Jump to content

Film Score Monthly announces the Blue Box - Superman.


TownerFan

Recommended Posts

The only weakness of the box I've managed to discover so far is the somewhat poor book binding. Although I've only managed to read first 30 or so pages of my book and handled it ever so carefully, the binding is already kind of starting to come apart. :( Has anybody else also experienced this? :blink:

That's all down to shoddy craftsmanship these days. My Grandad used to be a bookbinder, and it was a real artform. Nowadays books aren't built to last the way they used to be. Next time FSM does a book like this I'd like the book bound in vellum! ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd kinda understand if this happened after some months of active reading, but on the very first day ... :blink: I hope they improve this on the next box, whatever it is.

BTW, how is it with the book from the first (Elmer Bernstein) box, did it suffer from the same problem?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only weakness of the box I've managed to discover so far is the somewhat poor book binding. Although I've only managed to read first 30 or so pages of my book and handled it ever so carefully, the binding is already kind of starting to come apart. :( Has anybody else also experienced this? :blink:

That's all down to shoddy craftsmanship these days. My Grandad used to be a bookbinder, and it was a real artform. Nowadays books aren't built to last the way they used to be. Next time FSM does a book like this I'd like the book bound in vellum! ;)

You ain't kidding. My copies of the last two Potter books, purchased on opening night each, have already started to come apart from the spine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before anyone starts panicking about the Blue Box book, read this:

Whoa fellas. If anyone has any doubts, about the durability of our product, allow me to clarify:

The book is "smythe sewn", a traditional hardcover book binding, not glued. It is standard practice for signatures of 16 or 32 pages to be printed together and then stitched together with real silk thread. This is a real book, built to last.

The looseness is normal. The book needs space between the sewn signatures and the book spine for flexibility. If the pages were attached to the spine, the spine would crack. If it seems like a lot of space, relatively, remember it's just the scale of our tome. You don't often see 160 pages in hardcover, smaller than a paperback!

Art Director Joe

PS---Don't ask that Lukas guy, he produces great records, but he ain't no bookbinder. ;-)

And on the possibility of a PDF:

We have been discussing doing PDFs of liner notes already but there is a lot involved as far as rights, bandwidth, formatting, etc. It would be best not to expect anything soon. Thanks.

Lukas

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, that seems to make sense. Hope it's true. :blink:

Well, few posts later, somebody wrote:

Sorry, Joe, but I've been reading and collecting books (of all sizes) for decades, and this one is anything but durable. You can see the signatures pulling away at the top of the book when it's opened, but not at the bottom. From the problems so many other people are describing, I'd say you have a beef with your manufacturer. This is a real shame, considering the excellent effort that went into the contents.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

BTW, how is it with the book from the first (Elmer Bernstein) box, did it suffer from the same problem?

No problem with it. I have just checked it yet again; no problem at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Over at the FSM's board they have a topic dedicated to the book only (a link which already fommes posted) and quite some complaints can be found there already. Looks like most people who bought the box will be wanting some kind of replacement and personally, I quite agree with the fellow that wrote the following:

I'm sure everyone here would greatly appreciated if FSM/SAE whoever could find some kind of permanent fix - rather than merely shipping out replacements from the same batch that will also likely fall apart - because it truly is a magnificent and totally definitive document of these scores.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll look at the binding once I get my set. After all, we make binding decisions at work all the time, too, so maybe I can identify it and suggest the proper way to handle it for longer durability. Although I will say this: it's really hard to render a book useless.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only weakness of the box I've managed to discover so far is the somewhat poor book binding. Although I've only managed to read first 30 or so pages of my book and handled it ever so carefully, the binding is already kind of starting to come apart. :( Has anybody else also experienced this? :blink:

Yeah, the same thing has happened with mine. No pages have come out, but the last few are threatening to do so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before anyone starts panicking about the Blue Box book, read this:
Whoa fellas. If anyone has any doubts, about the durability of our product, allow me to clarify:

The book is "smythe sewn", a traditional hardcover book binding, not glued. It is standard practice for signatures of 16 or 32 pages to be printed together and then stitched together with real silk thread. This is a real book, built to last.

