Other WB titles needing release?

[AIFan 16]

Hi all,

It looks like Jason beat me to the punch a little bit in the Rosewood topic, but I thought this may deserve a topic of its own. Given the comments accompanying the Rosewood release about Warner Brothers releasing albums as part of its 90-year anniversary, are there any films (perhaps specific to John Williams) that you would like to see them release? Remember, they must be scores to Warner Brothers movies to be relevant to this topic!

The following are the titles I'd like to see:

-Harry Potters 1,2, and 3: luckily, these are such big names in the Warner Brothers' catalog that I think these probably have the best chance of being released in an expanded form. I can't believe that the Desplat scores received such lavish treatment but the Williams scores are still significantly truncated.

-A.I.: as you can tell from my user name, it would be a dream for me to have the complete (or at least significantly expanded) score for this film released. It is not only one of Williams' best efforts, but really one of the best scores of the past 20 years.

-The Cowboys: I'm not sure how compleete the Varese CD release is, but I seem to recall that it's pretty short (maybe 40 minutes?). It is such grandiose Americana that it begs a full and more complete release!

-Empire of the Sun: although I love the released score, I think that an expanded / complete score is absolutely deserved and I'd almost be more interested in seeing the liner notes that would accompany it.

-JFK: I was so glad to see this was a WB release, because I've had this on my wish list for a while anyway. I think it's been said in other threads, though, that the music on the OST (I have the audio cassette) is pretty much complete, and the music as heard in the film is just edited versions of those tracks scattered throughout the film.

There may even be other scores that belonged to films that weren't WB, but whose music was released by WB Music, which is a separate arm of WB. I'm not sure which scores might fall under that description...

Those are the scores I can think of that perhaps now can be made a reality...how about everyone else?

AIFan

[Jay 37,419]

I doubt WB will let any small label release new CDs of the Harry Potter scores in the forseeable future... maybe in 20+ years or so it could happen.

Out of the ones you mentioned, I'd love a remastered and complete/chronological Empire of the Sun the most.

For non-Williams WB works, how about the Matrix Trilogy, Lethal Weapon series, Police Academy series, Beetlejuice, Gremlins 2, Robin Hood: Prince Of Theives, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Assassins, Twister, and Batman&Robin

[crocodile 8,027]

Actually I wouldn't be surprised if we got A.I. this year. Empire of the Sun would be nice as well.

Karol

[indy4 155]

The Cowboys got a slight expansion in that massive John Wayne set. I wonder if that complicates the rights issues for that score?

[Faleel 5,380]

The Cowboys got a slight expansion in that massive John Wayne set.

I thought it was the same as the OST? or it got left off, or something?

[Thor 7,556]

No interest in any of those WB titles (as I think the existing soundtracks are perfect the way they are), but I do wonder if some of the early Williams scores from the 60's -- that haven't yet been released in any form -- are from Warner Bros.? I'm not very into studios and labels. I do seem to remember that FSM had a deal with WB for a while, so the Williams WB titles from the 60's may already have been covered.

Are any of these Warner Bros.?:

A TIMELESS CALL

THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS

PETE'N'TILLIE

THE SCREAMING WOMAN

STORIA DI UNA DONNA

DADDY'S GONE A-HUNTING

SERGEANT RYKER

THE PLAINSMAN

THE RARE BREED

THE KATHERINE REED STORY

THE KILLERS

NIGHTMARE IN CHICAGO

GIDGET GOES TO ROME

THE SECRET WAYS

BECAUSE THEY'RE YOUNG

I PASSED FOR WHITE

DADDY-O

???

[indy4 155]

Nope, it was slightly expanded

http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18195&hl=%22john+wayne%22

The Cowboys got a slight expansion in that massive John Wayne set.

I thought it was the same as the OST? or it got left off, or something?

[TownerFan 4,991]

A TIMELESS CALL

THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS

PETE'N'TILLIE

THE SCREAMING WOMAN

STORIA DI UNA DONNA

DADDY'S GONE A-HUNTING

SERGEANT RYKER

THE PLAINSMAN

THE RARE BREED

THE KATHERINE REED STORY

THE KILLERS

NIGHTMARE IN CHICAGO

GIDGET GOES TO ROME

THE SECRET WAYS

BECAUSE THEY'RE YOUNG

I PASSED FOR WHITE

DADDY-O

???

Most of those titles are from or controlled by Universal Pictures. None of them is Warner Bros.

