HunterTech

It's too close to the "main" hero theme for it to be sourced from something else. Plus, they did have access to a 48 track unmixed master that they only used as a reference, so I would think it comes from something in there. Both those instances are taken from an unused track that was supposed to play when Logan steals Scott's motorbike, which you can hear at the start of Logan And Rogue In Train on the LLL release. So while that exact arrangement wouldn't exist elsewhere (so I don't be expecting the ostinato), the theme does exist throughout. The most prominent instances besides X-Jet being Ambush and Museum Fight, partially a spot in Final Showdown, alongside more low-key renditions in School Montage (both versions), Logan Kills Mystique, and Jean And Logan. Probably more spots too in less obvious areas, since the themes of this score tends to sneak around like that. The funny thing is that the LKM version sounds an awful lot like a variant of the responsibility theme that we would get two years later in the Raimi Spider-Man scores. I figure it has to be one of the ideas that Kamen repurposed from his original demos.

It literally consists of six score tracks that are glued together by a lot of thrown in synths, several of which are also taken from previous tracks. I should've been more specific when I said "unique bits," since I'm referring to a particular section of string work around 2:13-2:19 that I can't really point to as being from an existing cue. It really makes my unfinished theory have more of a basis, since some of this material had to come from something that existed at one point in production. And yet there's nothing on the Kamen website that suggests anything was specifically prepped for the credits like the tracked version of Inside the Statue, so I'm not sure what's up there.

Also, the last time someone I know kept mentioning issues a release had to Intrada, he just straight up got banned from their websites despite him being very respectful about the faults on their forums. Oh, and a different release years later got one of the members of the label to comment directly on this forum, only to say that a mastering fault one track had was non-existent/miscalculated because we used consumer grade software to detect it (despite clipping being a very basic audio quirk to notice on just about anything). So really, Holko would probably just end up having to make a second account if he's lucky :P.

Well, I ended up being more right in this regard than I even anticipated. The full score nearly boarders on being an entirely different listening experience compared to the previous album, since so many of the missing pieces are pretty much the actual narrative of the music. The big complaint I had with the prior selection of tracks is that once you get past the two fantastic main title tracks and two reprises, most everything else felt so disconnected and far off from the personality initially established that I found it hard to appreciate what Young was doing. The new release makes apparent that those two tracks are proper themes in the score, with many variants helping to actually make the listening experience feel cohesive. The synth stuff is also better integrated as a result, even if out of context it feels like an odd detour the score takes for a moment. I still can't say I'm particularly fond of the climax cues, since it's pretty clear that Young only wrote thematic material for the alien and nothing more, but at least it plays better when I don't have that nagging feeling that I should be hearing more instances of the main themes! I just can't understand what Young was aiming for on his previous albums for this, besides maybe finding the many instances of the themes repetitive. It just ended up doing his work on the film no favors, so I'm absolutely ecstatic that this release managed to happen. Definitely the version you should own.

After re-listening to it yesterday, I find it's only in the Train cue where the tone gets derailed by the techno intrusions, since anything else approaching that territory is pretty much only in the alts (though Ambush probably gets close). And the funny thing is that the filmmakers actually seem to agree, because those elements are toned down in the actual film mix! But yes, the end credits suite is an incredibly effective edit, even if it's maybe too reliant on the climax cues for it to not feel too redundant to include in a playlist. I do wonder who on team the assembled it, since it definitely features unique bits that aren't in the rest of the score.

Referring to it as "the full thing" is the only indicator that he listened to the expansion, since I have seen people refer to the Logan and Rogue theme as such based off only the OST. Even if it's just because it's definitely the cue that makes the strongest impression in-film.

