publicist 4,643 Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 > I love Mehta's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS suite...sometimes it's about size and tis 12:45 are better than Williams' condensation to 10 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stempel 136 Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Yes, Zubin Metha´s CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND Suite is the best of all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 I prefer Gerhardt's.I think the Pops in Space version of Yoda's Theme is the best. That's easily one of my top JW Boston Pops recordings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post nightscape94 965 Posted December 27, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted December 27, 2014 Gerhardt's 21 minute Close Encounters suite is unrivaled. This should have become the standard performance version. publicist, 1977, Erik Woods and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Yes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,193 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 The Close Encounters suite from Pops in Space is one of the first instances I can recall cranking music when I was a youngling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 I think the Gerhardt ROTJ Main Title is my favorite recording of the SW Main Title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romão 2,274 Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I still think the best version is the one in Hollywood Sound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stempel 136 Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 On this album you can find the absolutly best performance of the"MAIN TITLE" and "PRINCESS LEIA´S THEME" (these Tracks are the only Star-Wars-Tracks on this CD).It is a digital recording from 1978 (!)Listen to this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,714 Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I still think the best version is the one in Hollywood SoundYeah that is on the top of my list as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stempel 136 Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I still think the best version is the one in Hollywood SoundYeah that is on the top of my list as well.It is one of the best, but not THE best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drakkar 0 Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 Nice re-release (digital only) of the recordings of Star Wars and Return of The Jedi by Charles Gerhardt and the NPO. Sony Classical / 12.12.19 https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/star-wars-return-of-the-jedi-charles-gerhardt/uouyhi4ntue1a (no Empire but it seems there's a right issue, being a Varese recording ) Maybe a bit cleaned up - the sound is top notch ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew 590 Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 The Empire one didn't have the same top-notch recording, though. I didn't get the CD for that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,512 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Glad someone mentioned this. I'm listening to it right now. Sounds great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 With or without Surround filter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 No Close Encounters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 4 minutes ago, publicist said: With or without Surround filter? Without of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 I just listened to it, on my speakers it sounds indistinguishable from my old RCA surround editions. Well, why bother anyway, they sound good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 I have the pre-surround RCA CD's and the original Red Book vinyls. Honestly can't say the RCA surround ones sound any different. And yes, these recordings sound very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 I always wondered what exactly the filter did, except maybe a slight bit of reverb. There was a distortion in the opening flourish, but it seems to be inherent to the original recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Better ears than mine or a better audio system may reveal the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,193 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 It's sacrilege to drop the fantastic CE3K suite from the SW album. Jurassic Shark and publicist 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Its not Star Wars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,193 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 52 minutes ago, Stefancos said: Its not Star Wars! The only reason why it didn't win an Oscar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,076 Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 On 11/10/2014 at 7:41 PM, MrScratch said: Empire Strikes Back This is my favorite of the three and is an outstanding representation of the score. The main title is my favorite all time rerecording of the opening crawl. It is flawless. However, the inclusion of the unused Hoth music immediately following is perplexing. So much great music in Empire, not sure why they went with that on an album that needed to make a lot of other cuts. The OST segues into the Mynock cave music, that would have been very cool to rerecord that. Overall, the performances are on par with the soundtrack and the tempos are spot on. At one point over I listened to Luke's First Crash three times in a row. Absolutely fantastic. I'd have left off Training of Jedi Knight & Magic Tree and instead included Yoda and the Force & Hyperspace. Though not definitive, the Imperial March is excellent and I dig the added intro. Han Solo and the Princess IS definitive and one of the reasons to buy this album. The End Credits is, I believe, the only such rerecording of the End Credits from Empire Strikes Back and the performance is exhilarating. It was my first SW album, and to this day my favorite. On 12/22/2019 at 9:19 AM, publicist said: I always wondered what exactly the filter did, except maybe a slight bit of reverb. On 8/1/2019 at 7:31 PM, Marian Schedenig said: Dolby Surround Pro Logic is basically 4 channels encoded in standard Stereo. I.e. no special *player* equipment is necessary, it's the receiver that has to demux the Stereo signal into 4 separate streams for 5 speakers. The signal consists of the two standard stereo channels, a centre channel and a frequency limited mono channel for the rears. The centre, as far as I know, is simply the portion of the left and right channels that's identical, i.e. every standard Stereo