Spartacus Anniversary Edition

[Ollie 1,059]

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I received my notice as well.

[ManofDestiny 71]

Mine shipped as well. It's just too soon. I still have over 30 CDs need a listen.

[Jacob 0]

I ordered mine later in the day. Maybe I'll get my confirmation tomorrow.

[Ollie 1,059]

Me too, I didn't stay up late for it. I ordered when I woke up the next morning. The only reason I was up for Star Trek was due to the holiday.

[Jacob 0]

I meant later as in like 11PM that Monday. I might be waiting for a while longer.

[Andy 4,128]

I'm really looking forward to reviews of this. Not just the negative, but the positive also. I still am considering it. I wonder how many Varese sold? 5000 feels like a pretty large edition size for this price tag.

[Ollie 1,059]

I think Spartacus will do just fine. There are probably quite a few people who are saving up money to purchase at a later date.

[Andy 4,128]

You're probably right. I am considering doing some extra summer work to bank some cash for it.

[Richard Penna 3,690]

Mine shipped as well. It's just too soon. I still have over 30 CDs need a listen.

This is why I'm mega selective about buying any music these days. Maybe I just don't have the collector bug, but I don't see the point in buying stuff just because it's released and I "might" like it.

[Jay 37,364]

Pics of the whole shebang:

[Andy 4,128]

[Jacob 0]

Spoiler tags?!

[Henry B 50]

Looks like a trick to keep images that would tax some users' connections (or just screen space) from appearing.

[Ollie 1,059]

Mine is en-route to me.

[Jacob 0]

Looks like a trick to keep images that would tax some users' connections (or just screen space) from appearing.

Poor souls.

[Joe Brausam 214]

Wow...gotta love priority mail. Mine shipped yesterday and looks like it will arrive tomorrow. 2 days isn't bad for a cross country trip!

Now I wish I didn't have to be at work tomorrow afternoon/night. I want to feel the joy of taking it out of the mailbox myself. haha

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Hopefully Spartacus and Batman will be waiting for me when I return to MD.

[Jay 37,364]

Looks like a trick to keep images that would tax some users' connections (or just screen space) from appearing.

Bingo. If you want to see the pictures, you open the spoiler tag. If you don't, you don't have the annoyance of having to scroll past them

[Jacob 0]

A nice courtesy.

[gkgyver 1,645]

"amazing monaural sound" surely sounds better than "it's in mono".

[Trent Hoyt 13]

Mine shipped as well. It's just too soon. I still have over 30 CDs need a listen.

I seem to have that problem constantly.

[Joe Brausam 214]

Received mine yesterday. I won't get to open it for a few more days because I have all of the new LaLa Land discs to get through first, but I can't wait to dig into the set! I think I may start it with the love theme discs first, then the DVD, then the alternates disc, then finally the score discs themselves.

Someone on FSM compared the packaging to the Blue Box, which is correct, it seems to be the exact same dimensions.

Just for fun...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs207.snc4/38690_1349979392747_1329210059_30801668_6602144_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs149.snc4/36806_1349983112840_1329210059_30801676_5192987_n.jpg

[Ollie 1,059]

I should have mine on Monday.

I'm going straight to the DVD.

[Jacob 0]

Just for fun...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs207.snc4/38690_1349979392747_1329210059_30801668_6602144_n.jpg

Nice.

"I have you now."

[Joe Brausam 214]

Target the mono recordings, maximum firepower!

...I may end up having more fun doing stupid things with the box than actually listening to it!

[Jacob 0]

The plastic will be off in moments. You may start your listening.

[Morn 8]

Won't have money for it until Thursday. I'm sure others are in similar situation.

And it's my favourite film score.

[Jacob 0]

Got my shipping order.

[Ollie 1,059]

This set is outstanding.

I spent all of last night browsing through Spartacus. I started with the DVD, it features John Williams, Lalo Schifrin, Robert Townson, Mark Isham, Alexandre Desplat, David Newman, Christopher Young and Brian Tyler. It doesn't stay with one composer for their whole segment, it starts with Williams, then it goes to Schifrin and then back to Williams etc etc, then the rest start appearing in the order above. There are no questions, just the composers talking. The DVD is broken into chapters. The bonus features Mark Isham recording the love theme, same as the you tube video. And the next one is Diego Navarro performing his version, plus a brief interview with him.

