Film Score Monthly announces the Blue Box - Superman.

[Delorean90 42]

Man, "Nuclear Man's Theme" doesn't even have an ending! That's a great place for one of the classic Williams concert endings, a la "The Forest Battle" or even "March of the Villains." But instead we get the looped fade-out. It would be great if Williams would go back and make an ending for it, but that's beyond unlikely, sad though it may be.

[King Mark 3,624]

Exactly .Same with Jeremy's Theme .It means Courage just had a melody to work with .Then you go listen to the end of Reunion of Friends and every phrasing,every counterpoint ,every tone is exactly like Williams would write it,yet apparently Ross did that....sure.

[Henry B 50]

Williams composed straightforward album arrangements of his new themes based on descriptions of the characters. He also received videotapes of certain key scenes and offered ideas to Courage by telephone.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I would just like to add that I think Superman IV is a far...far better score then COS.

[King Mark 3,624]

Williams composed straightforward album arrangements of his new themes based on descriptions of the characters. He also received videotapes of certain key scenes and offered ideas to Courage by telephone.

Well,that's what they are,straighforward

[Admiral Holdo 16]

offered ideas to Courage by telephone.

"Call Jerry and ask how he does it."

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Well,that's what they are,straighforward

I really like the album version of Nu-kul-ar Man's Theme. Some of the orchestrations don't sound like Williams though, while others sound like what he would be doing from the late 90's till today.

Hmmmm.........

[Henry B 50]

It's a tacky theme, but in a (maybe) good way. The synths and looping represent Nuclear Man's artificiality.

or whatever

[fommes 153]

When are the next parts of Neil's interview coming out?

[King Mark 3,624]

It's a tacky theme, but in a (maybe) good way. The synths and looping represent Nuclear Man's artificiality.

or whatever

I think the pulsing synth sound represents his radioactiveness

[artyjeffrey 20]

I thought the Rhino release was out of print... WTF?

http://www.amazon.com/Superman-Original-Mo...1054&sr=1-1

[King Mark 3,624]

It's probably old stock

[Trent B 337]

KM is probably right. When I bought my Rhino release the very first time (before disc two some how cracked! ) I got it off Amazon for about the same price. I jumped on it since I knew at the time it was out of print then as well.

[Lurker 5]

When are the next parts of Neil's interview coming out?

Eventually.

Neil

[Maglorfin 196]

I thought the Rhino release was out of print... WTF?

http://www.amazon.com/Superman-Original-Mo...1054&sr=1-1

It's an import, probably from the UK, that's also why it's quite expensive, and they only have two in stock at the moment.

[Luke Skywalker 1,791]

man i hope nobody boughts it by error, that costs little less than half the blue box.

[MrScratch 294]

I've renamed Nuclear Man's Theme: "Mark Pillow's Theme".

[Maglorfin 196]

Why would you that?

[King Mark 3,624]

man i hope nobody boughts it by error, that costs little less than half the blue box.

That is true,I think I paid even more for it originally

[John Crichton 4]

When are the next parts of Neil's interview coming out?

Eventually.

Neil

Spoken like a true writer. A deadline is something to marvel at as it passes by.

[artyjeffrey 20]

Finally had a listen to Superman IV, and did anyone else think that Lacy's Theme bears a striking resembling to a theme in Family Plot (I've never seen the film, so I can't say who's theme it might be)? Maybe that's why I like it.

Anyways, who would've thought that IV would sound so full after the smaller scale sound of II and III!

[Henry B 50]

The Quest for Peace cues recorded in England sound excellent, but you can tell that the German orchestra just wasn't up to par when it comes to cues like "Main Titles."

[Guest macrea]

The Quest for Peace cues recorded in England sound excellent, but you can tell that the German orchestra just wasn't up to par when it comes to cues like "Main Titles."

...which were recorded in England according to the set.

[Henry B 50]

I see. I don't have the book with me. I may have been thinking of "End Titles." In any case, some of the cues are definitely performed substandardly, regardless of which orchestra was responsible.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

When are the next parts of Neil's interview coming out?

Eventually.

Neil

Spoken like a true writer. A deadline is something to marvel at as it passes by.

