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Looking back now, which John Williams boxset did you get more enjoyment out of? Jurassic Park or Harry Potter?


Josh500

Which John Williams boxset did you get more enjoyment out of?   

74 members have voted

  1. 1. Which John Williams boxset did you get more enjoyment out of?

    • The John Williams Jurassic Park Collection
    • Harry Potter - The John Williams Soundtrack Collection


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1 hour ago, Jay said:

It's a joke man, no one's really that upset they couldn't include it.

 

It's a running gag

The thing that annoyed me more, is the fact that they did include the stupid library trailer music. No new John Williams music, but the worst possible way to end the last disc of that otherwise amazing set.

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It annoys you that they included something you can ignore completely? I really don't get this mentality of complaining about something actually included on a set, if it's not taking up room for something else. Someone, somewhere will be delighted it was included.

 

I like it, but I like a lot of trailer music.

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I'm not a big fan of that non-Williams trailer music, but I'm not going to lose sleep about music I can skip. I'd rather have the shawm source - I like how it mingles with the score proper - but I'm not losing sleep over that, either.

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It does merge with the score in a nice way, but I'm not sure I'd want to actually hear both at the same time.

 

Wishing that source were included, is totally normal. Wishing something weren't on a set.... :eh:

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It would've been cool to have Discussing Black in the main assembly, then a bonus track at the end which combined Shawm with Discussing Black, as heard in the film. Discussing Black (Film Version) or something. Probably would have slot in nicely around the source cues. It creates a really cool dissonance the way it snakes around the film cue, but I can understand why having it solo wouldn't be as interesting. 

 

But like others, I'm not losing sleep over it. It's just the little missing bits and pieces from POA, in addition to the great unknown re: early alternates that might have been recorded, that occasionally bug me in an otherwise exemplary set. Whereas JP and TLW are closed books to me; their expansions are definitive.

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The JP set. Who knew TLW would turn out to be a much better score than Jurassic Park?

 

While I enjoy the Harry Potter scores, even though I find the books and movies completely boring, the original albums had most of the important and good cues.

 

TLW in its complete form is just outstanding.

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I don't listen to HP as much as some do here, got into HP scores MUCH later, but I had to choose it simply based on the amount of music presented.  That's how a huge franchise boxset release should be handled.  It's the epitome of an Expanded Boxset.

 

Also, I don't regard TLW as much of a favorite.  It's definitely got it's moments, but has never really clicked with me.

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3 hours ago, Ollie said:

Who knew TLW would turn out to be a much better score than Jurassic Park?

 

I did! For over ten years!  And no one listened to me!

 

2 hours ago, Gruesome Son of a Bitch said:

6 hours of twinkly children's music vs. two dinosaur jungle action adventure scores.

 

jurassic-6.jpg

 

 

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15 hours ago, ATXHusker said:

I'm 46 and it was an extremely tough choice to make, but I picked the Harry Potter box set.  We were visiting inlaws for Thanksgiving in Arkansas in 2018 and I remember waking myself up without an alarm because I was anticipating the HP set but at the same time not holding my breath.  When it was announced I could barely control my excitement so as not to wake up the wife next to me at 2AM LOL

 

Good memories! :D

5 hours ago, Ollie said:

The JP set. Who knew TLW would turn out to be a much better score than Jurassic Park?

 

They're totally different, but I don't say that one is so much better than the other...

 

I still think that "Journey to the Island" from Jurassic Park, for example, is one of the most perfect, exhilarating, and powerful cues of John Williams' entire career! Beats anything from TLW and anything from HP! 

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8 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

It annoys you that they included something you can ignore completely? I really don't get this mentality of complaining about something actually included on a set, if it's not taking up room for something else. Someone, somewhere will be delighted it was included.

When I listen to the it on CD, I can't ignore it. The teaser trailer music would have been a perfect note to end this score on.

 

8 hours ago, crumbs said:

But like others, I'm not losing sleep over it. It's just the little missing bits and pieces from POA, in addition to the great unknown re: early alternates that might have been recorded, that occasionally bug me in an otherwise exemplary set. Whereas JP and TLW are closed books to me; their expansions are definitive.

That is why I don't like when releases are based on earlier digitalized sources - you can never know that there is everything there, you inadvertently copy the slips that were made back then and sometimes the sound quality has less potential of getting a proper upgrade.

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13 hours ago, Brundlefly said:

The thing that annoyed me more, is the fact that they did include the stupid library trailer music. No new John Williams music, but the worst possible way to end the last disc of that otherwise amazing set.

 

13 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

It annoys you that they included something you can ignore completely? I really don't get this mentality of complaining about something actually included on a set, if it's not taking up room for something else. Someone, somewhere will be delighted it was included.

 

4 hours ago, Brundlefly said:

When I listen to the it on CD, I can't ignore it. The teaser trailer music would have been a perfect note to end this score on.

 

I pop in CDs and go for the most part. I know that I don't like hearing the tracked finale from COS as the final piece of the set. I also would rather it not be there, or be somewhere else. I don't think that's being ungrateful. I love the set but for me, that wasn't the greatest decision. I know many people had to sign off on it and maybe my tastes are just different, but it is basically the only thing that bothers me about the set at all.

 

It is a very minor thing, but very frustrating when you are listening to this set a disc at at time, like I hope was intended when they sequenced it. It's like watching someone almost stick the landing after a jaw-dropping gymnastics routine. That being said, I would be more than happy to have these kinds of complaints about more practically perfect boxed sets of Williams' work.

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Interesting, because I think the very end of a set is the perfect place for oddities/extras/stuff that not everyone will want.