As for the new LLL series from the WB vaults, my guess for the most likely Williams expanded titles we can see in the foreseeable future are The Witches of Eastwick, JFK and maybe Empire of the Sun. It would be nice to have a complete A.I. as well.

[Jay 37,419]

The Witches of Eastwick cannot happen for a long time.

What happened was that LLL wanted the rights and would have released an expanded CD, but Perseverance got to the rights first. Perseverance then re-issued the OST only for $12.98 and limited it to 3,000 copies. LLL can not pick up the rights until all 3,000 copies are sold or until Perseverance's license expires (I think they are usually for 5-7 years), whichever happens first.

This is all discussed here:

http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22235

As for Empire of the Sun, ALL Spielberg/Williams collaborations require BOTH of them to SIGN OFF on a new CD before work can even begin. They allowed LLL to make new CDs for 1941 and Hook, but will they allow any more? Only time will tell.

The quickest way to make it happen would be for HOOK to sell out!!!

[TownerFan 4,991]

Yeah, I remembered something about both situations. Thanks for clarifying though!

[indy4 155]

Maurizio, on 22 May 2013 - 3:37 PM, said:

As for the new LLL series from the WB vaults, my guess for the most likely Williams expanded titles we can see in the foreseeable future are The Witches of Eastwick, JFK and maybe Empire of the Sun. It would be nice to have a complete A.I. as well.

Is there any additional music for JFK? I thought JW only wrote a few concert pieces, that were then adapted to the film.

[Thor 7,556]

A TIMELESS CALL

THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS

PETE'N'TILLIE

THE SCREAMING WOMAN

STORIA DI UNA DONNA

DADDY'S GONE A-HUNTING

SERGEANT RYKER

THE PLAINSMAN

THE RARE BREED

THE KATHERINE REED STORY

THE KILLERS

NIGHTMARE IN CHICAGO

GIDGET GOES TO ROME

THE SECRET WAYS

BECAUSE THEY'RE YOUNG

I PASSED FOR WHITE

DADDY-O

???

Most of those titles are from or controlled by Universal Pictures. None of them is Warner Bros.

As for the new LLL series from the WB vaults, my guess for the most likely Williams expanded titles we can see in the foreseeable future are The Witches of Eastwick, JFK and maybe Empire of the Sun. It would be nice to have a complete A.I. as well.

I see, thanks. Well, Universal has started to open up their vaults a little bit too in recent years, so maybe there's hope. I doubt it, though, with such obscure titles. Several of them are likely destroyed or lost for all time.

[publicist 4,643]

Is there any additional music for JFK? I thought JW only wrote a few concert pieces, that were then adapted to the film.

Even if there is only one slightly longer take on CONSIRATORS, i'm sure labels would jump at it like mad baboons. I don't like the old JFK album, it's a jumbled mess, so maybe a 40-minute score-only release would be better, but i'm afraid everything of note was put out and we would be left with tons of musically uninteresting filler for suspense scenes.

[crocodile 8,027]

Just realised I've never actually listened to the "other" tracks on the album. Just the 45 minute score tracks.

Karol

[TownerFan 4,991]

Maurizio, on 22 May 2013 - 3:37 PM, said:

As for the new LLL series from the WB vaults, my guess for the most likely Williams expanded titles we can see in the foreseeable future are The Witches of Eastwick, JFK and maybe Empire of the Sun. It would be nice to have a complete A.I. as well.

Is there any additional music for JFK? I thought JW only wrote a few concert pieces, that were then adapted to the film.

Yes, there's more music. Not much, but there is.

Going against his usual practices, Williams composed six musical sequences only on the basis of the script, talks with Oliver Stone and a visit on the movie set in New Orleans. The pieces were "Kennedy Theme" (aka "Prologue"), "The Motorcade", "The Conspirators", "Garrison's Obsession", "Garrison Family Theme" and "Arlington". Since the film was shot and edited in a kind of documentary-like style, Williams conceived his pieces like sort of library cues which could be adapted by the editors "in piecemeal fashion". Then a few months later, Williams wrote and recorded a handful score cues, mostly for scene changes and transitions, on the basis of the finished film.

So yes, there's more material. Maybe it's not the most engaging Williams ever wrote, but I would welcome an expanded release.