And there are more variants of that theme on the expansion! Not nearly enough as there should be, but that's only because Rogue's own motif is pretty much an incomplete version of it, so it's purposefully held back until key moments. I had completely forgotten that the OST leaves out some of my personal key favorite highlights that strengthen the narrative of the score. But at the same time, they're not gonna be anything that sounds substantially different. Maybe even worse in a few spots, since the original album jettisons some of the electronics in areas. I did forget to post this when I made it, but I did make a crack at restoring a rejected cue for a scene in the movie. I did go the lazy route and just kept the center channel, so you do hear a tiny bit of the tracked cue the final film uses, but it should work okay:

Pretty much. The story goes that once it came time for Kamen to record the score, Lauren Shuler Donner was completely dissatisfied with what he had written, and demanded that he redo the whole thing with a more muted and techno-y sound palette. Many revisions and a supposedly unhappy Kamen later, this was the score we got. It was always a strange story to me, since it gives the impression that Michael had no idea what the actual tone of the movie was going in. Almost like he assumed it was going to be exactly like the 90s cartoon and started from there. But given the production hell the first movie went through (surprise surprise, the sexual deviant director also sucks in other ways), I wouldn't be shocked if Fox had shown Kamen the Whedon draft of the script before that got 99% thrown out.

I have wondered if the score could be considered technically unfinished, just based on the state of certain cues. The Main Titles being completely tracked (1m1 is actually Death Camp), the original version of Land of Intolerance abruptly ending (with the film version having to fake one), and everything to do with Inside The Statue (the Kamen website even lists the tracked version!). Combine that with the slew of revisions, plus versions made specifically for the OST, it is honestly a miracle that the score holds together as much as it does. Even if it does also explain why people generally only remember select pieces. If it wasn't for Disney buying Fox, I would've been very curious in seeing what a further expanded re-release of this score could've looked like, since there's absolutely stuff they could release in addition to the coveted classic superhero sounding demos MK made. Even if it's just the final score demos Badelt used to have on his promos/website and proper film versions on some tracks (since the internal 2CD set seems to have been for an earlier cut). But then given the Kamen Estate likely already gave them everything they had presumably, I guess it'd be down to if anyone else involved had anything they could offer from the production.

It's definitely an acquired taste. I certainty had trouble listening to it back when we only had the bootlegged "film stem" set, but then I got into it a bit more after I'd grabbed an edit someone did (once it became apparent there were gaps in the final edit of the score). It's far more cohesive and thematic than I think people give it credit for, but there's no beating around some of the more abrasive sounds that Kamen likely threw in out of frustration. I certainly have trouble imagining what the more Superman inspired version of this sounded like, because it fits in very well with the other Kamen stuff I've heard (a theme here is straight up taken from Robin Hood!). The action material definitely isn't as cohesive as people might like it to be, but it's got enough energy and personality to it that I honestly don't mind. Really, the highlights are in the dramatic and emotional moments. Very few superhero movies have captured the feelings Death Camp and Logan and Rogue leave me with. They arguably are quite odd for a cape flick, but that's what makes them appealing! You simply will not find anything else with the personality of this, for better or worse. The OST is on streaming if you want a sampler, since it's decently representative of the score (despite some mixes being tailored for the album). The LLL certainly gives a much fuller picture on what Kamen managed to achieve, but I think that'll just depend on if you like any of it beforehand.

Next week? They really packed all these rescreenings in such a short time, with the weekly Spider-Man reruns and (less advertised) select Nolan reruns.

This really could've just been a "I have my expectations low based on the current description not sounding like my thing" tbh

Ah. I'd honestly written that comment as a joke, since I figured it'd be a bigger deal if something was actually missing. Guess I was right in thinking that emote didn't convey the intent well . (The comment after certainly doesn't help, either .)

Woah. It had previously stated it was merely out of stock. Given it's a Fox movie, I can't help but wonder if Disney has straight up cut themselves off from whatever agreements there were initially, since the exact same thing has also happened to the Die Hard with a Vengeance release.

Young is very particular about even some expansions of his, to which he has acknowledged in liner notes would frustrate several fans. So you get stuff the like official Core album, where they straight up combine two versions of one track as part of the presentation. It's something you wouldn't mind unless you're actually familiar with a film he scored (to which his potential SM3 album would've frustrated me to no end). Assuming it will be from a fresh source, I doubt Species will be like Virtuosity, where some tracks were likely left out for legal reasons. But given Young and Intrada have a great working relationship, I do wonder if they'll feel inclined to leave the full score unchanged this time or if they'll make an entirely different presentation.