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Superman Rhino release: glitch in concert version of Superman theme


Jurassic Shark

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On my copy of the (mostly) excellent Rhino release of Superman, there's a glitch in the left channel of the concert version of the Superman theme at about 22 seconds in. I've always thought this to originate from the analogue tapes instead of a fault on my particular disc or the particular batch that my disc comes from - does anyone not hear the glitch?

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That tape drop-out or analogue edit, I don't know, was present too on the OST CD. (On the LP, I don't know, I never owned it).

 

Fortunately, it was digitally corrected on the 2008 FSM release.

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Hmmm, I never noticed it. But it doesn't bother me overmuch, either way.

 

These little glitches are not unusual when in comes to recordings from the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

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Just buy the blue box, as it features the entire score (including alternates the Rhino doesn't have) transferred from a superior source, and properly digitally edited

 

http://www1.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/8874/

 

https://www.moviemusic.com/soundtrack/M06560/superman-blue/

 

 

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Just now, Jay said:

Just buy the blue box, as it features the entire score (including alternates the Rhino doesn't have) transferred from a superior source, and properly digitally edited

 

http://www1.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/8874/

 

https://www.moviemusic.com/soundtrack/M06560/superman-blue/

 

 

 

I'm certainly interested in the presentation of the score from the blue box, but I'll wait until it's sold out and WaterTower Music releases it saparately.

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10 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

I'm certainly interested in the presentation of the score from the blue box, but I'll wait until it's sold out and WaterTower Music releases it saparately.

 

Me too, I wait for a separate release that will feature only the music of John Williams.

 

You will say that English is not my primary language, but I use "glitch" for talking about a sound problem on a CD regarding the numeric transfer, and "dropout" for a data loss on an analogue tape.

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2 minutes ago, Bespin said:

You will say that English is not my primary language, but I use "glitch" for talking about a sound problem on a CD regarding the transfer, and "drop-out" for a data loss on an analogue tape.

 

Sounds reasonable. I don't know what I would say in Norwegian. :)

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On the "recent" digital release of The Towering Inferno original album, there's also a dropout at the beginning of the main Theme. It was surely there on the LP too.

 

Those things annoys me a lot. We are in 2017, the audio dropouts can be easily corrected now.

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4 hours ago, Baby Jane Hudson said:

You call this a "glitch"?!

 

It's better being a glitch than a dropout! :D

 

Btw, on my copy of the E.T. 20th anniversary soundtrack there's a glitch near the end of Over the Moon. I've read that this is not present on the discs sold in the USA. Can anyone confirm this? And yes, I still want to keep the 20th anniversary edition.

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The 20th anniversary edition of ET does not have a track called Over The Moon.

 

Over the Moon was only on the original 1982 album, and then the complete LLL album.

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6 minutes ago, Jay said:

The 20th anniversary edition of ET does not have a track called Over The Moon.

 

Over the Moon was only on the original 1982 album, and then the complete LLL album.

 

The latter part of The Magic of Halloween, which is played when Elliott rides "over the moon".

 

1 hour ago, Jay said:

Just buy the blue box, as it features the entire score (including alternates the Rhino doesn't have) transferred from a superior source, and properly digitally edited

 

http://www1.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/8874/

 

https://www.moviemusic.com/soundtrack/M06560/superman-blue/

 

 

 

But does it have all the alternates that the Rhino has, and do the alternates have better sound quality? I'm particularly thinking about the alternate versions of the Superman theme.

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6 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

But does it have all the alternates that the Rhino has, and do the alternates have better sound quality? I'm particularly thinking about the alternate versions of the Superman theme.

 

Of course it does!

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The theme is not some sort of later-made concert arrangment recording; It's nothing more than the opening of the alternate prologue segueing to the the main title march.  It's a film cue edit, not a pure concert arrangement.

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1 minute ago, Jay said:

The theme is not some sort of later-made concert arrangment recording; It's nothing more than the opening of the alternate prologue segueing to the main title march.  It's a film cue edit, not a pure concert arrangement.

 

I'm not referring the the concert version, but to the two alternates - the last track on disc 1 and first track on disc 2. Especially the latter is in bad quality on the Rhino release - have the FSM guys found a better source to work with for this track?

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2 hours ago, Jay said:

Just buy the blue box, as it features the entire score (including alternates the Rhino doesn't have) transferred from a superior source, and properly digitally edited

 

But hold on to your Rhino set! It has the Main Title with the extended ostinato which isn’t included in the Blue Box.

