Gerhardt's STAR WARS Album - Two Versions?

[robthehand 3]

Due to accidental damage, I had to re-buy Gerhardt's Star Wars/Close Encounters album. I had made a CD-R backup, but since it's not very expensive I decided to get a new pressed CD anyway. I found one on Amazon Marketplace, and it arrived this morning - however it has a completely different cover, insert notes and CD design. It's also on the RCA Red Seal label, instead of RCA Victor. I've played it through, and the music sounds the same (comparing, I'd say the quality might be even better than the RCA Victor, but I may be imagining it). Is this a promotional release? I've never seen or heard anything about it before.

Here are a couple of photos I took of it:

[Mr. Breathmask 480]

Oddly enough, that's the album cover I've set for my .m4a files of that CD.

- Marc, who doesn't have a pressed copy.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

I have a pressed copy of it.

It is simply an earlier release of the same recording, without the silly Dolby Surround encoding.

[King Mark 2,924]

Mine's different from those 2 covers.

K.M.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

What does your look like?

[King Mark 2,924]

it has a shot of the CE3K mountain with no spaceship,and a silver "film" graphic covering the top right corner like RotJ,and it's encoded in Dolby Surround.

[nicholas 1]

I have the original RECORD from the early 80s.which has the exact same cover, front and back (but a bit bigger, of course). I sort of grew up with these versions and really rate them highly - I particularly like the end of the Throne Room, I've never heard another version quite like it.

But tell me - who the hell are the National Philharmonic Orchestra?

[King Mark 2,924]

I think it sounds similar to the Zubin Metha version

K.M.

[robthehand 3]

I have a pressed copy of it.

It is simply an earlier release of the same recording, without the silly Dolby Surround encoding.

That's a good thing, right?

I sort of grew up with these versions and really rate them highly - I particularly like the end of the Throne Room, I've never heard another version quite like it.

I've heard a lot of Gerhardt's film music re-recordings, and they're all absolutely superb - apart from The Empire Strikes Back, strangely. To me the sound quality sounds very bizarre, and the selections and performance not up to Gerhardt's usual standards.

I know a lot of people rave about that album, but I never liked it as much as Gerhardt's others. Still good though.

But tell me - who the hell are the National Philharmonic Orchestra?

IIRC, it's an orchestra of musicians selected by Gerhardt specially for these projects.

I could be talking absolute rubbish here, but I think that's what I read somewhere.

[TownerFan 4,548]

The National Philharmonic Orchestra was indeed a free-lance orchestra founded by Sydney Sax and Charles Gerhardt in the late 60s, due to an engagement with the RCA recording series named "Reader's Digest". It was an ensemble of musicians made up by several members hand-picked from the top symphony orchestra of London: the LSO, the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic. They were usually gathered for album recordings (classical and film), but they also did a well stash of concerts in London.

Anyway, here you can find some more info.

[Ollie 859]

The National Philharmonic Orchestra also performed many film scores. Total Recall and the Omen Films are some of the films, Goldsmith used them for a few of his scores.

[fommes 126]

I have that album too, Rob. Reportedly it's better than the newer, Dolby surround version, so you (and I) got lucky I guess.

[robthehand 3]

It does sound less "muffled". I think I can hear more detail on the Red Seal version.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

They need to re-release the Gerhardt recordings on SACD.

[robthehand 3]

Indeed!