The Best Soundtrack Release Ever

[robthehand 3]

I'm talking about packaging, liner notes, booklets, sound quality etc., NOT the music itself. I got in the post today the deluxe edition of Ben-Hur by Miklos Rosza, and I have to say I can't think of another release of any score that had so much going for it - the (admittedly rather over-elaborate) desgin, the booklet (if you can call it that), and the stunning sound quality.

Runner-Up: Star Wars Anthology

Thoughts?

[John Crichton 4]

Star Wars Trilogy Special Editions

Despite the issues with sound quality that peak in Jedi, in terms of sequencing, completeness, and the awesome analysis booklets, these are the textbook definitive movie score albums and should be the models for all others.

[Incanus 5,519]

Howard Shore's the Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring the Complete Recordings. Very informative and detailed liner notes, DVD-Audio of the entire score (great sound quality) and additional 29 pages of track-by-track analysis found in the internet. The package itself is in a form of a book and the artwork and just about everything else is top notch. Absolutely the best Soundtrack release ever (thus far )

Runner-Ups:

Miklós Rózsa's Ben-Hur.

John Williams' Superman and Star Wars Special Edition soundtracks (all three).

[Sandor 459]

Superman, Rhino 2 CD set...

[Alan 600]

Going to have to be LOTR:FOTR CR at the top spot. Listening to the PPCM 5.1 track now. Stunning. Everything about it just has a feel of class.

Joined second place for Michael Matessino's efforts on the Star Wars and Superman sets.

[Marian Schedenig 5,520]

The SW:SEs and Ben-Hur are both very fine. The former's liner notes are more concerned with the music, while the latter has the better sound quality I'm not fond of the Rhino Superman packaging, and the sound quality is disappointing.

FOTR, on the other hand, doesn't just come with a DVD-Audio, but also with an extensive booklet containing a detailed analysis of leitmotifs (with printed score examples) that surpasses even most classical releases. There's really no contest here.

Marian - awaiting TTT and ROTK.

The Madness of King George (Händel/Fenton)

[Richard Penna 2,083]

FOTR:CR

Plus it's the only CD I've ever pre-ordered and got direct from Amazon - that's showing some faith, and belief in value.

RotK cannot come a day too soon - it'll be a landmark day.

[JoeinAR 1,759]

E.T. original release,

the music speaks for itself. blows, anything you guys above posted, away. Don't need long liner notes, don't need stupid analysis', just perfect music.

turn it on, close your eyes, listen, become absorbed, enjoy.

to ignore the music itself is to miss the whole point. Great packaging doesn't equal great music, afterall several of you said LOTR music, which is not great music.

[batmanand 0]

E.T. original release,  

the music speaks for itself.   blows, anything you guys above posted, away.  Don't need long liner notes, don't need stupid analysis', just perfect music.

turn it on, close your eyes, listen, become absorbed, enjoy.

On that basis, the best score = the best score release (almost). This thread was explicitly not about the quality of the music itself.

[Ollie 859]

If I could read Japanese I would imagine Futureland's Akira Ifukube's Godzilla and Sci-Fi scores would rank at the top because the booklets are filled with all kinds of info to include musical cue sheets and takes.

[Richard Penna 2,083]

to ignore the music itself is to miss the whole point.  Great packaging doesn't equal great music, afterall several of you said LOTR music, which is not great music.

I would think a lot of people here wouldn't agree with you on that one.

Would it be getting these amazing releases if it wasn't great?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

E.T. original release,  

the music speaks for itself.   blows, anything you guys above posted, away.  Don't need long liner notes, don't need stupid analysis', just perfect music.

Are you on crack again?

E.T. is far too short and contains for the most part re-recorded material in stead of the actual film music.

Get yourself into rehab NOW!

[stewdog1 50]

Is there anyway for the Star Wars original trilogy soundtracks to be released in DVD audio? I mean is it possible to convert and actually be of better quality than what we got?

If so, I can really see something like that coming about within 5 years when they do an DVD-HD release of the trilogies.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Yes, but it will cost a record company time money and effort.

[stewdog1 50]

Doesn't everything? Or is 'effort' the key word herer?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

It will probably require a lot of work to remix and remaster the Star Wars scores and release then in the high quality SACD format.

It would be worth it though...

[robthehand 3]

Doesn't everything?

No.

[stewdog1 50]

Yes it would. You never know, it could be done already if they are prepping the movies for an HD release.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

No, they would probably take the full mixed soundtrack of the actual film (including dialogue, soundeffects).

I doubt they would have to dig up the masters for the score only.

[stewdog1 50]

Doesn't everything?

No.

Is that actually better sounding than what we have?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

It's been proven on this MB that it does not.

Despite what Sony wants you to believe.

[stewdog1 50]

Figures.

[John Crichton 4]

I have to say that the packaging for the FotR complete score is just about the coolest thing ever. But I don't see much difference in the FotR/SW:SE booklet content, both do basically the same thing, just in different ways.

And if it actually had the complete score instead of the "interview" second disc I would put the Star Trek: The Motion Picture Anniversary release on the list.

John- who maybe one day will have the equipment to listen to that 5.1 stuff at home.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

difference in the FotR/SW:SE booklet content, both do basically the same thing, just in different ways.

No, the SW SE's have a track-by-track analyses.

the FOTR set has a comprehensive breakdown of all the themes and motifs.

[Romão 1,931]

I wish most JW scores could get the treatment FOTR got. So, although I'm not the biggest fan in the world of that score, it is only pisitive that such releases sell way and pave the way for similar releases in the future.

