robthehand 3 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 So far I've never managed to find one I'm totally happy with:The original recording bootleg has a great performance, but seriously bad sound qualityThe McNeely recording is a good performance, but with nowhere near enough "power" (I don't know if this is because of the performance or the recording)The Herrmann re-recording has everything right except the tempos, which are (IMO) horribly slow.Are there any other recordings worth checking out, or are these the best ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sulky 6 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 Although it isn't complete, check out the Danny Elfman adaptation (Bartek cond.) for Gus Van Sant's 1998 remake.Shawn Murphy's recording is (appropriately enough) a fairly dry one which I feel suits the music better as opposed to the concert hall sound of most re-recordings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin 2 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 Joel McNeely and the RSNO's recording is fantastic. I think the "Prelude" is much more powerful than the original version.Justin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 I agree with sulky, the Elfman /Bartek version is very good.I'm still not sure what exactly Elfman adapted for this score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fommes 153 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 I'm also partial to the Elfman version. And Elfman wrote something for the Logos which I think is really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 It is, but isn't that basically the only thing he did? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,059 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 I think he did some minor changes to some of the other cues but I agree McNeely's and his are the two best to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morlock 11 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 Elfman also arranged an End Credits suite, MIA on the CD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitch 57 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 So far I've never managed to find one I'm totally happy with:The original recording bootleg has a great performance, but seriously bad sound qualityThe McNeely recording is a good performance, but with nowhere near enough "power" (I don't know if this is because of the performance or the recording)The Herrmann re-recording has everything right except the tempos, which are (IMO) horribly slow.Are there any other recordings worth checking out, or are these the best ones?IMO The original bootleg score with Herrmann conducting (available as a bootleg) is still the best but granted McNeely's 1996 version is the first complete recording of PSYCHO, the sound is pretty lacklustre even though it is recorded in 20 Bit digital. The acoustics at City Halls, Glasgow is pretty much to blame. I know Steef always badgers me about Herrmann's 1975 recording with the National Philharmonic Orchestra....tooooo slooowww. Poor man was very ill. Give him some credit! While Danny Elfman's name should never have appeared after Bernard Herrmann's somewhat small screen credit on Gus Van Sant's 1998 remake, it is one of the best adaptations so far of PSYCHO. The sound is great on CD and although not complete, it is worth getting for the superior sound quality. I have various PSYCHO suites on mp3 downloaded years ago...ranging from good to downright too slow. Herrmann would indeed be spinning in his grave listening to a few of them.CDs: PSYCHO conducted by Bernard Herrmann, Studio Orchestra BOOTLEG SCD-585 PSYCHO conducted by Bernard Herrmann, National Philharmonic Orchestra UKCD 2021 PSYCHO conducted by Joel McNeely, Royal Scottish National Orchestra VSD-5765 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Barnsbury 8 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 I can't stand hearing the Psycho main titles played too slow. It completely cripples the energy and intended effect of the piece! As a side note, I pulled up Elfman's re-recording after reading through this thread to give it a listen, and I noticed that 18 out of the 22 tracks begin with the word "the." :? Ray Barnsbury Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robthehand 3 Posted April 21, 2006 Author Share Posted April 21, 2006 It is, but isn't that basically the only thing he did?I guess his name sells soundtracks better than Steve Bartek's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Elfman and Bartek's re-recording is the one to go for. I think I read a few years back that they used antique microphones for the recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,059 Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 As a side note, I pulled up Elfman's re-recording after reading through this thread to give it a listen, and I noticed that 18 out of the 22 tracks begin with the word "the." :? Ray BarnsburyThat's probably Herrmann because alot of his titles are "The......"Just check the back of Varese's re-recordings or any other Herrmann album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Barnsbury 8 Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 I guess the creativity stopped at the music! Ray Barnsbury Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted April 22, 2006 Share Posted April 22, 2006 Goldsmith's track titles are a bit on the generic side most of time too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightscape94 965 Posted April 22, 2006 Share Posted April 22, 2006 PSYCHO conducted by Bernard Herrmann, Studio Orchestra BOOTLEG SCD-585This is the one that says "Limited Circulation..." on the back?I just listented to some of this, and I have to say, considering that it advertises a digital remastering, the CD is almost unlistenable. I know you can only do so much with a score that's over 40 years old, but the sound quality is horrible. A couple of other posts say that it's a bootleg, which would seem to indicate that the remastering is a false statement. That would also explain why is sucks so bad. Does that mean there has never been an official release of the original session tape material?Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted April 22, 2006 Share Posted April 22, 2006 It's a bootleg, taken from a isolated score from a Laserdisc.It's in mono, like the films sound mix.i wonder if the score was recorded in mono too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robthehand 3 Posted April 22, 2006 Author Share Posted April 22, 2006 Does that mean there has never been an official release of the original session tape material?TimUnfortunately it does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted April 22, 2006 Share Posted April 22, 2006 it's presumebly lost or destroyed.And even if it is still in good shape.It's Universal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robthehand 3 Posted April 22, 2006 Author Share Posted April 22, 2006 And even if it is still in good shape. It's Universal.But Vertigo is Universal (right?) and that got a release... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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