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Do you own the OST to STAR WARS (excluding recent rereleases)?


Jurassic Shark

Do you own the OST to STAR WARS (excluding recent rereleases)?  

47 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you own the OST to STAR WARS (excluding recent rereleases)?

    • Yes, the CD set.
    • Yes, the LP set.
    • No.
    • Yes, both the CD and the LP set.


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Amazingly, given my preferences, NO.

 

I've heard the OST, of course, and it's great. But my first STAR WARS soundtrack purchase was the Arista box, which I consider the ultimate presentation of the original trilogy -- unlikely to ever be surpassed. Slightly expanded from the OSTs (called for in this case!), but not too much like the subsequent RCA 2CD sets (which I also owned at some point, but sold).

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When I was a kid I bought all three OSTs (on CD) after the Arista box, before the 2CD sets came out.


I also bought the SW and ESB 2LP sets for like, pennies at some point too

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I do have it on CD.  I made a point about 5 years ago to buy cheap used OSTs of scores that I had first discovered in expanded versions.  At this point, I have pretty much every version of every John Williams release, except for things that have gone out of print and become too costly.

 

I'm not a fan of the presentation!  Usually I'm happy for Williams to shuffle things around significantly, and the ESB/ROJ OSTs are fine in that regard, as are the prequels.  But something about the SW OST - it just doesn't have a good flow for me.  Also, the sound quality on the OST CD is awful.

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1 minute ago, phbart said:

All three on vinyl. After I digitized them, they're just sitting there.

 

I'll take them off your hands for free!

 

21 minutes ago, Thor said:

But my first STAR WARS soundtrack purchase was the Arista box, which I consider the ultimate presentation of the original trilogy -- unlikely to ever be surpassed. Slightly expanded from the OSTs (called for in this case!),

 

For the case of STAR WARS, the presentation in the Arista box is very close to that of the OST.

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7 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

The sound is perfectly fine! Not at all as bad as the Raiders OST.

I don't think the Raiders OST sound bad. Aside from the pitch problem that can be easily fixed (which is on the vinyl OST as well), it's a rare case for me where I consider an OST sounding better than any subsequent remastered release. And yes, that includes the 1995 DCC release.

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2 minutes ago, phbart said:

I don't think the Raiders OST sound bad. Aside from the pitch problem that can be easily fixed (which is on the vinyl OST as well), it's a rare case for me where I consider a OST sounding better than any subsequent remastered release. And yes, that includes the 1995 DCC release.

 

Do yourself a favour and compare The Map Room on the different releases.

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I listened to the Star Wars LP numerous times as a kid, and I think I may still have a digitized version of it on a hard drive somewhere, but there's never been an official release of any Star Wars score that I thought was definitive. There are scores where having all the music is more a luxury than a need, but these are not among them for me. Even the RCA releases are missing bits and pieces, plus the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired and the sequencing doesn't always fit my preferences.

 

Bottom line, I mostly forget that the OT even had OSTs, and I hope to someday reach that point with all the others. 😁

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10 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Do yourself a favour and compare The Map Room on the different releases.

But that's exactly what makes me prefer the OST. On the DCC release, you can hardly hear the haunting choir.

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21 minutes ago, mstrox said:

At this point, I have pretty much every version of every John Williams release, except for things that have gone out of print and become too costly.

Same

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1 minute ago, phbart said:

But that's exactly what makes me prefer the OST. On the DCC release, you can hardly hear the haunting choir.

 

Are you sure both of your speakers are connected? ;)

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I had the fat 2CD set when I still owned physical media. I eventually put it into a slimmer case.

 

These days, I have a digital copy of the remastered version from a few years ago, but it's been some time since I've listened to it.

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That explains why you think Raiders OST sounds bad. 🤔

 

Funny thing is that SW, ESB and Raiders were all recorded by Eric Tomlinson and remixed by John Neal for the OST release, but he (Neal) only got it right for Raiders.

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If we exclude the demasters, no. I mostly got those to have some form of Star Wars score release until we finally get them all done properly for the first ever time.

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Not counting all those later CD and digital editions, I still have the original double-LP, as was released on 20th Century Fox Records.  Later I "upgraded" to the cassette because I needed a clean-sounding tape for portable listening purposes as the vinyl eventually made too many loud cracks and pops to make a good recording out it.  While Star Wars, as was the case for many others, was the movie that got me into John Williams and film music, it was actually my third LP album of his after Superman and The Empire Strikes Back.  Before that, the only thing I could afford was this cheap compilation (about $4 in the late 1970s) from Peter Pan Records.  It was more orchestral (to put it mildly) than Meco's version, but still had quite bit of that disco vibe.  And it wasn't really what I'd call a cover version, more like an arrangement with variants that made the music unrecognizable at times.

SW_MartyGold-a.JPG

SW_MartyGold-c.JPG

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I own all the OST albums of all 8 movies, plus all the expanded versions from Sony Classical, RCA, and Disney! 

 

The only thing I regret is getting the most recent Disney rereleases... They sound worse than the original soundtracks!

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JS you need to add a fifth option: I used to own the LP and the CD but sold the LP when I desperately needed cash :(

 

Although you did not ask, I also own the Arista, RCA (3 variants) and 1st Sony release - where after I stopped buying them as I'm holding out for a MM mastered definitive release.

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1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Why would you need the Sony Classical reissues when they have identical CDs but cheaper packaging?

 

Who said I need them? 

 

I just bought them for my collection. I'm a collector.

 

Those who buy different editions of classic books or pieces of art, you think they need them? No. They're collectors. 

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16 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

I meant to ask why you bothered to include them in your collection, as they're basically the same as the RCA sets, but with shorter liner notes?

 

Star Wars is really a big deal for any JW fan. So I wanted to get all the different editions, although the content is basically the same. Plus, I liked the cover art. 

 

 

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I'm interested in discussing the poorly-informed and written blurb for Star Wars on the back of Eplicon's LP! Like that whole last sentence. Or using the term "songs." Or misspelling Vader. Or the idea that Marty Gold's interpretation will "space you out." It's all so charming, in a cringe-worthy kind of way.

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Yeah, even as a 9-year old back then, I thought the liner notes concerning Star Wars were a bit silly ("'Battle it out' with cosmic explosions," "Space You Out," etc.) for a movie I took very seriously! :)

 

If anyone is curious on what Marty Gold's arrangement on Star Wars sounded like:

 

Mine was also scratchy and prone to skipping as heard here!  Still, I played it a lot since it was all I had in terms of Star Wars music at the time.

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I bought the LP in 1977 at Walmart. 

Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind were my 2nd and 3rd Cd's i owned in some order. They were Christmas gifts. My First Cd was Tears for Fears Songs from the Big Chair. I still own them all. Got my first cd player in 1985.

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