signal would already contain a Dolby Surround Pro Logic centre channel automatically. Many DVDs and Blu-rays encode Mono tracks as Stereo with two identical channels. If you play that as a Dolby Surround Pro Logic signal, you'll still get everything properly through your centre speaker, but unless the audio track has the necessary flags set to mark it as Dolby Surround Pro Logic, most receivers will switch back to plain Stereo. This is annoying, because my centre speaker is much better suited for dialogue than my main speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datameister 2,043 Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 Just ordered all three of these on somewhat of a whim. I've been hearing about them for so many years, I figure it's time to see what all the fuss is about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jay 37,364 Posted May 4, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted May 4, 2021 Varese is re-issuing Empire on vinyl this July 23rd https://www.varesesarabande.com/products/john-williams-the-empire-strikes-back-symphonic-suite-from-the-original-motion-picture-score-vinyl Originally released to supplement – not compete with – the 2-LP Motion Picture Soundtrack of STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, this 1-LP release, skillfully combines a “Symphonic Suite” that John Williams' created for concert performance with new arrangements of other cues from the film score. This fantastic, long out of print album comes in a gatefold jacket with the original iconic Star Wars paintings by William Stout, images of John Williams, and notes from author Ray Bradbury, composer and critic, Christopher Palmer, and from the maestro himself. Out of print since original pressing in 1980. 180 gm black vinyl pressing. "I was delighted when Charles Gerhardt asked me if he could record the suite from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, since I am a great fan of his recorded performances. Moreover, I was so pleased with his recordings of the original STAR WARS and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS scores, which he made in association with producer George Korngold, that I have looked forward to this LP with special anticipation. The Suite, which I had specially written and adapted for concert performance […] had been skillfully augmented with other music from the film to form a unified whole. A great orchestra and Gerhardt’s opulent sound and dramatic phrasing combine to make a fine addition to a rapidly growing list of great recordings of film music." – JOHN WILLIAMS Matt S., Raiders of the SoundtrArk and Ricard 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricard 2,245 Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 Beautiful! I'm a proud owner of the original vinyl release since 1980, and I applaud very much Varèse's efforts. This recording may sound poorly and hastily performed according to some, but I love its freshness and energy from start to finish. Miguel Andrade 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,076 Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 I love that album, on of my earliest film music purchases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,364 Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 Yea it was one of my earliest as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce marshall 1,315 Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 I've read many claims that non- surround versions of the Gerhardt series are superior( KANE etc). But, the comments here claim there is NO difference# Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,482 Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 I don't believe in surround albums. This is shit like quadraphony was in the old days. I don't want to listen to the music like if I was IN the orchestra. Even the conductor hears it IN FRONT OF HIM. The concept is bad from the start. It always was, it'll always be. STEREO FOREVER! bruce marshall 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce marshall 1,315 Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 I'm talking about listening to them in regular stereo. No difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrox 6,651 Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 Happy for those of you who do records. I was a late adopter of the Gerhardt albums (didn’t have the SW/CE one until a few years ago, even) because by the time I was able to buy my own scores, Sony Classical was in the midst of releasing the Special Editions, so I went with those. But this is a good album! Probably my favorite of the three. Wish somebody would have gone all-in like that on the prequels or sequels… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce marshall 1,315 Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 These were all done in the era before CDs. There was a market then that no longer exists Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew 590 Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 I wish the TESB one sounded as good as the other two. What happened? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce marshall 1,315 Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 2 minutes ago, Drew said: I wish the TESB one sounded as good as the other two. What happened? Varese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce marshall 1,315 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 8 hours ago, Bespin said: I don't believe in surround albums. This is shit like quadraphony was in the old days. I don't want to listen to the music like if I was IN the orchestra. Even the conductor hears it IN FRONT OF HIM. The concept is bad from the start. It always was, it'll always be. STEREO FOREVER! I think they were trying, in part, to replicate how music sounds on headphones. You do get the feeling of being in the middle of the orchestra with them on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurkensalat 340 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 10 hours ago, Bespin said: I don't believe in surround albums. This is shit like quadraphony was in the old days. I don't want to listen to the music like if I was IN the orchestra. Even the conductor hears it IN FRONT OF HIM. The concept is bad from the start. It always was, it'll always be. STEREO FOREVER! One has to differentiate. Those were Dolby Surround albums, if I remember correctly. Those just used a Dolby encoder to make sure, that you got the correct stereo panorama when playing through a Dolby decoder at home: Instruments left, center, right, and ambiance in the surround. Like in a real concert hall. With Quad and modern surround