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What are your Top 5 most treasured albums?


Josh500

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Treasured... for whatever reason!

You may have paid a LOT of money for it, you might have a personal connection with it, you might be enjoying the album so much, it might have taken you a long time to get a hold of, a special person in your life might have given it to you as a gift, etc. etc.

By the way, they don't necessarily need to be JW albums, or even OS albums... ;)

Okay I'll start:

1. "Jaws 2" (paid the most money)

2. Expanded "Hook" (one of the most eagerly awaited)

3. "Jurassic Park" (one of the most listened albums; got me into film music)

4. "The Spielberg/Williams Collaboration" (best BPO album; one of the most listened albums)

5. "Indiana Jones Expanded" (one of the most eagerly awaited, although it's not perfect)

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Interesting idea. I've certainly got some favourites:

1. The Music of Lance Burton (extremely rare, took ages to find it - I'd been wanting to hear this music for around 10-15 years)

2. The Fellowship of the Ring: The Complete Recordings (played the most part in starting my interest in scores)

3. The Edge - LLL expanded (my all time favourite Goldsmith score and first grail release.)

4. Nightwing (for some reason, it's ticked every box - love the themes, love the archival sound. I'm so happy I got this before it went OOP)

Several albums could take number 5: Jurassic Park, the X-Files box, Young's The Tower.

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No particular order:

Raiders of the Lost Ark (DCC)

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Concord release)

Star Wars Anthology (Fox)

Superman: The Music (FSM)

Independence Day (LLL)

The Final Conflict (VS Deluxe)

Mars Attacks! (LLL)

...oops, I can't count.

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This, no doubt:

The+Worst+Album+Covers+Ever+Created+%252821%2529.jpg

Seriously, though, I wouldn't really know how to answer. Should it just be a list of my favourite soundtracks? A list of those with highest monetary value? I don't know.

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Even though I don't know anything about the Expanded "Hook" yet (except for how the cover looks), I KNOW this will be one of my all-time favorite albums...

The+Worst+Album+Covers+Ever+Created+%252821%2529.jpg

Well, duh!

:lol:

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OMG. Now I know where Bombur design for The Hobbit films was taken. Check out the guy at the right side of the picture! Country Church has a lot to answer for! :angry:

Bombur-stephenhunter-p.jpg

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No particular order:

Raiders of the Lost Ark (DCC)

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Concord release)

Star Wars Anthology (Fox)

Superman: The Music (FSM)

Independence Day (LLL)

The Final Conflict (VS Deluxe)

Mars Attacks! (LLL)

...oops, I can't count.

Mars Attacks? :blink:

Is it that good? I have neither seen the movie nor heard the Elfman score...

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1) Original Japanese Spacecamp CD

2) Raiders DCC Vinyl

3) The Fury Deluxe

4) Star Wars Anthology Set

5) E.T.-Original MCA release (one of my first CD's, and still can't get enough of it)

6) The Phantom Menace Ultimate Edition (just kidding)

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Odd question. I can only think of one set that I actually 'treasure.' My uncle gave me the Star Wars Anthology set for Christmas when it first came out. I remember I spent the morning listening to discs 3 & 4 with my grandfather. None of my other cds have those kind of feelings attached to them.

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By Request (JW album that got me into film music)

Phantom Menace OST (first JW album I owned)

West Side Story (it's just amazing. If somebody said this was the greatest piece of music ever written, I wouldn't mind)

Family Plot (my attempts to get this released back in 2007 were the reason I joined JWFan, and thus the reason I have been exposed to so much fantastic music. Even though my efforts were in vain, finally getting a release of this landmark score was an absolute thrill.)

Return of the King Complete Recording (ever since I heard about the FotR and TTT CR, I wanted RotK. I would check Amazon on a regular basis to see when it was happening. It was a happy coincidence that when I joined this board I realized that there were actually release dates and information about these things.)

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Posts like that one make me happy to not only be a member here, but have been directly involved in keeping it going when it was almost taken from us.

Thanks for brightening my day a little bit indy4!

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Posts like that one make me happy to not only be a member here, but have been directly involved in keeping it going when it was almost taken from us.

Thanks for brightening my day a little bit indy4!

