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No longer a Williams completist?


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I think I've finally reached that point. Going through the list of the most recently-released albums, I haven't gotten any of them. I still want Home Alone 2 for the additional tracks and the new mix. But that's one of my favorite scores. That said, I haven't purchased Missouri Breaks, Rosewood, Jane Eyre, Heidi or The Fury. I already have all of these and barely listen to them. This is a turning point for a serious Williams fan because up to this latest batch of CDs, I own almost every officially-released Williams score and concerto. But I think I'm through with this completist stuff. I think of it practically and I basically only listen to my favorite scores and a majority of stuff in my collection just collects dust or takes up hard drive space.

All the while I can't help but feel, why are we getting all these basically obscure Williams scores and reissues when there are so many necessary Williams releases. If we're going to reissue these albums, what about the original Jaws album, which kinda sounds like shit? Why not the original Star Wars Trilogy, where we have horribly mastered/mixed Empire and Jedi? We also still need the original Empire album after all these years. I would instantly throw down for complete Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, the E.T. Adventure, prequels, etc. Yet, we keep getting scores that are basically collectors-only or generally for the hardest of the hardcore. After all these years of Williams fandom, I'm starting to agree with the man himself, who didn't even want Sugarland Express released. And Jerry Goldsmith for that matter. Not every score is necessary.

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Oh, I'm still a completist -- more than ever, in fact, as I've started to really explore his early and obscure stuff more properly in the last couple of years. My goal is still to have ONE representation of each and every one of his compositions. To have a complete list of Williams' works in front of me and be able to say "I have something from everyone of those!".

I don't buy expanded releases, though, if that's you mean.

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One thing that bothers me is JW tends to overuse his main themes in scores. It may work in the film, but listening to it on album can wear it out, and permanently damage the emotional enjoyment of a theme. It happened when I first listened to expanded 1941, and i haven't listened since for fear of ruining the theme for me. That's the problem--in order to make these playlists, I need to hear all the music, and do the very thing that these playlists are trying to avoid.

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The problem with 1941 is not the repetitiveness of the themes, IMO, but the sheer 'bombastic', noisy nature of the compositions. Mind you, I only have the original Varese, not the new release.

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Basically, every score I wanted from other composers had been released so I don't mind shelling out for a new JW c,.d. only for a few extra tracks. there's only 3-4 every year

I only skipped the Home alone 2 LALALand

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I'm a completist regarding that i want to have the most complete from of each score. So i dont crave for old OSTs if i had not been a fan when they were out, and i usually skip re-issues (only Jane eyre comes to mind, as the others i didnt had them before so i bought them).

I'm only a completist of Williams and Giacchino, so i buy only a few Cds per year. I've been buying Giacchino since the beggining...and i fear in the future i will have to re-buy a lot of newly expanded scores....but well it may be in 20 years so i prefer to enjoy the music now :P

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Oh, I'm still a completist

I don't buy expanded releases, though, if that's you mean.

Does not compute!

*sigh* Not this again. I'm a completist of Williams TITLES, Stefan, not every single note he ever wrote.

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I'm a completist of every note he composed post 1970, to be more specific

I don't care so much about his early TV s scores (except Lost in Space) and 60's comedy scores. I think I listened to John Goldfarb once and might never listen to it again. Some individual cues in these scores are still worth it though

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Looks like you are not a Williams completist ET&Elliot. If you are not interested in JW's whole career or charting his music from its beginnings to the present day, then why indeed would you need all these releases of obscure material. I don't see what is the reason for bitterness in this case though. Focus your efforts on getting the Golden Age masterpieces and be content. If they are not released every 5 or 10 years in a new edition, then tough luck. But is it anything away from you if new before unheard JW scores are unearthed from the vaults or something specifically you are not interested gets expanded?

Some people are interested in hearing those even if you are not.

And to our unfortunate chance the big, bold, beloved franchises JW is most famous for are in the fold of Lucas and who knows when will we receive the definitive absolutely complete audiophile editions of those scores.

But think on the positive. You will be saving an awful lot of money when you don't have to feel obligated to buy all these new obscure releases. ;)

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The problem with 1941 is not the repetitiveness of the themes, IMO, but the sheer 'bombastic', noisy nature of the compositions. Mind you, I only have the original Varese, not the new release.

I heard the new release balances it a bit but I couldn't afford it at the moment.

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Believe it or not but i haven't bought War Horse or Lincoln.

(I know, it's hard to believe)

To be honest you so rarely take part in the score discussion it is quite difficult to know if you have been at all interested in the say last 5 years of Williams' output. So I don't think it is hard to believe at all. ;)

The problem with 1941 is not the repetitiveness of the themes, IMO, but the sheer 'bombastic', noisy nature of the compositions. Mind you, I only have the original Varese, not the new release.

I heard the new release balances it a bit but I couldn't afford it at the moment.

I don't listen to the likes of 1941 or ToD when I am not in the mood for a relentlessly fast and breathless roller coaster of an experience. When in the right mood both flow past in no time in any form.