sound like Blu-ray and SACD it depends on the aim of the producer or engineer. Most have only ambience in the surround, so NOT the situation as if one is in the orchestra. And the concept is NOT bad. Just different tastes. I personally like those "middle in the orchestra" recordings very much, since they remind me of the soundscape when I am playing myself in an orchestra or chamber group. And concerning this album: I have it on CD since around 1990 and like it very much, although some pieces like asteroid field sound a bit hurried and slightly chaotic. Marian Schedenig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,076 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 3 minutes ago, Gurkensalat said: One has to differentiate. Those were Dolby Surround albums, if I remember correctly. Those just used a Dolby encoder to make sure, that you got the correct stereo panorama when playing through a Dolby decoder at home: Instruments left, center, right, and ambiance in the surround. Like in a real concert hall. That's not the explanation @Marian Schedenig gave for these dolby surround CD albums. If I remember correctly, there's not really any additional channels other than the two stereo channels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,193 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 2 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said: That's not the explanation @Marian Schedenig gave for these dolby surround CD albums. If I remember correctly, there's not really any additional channels other than the two stereo channels. Gurken's explanation is correct. But they're not discreet channels, because it's still an analogue stereo signal. The centre channel simply gets all the frequencies that are the same in both channels, and the rears get everything that's phase inverted. A nasty side effect of this is that many Blu-rays of old films come with a 2.0 "mono" channel that is essentially just two channels carrying the same signal. In Dolby Surround, that would all go to the centre channel, but because it's a digital stream and doesn't have the Dolby Surround flag set, my amp at least keeps insisting on playing it through the two stereo speakers. Which is very annoying because the centre is much better for making out dialogue. Gurkensalat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,076 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 So does the dolby surround encoding degrade the sound quality in any way when played on a stereo setup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,193 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 1 minute ago, Jurassic Shark said: So does the dolby surround encoding degrade the sound quality in any way when played on a stereo setup? I'm not an expert. But from what I've read, a DS track isn't even necessarily specially encoded. The centre channel obviously happens automatically if the stereo signal has something that's dead centre, and apparently the phase shift of reverb also tends to push stuff to the rears. I've always assumed that the supposedly inferior sound of the DS RCA's had more to do with remixing choices than the DS encoding. Jurassic Shark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurkensalat 340 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 42 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said: So does the dolby surround encoding degrade the sound quality in any way when played on a stereo setup? Not necessarily, as Marian said. Every surround encoded Music CD I have sound perfectly ok in simple stereo, although I have the feeling that they often tend to widen the stereo panorama and enhance the hight frequencies a bit; both because of drawbacks of early surround decoders which often decreased high frequencies and tended to collapse the stereo panorama in the center. With modern equipment using Prologic II and better, this is not a concern any more. One main reason for surround encoding of music was that some recording engineers, especially for classical music, used phase stereo recording techniques which lead to unwanted effects when played through surround decoders like putting instruments in the surrounds and such. Jurassic Shark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,482 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 I want nobody to play music in my back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuartalHarmony 543 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 2 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said: So does the dolby surround encoding degrade the sound quality in any way when played on a stereo setup? It shouldn't do, if it's been encoded correctly. I've got several Dolby Surround CDs and have listened to them in plain stereo and Dolby Pro-Logic (the successor to Surround) and they're fine either way. If the producer has made the surround channels very busy (e.g. with electronic music where you might pan a whole instrumental line to the surrounds for fun) then it can sound a little odd in 'plain' stereo but it's not dramatic. If it's an orchestral recording, as others have pointed out, by far the commonest routine is to only use the surround channels for the reverberant ambience of the hall so stereo playback is basically unaffected. Mark Jurassic Shark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,193 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 28 minutes ago, Bespin said: I want nobody to play music in my back! Ok, but what does that have to do with the discussion we're having about natural ambience in the rear channels? Also, you probably shouldn't go to a live performance of The Planets if you're categorically against music not coming from the front. Gurkensalat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurkensalat 340 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 There is a lot of music that is composed with the idea of spatial audio, from the early Renaissance antiphonal Venetian school to Mozarts Notturno for 4 orchestras and Berlioz Requiem to Stockhausen´s Gruppen and the 20th century music. Pop music also, I am thinking of the phase experiements and quad recordings from Pink Floyd and others. Music does not have to be restricted to the simple front podium situation. And in a classic concert hall, the ambient reflective sound is often almost as intense as the direct sound from the front. Back to the Gerhardt series, as far as I know TESB was never released in Surround, but his recording for ROTJ was. But for me, there is not much audible difference. since there is little ambience in the recording. Marian Schedenig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now