISODE IV.
  10. I believe that the whole controversy in 1980 started people in the industry to "rethink" those rules. I recall that Alan Ladd, Jr. quit a high position at 20th Century Fox, I believe, due to the demands put upon Lucas to change the "crawl" idea, and do the proper credits, and his defense of Lucas' nod to Flash Gordon intros by noting how many critics and fans thought that what made the beginning of STAR WARS so original was the fact that the movie just began, then Tantive IV and the Star Destroyer sequence was shown. Ladd, Jr. said that the whole continuity of the series would be hurt by the editorial changes, but the answer was, "Lucas is in the Director's Union, and it has always been a rule that all credits for a film must be shown at the start of a film, because audiences don't necessarily sit in their seats to watch the credits at the end of a film, thus keeping credit, promotion, and future employee exposure to those inside-and-outside the movie industry a non-factor." Lucas' answer was, "This is the way I wish to show my film. If you think you can control me, because I'm in the Union, then I'm no longer part of the Union. I'm not paying dues, since I don't need your money. My independent movie made over $297 million, and I'm an independent Director, w/ my own independent film company; and I never wanted to be part of the Hollywood circus, in the first place."(That's why Lucas bought the rights to his first "THX" film, and then AMERICAN GRAFFITI, because he didn't like how the distributors made demands upon him for the release of those films. That's why he created Lucasfilm Ltd., so he had complete creative control...also, so he could give percentages of his films' proceeds to the low-paid actors in his films (Ron Howard, Mark Hamill, Fisher, Ford, etc. own a small amount of the films they appeared in for Lucas, if I'm correct). End game, Ladd, Jr. quit his high position w/ 20th Century Fox, realizing a changing-of-the-guard, and wanting control outside of "the circus", and Lucas was now unable to use his first choice to direct EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, Steven Spielberg, due to his union ties. The joke, of course, is that films like JAWS, STAR WARS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, SUPERMAN, RAIDERS, E.T. started a common trend in movie-going, where most audience members stay in their seats when the credits roll, to see how the film was made, and who did the stunts, and where the score was made, who sung the songs, what was the unknown actor's name who played that interesting character in the movie, etc. In many ways, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were heralds of a new way of experiencing movies, that has now become a mainstay since the 1980s. Another reason why Hollywood tends to keep Spielberg at arm's length, and treats Lucas like the bastard child of a wealthy family that wants nothing to do w/ him. Yet, it's their films collectively that have kept Hollywood's ticket sales always in abundance. See the irony?
  11. I'm just glad to hear news about this film. I knew it was finished a while ago, but its release has been a complete mystery. I thought spring 2011; now, I have no idea. It would be nice if we saw a trailer during the showings of either SUPER 8 or COWBOYS & ALIENS. I think the real problem Lucas has had w/ making films over the last 20 years is that his severance from the Director's union in 1980 has barred him from hiring any Hollywood directors (so, he has to work w/ first-time, European, non-union directors), since they're all union. Spielberg only gets to work w/ him because of his Amblin ties, which helps him co-produce alongside Lucasfilm Ltd. (Indy movies), which gives him leeway, because the films are both owned by Lucas and Spielberg. Basically, the industry is setting him up to encounter creative difficulties. And this all stems from Lucas refusing to change the intro crawl of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK to fit union rules of film credits. Sucks big time!
  12. I've got something new and fresh to look forward to this winter/Xmas before Episode I in Digital 3D. The teaser trailer looks very promising. If the music that is heard in it is any indication of what the score a la Maestro Williams will be, I think we've got another new Classic. Funny that critics in the 1980s compared these stories to Lucas'/Spielberg's Indiana Jones series...wonder if that informed John Williams' handling of the material in any way. I don't know if it crossed Spielberg's mind (or Williams' either), but, am I the only one who thinks that the Thompson Twins' theme/leitmotif should be the New Wave group Thompson Twins' musical riff from their song "We Are Detective"? How great of an '80s reference would that be, in an epic that takes place in another time? I think that tune would be a perfect match, since the group took the name from those two bumbling cops. Love the pirate ship sailing through the desert as well (I immediately thought of Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles). I might want to pick this score up, too. It'd be great if the soundtrack were packaged in a similar comic book fashion, w/ key scenes to match the score (like John gave us w/ the gorgeous 2-Disc STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE (ULTIMATE EDITION)). Now, I've got to save even more money now for even more CDs.
  13. I want Episode III also to finally be available in 2-Disc DSD sound as well. These are the kind of scores that should have been released in double disc form in the first place. Who wouldn't have wanted them?
  14. Sorry that I haven't been on here enough, folks! I'll be much more involved over the summer.

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