[Thor 7,556]

I think the JFK album is fine. Yes, there's a disparate style throughout (from score cues to source tracks and back again), but that's appealing, in a way. Several of the source cues are instrumentals, after all. Makes for a diverse listening experience. Vice versa, I'm happy they didn't mix the two styles in BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, as the period songs would clash more uncomfortably with the Americana and/or atonal music that Williams wrote. It's better served the way it is now -- with the period songs first and the score suite after.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I can't call JFK a good album because I have to keep hitting the track skip button whenever a source cue shows up. My favourite Williams score deserves a better so-called "listening experience".

[TownerFan 4,991]

The OST album looks like the playlist of a person with serious mental disorder.

[publicist 4,643]

And EMPIRE OF THE SUN, heavenly chorus in the one unreleased track of note notwithstanding, seems like a perfect album to me. The same with WITCHES OF EASTWICK. A. I. is another matter, but i would buy that only if someone other than Shawn Murphy does the mixing board.

[Incanus 5,722]

The OST album looks like the playlist of a person with serious mental disorder.

Don't forget the most horrible source music track ever to disgrace a JW album, El Watusi.

But JFK, The Witches of Eastwick and most of all Empire of the Sun would be welcome expansions.

[Thor 7,556]

"Drummer's Salute" is in style with the Williams material (and even incorporates it), so is "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" (one of the most beautiful hymns ever written) as a segue between "Theme from JFK" and "Garrison Obsession". I love "Ode to Buckwheat" where it is in the playlist. The Mozart piece is OK in its position too.

I would agree that "El Watusi" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street" are a little OFF, however. Nothing wrong with the songs per se, but they don't work as well as the instrumental source cues.

[Romão 2,274]

Drummer's Salute actually contains Williams own material. Under all those snares, you can hear some very foreboding renditions of the JFK theme on the low horns. It works brilliantly

[Thor 7,556]

Drummer's Salute actually contains Williams own material. Under all those snares, you can hear some very foreboding renditions of the JFK theme on the low horns. It works brilliantly

I know. I edited the post before you made your comment.

[crocodile 8,027]

Drummer's Salute actually contains Williams own material. Under all those snares, you can hear some very foreboding renditions of the JFK theme on the low horns. It works brilliantly

I love this track.

Karol

[TownerFan 4,991]

"Drummers' Salute" and "Eternal Father" are virtually part of Williams' score, so they fit in well within the flow. But all the other pieces make a totally incongrous listening. Well, maybe it makes relive memories of someone's favourite film, but the reality is that it's a very absurd presentation. There's nothing wrong with the pieces themselves (Mozart's Horn Concerto is fabulous, if you don't know the whole piece just run out and buy it), but if I want to listen to Mozart or Sidney Bechet I'll put up a Mozart piece or a Bechet album.

[Thor 7,556]

I do think a piece like, say, "Ode to Buckwheat" works well with the more percussion-driven/synth-layered tracks like "The Conspirators".

By the way, all this talk about JFK made me play the soundtrack again. God, what a beautiful piece that "Arlington" is -- especially those aching, religioso strings.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,596]

It would be nice to hear fully complete scores to "The Towering Inferno", and "The Accidental Tourist".

I'd love to get my hands on the "Dr. Know" music, and the piece that underscores the "they hate us, you know...the Humans" speech, by Jude Law.

[Incanus 5,722]

It would be nice to hear fully complete scores to "The Towering Inferno", and "The Accidental Tourist".

I'd love to get my hands on the "Dr. Know" music, and the piece that underscores the "they hate us, you know...the Humans" speech, by Jude Law.

Towering Inferno would be most welcome to most JW fans I think as many of us missed out on the FSM release back in the day. Oh and we do not know for certain that the "Doctor Know" music was composed by Williams but the complete A.I. would be also a dream come true.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,596]

It would be nice to hear fully complete scores to "The Towering Inferno", and "The Accidental Tourist".

I'd love to get my hands on the "Dr. Know" music, and the piece that underscores the "they hate us, you know...the Humans" speech, by Jude Law.

Towering Inferno would be most welcome to most JW fans I think as many of us missed out on the FSM release back in the day. Oh and we do not know for certain that the "Doctor Know" music was composed by Williams but the complete A.I. would be also a dream come true.

Like the Pre-Crime advert music, the "Dr. Know" music sounds, and "feels", like JW. I'm convinced it's JW through-and-through.

I am going to add "CE3K" to this list, by virtue of the fact that one of the title cards says "Columbia EMI Warner".