DRACULA - 2018 Varese Deluxe Edition Produced by Mike Matessino

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Hey!  Mine's being delivered today too!

[Taikomochi 1,136]

Is anyone who is shipping throug USPS having issues with the tracking updating? Mine seems stuck saying “pre shipment,” suggesting they printed the label but didn’t actually put it in the mail. It has said that for two days now.  Frustrating since I paid for the expedited shipping...

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Nope, my tracking history looks normal

[mstrox 6,637]

Mine should be delivered today too.  Still haven't listened to a handful of other CDs, including Saving Private Ryan and the latest Giacchino and Elfman releases, but I'll probably prioritize this one.

[Jay 37,266]

It's definitely the right season for Dracula!  SPR is more of a spring score to me

[Thor 7,453]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

It's definitely the right season for Dracula!  SPR is more of a spring score to me

 

As in "Springtime for Hitler"?

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

That's a catchy song!

[aescalle 122]

2 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

Hey!  Mine's being delivered today too!

Lucky you are!!!!

[Josh500 1,615]

So anybody can post a pic of their set once it arrives? Very much appreciated. 😊

[Naïve Old Fart 9,489]

2 hours ago, Thor said:

 

As in "Springtime for Hitler"?

Now, he showed promise.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Crap, mine's getting delivered today, but the Post Office has been shafting me with my mail keys so I can't open my mail!

[Jay 37,266]

On 10/24/2018 at 1:01 PM, Holko said:

So what's going on with all the the Love Scene variants?

1/13. Night Journeys (Film Version) 5:20
1/26. The Love Scene (Extended Version) 4:40
2/5. Night Journeys 5:12
2/6. The Love Scene 2:09

 

 

Is Night Journeys (Film Version) the full Love Scene Revised and The Love Scene Extended the choir version AKA OST Night Journeys? Or another alternate?

 

On 11/7/2018 at 2:01 AM, kaseykockroach said:

A bit confused with the two versions of "The Love Scene", one on the album and one as an alternate on Disc 1, but there's not a cue called that in the film score. :S 

 

 

 

 

 

Williams' initial cue for the love scene was simply [7M3] The Love Scene, which he decided to put on the OST album in full, but he retitled it to "Night Journeys" (D2T5).

 

Later, he recorded an entire new cue (IE,not just Inserts like usual), called [7M3 Revised] The Love Scene.  He ALSO decided to put that on the OST album, where he called it "The Love Scene" (D2T6), though he dropped the first half of the cue there, only releasing the final 2 minutes of it.  For the Deluxe Edition, we finally get the whole cue without the beginning missing as "The Love Scene (Extended)" (D1T26).  

 

The film itself uses portions of EACH cue for the scene, so that's what "Night Journeys (Film Version)" (D1T13) is. Of special note is that the film does NOT use the choir you can hear in the OST track, and the choir wasn't available on the stereo masters Mike used to rebuild disc 1, so you really want to make sure to listen to the Disc 2 version to hear Williams' full intentions including the choir.

 

 

The only real confusion comes from Williams' choice to put two version of the same cue on the OST LP.  If he hadn't, the bonus track could have been called "Night Journeys (Alternate)".  But because the end of this cue was in its own track on the LP the release of the full cue had to be called "The Love Scene (Extended Version)".

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

[Jay 37,266]

TL;DR:

 

1-13 Night Journeys (Film Version) 5:20 = portions of the Original and the Revised (no choir)
1-26 The Love Scene (Extended Version) 4:40 = the Revised

 

2-5 Night Journeys 5:12 = the Original (with choir)
2-6 The Love Scene 2:09 = the ENDING ONLY of the Revised

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

Which would you say is the preferable version, personally? I hope it's the one in the main film score program!

[Jay 37,266]

I prefer the OST LP version, with the choir

[tranders65 65]

7 hours ago, Josh500 said:

So anybody can post a pic of their set once it arrives? Very much appreciated. 😊

 

For your viewing pleasure. 😀

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Hallelujah!!!  My mail didn't come until almost 19:00, but it finally came!

 

[Demondm810 398]

It looks glorious! 

[Brundlefly 2,385]

3 hours ago, Jay said:

1-13 Night Journeys (Film Version) 5:20 = portions of the Original and the Revised (no choir)

Do you know what portions it consists of?

[Nemesis 244]

3 hours ago, Jay said:

I prefer the OST LP version, with the choir

Too bad the choir passage has some clipping...