Glad to help! It's a great forum and you've been a fantastic mod.

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Anyways...

The Star Wars Anthology was probably the first actual film score that I received as well. My father had to drive pretty far to find it, and it wasn't cheap in those days. About $70, while I find it used for less than $20 these days.

It wasn't the first movie music I ever listened to -- I had The Lion King on cassette before getting it on CD...Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and other Disney albums on cassette...a number of Muppet and Sesame Street albums on tape and LP...none of those were purely instrumental, but I never skipped through the instrumental to get back to the "exciting" parts that others do. Sign of things to come, perhaps?

At any rate, my dad's Christmas present kinda kicked off the expensive but extremely rewarding habit, er, hobby of collecting soundtracks.

Additionally, I treasure the OST of The Last Crusade because it was my first Indy score, and I had to jump through hoops back in '97 to get it. Getting the score was as much of an adventure as listening to it.

To say what the other most treasured soundtracks are...it would have to be El Cid (Tadlow) which is one of my all-time favorites, and then any/all of the expensive box sets that I've bought over the years. Indy, Superman, and then the others that I've bought but really haven't listened to much yet...Ron Jones, Bernstein, X-Files, MOH...I dunno, pick two of them.

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Let's give this a try...

Star Wars/CE3K (Gerhardt cond.) - The CD that turned me into a film/orchestral music fan, literally overnight. It was my father's CD; a couple of weeks later I bought my first own CD (The Star Wars Trilogy), but my father later gave me his Gerhardt disc, so I consider that my oldest CD. It's quite possibly my favourite recording of Star Wars music.

Star Trek TMP - One of Goldsmith's best scores. Plus my disc has Goldsmith's autograph on the cover.

Bruckner: Symphony #7 (Celibidache cond.) - Of all music performances I've heard, this is probably the one that comes closest to being a definitive recording.

Bruckner: Symphony #4 (Celibidache cond.) - Celibidache Bruckner again. Not necesarily the best 4th all the way through, but the coda is, in my mind, the best bit of music ever put on record.

Not sure if I have a 5th.

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This Dance Macabre collection: http://www.audiophil...=1&kw=Classical (what great music for a 6-year old with a good imagination! Great cover, too!)

The Reader's Digest Festival of Light Classical Music (12 records): http://www.discogs.c...release/1469012 (I played these records to death as a kid)

This Delius collection: http://eil.com/shop/...atalogid=525691 (The first composer whose music I fell in love with)

Kraftwerk: Autobahn http://www.discogs.c...n/release/63961 (Still one of my favourite synth albums. Beautiful!)

Vaughan Williams Choral Music (7 records): http://www.cdandlp.c...oral-music.html

These five records/box-sets were hugely important to me as a child. My Nana and Grandad gave me the top two in the late 70s. My parents gave me the next two (the Kraftwerk for Christmas 1975 and the Delius for Christmas 1980. The Vaughan Williams I saved up for and bought myself (at great cost) somewhere around 1985. These records were all influential in my development of a love for music. If I could add a 6th to the list it would be the original 2-lp set of The Empire Strikes Back from 1980. I still wish someone would release that on CD. I know the complete scores are better to own, but I grew to love the edited versions of the cues on the 2-record set! The Star Wars 2-record set was released on CD, why not the Empire set?

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Just five? Shit...this is gonna be tough. Well if I really had to narrow it down...

Back To The Future (Intrada)

Batman (La-La Land)

Independence Day (La-La Land)

Star Trek II The Wrath Of Khan (Film Score Monthly)

Number 5 I would either chose Star Trek V The Final Frontier or the upcoming Hook release.

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Just five? Shit...this is gonna be tough. Well if I really had to narrow it down...

Back To The Future (Intrada)

Batman (La-La Land)

Independence Day (La-La Land)

Star Trek II The Wrath Of Khan (Film Score Monthly)

Number 5 I would either chose Star Trek V The Final Frontier or the upcoming Hook release.

I don't understand how you can love Batman so much but not like Batman Returns even a little bit

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This thread appeals to me. It's not always strictly about the music per se. Sometimes as a collector it's about the thrill of the hunt/acquisition, or a particular nostalgia associated with the score release.