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Believe it or not but i haven't bought War Horse or Lincoln.

(I know, it's hard to believe)

Believe me, Alex, you are not missing much. They are both standard late-in-the-day JW works: not bad, but nothing special, either.

I buy as much as I can, when I can. My issue (and it is a personal one) is that I have an almost pathological distrust of e-sites.

I simply will not buy online. I know people who do, and they tell me that it is all perfactly safe and secure, but I am not convinced, thus I am missing out on a lot of JW (and other) stuff that I want. I know I'll get them one day, and I am in no hurry.

In the meantime, I will make do with the original releases.

P.s. if anyone wants to sell their 2-disc "1941", pm me, and I'll gladly buy it off of them. I'm serious: I love every note of this score.

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You don't buy anything online? Wow.

I believe I've mentioned before - I'm not a completist with anyone. Simply put, I don't care who the composer is - if their latest score doesn't do it for me, I don't need to own it.

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Believe it or not but i haven't bought War Horse or Lincoln.

Have you ever checked them out on spotify?

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I feel the same way. I haven't ordered anything in forever. Financial crisis hit hard with being unemployed for six months this year. I missed out on Missouri Breaks, and haven't picked up anything in years. The last JW cd I purchased was LaLaLand's Hook. And not just JW, I have missed out on practically everything that has come from Intrada, FSM, LaLa, etc... I am in the process of getting back on my feet and hoping that 2014 allows me to play a little bit of catch up.

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I feel the same way. I haven't ordered anything in forever. Financial crisis hit hard with being unemployed for six months this year. I missed out on Missouri Breaks, and haven't picked up anything in years. The last JW cd I purchased was LaLaLand's Hook. And not just JW, I have missed out on practically everything that has come from Intrada, FSM, LaLa, etc... I am in the process of getting back on my feet and hoping that 2014 allows me to play a little bit of catch up.

I was in the same situation last year and am now catching up. Luckily none of the releases I had not bought earlier had not gone out of print in the mean time.

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I have never been a JW completist. But that is not a disrespect for JW, I'm not a completist on anything. There isn't a person in the world whose work it's worth owning COMPLETELY.

I'm still holding my breath for that 100 CD LotR Recording sessions release though ;)

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No one here is a true "completist".

Miguel is probably the only one I would give that title to. Everyone else has their own definition. My objective is to have every single original recording of John Williams' music, whether it be in complete, expanded form or just the original album, if that's all that is available. If the original album is replaced by an expanded version and Williams didn't do something like he did with Jaws, CE3K, E.T. or The Fury, then I don't keep it.

So I wouldn't call myself a "completist".

Another point that's was brought up by the op, John Williams isn't the only composer out there, other composers deserve to have their works released. The labels know what the fans want and are doing their best to get out what they can. There's a good reason why HP and Star Wars haven't been released the way we want. It's been explained time and time again. And not everyone got a chance to get some of these releases when they first became available. If you don't want a release, don't buy it. I didn't buy LLL's HA 2 release because I'm content with the Varese DE but I won't fault them for re-issuing it.

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Believe it or not but i haven't bought War Horse or Lincoln.

(I know, it's hard to believe)

Believe me, Alex, you are not missing much. They are both standard late-in-the-day JW works: not bad, but nothing special, either.

I buy as much as I can, when I can. My issue (and it is a personal one) is that I have an almost pathological distrust of e-sites.

I simply will not buy online. I know people who do, and they tell me that it is all perfactly safe and secure, but I am not convinced, thus I am missing out on a lot of JW (and other) stuff that I want. I know I'll get them one day, and I am in no hurry.

In the meantime, I will make do with the original releases.

P.s. if anyone wants to sell their 2-disc "1941", pm me, and I'll gladly buy it off of them. I'm serious: I love every note of this score.

Sorry Richard but this just doesn't make sense. You say you won't buy anything online, yet you're asking one of us to sell you a copy of 1941. Are you expecting to mail us cash? Swiping a credit card in a store is no different than typing the number in on a computer. You also say you'll get the ones you want one day, but sadly you probably won't. It's not like there are record stores with shelves brimming with new score releases and expansions. We happen to love music that no one wants to buy in an already dying market.

Another point that's was brought up by the op, John Williams isn't the only composer out there, other composers deserve to have their works released. The labels know what the fans want and are doing their best to get out what they can. There's a good reason why HP and Star Wars haven't been released the way we want. It's been explained time and time again. And not everyone got a chance to get some of these releases when they first became available. If you don't want a release, don't buy it. I didn't buy LLL's HA 2 release because I'm content with the Varese DE but I won't fault them for re-issuing it.

Thank you for bringing it up. The labels are just that - labels. They are businesses that require profit to continue producing CDs. Justin sounds whiny that they aren't trying to release his childhood favorites. Besides, it's not like they have access to absolutely everything and are only giving us reissues of OOP titles because they feel like it. They work with what they're given.

