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WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005) 2CD edition from Intrada Records 2020


crocodile

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I believe this expansion will keep JWFaner busy for days, trying to figure out all these asterisks and comparing the material on the CD with what's in the movie. 

 

Judging by the mess that is the recording sessions, I think this will be the new Prisoner of Azkaban in terms of figuring out the score.

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6 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

I believe this expansion will keep JWFaner busy for days, trying to figure out all these asterisks and comparing the material on the CD with what's in the movie. 

 

Judging by the mess that is the recording sessions, I think this will be the new Prisoner of Azkaban in terms of figuring out the score.

Pretty sure it's mostly been figured out by now.

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I prefer the approach of having all the material represented in the main program plus bonus track sequence, that I can listen to straight through, rather than the recent trend of keeping some alternates exclusive to the OST sequence. Doing it this way means I have to dig stuff out of the OST and work it into my edit, which adds to the tendency to "brick" the actual CDs by making me only want to listen to my edit forever after.

 

It's also kinda funny to tell ourselves the OST is being "preserved" by including it, when the original release was in the CD era, and the original release was far less exclusive than any expansion done by the specialty labels.

 

Anyway, this release is a nice surprise and I'll be ordering it. Hopefully it will prompt me to listen closer to the score and discover what it has to offer. It's one of his least accessible scores, but that makes it unique when we're talking about a composer who's known for writing accessible music.

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I'm sure this is an unrealistic wish, but I would love it if the booklet gives some sort of details on the makeup of the orchestra in some of the action cues. I've always been curious about that after noticing the number of brass players in the roster contained in the OST liner notes. I seriously doubt any cues called for 12 horns or 6 trombones, but the brass writing in this score has more weight than just about anything else he's done. Anyway, very excited to listen to the score in order as it's not one of my favorite Williams album presentations.

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Nothing about this score is too unusual or confusing, except for the finale.  Williams recorded 5 different cues for that one scene, and in the final film Spielberg used various pieces of 3 of them

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1 minute ago, Jay said:

Nothing about this score is too unusual or confusing, except for the finale.  Williams recorded 5 different cues for that one scene, and in the final film Spielberg used various pieces of 3 of them

 

For what scene did Williams record 5 different cues, the reunion of the family in Boston or the final Morgan Freeman narration? Or are you considering these two as part of the same scene?

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I've only heard the OST once or twice and it was one of those godawful sounding warbly copies on Spotify. I didn't think much of it then, but now I checked some bits out again and I was really really into it. Bleak and relentless but still varied, and a pretty clear culmination of his early 2000s era on the action front. I think I'm going to love this.

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4 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

 

For what scene did Williams record 5 different cues, the reunion of the family in Boston or the final Morgan Freeman narration? Or are you considering these two as part of the same scene?

Reunion in Boston/Boston Street/cmaj vers/new Reunion/horn and piano.

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14 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

For what scene did Williams record 5 different cues, the reunion of the family in Boston or the final Morgan Freeman narration? Or are you considering these two as part of the same scene?

 

This old thread breaks it down

 

https://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/21053-complete-cue-list-war-of-the-worlds-williams-2005/

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1 minute ago, Holko said:

I've only heard the OST once or twice and it was one of those godawful sounding warbly copies on Spotify. I didn't think much of it then, but now I checked some bits out again and I was really really into it. Bleak and relentless but still varied, and a pretty clear culmination of his early 2000s era on the action front. I think I'm going to love this.

It also works very well as Williams "library music" for personal projects with its absence of iconic themes.

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That tracklist looks perfect actually since a lot of the album tracks differ from film versions. Does it mean the Mike decided to rebuild the OST from scratch? :)

 

You can already tell from this list the score will flow much better. It is not so much the additional material that makes it, but the sequencing. The OST is dreadful in that respect (similar to Minority Report in that respect).

 

Very happy about this. :)

 

Karol

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33 minutes ago, Seth said:

I'm sure this is an unrealistic wish, but I would love it if the booklet gives some sort of details on the makeup of the orchestra in some of the action cues. I've always been curious about that after noticing the number of brass players in the roster contained in the OST liner notes. I seriously doubt any cues called for 12 horns or 6 trombones, but the brass writing in this score has more weight than just about anything else he's done.


Funny you should give those numbers: several cues, like MF SC 30 The Intersection Scene, literally call for 12 horns and 6 trombones! Plus, 2 tubas and 2 timpanists, and surprisingly, no trumpets, flutes, oboes, or violins at all. In fact, all the action set pieces are scored without violins, and several have equally large brass sections as well as double timpani. 
 

There’s also an unusual amount of bass clarinet: for instance, 2M4 Driving Away from Trouble has no standard B-flat clarinets at all, instead using 3 bass clarinets and an E-flat contra bass clarinet throughout.