[nightscape94 965]

The thread title is misleading here. I was expecting to find out member's opinions on the best Soundtrack release ever, and although this has been done, partly, how exactly is the musical content not important? The most vital part of any release is what's on the disc(s), once you take that away, all you have left is presentation. If you really want an accurate representation or opinion about the best ST release, then you can't exclude the music. That's what the release is all about.

Tim

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Yes the music is the most important, but how the music is presented is also a very important asact of any release and deserves a seperate discussion IMO.

[nightscape94 965]

Then call it "The Best Packaging Ever". A "Soundtrack" is so much more then that and shouldn't be short changed.

Tim

[King Mark 2,924]

Then the best packaging is the 1994 SW anthology box.I felt I was holding somekind of precious trophee when I got it.

K.M.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,765]

Rhino usually do the best aesthetic presentations, such as North by Northwest, Ben-Hur, Doctor Zhivago, Poltergeist and Superman: The Movie, but they have an annoying tendency to release them just before the studio conveniently discovers the original masters (however, I am grateful to have all of that previously unreleased music). One of the most awful Rhino releases in this regard is Casablanca because of the horrid sound quality and the film's dialogue frequently intruding (I've always depised dialogue on a soundtrack because it defeats the purpose of a score soundtrack, ala War of the Worlds), though I'll give them the benefit of the doubt since the original masters may have been lost.

I really love Varese's presentations of Ghostbusters, Planet of the Apes and The Omen trilogy. And Silva's 2002 release of Legend is pretty awesome as well. I think one of the best Elfman releases is Columbia/Sony's Spider-Man 2 because we were lucky to get certain cues and edits that unfortunately didn't actually make it into the final film, making it more true to what Elfman would have originally envisioned for the score.

[Trent B 317]

Varése's Home Alone 2 Deluxe Edition, in my opinion is a pretty damn good soundtrack release. I know it's for christmas and yes we don't have liner notes but it's the complete score and has good quality sound over all.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Actually Home Alone 2 Deluxe Edition has very extensive liner notes.

[Hitch 55]

Steef, you must remember that there are no liner notes in the Mirror Universe.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Yeah, but they got one heck of an agony booth.

[Hitch 55]

Yeah, but they got one heck of an agony booth.

[Dean1700 4]

The best soundtrack release/packaging, that I have, would be

The Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship of The Ring: The Complete Recordings

Gettysburg (Rhino release 2CD Deluxe Commemorative Edition)

Another that I do not have would be

Ben Hur (Rhino release 2CD same as Gettysburg above)

[Docteur Qui 1,248]

I disagree on the SW '97 releases (and, by default, the '04 releases). I find the tracks far, far too long when they could easily have been split up. The more I think about it the less sense it makes. Why group up to five cues together in on 10 minute track? Madness!

[Unlucky Bastard 7,765]

I disagree on the SW '97 releases (and, by default, the '04 releases). I find the tracks far, far too long when they could easily have been split up. The more I think about it the less sense it makes. Why group up to five cues together in on 10 minute track? Madness!

I like it that way. Beats a whole lot of tracks segueing into eachother like The Phantom Menace: The Ultimate Edition.

[Trent B 317]

I think magical_me ment that he would rather have each cue seperate with clean openings and endings for each cue. Sometimes I would rather have that too...

[Docteur Qui 1,248]

It makes even less sense as half of them do have clean, audible silence between them, yet they're the same cue.

Oh well, I shouldn't complain. I can split them up myself, like the Bond rereleases.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,765]

The Bond re-releases are very good. Though I'm still waiting for a complete Tomorrow Never Dies.

[robthehand 3]

The Bond releases are heaven-sent compared to what we had before, but I can't help wondering if they could have been done better (although I understand the limitations they had). Thunderball should be 2-CD - there's far too much great stuff missing here. Same for On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Diamonds are Forever and Live and Let Die have only one or two cues missing each, and You Only Live Twice is the only truly complete release.

[Luke Skywalker 1,284]

You Only Live Twice is the only truly complete release.

Its missing the James Bond Theme ultra-tracked cue

[robthehand 3]

That's probably a good thing.

[Luke Skywalker 1,284]

they should have made a re-recording for the movie.

The score is missing a long JB theme rendition

[robthehand 3]

There is a good reason that scene used a tracked version of the theme, but I can't remember what it is. It might not have been finished in time for the scoring sessions... I don't know.

[Romão 1,931]

I actually like those long 10-minutes tracks. I hope the future releases of the prequel scores take this path. The track that combines Anakin's dark deeds and Enter Lord Vader would be a powerhouse track.

[John Crichton 4]

Same here, one of my favorite things about the SEs is that Redmond and Mattesino weren't afraid to use those long tracks. A particular favorite I would like to hear on a RotS complete release is The Reunion of Anakin and Padme/Greivous Travels to Sidious/Anakin's Dream, I love the way those segway into each other in the film. And the entire final duels should be one long monster track from the start of Padme's Visit to the end of Battle of the Heroes. (Both of which I've done on my complete Ep. III set)

[Richard Penna 2,083]

The Bond re-releases are very good.  Though I'm still waiting for a complete Tomorrow Never Dies.

There's a complete bootleg in perfect quality going around. The DVD also has an isolated score - what more could you want (short of a legit release)

[ymenard 35]

There's never been a perfect "complete release" John Williams score... they all miss that little thing that makes us fanboys cringe a tiny little (that Sail Barge ROTJ cue+bootleg sound... some mixing weirdness in TESB... missing stuff on E.T.... sound quality of Superman DVD isolated cues... etc. ).

But they are all still amazing