Williams, as usual, is gracious and mentions that he wanted North to revisit some of his cues from Spartacus and make them more friendly for the concert stage so Williams could perform them with the Boston Pops. He somewhat jokes that he told North it was impossible to fit 120 musicians on the stage and not all the instruments used would be available to the Pops, using the original cues. David Newman tells a touching story of conducting cues from Spartacus in front of Alex North, near the end of his life, and the ovation North received from the audience.

Desplat talks of his love, while growing up, for films and scores.Schifrin, Tyler, Isham and Young are also all gracious in their praise as well. Robert Townson still appears to be deeply affected by Goldsmith's passing. He mentions Goldsmith would have been a part of this had he still been with us.

The book is full of info, much like FSM's Superman book. One of the interesting things Townson puts in the book is the 75 minutes from Spartacus North selected for Townson to record, the selected cues are listed. And yes Goldsmith was to have conducted.

The music on the stereo disc is superb and I heard things I never noticed in the original album. The mono sessions are crisp and clear for the most part. There might be a few cues where stereo would have presented the music in a better light. But don't be put off by the mono because it's excellent. In fact it's better than some of the mono recordings that would follow.

I skipped thru the variations on the Love Themes and there are some wonderful performances in there.

The packaging is simple yet sturdy and stylish.

If you can afford this get it.

[Wojo 2,453]

The music on the stereo disc is superb and I heard things I never noticed in the original album. The mono sessions are crisp and clear for the most part. There might be a few cues where stereo would have presented the music in a better light. But don't be put off by the mono because it's excellent. In fact it's better than some of the mono recordings that would follow.

Do you mean stereo there?

[Ollie 1,059]

No I meant mono, but you can add stereo.

There are a few mono recordings from the 70's that don't sound as good as Spartacus's mono tracks do.

[fommes 153]

Thanks for the review, Mark!

One of the interesting things Townson puts in the book is the 75 minutes from Spartacus North selected for Townson to record, the selected cues are listed.

Any chance you could perhaps list that selection if you have some spare time? I'd be interested to know which he selected.

[Wojo 2,453]

I understand now. It's because the presentation of the complete score is all in mono, and doesn't jump between mono and stereo. The stereo soundtrack is its own disc.

I thought you were trying to illustrate that Spartacus' surviving mono elements sound better than some stereo recordings from the same era do, but in fact you do go a step further and say they sound better than some mono from almost 20 years later. Wow.

I'm not surprised, really. I couldn't care less about the whole mono vs. stereo debate. It's a score I'm wholly unfamiliar with.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I haven't ordered yet. It was either this or Krull, Batman and Predators... and now Predator. But I'll get it soon.

[Andy 4,128]

I am actually in the lottery drawing at FSM. I have a 1 in 15 chance of winning it for ten bucks. If not, I'll probably order it anyway.

[Jacob 0]

Thanks for the review, Mark!

Indeed.

Can't wait to get my hands on it. It should be here sometime this week.

[crocodile 8,013]

Thanks!

If it'll be still available in a month or so I will most definitely get it. Maybe I don't listen to his music as often as I should, but I have tremendous respect for his output. Things like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Agony and the Ecstasy and Cleopatra I consider to be a treasures in my collection.

Karol

[Trent B 337]

Thanks!

If it'll be still available in a month or so I will most definitely get it. Maybe I don't listen to his music as often as I should, but I have tremendous respect for his output. Things like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Agony and the Ecstasy and Cleopatra I consider to be a treasures in my collection.

Karol

I'm sure it'll be around for a bit.

Not very many people can justify (like myself) spending the $110 for just one score. I mean grant it's an elaborate presentation of the score. I mean for myself while the music is a bit interesting it's not my cup of tea so I won't be spending the money on it. I know though I'm not alone in this.