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25 minutes ago, rough cut said:

 

But hold on to your Rhino set! It has the Main Title with the extended ostinato which isn’t included in the Blue Box.

 

Finally a detailed answer! You mean the start of the last track on the first disc?

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I’m currently not at home, so can’t check the track number, but if memory serves me right it’s simply called “Main Title (Alternate)” (on the Rhino release).

 

Yes - the first few bars. Those epic, pulsating, rumbling notes that build up the tension before the fanfare. We often think about a composer’s accomplishment in his creation of melodies as to where the notes go, what sound it creates. Funny, that it’s just as important where he places the silence. In this case, it’s the space between the notes that help build the feeling that something huge is approaching.

 

It’s probably an edit. It’s epic nonetheless.

 

 

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7 hours ago, Bespin said:

That tape drop-out or analogue edit, I don't know, was present too on the OST CD. (On the LP, I don't know, I never owned it).

 

Fortunately, it was digitally corrected on the 2008 FSM release.

 

It was already corrected on the Sony compilations Filmworks and Greatest Hits 1969 - 1999.

 

1 hour ago, rough cut said:

I’m currently not at home, so can’t check the track number, but if memory serves me right it’s simply called “Main Title (Alternate)” (on the Rhino release).

 

Yes - the first few bars. Those epic, pulsating, rumbling notes that build up the tension before the fanfare. We often think about a composer’s accomplishment in his creation of melodies as to where the notes go, what sound it creates. Funny, that it’s just as important where he places the silence. In this case, it’s the space between the notes that help build the feeling that something huge is approaching.

 

It’s probably an edit. It’s epic nonetheless.

 

 

It's called Main Title March (alternate version) and is indeed the last track of disc 1. I believe there's an edit 47 seconds in, but that doesn't matter, it's a great ostinato and a great track. If you haven't already, I urge you to get acquainted with the first movement of Beethoven's 7th symphony. From about 4 minutes in Beethoven unleashes his ostinato, which is identical to the first half of Williams' ostinato. Check also out the Chevy Chase Overture by MacFarren (released by Hyperion), which uses an ostinato identical to Beethoven's.

 

In the Prelude and Main Title March (first track on disc 1) and the other alternate of the Superman theme, named Superman March (alternate version) (first track on disc 2), I really like the french horns hinting at the Superman theme two bars before it really sets off. This is absent from Williams' concert arrangement (both on the Rhino release and otherwise).

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2 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

It was already corrected on the Sony compilations Filmworks and Greatest Hits 1969 - 1999.release and otherwise).

 

AH, I always thought it was a re-recording on this compilation... I have to check.

 

EDIT: I've never noticed, but you are right.

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5 hours ago, rough cut said:

 

But hold on to your Rhino set! It has the Main Title with the extended ostinato which isn’t included in the Blue Box.

 

Actually, that track on the obsolete Rhino release, called "Main Title March (Alternate)," which changes to an incorrect pitch at the 0:59 mark, is nothing more than End Title.. It is the version of the Superman March that the Maestro composed and conducted for the end credits.  It is on the complete release on Film Score Monthly's Superman: The Music set, correct pitch and all. It is on disc 2, track 9: The Prison Yard / End Title.

 

So, I would buy the complete release and discard the Rhino set. The complete release offers the entire score as composed and conducted by John Williams, including all alternates and source music done by the Maestro. Not to mention that it is all remastered from the original elements for superior sound quality.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So, I went back to the blue box, disc 2, track 9: The Prison Yard / End Title, and edited out the March. Man, does it sound different! Hm, not really sure which mix I prefer - the incorrect Rhino-version or the all-hail-the-blue-box-can-do-no-wrong-version?

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4 minutes ago, rough cut said:

So, I went back to the blue box, disc 2, track 9: The Prison Yard / End Title, and edited out the March. Man, does it sound different! Hm, not really sure which mix I prefer - the incorrect Rhino-version or the all-hail-the-blue-box-can-do-no-wrong-version?

 

Would you like to hum it to me over a PM?

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This has made me dust off my Blue Box. First ever purchase from any of the specialist labels and it took months to reach me!

 

I'd say that overall the Blue Box is definitely the better of the two expanded/complete Superman releases though I loved the Rhino set too. Is it me, or is there a slight warmth to it that the Blue Box lacks? The end the Love Theme track always seemed slightly better on the Rhino to me.

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