The looseness is normal. The book needs space between the sewn signatures and the book spine for flexibility. If the pages were attached to the spine, the spine would crack. If it seems like a lot of space, relatively, remember it's just the scale of our tome. You don't often see 160 pages in hardcover, smaller than a paperback!

Art Director Joe

PS---Don't ask that Lukas guy, he produces great records, but he ain't no bookbinder. ;-)

Thats sounds like the description of a regular hardcover book. Don't worry :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The first dozen or so pages have already become loose in mine - and I have been handling it with great care :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The first dozen or so pages have already become loose in mine - and I have been handling it with great care :)

Ditto. Mine is ruined also. Practically the entire booklet has now fell apart. I'm waiting to see what FSM are going to do about it, because I do not want another booklet simply sent out as a replacement which has the exact same poor design just to have it fall apart in front of me all over again.

Image008.jpg

Image009.jpg

Image010.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm waiting to see what FSM are going to do about it, because I do not want another booklet simply sent out as a replacement which has the exact same poor design just to have it fall apart in front of me all over again.

Yes indeed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm considering individually scanning all the pages of the book onto my computer for easy access. I suppose doing this will likely wear out the book (from what you all are saying), but at least the pages won't fall out over time... I'll just ruin the binding all at once. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ditto. Mine is ruined also. Practically the entire booklet has now fell apart.

Jesus H. Christ, those pics look dreadful! ;) My booklet is luckily not yet in such bad condition and I hope it doesn't ever get there, but how can I be sure ... :) Did you consider sending those pics also to SAE? It might be a good idea so they'll see for themselves that the situation is in fact alarming ... Though judging by the numbers of defective booklet-related posts at their board, there's a good possibility that someone has sent them his/her own pics already ... :blink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Indeed, and I've now listened to Superman I-IV, and it's definitely well worth it. Others have said this before, but IV is indeed a hidden gem. Don't sweat it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The book is the main reason I instantly bought this set. These horror stories, and those pictures, are making me rethink my purchase.

Don't. It's still an amazing CD set. Yes, the book is worryingly fragile (although mine is looking particularly fragile towards the end, it's still in one piece, touch wood) but the music is what I wanted over all. You certainly get your money's worth in that department. My advice about the book: Read it once and memorize it! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From the FSM board, my comments on Superman IV:

I literally just finished listening to Superman IV (source cues and all)...and now I'm listening again as I type!

What a great score! Williams's new themes are all winners. I was more familiar before with the Nuclear Man theme, which is a ton of fun, and Jeremy's Theme is a treat, almost like an 80's version of the Hook and Home Alone sound. But Lacy's Theme--WOW! Stunning! Another great one added to the pantheon of Williams love themes, with an absolutely gorgeous ending in the concert suite. I love this theme--it makes me wish Clark had ended up with her! And along the same lines, the whole score makes Superman IV sound like a good movie! As I read the liner notes, it seem like they did some weird stuff in the chopping--cutting the first Nuclear Man might make sense (sounds like a fun sequence, though), and the subplot with Luthor getting rearrested, but cutting the resolution of the Warfields?! It never made sense to me--when I saw it on TV as a kid, I was like, "What happened to Lacy?" And now that I know officially Lacy's rescue was originally in the sky, not space, I'm dumbfounded as to why they didn't just go ahead and work it so they could leave it in the sky instead of making it take the scene to the heights of suspension of disbelief and throw it over the edge.