Here's the ones that mean the most to me.

1. Star Wars Anthology Box Set. I was a junior in college at the time, and walked up to the local record store in town. I couldn't believe they actually had it. I can't even recall how I was aware it was coming out, as this was likely pre-internet for me. Maybe from a usegroup? Unless you've grown up with the original LPs and RSO CDs, you really can't imagine what it was like to hear "Standing By" or "Cantina Band #2" or "Attack Position" for the first time. First rate packaging and liner notes from before there were any Special Editions. I like that Disc 1 is called "Star Wars" instead of "Episode IV: A New Hope".

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark - DCC. Like the Star Wars set, this was really one of the front runners of the pioneering effort to expand the really important big scores. It meant so much to finally hear "Airplane Fight" and "The German Sub" for the first time. And the sound quality was a huge step over the Polydor CD. I kick myself for not buying the LP release too. I was stupid back then.

3. Superman - RHINO tied with Superman: The Music Blue Box. When that Rhino edition came out, I fell profoundly in love with this score in a way that I never did with the double album LP or Warner Bros. single disc CD. Just so incredibly refreshing to have this one expanding. The Rhino packaging and notes were lavish and gorgeous. I thought it couldn't be topped. And then came the Blue Box. The hardbound booklet alone is a treasure. Best box set ever.

4. Battlestar Galactica - Edel CD tied with Battlestar Galactica 4CD Stu Phillips Anthology. BSG on 8 Track was one of my first soundtracks I ever owned. After 8 tracks went obsolete, I used to get the vinyl LP out of the local public library. If you're not old enough to remember when libraries loaned LPs, you really haven't lived! Scratchy, skips, popping... all part of the listening experience. (For me, that was how I enjoyed a lot of scores in my youth - Star Trek II, Superman II, etc...) When I finally got BSG on CD, I was just blown away by the clarity of it all. Still one of my favorite all time discs. The Intrada disc, a different recording, still can't match the original soundtrack album for sound quality. The 4 CD Stu Phillips set also makes my list because at the time, it was the most expensive CD set I'd ever purchased ($80!) and it was my first ever purchase from Screen Archives. So it really opened up a new world for me.

5. E.T. Picture Disc LP. This one means a lot to me. I lost my Grandma last year around this time. When I was a kid, somehow my Grandma seemed to supply me with lots of my soundtracks. The E.T. picture disc was a Christmas present from her, and I'll treasure it always. The sound quality was compromised by the picture disc pressing, but who cares.

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1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The first cassette tape I remember having as a kid. It was kind of like a storybook album or something with narration over audio from the film. But it was really my first introduction to film music.

2. By Request: My grandma got this for me for Christmas one year when I was a kid and it was my introduction to John Williams.

3. Star Wars (1986 Polydor release): My first true soundtrack album. Bliss.

4. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: My dad gave me his old LP and made me listen to it. I was blown away.

5. The Empire Strikes Back (1997 RCA release): The first soundtrack I purchased with my own money and my introduction to complete/expanded scores.

I'd also add a London Symphony Orchestra (I think) recording of The Nutcracker that I got for my birthday once as a kid. My first "classical" album and listening to that music stimulated my imagination and transported me to some great places. It was like weed for an 8 year old.

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This thread appeals to me. It's not always strictly about the music per se. Sometimes as a collector it's about the thrill of the hunt/acquisition, or a particular nostalgia associated with the score release.

Exactly! Every passionate collector (not just of film scores, but pretty much of anything) will agree with you!

:thumbup:

1. "Jaws 2" (paid the most money)

How much did you pay for it? I found a second-hand copy in a used-CD shop years ago for like $5.

I seem to remember paying around 70 Euros (including shipping) for this album. Which is about $92 USD or £58 GBP.

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I'll try then...

Vertigo (McNeely re-recording): One of the greatest scores and an immaculate presentation.

The Empire Strikes Back (RCA): No introduction needed. I had a very emotional reaction to it when I first heard it.

Batman Returns (LLL): One of the crucial scores in me becoming a film music fan and another fantastic album presentation.

Serenada Schizophrana: An album that converted me into a fan. Before that I liked only few selected things of his.