[Jay 37,364]

I think this will be in print for a few years.

I also think once it finally sells out, the Stereo disc as well as the 2CD Love Theme & Variations set will be available separately at unlimited quantities. But the box set will always remain the only way to get the complete score in mono w/ bonus tracks, and the DVD.

[crocodile 8,013]

I remain hopeful then.

Karol - who will probably receive his Batman copy tomorrow

[Richard Penna 3,690]

I'm sure it'll be around for a bit.

Not very many people can justify (like myself) spending the $110 for just one score. I mean grant it's an elaborate presentation of the score. I mean for myself while the music is a bit interesting it's not my cup of tea so I won't be spending the money on it. I know though I'm not alone in this.

Definitely. For a set that would be nearly £80 with shipping, it's definitely not a set just to order and hope I like. It would be the ultimate 'it's popular so I have to own it' offence.

If a $20 single CD, stereo set is released at some point, I'll give it a fair trial.

[Ollie 1,059]

Any chance you could perhaps list that selection if you have some spare time? I'd be interested to know which he selected.

Had Goldsmith & Varese done the re-recording, this what the album would have contained:

1. MAIN TITLE

2. THE MINES

3. CARAVAN

4. VARINIA'S THEME

5. TRAINING THE GLADIATORS

6. PAINTING

7. FIRST PAIR

8. DRABA FIGHT

9. BROODING

10. REVOLT

11. THE BREAKOUT

12. SLAVES ESCAPE

13. FORWARD GLADIATORS - FOREST MEETING

14. VESUVIUS CAMP

15. NEW RECRUITS

16. GLABRUS MARCH

17. VESUVIUS MONTAGE

18. POEM

19. ON TO THE SEA

20. INFANT BURIAL - LUCERIA CAMP

21. BESIDE THE POOL

22. ARRIVAL AT THE BEACH

23. CRASSUS LEGIONS

24. BACK FROM THE SEA

25. CRASSUS' CAMP - SPEECH ON THE BEACH

26. CAMP AT NIGHT

27. MANEUVERS

28. FORMATIONS

29. THE BATTLE

30. DESOLATION ELEGY

31. FEAR OF DEATH

32. SPARTACUS DEFIES CRASSUS

33. THE LAST FIGHT

34. FINAL FAREWELL AND END TITLE

[fommes 153]

Thanks Mark! Wish they had done that rerecording.

[Jacob 0]

I have Spartacus!!!

Ahem.

[Henry B 50]

Got it and am listening now. Oh, man. You know, I got a bit caught up in the hype and bought this score just because I liked the samples, but this was a $110 well spent. It's just so fucking good!

About the stereo thing: the booklet doesn't really explain it other than to say that elements didn't survive, but there is this concerning the mono recordings: "Using a mix of elements - including a set of tapes that had spent decades in the storage archives of Universal Pictures and, as many of the film's early cues were absent even from these, a set of tapes Alex [North] had given me - we were able to fill in the very important holes that otherwise would have been glaring." Also a note that the alternate Overture is the most badly damaged track.

[Jacob 0]

Can't agree more. I wasn't familiar with the body of the score either, but this music is truly incredible.

It's just a shame that my favorite cue (Varinia's Theme) wasn't among the surviving stereo elements.

Still, the mono track sounds much better than the footwarmer I first heard it on.

Well done Mr. Townson.

Love Sequence

[Henry B 50]

The liner notes get pretty ridiculous at times:

How I wish Alex could have been around to answer my questions through all of this! But Alex did his work. He composed this miraculous score that served the film so well and grew to become one of the most celebrated scores in film music history, meaning so much to so many people. Producing a definitive edition of Alex's Spartacus score was up to me. Indeed, I've considered it my responsibility.

Okay, Townson... However, there's a wealth of information in this booklet. It's good to have.

[fommes 153]

Oh dear God.

[Richard Penna 3,690]

All due respect to Townson (and plenty of it - the set looks outstanding), but he's getting a bit full of himself with this release, like it was his god given task in life to make this set.

It's just a well-written film score. Get over it.