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Sorry Richard but this just doesn't make sense. You say you won't buy anything online, yet you're asking one of us to sell you a copy of 1941. Are you expecting to mail us cash? Swiping a credit card in a store is no different than typing the number in on a computer.

This.

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I'm more of a completist whithin the scores of his that I love rather than his entire oeuvre. If I get to really like another of his scores for whatever reason, then I'll be a completist of that score.

This is true for me too. I want everything I can get from all the Star Wars, Indy, and HP movies, plus other favorite scores like Hook or JP. When deciding what new Williams scores to buy, a complete score release makes it more tempting, perhaps because I know I probably won't have to buy another release of the score down the road if I do end up loving it. But I don't buy every Williams release, only those that I expect to ACTUALLY listen to. I buy a ton of non-film score music as well, and there's always so much I want to listen to that inevitably there are lower-priority albums I'll buy and not get around to listening to much. So I have to try and be realistic in deciding how much I really want a new CD before buying it. I haven't bought any of the recent releases for this reason - I listened to a few tracks from Missouri Breaks and it didn't seem like something I would honestly ever be in the mood for.

I also have more music by John Williams than by any other artist, so it seems to make sense to only add to the collection when there's something I'm excited about.

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I've moved on to stamps. Much more fulfilling.

and much easier to be a completeist.

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sometimes the idea of being a completist scares me, I think Gollum.



8 seconds of previously unreleased music, my precious.

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  • 1 month later...

Sorry Richard but this just doesn't make sense. You say you won't buy anything online, yet you're asking one of us to sell you a copy of 1941. Are you expecting to mail us cash? Swiping a credit card in a store is no different than typing the number in on a computer.

This.

Actually, yes. cash is virtually anonymous, while credit, or debit can ALWAYS be trailed. I do not want some supermarket knowing where, and when I bought my latest can of de-odorant! They simply don't deserve to know that kind of information about me.

I recently bought 2 scores from JWfan-ers, and I sent cash to the USA both times. I trust the UK/US postal system far more than I trust any website.

Call me pessimistic, but debit/credit cards is the begining of the end. Soon, cash wil no longer exist, and codes, or marks, will be put either on the back of the hand, or the forehead. You can laugh all you want, but, I'm telling you, folks, it WILL happen, and then the world will be totally buggered.

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Sorry Richard but this just doesn't make sense. You say you won't buy anything online, yet you're asking one of us to sell you a copy of 1941. Are you expecting to mail us cash? Swiping a credit card in a store is no different than typing the number in on a computer.

This.

Actually, yes. cash is virtually anonymous, while credit, or debit can ALWAYS be trailed. I do not want some supermarket knowing where, and when I bought my latest can of de-odorant! They simply don't deserve to know that kind of information about me.

I recently bought 2 scores from JWfan-ers, and I sent cash to the USA both times. I trust the UK/US postal system far more than I trust any website.

Call me pessimistic, but debit/credit cards is the begining of the end. Soon, cash wil no longer exist, and codes, or marks, will be put either on the back of the hand, or the forehead. You can laugh all you want, but, I'm telling you, folks, it WILL happen, and then the world will be totally buggered.

:blink:

The only reason why one would not want a history of their transactions is because they're fraudulent.

Yep.

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Believe it or not but i haven't bought War Horse or Lincoln.

(I know, it's hard to believe)

Believe me, Alex, you are not missing much. They are both standard late-in-the-day JW works: not bad, but nothing special, either.

This sounds like: You are not missing much by not knowing Brahms 4th Symphony/Haydns last few symphonies: They are standard late-in-the-day Brahms/Haydn works: not bad, but nothing special either...

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Thats what he's saying.

Then it is very debatable, since the Brahms/Haydn examples are generally acnowledged masterworks on their own, regardless of any preceding works of those composers. As it is IMHO the case with Tintin, War Horse and Lincoln.

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I agree that there are enough marvelous cues in Tintin to call it a masterpiece. Anything is still possible with good ol' John Towner.

You don't have to be a completist to be continually curious about Williams' works past or present that were not previously available. You can't know what you're going to get: a solid score that won't necessarily touch you or some of your favorite music. Conrack was an extraordinary discovery for me a couple of years ago. What little music we got from this film is a gem. I even bought a 16mm copy of the film to hear the rest!

But then again I have to confess that I am a completist...

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You don't have to be a completist to be continually curious about Williams' works past or present that were not previously available. You can't know what you're going to get: a solid score that won't necessarily touch you or some of your favorite music. Conrack was an extraordinary discovery for me a couple of years ago. What little music we got from this film is a gem. I even bought a 16mm copy of the film to hear the rest!

Wow, extrmely well said!

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Tintin, War Horse and Lincoln are generally acknowledged masterworks?

If you read carefully, that is not what I am saying. I am saying that one should not skipping those three on the grounds that they are typical Williams. They could be very well masterworks on their own and it would be a pity to miss them. I personally find those 3 ARE masterworks of Williams, but it is too early to say that this is some kind of consensus. Time will tell.

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