 

I mean... where else would you anticipate they put things like that? It's like Intrada's methodology of the 'extras' section - rather than leaving off alternates and other stuff because the audience for them is smaller.

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Just now, Richard Penna said:

Interesting, because I think the very end of a set is the perfect place for oddities/extras/stuff that not everyone will want.

 

I mean... where else would you anticipate they put things like that? It's like Intrada's methodology of the 'extras' section - rather than leaving off alternates and other stuff because the audience for them is smaller.

 

I don't mind extras being there, I care about the end of discs as a listening experience. I sometimes think they go overboard on extras but hey --to each, theirs.

 

Each album situation offers a unique problem, I am sure. My opinion in this case is that it was a little off to end POA (and the whole set) with tracked COS finale music. In this instance, I would have moved the track or omitted it entirely. It doesn't seem necessary to me in any way whatsoever, even if the first half of the cue was entirely original. Especially if it sacrifices the integrity of the final disc's listening experience. I feel like, as with all other art, the end we are moving towards should matter. Even if that end is the final few minutes of a dorky 7-night 7-CD musical adventure.

 

I take this moment to recognize that most people use expansions as raw material for personal playlists and that I am a member of a shrinking minority who cares about such things, but rage, rage! against the dying of the light, I shall

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18 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

What about the disaster box?

 

That's hardly on the same level as JP and HP! Besides, I didn't get that. 

 

I considered including the Concord Indy boxset, though, but I have a feeling, that's not the ultimate set. 

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15 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

It annoys you that they included something you can ignore completely? I really don't get this mentality of complaining about something actually included on a set, if it's not taking up room for something else. Someone, somewhere will be delighted it was included.

 

I like it, but I like a lot of trailer music.

Yes, because that trailer opening sounds nothing, nothing like JW at all. Even the mixing is totally off. It doesn't even quote a theme, it's just noise.

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Absolutely - it's trailer music, not disputing that.

 

But it shouldn't be a reason for saying it shouldn't be on the set, especially right at the end of the extras section. It's there for those who want it.

 

There's a bit of double-standards going on here - wanting stuff that is the work of the SFX people is fine, but something that happened to be in a trailer, done by someone else, is not?

 

And even so.... just skip past/don't rip it it if you hate it that much!

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3 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

Interesting, because I think the very end of a set is the perfect place for oddities/extras/stuff that not everyone will want.

 

I mean... where else would you anticipate they put things like that? It's like Intrada's methodology of the 'extras' section - rather than leaving off alternates and other stuff because the audience for them is smaller.

It is not only about the listening experience - there is no new material by John Williams. It's just garbage trailer music with an excerpt of a cue attached we've already heard in full glory in this set. Oh, and did I mention that it doesn't really fit the Prisoner of Azkaban vibe to end it with the music from the first two scores?

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The music comes full circle.

 

9 hours ago, Brundlefly said:

When I listen to the it on CD, I can't ignore it. The teaser trailer music would have been a perfect note to end this score on.

 

Most CD players have the option to leave out tracks.

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7 minutes ago, Brundlefly said:

It is not only about the listening experience - there is no new material by John Williams. It's just garbage trailer music with an excerpt of a cue attached we've already heard in full glory in this set. Oh, and did I mention that it doesn't really fit the Prisoner of Azkaban vibe to end it with the music from the first two scores?

Yes, but then again that problem was also present in the trailer. I'll never forget hearing Harry raving about killing Black accompanied by that music. Couldn't get any weirder.

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21 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

You can also program the track order.

 

Sure, but then the reason for my very mild annoyance in the first place was doing that.

 

The track seems unnecessary to me, but if it someone wanted it, hey great. Although I cannot imagine who that someone is who had to have that.

It is mainly irksome because it is the last word on that set. The equivalent of finishing a lengthy book series with the phrase "All was well."

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2 hours ago, blondheim said:

It is mainly irksome because it is the last word on that set. The equivalent of finishing a lengthy book series with the phrase "All was well."

Although, it has to be said that it would be as inappropriate at any other spot on this set.

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2 hours ago, Brundlefly said:

Although, it has to be said that it would be as inappropriate at any other spot on this set.

 

I mean, I definitely think so but what do I know, I'm just a consumer.

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11 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Put it as the first track on the first Azkaban CD, so you could skip it right away.

I like it, when special label releases put the OST presentation at the end of the respective disc, so that you can skip to the first OST track and from there everything play out and ends as it would on the original release (bonus track/source music + OST presentation). On the other hand, it is cool to put the disc in the payer, press start and hear the same track as on the OST release, in which case the track numbers are synchronized with those from the original release (OST presentation + bonus track/source music).

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I never managed to listen to both TLW CDs in a row. Listening just to this music is really exhausting. I think the score is absolutely adorable. I consider it one of Williams' best. But all the way through at least for me not a joyful listening experience. I am proud when I manage to listen through one disc. 

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I now habe listened again to JP both discs and almost the whole first disc TLW and to all 3 discs of HP1 and the complete 1st disc of HP3 and that confirmed my choice, I actually enjoy the Harry Potter disc set much more. What a rich score. And even though I am not necessarily a fan of the HP films, I wished Williams had scored all eight movies. This could have even toped his body of work for the nine Star Wars movies.

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On 3.2.2021 at 11:48 AM, GerateWohl said:

I never managed to listen to both TLW CDs in a row. Listening just to this music is really exhausting. I think the score is absolutely adorable. I consider it one of Williams' best. But all the way through at least for me not a joyful listening experience. I am proud when I manage to listen through one disc. 

 

I never managed to listen to two TLW tracks in a row, too exhausting. 

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