Are the following albums worth purchasing?

[John Crichton 4]

Nick, get everything.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Just get your favorite scores, Nick. Purchase the ones you already know, like if you've seen the movie. If there aren't any you know, then just get the cheap ones. Hit Amazon and check out the marketplace, you can never go wrong with a JW purchase.

That's what I did anyway. Now I've gotten to the point where I have everything except for the rare OOP uber-expensive scores.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

At this rate, I will probably repeat your fate. I hope John Williams goes to bed knowing how much money we spend on his music.

[Ollie 1,069]

I would also suggest going over to Intrada's website and purchasing Monsignor and Volume I & III of Amazing Stories since they have 2 scores by Williams.

http://store.intrada.com/

And go over to Varese Sarabande and purchase the two club releases still available thru them. Also a few other regular Williams releases by Varese should still be available at their site.

http://www.varesesarabande.com/

[pixie_twinkle 48]

Of those three I'd say only AI is worth purchasing unless you are a completist. There are many, many better Williams scores out there.

[Vaderbait1 1]

I need to know in time for my next "John Williams Roundup". Also, could someone perhaps recommend some uncommon (but still affordable) John Williams albums?

No, they're really not worth getting.

As far as uncommon, get his Dracula score. It's hard to find and isn't the best sound quality but the music is great.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I would also suggest going over to Intrada's website and purchasing Monsignor and Volume I & III of Amazing Stories since they have 2 scores by Williams.

http://store.intrada.com/

And go over to Varese Sarabande and purchase the two club releases still available thru them. Also a few other regular Williams releases by Varese should still be available at their site.

http://www.varesesarabande.com/

He can take his time on Varese, those releases aren't even in the red in terms of quantity. I waited like 2 years before I bought them. But yes, they should be somewhat of a priority since they are of a fair price and are limited. As for JW's other Varese titles, most are OOP or can be found for cheaper on Amazon.

[indy4 155]

I feel a sense of déjà vu also. Didn't we talk about John Williams yesterday? And the day before? And the day before?

I have the following albums from John Williams:

Star Wars Episodes III,IV,V, and VI

Jurassic Park

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Schindler's List

Jaws (2000 Edition)

E.T. (Collector's Edition)

The Terminal

Catch Me If You Can

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Hook and all the Harry Potter scores (especially 1 and 3) should be your top priorities. They are absolutely essential, and they show off some of JW's best works.

In addition, they are not at all difficult to dig into. Some of his more subtle scores require a couple listens to fully appreciate them, and even then they are not universally loved. There are very few people on this board who dislike the scores I mentioned above.

[Joe Brausam 216]

I cannot find a reasonably priced "25th Anniversary Edition" album for Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Don't give up hope on that, I found it at a used CD store last year for $7.99 in perfrect condition.

As for the Rhino Superman set, if you want it then let me know - I could sell you mine for a reasonable price.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

I appreciate the offer, but I must decline: I am on a mission...to raise enough money to purchase "The Blue Box". (On another note, I received "E.T." in the mail today. I am currently on Track 10. Does the "agents' theme" sound like "The Imperial March" to anybody?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I have enough money to get The Blue Box, I think, maybe not anymore because I recently spent $51 over at the MVA. Whatever, the point is, if I bought it, I wouldn't have any money left. I'd rather have several scores that I could get for cheap than a box of 4 scores. Take that into consideration, Nick, are you gonna drop the plan on all the previous JW scores discussed?

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Absolutely not. Perhaps I should have clarified a lot more: when I wrote "to get enough money to purchase the 'Blue Box', I meant that that amount of money would allow me to buy practically every John Williams album ever released. Forgive me for my misleading post earlier.

[Luke Skywalker 1,813]

I appreciate the offer, but I must decline: I am on a mission...to raise enough money to purchase "The Blue Box". (On another note, I received "E.T." in the mail today. I am currently on Track 10. Does the "agents' theme" sound like "The Imperial March" to anybody?

Its not the imperial march, its more similar to the music when boba fett is walking to his ship with carbonite Solo in cloud city.

[MrScratch 294]

I cannot find a reasonably priced "25th Anniversary Edition" album for Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

I prefer the OST myself, its the best start-to-finish listening experience of any JW OST. Some of the extra material from the expanded version is good, but I prefer the original release.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

I have nothing to compare the "25th Anniversary Edition" to, so I do not mind. Also, how is "War of the Worlds"?

[Richard Penna 3,782]

Either a subtle but fine score, or a total borefest, depending on who you ask.

I find it a nice score with some very good moments, but it also has some extended periods where practically nothing happens. I wouldn't put it too high on your list.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

How about "Home Alone"?

[Richard Penna 3,782]

I don't listen to it much outside the holiday season but it's definitely highly regarded. The 2-disc version of Home Alone II expands on it nicely I think.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Hm.... What about "The Witches of Eastwick"?

[Joe Brausam 216]

Far and Away would be a solid choice.