Jurassic Park: Another crucial score responsible for me being here. :)

Karol

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I'm struggling a bit to see the difference between Top 5 favourite albums (score and non-score alike) and treasured albums. Is it the same or are we supposed to glean some difference there? One has to do with the music, the other more the 'item' itself, I guess (its collectability etc.).

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One has to do with the music, the other more the 'item' itself, I guess (its collectability etc.).

Yes. Although the music itself is also very important, of course!

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The Empire Strikes Back (RCA): No introduction needed. I had a very emotional reaction to it when I first heard it.

First Star Wars Special Edition set I got. I remember seeing it in Borders along with the 1995 Raiders of the Lost Ark (no slipcover). They were so mine.

Jurassic Park: Another crucial score responsible for me being here. :)

That along with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were my first JW CDs. Unfortunately, my original Jurassic is long extinct. Crusade is still around, though.

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My very very first JW album that I bought was actually Schindler's List! I didn't even have a CD player back then, but I was so impressed with the music while watching the Oscars, I get to get it. I bought the CD player only a week or so afterwards! So come to think of it, SL was by very first CD ever...

Unfortunately, my original Jurassic is long extinct. Crusade is still around, though.

You kidding? When I started collecting JW albums, I was like 11, and looking back I was so damn careless with the CDs!

I rebought most of them again as an adult, including Jurassic Park.

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I've been trying to spin my head around this, but I simply cannot delineate the difference between favourite music albums and most treasured albums.

So here are my favourite 5 albums, by genre (and in no particular order):

1. Soundtracks - JURASSIC PARK - John Williams

2. Pop/rock - EVEN IN THE QUIETEST MOMENTS - Supertramp

3. Electronic - EQUINOXE - Jean Michel Jarre

4. Classical - FANTASIA ON A THEME BY THOMAS TALLIS - Ralph Vaughan Williams

5. Jazz - STAN KENTON CONDUCTS THE LA NEOPHONIC ORCHESTRA - various

A really difficult task, though. There are things I like just as much as the above in each genre; plus, some of these things tend to change over time.

There are obviously some things you have a nostalgic connection to and that have a story to tell (how you acquired it etc.). The STAR WARS Arista box, for example. Then there are some things that have monetary value, like the OOP Williams titles like TOWERING INFERNO and POSEIDON ADVENTURE and others. Some things with autographs on them and so on.

In short, there are too many variables here. I'm very concrete-minded that way. I need very specific parameters to work from. The old academic in me, I guess.

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I would tend to "treasure" the most expensive, most rare, most sentimental, and thus, the hardest to replace. I'm glad you treasure JP, but I can find it used in any shop and for less than $12 on Amazon. Were it to disappear -- and also instantaneously vanish from my iPod, backup hard drives, and CD-Rs or DVDs containing MP3s -- I would not cry myself to sleep or file a police report. Misplace my Superman Blue Box or autographed X-Files box, well...

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Well, if the topic had been 'most monetary valuable' or 'rarest' soundtrack or something like that, it could have been easier (and the list would have looked differently). But it seemed to cover everything beyond and inbetween, which is why I found it difficult.

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Well, what we "treasure" varies from person to person.

Watch enough Hoarders -- about people with OCD junk collecting that disrupts their health -- and you'd think some people treasure the plastic shrink wrap and security labels that the CDs come in.

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Back to the Future (Alan Silvestri)

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (John Williams)

Star Wars Trilogy Soundtrack (John Williams) (counts as 3)

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To me "treasured" means that you have a personal reason for loving that particular record or CD. Very few of the items in my list would make my list of "favourite" records/CDs, if I was just to go on the strength of the music itself. Treasured means something quite different. In the case of my choices, I loved (and still love) the music, but most importantly they have a nostalgic place in my heart because each one in turn helped me to grow as a music lover. The fact that even after 35 plus years I can still remember when (and from who) I received each record, shows how much they meant to me back then, and how much they still mean to me now.

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Since most of my cd's are in a big chestofdrawers I'd say none are that treasured. but I guess I favor my

Madonna Immaculate Collection autographed

Madonna True Blue autographed

Towering Inferno

that's it.

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