Alan Silvestri's The Abyss - 2CD Deluxe Edition

[OneBuckFilms 201]

I think it's safe to say that this cd will be played often.

This is a fantastic release, IMHO.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,771]

I've got it but haven't listened to it yet. Looking forward to it.

[Jay 32,105]

It's an awesome release! The overall sound quality is so much better than the OST.

Beyond that, there is all the extra music. Most of the completely unreleased cues are more atmospheric, but there are some good new suspense cues too.

But the real highlight of the release is, for me, the alternate versions of many cues we've only ever heard the revised versions of before. It appears Silvestri originally scored the film on a higher emotional level, introducing the love theme early and having it run throughout the whole score. But Cameron seemingly decided to strip the love theme and emotional music out of the first 2/3rds of the film, resulting in revised cues that were more generic and atmospheric. The never-before heard original more emotional versions are all fantastic! I'll be making a personal edit that favors those over the revised versions in the flow of the score myself.

Great, top notch, fantastic release!

[fommes 133]

I've followed Jay's lead and made my own edit of the album. However, a couple of notes and questions:

- "Flooding and Sinking Alternate" sounds entirely synth - and a bit like a demo? What do you think? (It would definitely be a demo of an alternate though.)

Or was it just originally written for synth?

- the "Unused synth cue" should not be placed between "Flooding and Sinking" and "Marker Buoy", as someone suggested (there’s no room there in the film – unless it’d be an alternate for Marker Buoy), but after "They’re Coming". Presumably it begins at the first shot of the underwater base – it has about the right length. I’ve named it “Deepcore”.

- "What a Drag Wild Original" is IMO the real original version – I tried synching it to the picture and it seems to fit perfectly.

"What a Drag Original" seems to be much too slow for the sequence, and seems to be either a ‘wild’ practice version, or perhaps a version recorded esp. for the "Sub Battle"?

- "What a Drag (Wild) original" replaces both "What a Drag Film version" and "the Draggiest Man".

- "The Pseudopod Alternate Segment" (= first half of track) – again, is this an alternate, or a demo? This time, it seems virtually the same as the film version but in synth?

(Or was it originally written for synth?)

- The "vocal insert" seems to be for the “Bud on the Ledge” part of the film end credits (which occurs in the 'tracked' part from the DVD, not on the CD), and not for the end credits opening, cf the shorter ending (although the opening does seem to match the opening of the end credits).

In the (DVD) end credits, it’s the same as the insert – just the choir, while in the “Bud on the Ledge” track itself, it has that 'overlay'.

- As someone else attentively pointed out, the End Credits on the DVD concludes with tracked pieces, but in some cases there’s no choir, so it has some unique stuff anyway.

(- By the way, some tracks don't have a clean ending, e.g. "Defusing the Bomb" and "The Fight Alternate Mix"; I wish they put overlapped cues all in one track.)

[Unlucky Bastard 7,771]

After listening to this DE, three quarters of the score are just as boring as it was on the OST.

[Trent B 322]

- the "Unused synth cue" should not be placed between "Flooding and Sinking" and "Marker Buoy", as someone suggested (there’s no room there in the film – unless it’d be an alternate for Marker Buoy), but after "They’re Coming". Presumably it begins at the first shot of the underwater base – it has about the right length. I’ve named it “Deepcore”.

- "What a Drag Wild Original" is IMO the real original version – I tried synching it to the picture and it seems to fit perfectly.

"What a Drag Original" seems to be much too slow for the sequence, and seems to be either a ‘wild’ practice version. (Or a version recorded esp. for the "Sub Battle"?)

"Unused Synth Cue" does go after "They're Coming".

http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20819&p=986703

Where would "What A Drag (Wild Original)" start in the film if using the theatrical version?

[fommes 133]

Can't tell you the exact timing, but align the last orchestral 'blast' at 4:13 with Ed Harris getting that door closed near the end of the sequence.

[Trent B 322]

Ah ok. BTW I placed "Unused Synth Cue" to where you suggested when it first showed Deep Core and the shot of Cat talking to Bud in the water. The music would end as Bud is walking over to that one machine before I think Jammer says, "Hey bud!" and tells him that Hippy is on the bitch box.

[fommes 133]

Having replaced the film versions with only the most noteworthy or superior alternates in my main playlist, my extras playlist now looks like this:

Opening Title (Demo)

Flooding and Sinking (Alternate)

Crashing Crane (Film Version)

What a Drag (Revised Version)

The Draggiest Man (Revised Version)

Some Huevos (Alternate) [i like the film version better; the orchestration is more subtle]

The Pseudopod (with Alternate Segment)

The Fight (Alternate Mix)

The Only Way (Film Version)

Finale / End Credits [edited on the rest of the DVD end credits]

[Jay 32,105]

Less than 30 copies left at Varese, then it's OOP!

 

https://www.varesesarabande.com/products/abyss

[Thor 5,974]

THE ABYSS is 30 years old today -- one of the most important films and scores of my life. I've written a 'love declaration' to the score here, in Norwegian (use Google Translate if interested):

 

http://celluloidtunes.no/the-abyss-alan-silvestri/

 

(and although I mention the 2CD set that is the topic of this thread, this is -- obviously -- about the OST).