[Josh500 1,615]

3 hours ago, tranders65 said:

 

For your viewing pleasure. 😀

 

Thank you! 😂😍👍

 

Looks awesome.... Can't wait to hold my own set in my hands.

[King Mark 3,624]

6 hours ago, Jay said:

  For the LLL edition, we finally get the whole cue without the beginning missing as "The Love Scene (Extended)" (D1T26).  

 

 

 so basically this whole cue is unused music in the film?

[Amer 2,078]

4 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

Hallelujah!!!  My mail didn't come until almost 19:00, but it finally came!

 

Can't view. 

4 hours ago, tranders65 said:

 

For your viewing pleasure. 😀

Thanks. Can you show more pics of the slip case. Is it thick and sturdy? Also is the cd booklet itself has notes etc? Is the Nocturne book a booklet or a bound book? 

[Corellian2019 383]

7 hours ago, Jay said:

For the LLL Varese Club edition, we finally get the whole cue without the beginning missing as "The Love Scene (Extended)" (D1T26).

 

Fixed

[publicist 4,643]

cf Last Listened thread:

 

 

Now, Dracula. 

 

In tandem with 'The Fury' it is often cited as rare example of Williams doing (operatic) horror (leavened with romance here) and how it's a shame that he didn't do it more often. I disagree, as familiarity breeds contempt (The BFG is the most current example of that) and it's exactly that special status in the maestro's oeuvre that distinguishes both (instinct probably led him back to some of the characteristic traits in Harry Potter's darker corners). The best thing about the new Varése - lavish packaging aside - is the sound: what a relief it is to bid farewell to the awfully pinched sound of the old cd, which now sounds like a proper late 70's Tomlinson recording - thankfully the new mix leaves that sound well enough alone, only sprucing it up discreetly.

 

The old MCA release is familiar enough, so on to the stuff previously missing. While there is still a lot of riffing on Dracula's theme, some interesting things happen with (and beyond) it. 

 

1. Main Title & Storm Sequence (Film Version) 5:19 > the already released storm sequence now with the proper film opening, which gives a more thunderous reading to the second phrase of the Dracula theme, with '25. Main Title & Storm Sequence (Alternate)' featuring the old LP main title but with a shortened 50 second alternate of the rolling deep basses, ending on a sudden shock chord (different film cut?)

2. Meeting in the Cave 3:32 > Dracula 'calls' Mina from a cave after he has been shipwrecked, evocative sequence, same as CD, some orchestral detail heard for the first time here

3. A Quick Change 1:32 > film version of Dracula getting up from his coffin and attacking Renfield (introducing the curved middle part of the main theme as menacing rhythmic figure), Williams swiftly edited this together with two more cues as 'Abduction of Lucy' on the old LP

4. Dracula Appears :56 > belongs to tail end of 'Quick Change' but is interrupted by a cut to Lucy's party in the film, swirling strings illustrate the arrival of Dracula's coach, with one of the best examples of dramatic mickey-mousing ever, when the steps fall out the coach and Williams' hits each with one sinister chord from the orchestra

5. Casting a Spell and The Visitation 4:35 > Mina's 'doomed' theme is introduced when Dracula hypnotizes her, jumping to the long wordless later scene, very well shot, btw, when  Dracula crawls the walls to Mina's room to finally claim her. Obviously cut, as the cue is even longer here.

6. Give Me Your Loyalty 1:23 > the old opening of 'Abduction of Lucy' when Dracula secures Renfield's services, with a short bustling tail-end for a glimpse of village life, a rare relief from the oppressive mood of the rest.

7. Jonathan Pays a Call 3:05 > short variation of village life rhythmic figure when Harker goes to visit Dracula's castle, this is more scene-specific illustration music that could be cut.

8. For Mina 2:23 > like old cd

9 . The Dining Room 1:24 > the main love story begins here, with Kate Nelligan's Lucy visiting Dracula's spooky premises for dinner, her entrance into the great candle-lit dining room made into a show piece for product design and Williams presenting some bewitched woodwind variations of Dracula's theme before the...

10. First Kiss 2:08 > things get more urgent here, with Dracula seducing Lucy, Williams giving it a soft ostinato push midway that faintly recalls the final rescue in 'Poseidon Adventure' or 'Seven Years in Tibet' before foreboding darkness takes over.