[John Crichton 4]

Indy. Potter. Hook. Superman (if you can afford the Blue Box, great). Worry about the rest later. Trust me.

[indy4 155]

Also, how is "War of the Worlds"?

It's my least favorite JW score, because it is incredibly boring apart from a couple good cues.

How about "Home Alone"?

It's fantastic, get that one.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Hm.... What about "The Witches of Eastwick"?

Everything is good, Nick. Like I said before, just get the most that you can for as little money as possible.

[odnurega1 0]

The Witches of Eastwick is great. I especially love The Ballroom Scene and The Tennis Game.

I can never really make my mind up about War of the Worlds. I've listened to it in full a few times. Once, I loved it and thought it was the greatest thing, but the next time I listened to it I found myself reaching for a bottle of Tylenol to cure the headache some of the pieces gave me.

And how did I forget Far and Away? This is ESSENTIAL! You must buy this score. I had the opportunity to hear the music performed in Boston this year, and it was great!

[Nick Parker 3,040]

I must say, you have all been very helpful. Would anyone know if there will be a rerelease for "Dracula"? I have not seen the film, but the thought of John Williams scoring classic horror films excites me.

[John Crichton 4]

Dracula's long out of print. But it is a very nice score, underrated in these parts IMO. A proper release would help, and considerding Images and Monsignor and all the great non-Williams stuff that's come out of nowhere the last year or two, who knows?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

But Monsignor and Images have never been released on CD before. Dracula has, and it's Varese.

[Henry B 50]

So because it was released on Varese, Dracula could never be remastered and released on a different label (or Varese again)?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Since when does Varese re-release their scores?

[John Crichton 4]

It's a short disc with crappy sound, I'm sure that if Varese or whoever decides to do it again it'll get the proper treatment.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

At least it is not the company entitled "Trading Co. Ltd.".

[Joe Brausam 216]

If anyone's interested, by the way, there's a copy of Jaws 2 on amazon for $47 right now, pretty cheap as far as that score goes.

[Ollie 1,069]

Since when does Varese re-release their scores?

The Fury, The Omen Trilogy, The Robe, The Burbs, Robocop, Total Recall....

Actually Varese probably doesn't have the rights to Dracula anymore. If it gets a re-release it might be Intrada.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

At least it was not released by the company entitled "K-O Trading Co. Ltd.".

[Marian Schedenig 8,261]

Get Close Encounters of the Third Kind

[Ollie 1,069]

Personally I'd grab the limited editions first before they go out of print because you might end up paying way more for them on a secondary market.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

I think I "overdosed" on John Williams. Could anyone recommend some high-sound-quality Bernard Herrmann albums that are still in print (besides "Psycho", which is far from his best work, in my opinion)? I own none of his albums.

[Marian Schedenig 8,261]

The Gerhardt album (Citizen Kane - The Classic Film Scores of Bernard Herrmann) is a must-have, but may be hard to get (though I think legitimate CDR versions are available). Salonen's Herrmann compilation (I forget the title) is also stunning and should be cheap now - which reminds me I still have to pick it up...

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Are those original recordings?

[indy4 155]

I think I "overdosed" on John Williams. Could anyone recommend some high-sound-quality Bernard Herrmann albums that are still in print (besides "Psycho", which is far from his best work, in my opinion)? I own none of his albums.

North by Northwest and Vertigo are great.

indy4 - also not a big fan of Herrmann

[Marian Schedenig 8,261]

Are those original recordings?

No, but they're brilliant recordings of the concert suites, so they're not plain compilations but give a good introduction so you can decide what scores you want in full. And I wager that there's quite a bit on the Gerhardt album that vastly overshadows the OST versions (the mind-boggling aria from Citizen Kane, for example). The original Taxi Driver recording doesn't hold a candle to Salonen's suite recording either, as far as I recall. And regarding sound quality, from that era you'll hardly find any film music recordings that can match Gerhardt's series in sound quality, and the Salonen disc is a hightech 90s effort.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Hm... I must investigate at once.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

There's a small bunch from Herrmann that I love, he's not one of my most listened to composers though.

[nightscape94 965]

Holy crap dude, you're gonna wanna purchase your ass some Hook and Far and Away immediately.

[Jeshopk 8]

I need to know in time for my next "John Williams Roundup". Also, could someone perhaps recommend some uncommon (but still affordable) John Williams albums?

All are great, but if you want some action in the mix, get Minority Report first. AI has nice melodies, but I think a little more boing. There's a 2 disc AI (Academy Promo) that makes it much better. Look around for it.

I think I "overdosed" on John Williams. Could anyone recommend some high-sound-quality Bernard Herrmann albums that are still in print (besides "Psycho", which is far from his best work, in my opinion)? I own none of his albums.

Seventh Voyage of Sinbad is a great adventure score. Doesn't sound too "Golden Age" and has so many memorable parts.