Spoken like the late, great Douglas Adams

[Maglorfin 196]

It was only today that I discovered that Jones's stuff on CD 7 is actually also very good. :roll: I also really like his take on JW's Main Title.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I haven't made it far past disc 2 yet.

Turns out Superman: The Movie is really quite good.

[Luke Skywalker 1,791]

so the with new sound quality, the 2nd half does not drag anymore?

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

The new split in discs is a surprising help.

As are the extremely detailed liner notes.

[Luke Skywalker 1,791]

You are just self-convincing the 90 some € were worth it

j/k

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Superman Returns made me appriciate the score to Superman The Movie a lot more. It is now a masterpiece IMO.

And Sandy Courage's Superman score should have John Ottman feeling humiliated and impotent.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

And Sandy Courage's Superman score should have John Ottman feeling humiliated and impotent.

It's a great score! I've never heard a more successful example of a score where the composer has had to work with another composer's themes. Courage's bold rearrangements of the Williams themes work precisely because he took a completely different approach each time. It's like listening to a completely new score (and a great one!), whereas listening to Superman II I find to be a bit of a waste of time. Superman III is so much better as the new music is excellent, although I still find the treatment of the Williams material to be a little unimaginative, as if Thorne didn't have the balls (or "courage") to make the themes his own, as Sandy did.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Superman Returns made me appriciate the score to Superman The Movie a lot more. It is now a masterpiece IMO.

Only now?

I remember the night when I had the epiphany. It was summer 2003, I was listening to the Smallville passages, and suddenly it struck me. I couldn't find any score I liked more. Superman - The Movie remains to this day my favorite Williams score, although it has to share that spot with E.T.

[Ollie 1,059]

I'm still playing all 4 scores and I haven't even made it to animated Superman material from Ron Jones yet.

Superman is so crisp and clear now it's almost like the Rhino set was a poor bootleg.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I've always loved the first section of the score, and ranked that amongst Williams finest works, but once The Fortess finishes, it always seemed like the score dropped a notch. Still very, very good, but just not as good as what came before.

I see error of my thinking now, and applaud you for beating me too it.

[Luke Skywalker 1,791]

I'm still playing all 4 scores

I can just see the news:

'JWfan from Texas murdered by his family.

The family claims that they heard Jor-El's voice inside their minds that encouraged them to commit the crime. The Spanish Inquisition is investigating.'

I hope that is not rude humour.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

I've always loved the first section of the score, and ranked that amongst Williams finest works, but once The Fortess finishes, it always seemed like the score dropped a notch. Still very, very good, but just not as good as what came before.

I see error of my thinking now, and applaud you for beating me too it.

I still think the second half doesn't quite live up to the first half. That's pretty much because the first half contains some of Williams' finest movie music. The entire Krypton sequence (including Trip to Earth) is incredible music. The homestead/growing up music (up to Fortress) is also wonderful. From that point on we get a very well crafted comedy/action score, dominated by the love theme. Nothing wrong with it at all, but it lacks the gravitas of the first half. It's still one of Williams' greatest achievements, and deserves to have a place in the top 15 scores of all time IMO.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

The pixie is right.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Were are Neil and Joe to disagree with us, and mock us?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

The board is yours.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Off to Vegas?

[John Crichton 4]

Am I the only one that loves all of Superman, not just the first half?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Nope.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I love Superman The Movie, all of it.

But it is just it's two different scores that happen to have the same themes.

[Ollie 1,059]

I love the whole damn thing.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I even love Margot Kidder's "Can You Read My Mind" monologue.

[John Crichton 4]

I even love Margot Kidder's "Can You Read My Mind" monologue.

OK, you got me there. I won't go that far. And the pop version makes me want to puke.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

That is a wonderfull part, I missed it when listening to Superman on the Blue Box

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I even love Margot Kidder's "Can You Read My Mind" monologue.

OK, you got me there. I won't go that far. And the pop version makes me want to puke.

I even like that too. The Maureen McGovern one, right?

[Lurker 5]

Superman is a masterpiece from start to finish. There isn't a wasted note in the entire thing.

Neil