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La-La Land Announces Batman Returns (Complete)


Ollie

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The biggest thing that tempted me to buy the LLL release was the sound quality! :P Even in the samples, I could tell it was fantastic. Not that the OST sounded bad, per se, but there was evidently room for improvement. Yet another cruel reminder of why it'd be amazing if the Star Wars OT somehow got released by one of these labels! ;)

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It's still not as bad as their "The Social Network" review, which spent much of the review complaining about the concept of facebook itself, then gave the score a "FRISBEE" rating, having never heard it in the film, as if that was a score you should only heard out of context of the film.

Clemmenson finds it impossible to appreciate any music that relies on ambience to any degree.

He also frowns upon anything that has no themes or standout cues.

Really, I can form my own opinion by playing the first couple of tracks.

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I have no problems with his standpoint as such. He himself wrote some time ago that he generally reviews music from the standpoint of the mainstream listener/buyer (John Williams kind of mainstream though) who likes easy stuff. Difficult scores are is not what this kind of a person would like so it gets a lower rating. That's all fine and makes sense. But what I don't get is his irrational ramblings that appear every once in a while. This is one of many examples. He hears things no one else on this planet can. Like variations on themes that are not there.

Karol

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I have no problems with his standpoint as such. He himself wrote some time ago that he generally reviews music from the standpoint of the mainstream listener/buyer (John Williams kind of mainstream though) who likes easy stuff. Difficult scores are is not what this kind of a person would like so it gets a lower rating. That's all fine and makes sense.

No that doesn't make sense. If it's a great ambient score, then it's a great ambient score. Just say in the review: "Don't get this if you don't like ambient scores."

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Ok but how does this inconsistency manifest itself? Does he post a review on a score one week, only to change his mind about that score in the next week?

No. But certain things he applauds in one score, he will bitch about in another. Or praise certain themes for characters in one score, by then shit on the sequel's score because themes are reused.

He seems to cherry-pick what he uses to award or subtract rating from a score around his biases.

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I have no problems with his standpoint as such. He himself wrote some time ago that he generally reviews music from the standpoint of the mainstream listener/buyer (John Williams kind of mainstream though) who likes easy stuff. Difficult scores are is not what this kind of a person would like so it gets a lower rating. That's all fine and makes sense.

No that doesn't make sense. If it's a great ambient score, then it's a great ambient score. Just say in the review: "Don't get this if you don't like ambient scores."

Exactly. As for being mainstream, I think "The Social Network" is closer to mainstream than most scores. In fact, I'd say it really primarily works on a mainstream level, which is why so many film score listeners were adverse to it, while the simple minded academy chose it as best original score, whether it deserved it or not.

And that site you posted, Koray, is blowing my mind. It's a breath of fresh air to see a film score website that is fair.

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I did see that coming. Maybe I just find him agreeable in his good treatment of Lost and Let Me In(which I have not seen reviewed well anywhere else, despite my affection for it.) He has his own site now? Does that mean he won't be reviewing every single soundtrack that comes out on Amazon? I can't think how many reviews of his I've just come across there.

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Clemmenson finds it impossible to appreciate any music that relies on ambience to any degree.

He also frowns upon anything that has no themes or standout cues.

It was based on his review alone that I was less than eager to buy or listen to the OST for The Fellowship of the Ring back in the day. He decried the lack of a leitmotif for each character. But when Santa placed it under the tree, I couldn't stop listening to it.

That was near the time I stopped relying on that site for reviews.

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I blind-bought that CD. Didn't know it was already out and kind of wasn't looking forward to Howard Shore's take. But I grabbed it anyway, because it was LOTR. I liked it, but then stopped because everyone started to talk about it like it is the most amazing thing ever (which I think it isn't), and I had enough of it. Then I was angry it won an Oscar (instead of A.I.). But then I fell in love with the TTT OST. I still think this is the single best LOTR album (and yeah with all the omissions and edits). I would only insert the Breaching Of Deeping Wall between Tracks 15 and 16 and it would have been a perfect fantasy soundtrack CD for me.

And no, I have no idea why I'm typing all of this here. Must be "JWFan Stick To Topic" policy. ;)

Karol

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But what I don't get is his irrational ramblings that appear every once in a while. This is one of many examples. He hears things no one else on this planet can. Like variations on themes that are not there.

Karol

Have you seen his Clash of the Titans review? He doesn't so much review the score, as offer a surreal, made-up story of the composing process.

I've noticed that I tend to agree with him on Powell's scores but everything else is a mixed bag.

However, one thing I applaud him on is what he did in response to Fox's legal thread regarding Moulin Rouge, which is pretty interesting to read (http://www.filmtracks.com/special/moulin_rouge02.shtml). In a nutshell, he put up sound clips from a promo album, Fox responded with a sudden legal threat, and Clemmenson proceeded to kick-ass with telling Fox off.

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  • 10 months later...

Highly, highly, highly recommended. Probably my single favourite release from La-La Land. The score presentation is flawless on this one, sound quality stellar. And notes are terrific too.

Karol

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Highly, highly, highly recommended. Probably my single favourite release from La-La Land. The score presentation is flawless on this one, sound quality stellar. And notes are terrific too.

Karol

Agreed on all points. John Takis is very passionate about this era of Elfman's career, and it shows in the notes! The ONLY points this release gets against it is the art direction by Dave Fein, which makes the text hard to read sometimes because of the colors he chose. Too bad Jim Titus can't do every release :)

Back to the topic at hand - the score is great, the presentation is great, the notes are great - every fan of Elfman should have this release.

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I plan to make a huge purchase once TMP comes out. If it lasts that long at LLR so as to not put a rush on the other online stores, great. If not, I still think the OST is more than enough.

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Well both MM and SAE still have it so I didn't want to panic, but I know that once LLR announces "IT'S OUTTA STOCK!!!" the speculators will descend on the disties and snatch those up, forcing those of us that don't want to go to the Shrine to download OOP albums to fork out a pretty penny.

I try to spend retail price and save the pretty penny for beer.

Besides, LLR has Mars Attacks for $5 less than SAE. Duh...

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I have a love/hate relationship with this score. I love the movie and love the music. Then I'll have my days where I just do NOT want to hear that wacky circusy sound. This score has some of Elfman's coolest moments. Many I think involve Batman theme, which Elfman does some neat stuff with. Then, it's zany Elfman on steroids.

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Got it. I was hoping to wait a little longer on this one--possibly with TMP--but this is definitely one I want to have.

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  • 6 years later...

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