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Alan Silvestri's Back To The Future scores - All 3 now available complete on CD, vinyl, and digital download


Jay

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  • 5 months later...

Mike M just revealed this tidbit on FSM about the Universal Studios' ride music composed by Silvestri:

 

Quote

 

Quote

I wish Varese or Intrada did this for Back to the Future The Ride. As much as I like the Debney rerecording, I always wanted the original track.

 

I guess I can reveal now that I did try... Alan provided it and it was on the master for Part III initially, but he asked that it get taken off at the last minute. He didn't like the synth component on it.

 

Mike .

 

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  • 7 months later...
  • 4 months later...

This is by far my favorite setting of the main BTTF theme

 

(1:45 - 2:08)

 

Although this I prefer this recording.  Clearer brass sound.

 

I really need to go through the three scores and document each time it's used.

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25 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

I really need to go through the three scores and document each time it's used.

 

I call that the "Everything's going to be fine *wink wink*" motif/setting. It's also in Burning the Book, and in a weaker, slower rendition in A Flying Delorean. So it's playing under the planning right before the tree branch falls with the quote "Everything's going to be all right", when they think they fixed the future before the book comes up, when they think they fixed the past right before the lightning strikes and takes Doc back, and when they think bringing Doc back will be a breeze.

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Well and in BTTF3 when he's about to go back to try to fix the past (the cue I posted above).  But Silvestri was pretty all over the place with deciding which parts of the first score to quote exactly in the sequels and where.

 

 

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I don't think Silvestri intended the various recurring melodies to only represent one thing specifically.  He just kind of used what sounded best for the scene imo.

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Yeah, I added that to the end about when you posted this. Most motifs don't have even the loosest association in these scores, this is one where you can kind of shoehorn one in - a calm right before something inevitably goes wrong.

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Truth!

 

9 minutes ago, Holko said:

 

I call that the "Everything's going to be fine *wink wink*" motif/setting. It's also in Burning the Book, and in a weaker, slower rendition in A Flying Delorean. So it's playing under the planning right before the tree branch falls with the quote "Everything's going to be all right", when they think they fixed the future before the book comes up, when they think they fixed the past right before the lightning strikes and takes Doc back, and when they think bringing Doc back will be a breeze.

 

I had forgotten the Part II instances btw.  I hardly ever listen to that score.  I tend to revisit either 1 or 3 if I'm feeling that BTTF itch.

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2 has enough new material and new renditions for me to just barely keep it interesting enough. It all only starts to get stale by "Warmed Up" and that's when the tone changes completely to Western.

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I was listening to BTTF on a bike ride the other day and when that particular setting comes up it really gives me a sense of positivity and determination.  And like all the BTTF music it just feels like happy music to me.  I guess that's just the nostalgic associations.

 

I just remembered listening to BTTF3 while hiking in California a couple of years ago.  Which I posted about below!  I guess I just have a weird association between BTTF music and physical exercise haha

 

 

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I put together only now that the "Train motif" which I love and is in Train Pt. II and III, Hill Valley and There is no Bridge, is actually a reduced version of the Western Theme which until now I believed to be heavily underutilised. Much to learn, I still have.

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2 hours ago, Holko said:

I put together only now that the "Train motif" which I love and is in Train Pt. II and III, Hill Valley and There is no Bridge, is actually a reduced version of the Western Theme which until now I believed to be heavily underutilised. Much to learn, I still have.

 

Is this this motif at 1:36?

 

 

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No, what I called the Train Motif is the part that enters here at 3:34, with train-esque percussion then the first few notes of the Western Theme, then getting more and more tense and rushed in Train Part III.

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1 minute ago, Holko said:

No, what I called the Train Motif is the part that enters here at 3:34, with train-esque percussion then the first few notes of the Western Theme, then getting more and more tense and rushed in Train Part III.

 

Ah yes!

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On 8/29/2018 at 11:32 AM, Disco Stu said:

This is by far my favorite setting of the main BTTF theme

 

(1:45 - 2:08)

 

Although this I prefer this recording.  Clearer brass sound.

 

I really need to go through the three scores and document each time it's used.

Interestingly enough, David Collins did a analysis of a sort on that section in his third BTTF episode:
 

 

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  • 1 month later...
3 minutes ago, Smaug the iron said:

So for some weird reason Spotify has decided that from now on I am not allowed to listen to the score? Even if I could listen to the whole score yesterday?

 

It happens all the time that they update the geographical restrictions. The restrictions are indeed quite frustrating, and one of the reasons I still buy CDs.

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10 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

It happens all the time that they update the geographical restrictions. The restrictions are indeed quite frustrating, and one of the reasons I still buy CDs.

I must hope that one day the geographical restrictions will change so I can listen to it again.

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  • 2 years later...

Quick Questions about the original:

 

The booklet says there were 4 original days of scoring, then some more for the revisions. I know we have a cue list, do we maybe have a list of dates? I assume the Intrada Disc 2 is not all that was recorded in 4 days, multiple Disc 1 cues must have been part of that "original vision" too but the were deemed good enough to keep. Or are all non-revised Disc 1 tracks from those initial sessions and the later sessions were only for the revised cues which have early versions on disc 2?

 

The booklet says the first day of recording was dedicated entirely to that first Clocktower. So why does the Intrada track, the second half especially, sound like they just picked Take 01 without any good rehearsal where the orchestra's slipping all over, missing entry points, messing up the tempo constantly by the end? They must have polished it with multiple takes if they had a whole day for it, this can't be the best they could do, the orchestra does great in this score otherwise!

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  • 1 month later...

Back to the Future 3 Expanded Edition 2CD set is now sold out from Varese. I luckily got a copy from MovieMusic (there may be more) and I guess is still available at Screen Archives. I had put off getting it for too long haha, so if anyone else has too this is basically your last chance not to get gouged.

 

And for anyone hoping maybe they are just temporarily out of stock, I got confirmation from e-mail that it is "sold out".

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The expansion does a good job of joining lots of shorter cues and making it listenable. I also really like the source cues.

 

The OST is also one of those that shuffles round tracks for no immediately evident reason.

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I never had the OST of BTTF3, not even downloaded... was the sound quality much inferior to the Expanded Edition? Not that it matters to me now, but for others who may just want that that instead due to price. I think it did at least have all of the train climax music, albeit out of order.

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I really like it but it was kind of a placeholder until BTTF was released by Intrada.

Then it became expendable. No way I was ever going to listen to ANYTHING but I- not after waiting thirty plus years for that one!😁

7 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

The expansion does a good job of joining lots of shorter cues and making it listenable. ....

 

 

Why did they stop doing that?!😡😠

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All they did was join 2 or 3 cues within a track - you'd get exactly the same listening experience if they'd done a Wild Wild West style release.

 

#1 is more iconic for its set pieces, but somehow #3 is more fun to listen to, and I'd say the more enjoyable movie.

 

#2 is definitely the worst of both worlds - I think it's actually not a very good movie really, and Silvestri's music is similarly anonymous to me. I only have selections from the OST for that, and never bought the expansion.

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  • 6 months later...

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