Anyway, there's some really great material. Courage did an absolutely terrific job in using the themes, orchestrating them, and making his own cues with them. I'm certain any attempt to list the highlights will be incomplete, so I'll just point out some things off the top of my head. The usage of "The Trip to Earth" at the end of "Pow!" is really interesting. The concert suites are all great. "For Real/The Class" has nice in-score introductions for the two new human themes--both, interestingly, in delicate wind arrangements. The "Fresh Air" cue is a delightful revisit of "The Flying Sequence." "United Nations/Net Man" is a really great cue--and I appreciate the finale of the first half so much more now that I spot all the thematic mingling, deftly done by Courage. "Enter Nuclear Man 2" is great fun with that powerful statement of Nuclear Man's theme. I was wondering how five minutes of interplay between Lacy's theme and the Love theme would work--but it does in "Lacy's Place"! Of course, it helps that both themes are terrific. "Ear Ache/Confrontation/Tornado" is a great action cue; it's one of my favorites--I love the build at the end of "Confrontation" into "Tornado," and the usage of that whole first battle sequence with Nuclear Man 2 is a really good way to end the first disc. "Down With Flu" is a nicely done reflective cue. "Two-Faced Lex/Missile Buildup" is a really fun cue with its militaristic variations--and I really enjoy Courage's Russian motif; I would've liked to have heard more of it. The whole climax is a treat, but I must be more specific: For one thing, "Abducted/Mutual Distrust" is wondeful, especially with those beautiful string statements of Lacy's Theme. "Metropolis Fight/To the Moon" has some nice workings of the Nuclear Man Theme and the Superman theme. "Moon Fight/Goodbye Nuke" is a great end to the action--I love those brass blasts with anvil in "Moon Fight," and the way Courage wraps it all up in "Goodbye Nuke" is very well done. The music for Lacy's farewell is really touching, and then the whole finale and end credits is nicely done, with the new ending by Courage.

I realize I've mentioned most of the tracks by now, but there really isn't a clunker in the bunch. I'm so glad FSM was able to pull off this release: so many hidden treasures revealed to our jubilant ears! Fantastic!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So Lacy's Place has Lois Lane's theme mixed with Lacy's theme...is this a sequence where Clark goes on a date with Lacy while Superman goes out with Lois?

K.M.Who remembers nothing of the film's plot

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So Lacy's Place has Lois Lane's theme mixed with Lacy's theme...is he going on a double date or something

K.M.Who remembers nothing of the film's plot

You can't remember the film's plot? Wait... There was a plot?! Heck, Courage's excellent score does a better job of telling the story. A literal rarity. :)

Yes, Clark and Lois go on a double date with Lacy and her abusive father Mr. Warfield. He wants to make sure she is home by nine. The scene is cut short however when he gets drunk and smooches Lois' pet dog. Oh, and during all of this Clark has swiftly changed back into Supes and is making sure Lois' precious roast duck is extra crispy so that he can quickly change back again, another cool new Superpower of his, how fun.

Jon Cryer should have won an Oscar, for "Best Portrayal of a Surfer Dude in a Superman Picture... Ever!"

"Oh nouuuu!!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My book is fine. So is my Bernstein book. While I appreciate the concerns over the book, 8 discs loaded with music more than make up for a book falling apart.

I'd buy the set now, what if Lukas and FSM decided to cut the book to save on the costs for the second set?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hear there's a second edition on the way with a titanium-encased book. I wonder if there'll be extra music too.

LOL :lol:

To be sure - I'm extremely happy that I bought the set, which is definitely too good to be true, it's only that if the book didn't fell apart, it would've been as an icing on a cake. ;) But of course, the book can still be read even after it has fallen apart, so if SAE won't be issuing any replacements, no big deal for me personally, though I suspect some won't be satisfied so easily. :eek2:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd buy the set now, what if Lukas and FSM decided to cut the book to save on the costs for the second set?

They wouldn't have to cut too many costs if they used even dodgier materials for the next book. Cheap fabric and dim lighting... that's how you move merchandise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally I wouldn't ask for an exchange for a loose booklet,but that beeing said I might be fussier if it was something else. One tiny scratch on a brand new electronic gear,and back to the store it goes.

I wouldn't blame people who see this as a collector's item to want a pristine set

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.