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La-La Land Records re-issues John Williams' Jane Eyre OST May 22nd 2012


Romão

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2000 units? Honestly? For a John Williams score that has been famously rare and OOP that it commands Predator prices.

2000 seems quite a small amount yes but still this is not one of the holiest grails of the film music community.
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This is great news. I remember a friend of mine having it on cd way back when (the late 1980s) and I was really intrigued by it. The concert arrangement 'To Thornfield' is one JW's best I think. He really can pastiche the English twentieth century classical mode.

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It actually wouldn't be a bad idea for the labels to somehow incorporate Kickstarter into their business models. Want a specific score? Well pledge this amount of money and if we reach the goal we'll releases it...

I'm sure you'd have crazy rich people donating a lot to see their grails released. Maybe one for complete prequels will get Lucasfilm's attention.

I've wondered lately whether it might just be Williams who is happy with the OST, and doesn't want any more music released.

Anyway...

I would say 'definitive' doesn't necessarily mean 'complete' - I take it as meaning the 'final' release, indicating that there is nothing more that could be done to present the score in a better or more comprehensive way.

Reissuing Chinatown when other labels have commented that it could be expanded, is absolutely not definitive IMO. But I'm used to Varese hyping up things in the wrong way and issuing scores incomplete without a good explanation.

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Then boo on 'film score culture' (whatever that is)! ;)

Why do you only exist when somebody wishes for a complete soundtrack release? You don't say a goddamn thing for weeks about any other topic and then -- BAM -- "I'm Thor, and in case you haven't heard of me, complete soundtrack releases are the devil and I'm here to save your soul."

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Well, if you think about it you get one Thor saying that and 1000 others being as predictable in their responses.

"Meh it sucks, because it's missing stuff", "I want this and this alternate".

Karol

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Surprised the people who already own the old CD are not sure whether to get this or not just based on the sound quality improvement. It was this part that excites me the most:

The stunning 24 page booklet by Jim Titus features in depth liner notes by Williams historian Jeff Eldridge [...] Jim’s packaging is worth the price alone!
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Well, if you think about it you get one Thor saying that and 1000 others being as predictable in their responses.

Karol

It is true. We have grown too accustomed to each other. Everything feels like it has been said a 1000 times before. There is nothing left. Let's part ways here forever. Tata!
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I too am surprised its only 2,000 units and not 3,000. It will surely sell more units faster than Varese's Chinatown (3,000 units) will

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Surprised the people who already own the old CD are not sure whether to get this or not based on the sound quality improvement.

Maybe they are happy with the previous release.

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Surprised the people who already own the old CD are not sure whether to get this or not based on the sound quality improvement. It was this part that excites me the most:

The stunning 24 page booklet by Jim Titus features in depth liner notes by Williams historian Jeff Eldridge [...] Jim’s packaging is worth the price alone!

Same here :)

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Surprised the people who already own the old CD are not sure whether to get this or not based on the sound quality improvement. It was this part that excites me the most:

The stunning 24 page booklet by Jim Titus features in depth liner notes by Williams historian Jeff Eldridge [...] Jim’s packaging is worth the price alone!

Same here :)

Well yeah I have to admit I am weighing towards getting this for the sound improvement and booklet as well.
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Everyone who owns the current CD can probably sell it on ebay right now for more than $20, which will pay for the new and improved edition

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All La-La Land pre-announcements happen 1 week before the titles go on sale.

Merkel didn't fully quote MV's full announcement (which includes the date) so I added it to the thread title

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All the extra tracks on that boot were re-recordings that had appeared on other compilation CDs.

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Then boo on 'film score culture' (whatever that is)! ;)

Why do you only exist when somebody wishes for a complete soundtrack release? You don't say a goddamn thing for weeks about any other topic and then -- BAM -- "I'm Thor, and in case you haven't heard of me, complete soundtrack releases are the devil and I'm here to save your soul."

This is not even a matter of proper releases, this is a matter of music preservation. Something I'm actually not sure he cares about either.

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There's an amazing three part one on Pops Britannia. But the best is 'The Return' on Keisuke Wakao plays JW.

Yeap those are the best re-recordings of the this music for certain. Wakao's interpretation is indeed perhaps the most beautiful of them.
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About bootlegs and re-recordings:

There are two bootlegs for "Jane Eyre". The first predates the Silva Screen reissue. The content is the original (and surviving) program, plus the concert suite as prepared for Williams (and recorded with the Boston Pops Orchestra in the late 80's), a recording of the scherzo "To Thornfield", as conducted by Charles Gerhardt, and five more tracks with excerpts from "Thomas and the King", "Yes Giorgio", "SpaceCamp", "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Midway".

The second bootleg, calling it self as a "75th birthday edition" but i never saw it before last year, has again the original program, but tracks are sliced so it looks to have much more cues than it really has. Besides that, includes again the re-recordings, and again listing them as alternates, plus a section of tracks referred to as "period and source pieces" that are nothing more than English tinted selection culled from ever imaginable source but never from any lost recording session -- even included is a track from the above mentioned CD "Pops Britannia".

If you ask me, they are both worthless.

As for re-recordings, Williams did record the concert suite on "Pops Britannia" (on Philips Classics) but is sadly out of print. Gerhardt recorded the scherzo for his old Reader's Digest LPs and was included on a Varese Sarabande release "The Prince and the Pauper" (along with the End Credits" from "The Reivers" and a number of other film music classics.) Keisuke Wakao recording is indeed lovely, but not arranged by Williams.

Also, not arranged by Williams -- not sure who transcribed it, as I'm not at home -- is the suite as recorded by Silva Screen in Prague, Nic Raine conducting. It follows the overall structure of the concert suite, but they went to the original versions for that recording. It was available on the 4-CD set on Williams music they released a few years ago -- on the new 6-CD set I believe they only included one track.