11. Dracula Meets Van Helsing 2:44 > very well-shot scene of Olivier and Langella meeting at Mina's foggy graveyard site, scoring the count's mysterious allure with Van Helsing not-yet-able to confront his bête noire, though by now it has been established that we are dealing with an intrusion form the netherworld which Williams pinpoints from the human's POV with a sly variation on the old Dies irae chant.

12. Grave Trampling and The Asylum 1:14 > more dramatic variation of the Dies irae when a horse pinpoints a grave with an undead, sounds exciting but could be cut as this material is better dramatized in 'Van Helsing's solution' later on

13. Night Journeys (Film Version) 5:20 > the movie's set piece - it has many but this is Maurice Binder taking over, folks - when Dracula and Lucy finally make love in a montage firestorm of reds and blacks, musically walking in Wagner's footprints (Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde). Intercut with Van Helsing's group trying to find vampires underground, the scene shows Dracula entering Lucy's room and gently taking her. This happens after all elements of the story have been well established, but interestingly Williams scores Dracula's entrance like a first-time occurence, still kind of spooky but less menacing than Mina's taking, a clear sign that he intended the scene to be a stand-alone piece. Watch it with the music off, the decision to score it like that is completely arbitrary but it works! When the montage starts there is a heralding brass call magnificently announcing Lucy's abandon, the ensuing romantic chaos (Dracula's theme twists and turns like a mad eel after the 03.10 mark) resolving in a thundering Wagnerian resolution of the Dracula theme that surely belongs to the 70's most boldest scoring choices. Thus, it was replaced with '26. The Love Scene (Extended Version) 4:40', though leaving the first part of version 1 intact for the movie - Williams wrote a more sweetly romantic opening (clearly citing Wagner) - and replacing the later half with a more straightforward reading of the main theme. 

14. Mina Impaled 1:47 > When the undead Mina is found in the mine shaft underneath the asylum, she dies through her father's hands in a rather violent scene which Williams scores with cool 70's staccato piano (the opening of 'Bat Attack')

15. Van Helsing Confronts Dracula 3:16 > more of 'Dracula Meets Van Helsing', not a terribly important cue on its own

16. Van Helsing’s Solution 3:07 > elaboration of the Dies irae material for Mina's flogging and mayhem at the asylum

17. Into the Crypt 2:20 > more spooky graveyard music, cut from the movie - though it is one of the rare instances that refrains from using Dracula's theme, it is not terribly necessary

18. The Attack 1:25 > second part of the old MCA 'Bat Attack', probably best enjoyed in that cut.

19. The Night Visitor 2:17 > rising dramatic cue for pre-vampire Lucy trying to seduce Harker, on the old MCA probably by virtue of being one of the few Dracula-less bits

20. Waiting for Dracula 2:32 > chilly shots of the asylum on the cliffs at dawn with Dracula in wolf-ish form approaching, with a cool watching-and-waiting variation on his theme before... 

21. The Capture of Lucy 3:04 > more dramatic urgency after Dracula kills Renfield and breaks through the walls of Lucy's cell, taking her in his arms through the misty woods to escape with the help of a quintessential Williams brass fanfare playing counter to Dracula's theme (again!)

22. To Scarborough (Film Version) 2:48 > another Williams stable, the self-contained scherzo for a coach hunt. This is the MCA version in vastly better sound and a few seconds of overlaid organ chords to punctuate some action shots of Van Helsing and Harker in fast pursuit of Dracula's coach.

23. Dracula’s Death (Extended Version) 4:04 > more elaborate version of the finale on the ship to Varna, with a middle part cut from the MCA album that includes the killing of Van Helsing. In truth, the cut helps the cue as it goes straight to the chase with the rolling basses after 01:31 finishing Dracula off when he is hauled out into the sun and the score desperately fights with him before a broad rising brass gesture closes the chapter.

24. End Titles 3:32 > no big late 70's picture could do without: like so many Williams'ses from this period, this coda is the final say on the main theme with its hands-down best reading, first as plaintive oboe solo as Dracula's coat flaps over the sea, then as full-blown string adagio before quietly dying down on the oboe again. 

 

And thus, this adventure long in the making i finally over. And it seemed worth the wait. If you can't stand Dracula's theme, this release still isn't for you...

[davefg 29]

So what is in this 30 odd page booklet?

[crumbs 14,287]

Screensaver download links.

[tranders65 65]

10 hours ago, Amer said:

Can't view. 