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46 minutes ago, Smeltington said:

 

 

It's also kinda funny to tell ourselves the OST is being "preserved" by including it, when the original release was in the CD era, and the original release was far less exclusive than any expansion done by the specialty labels.

 

 

Yes.

That's why this SHOULD be a single CD of the FILM SCORE.

Like:

BLACK BEAUTY

THE RUNNING MAN

WRATH OF KHAN

and other single CD reissues/ expansions.

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20 minutes ago, Jay said:

Williams might have been looking to write music in a register that wouldn't be competing with the alien sound effects

Actually, it seemed to MIMIC the alien ' call'!

Just now, Smeltington said:

Well I can't agree with that, cause I do want the alternates.

Seems like there is room for both.

I think...?

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28 minutes ago, BrotherSound said:


Funny you should give those numbers: several cues, like MF SC 30 The Intersection Scene, literally call for 12 horns and 6 trombones! Plus, 2 tubas and 2 timpanists, and surprisingly, no trumpets, flutes, oboes, or violins at all. In fact, all the action set pieces are scored without violins, and several have equally large brass sections as well as double timpani. 
 

There’s also an unusual amount of bass clarinet: for instance, 2M4 Driving Away from Trouble has no standard B-flat clarinets at all, instead using 3 bass clarinets and an E-flat contra bass clarinet throughout.

Maybe the Alex North influences isn't just my superficial observation. He also liked strange orchestrations like this. The lack of violin in action cues reminds me of the time when he challenged Goldsmith not to use violin section in Tora! Tora! Tora!

 

Karol

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2 minutes ago, Smeltington said:

Not on a single disc, no.

Well, i guess it depends on what/if alternates R included.

It's academic; it WILL be TWO discs. Hoping it's worth it.

4 minutes ago, Holko said:

Ah yes, a 100 minute single CD, perfectly feasible and common.

Compression.

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1 hour ago, Jay said:

Here's the actual track list, with times, an exclusive sound sample, and 2 pages from the booklet

 

http://www.jwfan.com/?p=13047

@bruce marshall  Alternates are included - the OST fills the rest of the second disc.

 

CDs can only hold a hair over 80 minutes of audio data.  I guess for longer releases they could always do a data disc of files, and if they do that they can include the OST, the DJ Tiesto remixes, and a couple candid snapshots of Maestro Williams sans turtleneck.

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1 hour ago, JoeinAR said:

Not rushing on this very average score.

 

I can't remember a single musical moment from the score. 

Except that Williams re-used one of the cues for City Of Gold in KotCS, so I remember the Indy cue. 

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Doh!

I didn't realize the Intrada program was released.

I like the film score program; not the usual Intrada " collection of cues" debacle. Kudos to MM for listening to ' reason'😁

 

7 minutes ago, Holko said:

Go back to trying to figure out how to link pictures.

Well EXCUSE ME!

I don't spend every waking second thinking about JW releases.

I have a LIFE.

You should try it sometime 😎

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1 hour ago, JoeinAR said:

Not rushing on this very average score.

 

It's a fine suspense score marred by a terrible film. Therefore, me being me, I overlooked it as a serious listening project. 

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15 minutes ago, Holko said:

Go back to trying to figure out how to link pictures.

Well EXCUSE ME!

I don't spend every waking second thinking about JW releases.

I have a LIFE.

You should try it sometime 😎

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1 hour ago, JoeinAR said:

Not rushing on this very average score.

 

I can understand why some people don't like it. But I don't see how you can call it "average". It's perhaps the least average JW score this side of Images.

18 hours ago, JohnnyD said:

"I KNOW NOTHING!"

 

SpicyCheerfulBagworm-size_restricted.gif

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1 hour ago, crocodile said:

Does it mean the Mike decided to rebuild the OST from scratch?

 

It is his preference to always do so whenever possible.  The only time he can't do is is when elements are not available, which for Williams scores was case with Jaws, Jaws 2, and ET.

 

With Jaws and ET, the master tapes for special album-only recordings burned up in the universal fire of 2008.

 

For Jaws 2, the original LP use some alternate takes of cues that for whatever reason Universal Pictures didn't have in their archives, and again because of the fire Universal Music didn't have them either

 

For Superman, 1941, Home Alone, and numerous releases from other composers, the OSTs are complete rebuilds from scratch!

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10 minutes ago, Holko said:

So... did he do it here?

 

:lol: I won't be saying anything about this release before it is out!

 

 

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27 minutes ago, Quintus said:

 

It's a fine suspense score marred by a terrible film. Therefore, me being me, I overlooked it as a serious listening project. 

I think it's a average score to a fine but flawed film.

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5 minutes ago, Jay said:

I haven't actually said anything about the release at all, just the score in general

 

I'm pretty sure you posted this two hours ago...

 

2 hours ago, Jay said:

Here's the actual track list, with times, an exclusive sound sample, and 2 pages from the booklet

 

http://www.jwfan.com/?p=13047

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