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Thank you for the fantastic background information, Miguel.

I hope this one doesn't sell like hotcakes as I won't be able to purchase until mid June.

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Hard to predict this one. If it was limited to 1,000 copies, it'd sell out in days. If it was limited to 3,000, it'd be around for years. 2,000..... could go either way. Might sell out in a week, might stick around until the license expires.

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About bootlegs and re-recordings:

There are two bootlegs for "Jane Eyre". The first predates the Silva Screen reissue. The content is the original (and surviving) program, plus the concert suite as prepared for Williams (and recorded with the Boston Pops Orchestra in the late 80's), a recording of the scherzo "To Thornfield", as conducted by Charles Gerhardt, and five more tracks with excerpts from "Thomas and the King", "Yes Giorgio", "SpaceCamp", "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Midway".

The second bootleg, calling it self as a "75th birthday edition" but i never saw it before last year, has again the original program, but tracks are sliced so it looks to have much more cues than it really has. Besides that, includes again the re-recordings, and again listing them as alternates, plus a section of tracks referred to as "period and source pieces" that are nothing more than English tinted selection culled from ever imaginable source but never from any lost recording session -- even included is a track from the above mentioned CD "Pops Britannia".

If you ask me, they are both worthless.

As for re-recordings, Williams did record the concert suite on "Pops Britannia" (on Philips Classics) but is sadly out of print. Gerhardt recorded the scherzo for his old Reader's Digest LPs and was included on a Varese Sarabande release "The Prince and the Pauper" (along with the End Credits" from "The Reivers" and a number of other film music classics.) Keisuke Wakao recording is indeed lovely, but not arranged by Williams.

Also, not arranged by Williams -- not sure who transcribed it, as I'm not at home -- is the suite as recorded by Silva Screen in Prague, Nic Raine conducting. It follows the overall structure of the concert suite, but they went to the original versions for that recording. It was available on the 4-CD set on Williams music they released a few years ago -- on the new 6-CD set I believe they only included one track.

Thank you, that's eactly the information I needed.

Karol

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Then boo on 'film score culture' (whatever that is)! ;)

Why do you only exist when somebody wishes for a complete soundtrack release? You don't say a goddamn thing for weeks about any other topic and then -- BAM -- "I'm Thor, and in case you haven't heard of me, complete soundtrack releases are the devil and I'm here to save your soul."

Actually, I've posted about this and that over the last weeks that has nothing whatsoever to do with that, but you see what you want to see, obviously. For the record, I don't really post much in the first place, as there aren't many topics that interest me around here, I'm sorry to say. JANE EYRE, however, very much does.

And yes, they are the devil. Be afraid! BE VERY AFRAID!! MWAHAHAHAHA!

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Yeah, 2,000 doesn't seem like near enough for a rare JW score such as this. But then I do tend to overestimate these things; I figured Hook would be long gone by now.

I'm very excited about this release though. It's one OOP JW score that's been too cost prohibitive for me to pick up for a while. There are only a few copies of the previous editions on Amazon at the moment, and they start at $139.99 and $199.99.

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I'm excited to see what y'all say about the quality when those that get it have listened.

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I got it for $25 from Amazon last year, and I've seen it listed for less than that. There's a lot of stuff listed for crazy high prices on Amazon Marketplace, but I don't think very many people ever actually buy them.

Anyway, I think the Silva release sounds more than fine, so the only thing I'm really interested in is the liner notes.

I am glad this going to be available again; it might be the most beautiful score JW has ever written. If you don't have this, don't hesitate.

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Surprised the people who already own the old CD are not sure whether to get this or not just based on the sound quality improvement. It was this part that excites me the most:

The stunning 24 page booklet by Jim Titus features in depth liner notes by Williams historian Jeff Eldridge [...] Jim’s packaging is worth the price alone!

Not everyone has money to burn, Jason.

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Nope. My point was "I'm surprised you guys debating are only debating over whether or not you want the improved sound, rather than debating on whether or not you want the improved sound and new booklet"

I wanted to point out that the new booklet is a huge selling point. Jim Titus and Jeff Eldridge are among the best in the business

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Yeah, they're good, but I can't say I want to pay $19.99 for a booklet. I also doubt the sound quality will differ greatly.

Karol

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I'm sure you could sell your current version for more than $20, and essentially upgrade to the new version for free.

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Nah, I already said I want to keep the old CD for sentimental reasons. I just can't sell those CD's. They remind me of different things from my life. Seriously, they're like time capsules for me. And Jane Eyre is a very special disc for me. :)

Karol

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I like nice liner notes as much as the next guy, but I've never seen any that were worth $20.

Surely if we can call Varese's PR hyperbolic, than we can say the same when LaLa says the liner notes are worth the price of the package, or Intrada uses the spine of the CD case(!) As a selling point.

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If I could sell my Silva in order to reacquire this (for the sound and booklet), I certainly would. I have no nostalgic connection to the physical disc itself. But the prospect of getting $20 for this (plus shipping) is quite slim, I think.

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Yeah, but "[etc.] is worth the price alone" is a stock phrase. It's like saying the opening trailers in Tropic Thunder are worth the price alone - I'm not actually telling you to spend $20 for five minutes, but it's a massive highlight of the movie.

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If I could sell my Silva in order to reacquire this (for the sound and booklet), I certainly would. I have no nostalgic connection to the physical disc itself. But the prospect of getting $20 for this (plus shipping) is quite slim, I think.

Are you serious? Used versions are selling on amazon for $200 right now

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000026CHZ/

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