Thanks. Can you show more pics of the slip case. Is it thick and sturdy? Also is the cd booklet itself has notes etc? Is the Nocturne book a booklet or a bound book? 

 

Not at home where I can show more pix right now, Amer, but yes, the slipcase is a thicker cardboard. The main CD booklet is just made up of stills from the movie/promotional pix and John Badham’s original LP liner notes. The Nocturne additional booklet (which isn’t bound, just stapled per usual CD inserts) is the more extensive liner notes that get into the history of the movie and character, Williams’ score, and how the CD came to be. 

[Jay 37,266]

16 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

Hallelujah!!!  My mail didn't come until almost 19:00, but it finally came!

 

 

Was there supposed to be a picture in your post?  All I see is an empty box with a circle icon the middle

 

 

15 hours ago, Brundlefly said:

Do you know what portions it consists of?

 

Nope, but I'm sure its easy to figure out

 

 

12 hours ago, King Mark said:

 so basically this whole cue is unused music in the film?

 

As I said in the post that you quoted, the film itself uses portions of the both the Original and the Revised

[Bespin 8,472]

DisctoStu is a very slow learner, we have to forgive him for his last post without a picture.

[Amer 2,078]

On 11/10/2018 at 5:20 AM, publicist said:

cf Last Listened thread:

 

ill isn't for you...

 

Thanks. Can you distinctly feel the difference in the new remaster of the OST on disc 2? 'Curious about that one. What I want to do is listen to OST first in this fresh new remastered sound because the old Varese cd left such a bitter taste because of its pinched andmuddy sound. I want to re-experience the OST afresh and then proceed to the expansion. 

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

6 minutes ago, Amer said:

Can you distinctly feel the difference in the new remaster of the OST on disc 2?

 

It's a significant improvement. Less muddy lows, and the highs are actually there!

[Disco Stu 15,495]

12 hours ago, Amer said:

Can't view. 

 

43 minutes ago, Jay said:

Was there supposed to be a picture in your post?  All I see is an empty box with a circle icon the middle

 

 

34 minutes ago, Bespin said:

DisctoStu is a very slow learner, we have to forgive him for his last post without a picture.

 

I fixed the original post.  It was just a picture of the CD.

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

Is that a rug?

[publicist 4,643]

37 minutes ago, Amer said:

Thanks. Can you distinctly feel the difference in the new remaster of the OST on disc 2? 'Curious about that one. What I want to do is listen to OST first in this fresh new remastered sound because the old Varese cd left such a bitter taste because of its pinched andmuddy sound. I want to re-experience the OST afresh and then proceed to the expansion. 

 

It sounds OK but less good than the OST. I only kept 'Bat Attack', pity about the chorus on 'Night Journeys' but i'm not bothering with one more version for 3 seconds of choir.

[Bespin 8,472]

58 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

It's a significant improvement. Less muddy lows, and the highs are actually there!

 

Even better than my LP restoration I hope, if it's possible!!!

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

1 hour ago, Bespin said:

 

Even better than my LP restoration I hope, if it's possible!!!

 

Of course that's not possible! 

 

[Bespin 8,472]

1 minute ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Of course that's not possible! 

 

 

You heard my restoration, yes? So the sound on CD is good?

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

3 minutes ago, Bespin said:

 

You heard my restoration, yes? So the sound on CD is good?

 

Yes and yes. I've yet to do a direct comparison, but the remastered OST shares the same superlatives as the LP.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Is that a rug?

 

Kitchen counter

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

I hate to admit it, but pub’s likely right regarding that we’re better off without another dozen horror Williams scores that would inevitably tire out.

[Bespin 8,472]

7 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Yes and yes. I've yet to do a direct comparison, but the remastered OST shares the same superlatives as the LP.

 

Cool.

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

I take it that while the complete score has some good stuff worth keeping, it's a bit...repetitive?

[Score 770]

8 minutes ago, kaseykockroach said:

I take it that while the complete score has some good stuff worth keeping, it's a bit...repetitive?

 

No. It's a great score. 

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

'Great score' and 'non-repetitive listening experience' are two separate praises.

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

Well, the score is based on mainly one theme...

 

1 hour ago, Disco Stu said:

 

Kitchen counter

 

Cool counter.

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

Link is one theme, and Goldsmith was smart enough to keep the album to 39 minutes!

[publicist 4,643]

Are you trolling here?

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

Not intentionally. Genuinely curious if you feel one is better off with the album in terms of isolated listening experience.