A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) - 2021 20th Anniversary Edition (reissue of 2015 3CD set) from La-La Land Records

[crumbs 14,300]

Very possible they flagged the issue with Williams and he wasn't too concerned, or told them to ship the remaining copies but fix it for the next batch. Given the exemplary job LLL have done remastering his scores, I doubt he'd angrily demand all copies were binned (at great expense to LLL) over a couple of source cues and alternates. He'd be acutely aware how tough the labels (and the music industry generally) have had it over the last 18 months.

 

Of course, that assumes WB or JW were even notified (doubt we'll ever know).

[Jay 37,287]

Quote

AI replacement discs - we are still waiting on WMG to send us the replacement discs for Disc 1 and 3 that we ordered well over a month ago. We hope to have them in stock soon. Waiting on an update

 

https://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=145068&forumID=1&archive=0

[Bespin 8,479]

I forgot this set was also in trouble.

 

That's a real joke.

[Chewy 2,376]

15 hours ago, Bespin said:

I forgot this set was also in trouble.

 

I am somehow not so bothered by the AI trouble  

[crumbs 14,300]

Suddenly makes sense why LLL stopped waiting for WMG and just shipped out the "defective" version. At this rate they could be waiting for months.

[Amer 2,080]

On 9/3/2021 at 2:16 AM, Jay said:

 

https://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=145068&forumID=1&archive=0

They are coming back

[Jay 37,287]

Update from MV:

 

Quote

AI by next week. And please note with AI our focus is to get the replacement discs out first.

MV

 

https://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=144744&forumID=1&archive=0

[Kühni 485]

.

[Tom 4,637]

This thread is close enough for FSO's new offering:

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,029]

That conductor's outfit looks totally ridiculous.

[GerateWohl 4,335]

Yeah. Like some martial arts vampire priest.

[Smaug The Iron 510]

My replacment discs just shipped 

[Delorean90 42]

Same here!

[Jay 37,287]

Quote

AI 20TH ANNIVERSARY REPLACEMENT DISCS 1 AND 3 -- they are finally in! We are working to get these out to all of our customers asap as well as the retailers who requested them. Please be patient.

 

Also, just to reiterate the bad discs are ONLY from the 20th Anniversary re-release. Please DO NOT send us requests to replace the original release of AI that came out years ago

 

We will ONLY be focusing on sending out the replacement discs for now. We will put the corrected AI 20th Anniversary set back up for sale some time in October.

 

https://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=145273&forumID=1&archive=0

[Remco 685]

On 21/09/2021 at 2:43 PM, Jurassic Shark said:

That conductor's outfit looks totally ridiculous.

 

So is the pop song adaptation in the first place, if you ask me. I wonder why it was made?

[Jurassic Shark 12,029]

Just now, Remco said:

 

So is the pop song adaptation in the first place, if you ask me. I wonder why it was made?

 

Probably requested by marketing.

[Jay 37,287]

Surely requested by WB Records, since it's not in the film at all and was added to the OST last minute

[Jurassic Shark 12,029]

Yes, in order to market the album. Otherwise only geeks would have purchased it...

[Jay 37,287]

The album undoubtedly sold more copies having a Josh Groban song on it than it would have if it didn't.

 

Actually Lara Fabian was on this and the Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within soundtrack albums this same summer, maybe she was considered a draw at the time

[Incanus 5,713]

39 minutes ago, Jay said:

Surely requested by WB Records, since it's not in the film at all and was added to the OST last minute

Alas For Always was no My Heart Will Go On type of hit so that was a bit wasted promotion attempt. But hey at least Williams got to put both versions on the OST instead of more of the excellent score.  

 

I am so grateful for LLL for releasing this score in such a sumptuous set. Easily among my all time favourite film score releases.

 

I now only wish I had had enough OCD to buy this new version when it came out so I might have gotten the erroneous pressing with more unreleased music.  

[Amer 2,080]

Don't forget there was a live concert recording of the song performed by Groban and Fabian which had Williams conducting the orchestra. (I'll add the link later) 

[Richard Penna 3,670]

The inclusion of the duet with Groban always slightly irritated me, in the same way as him doing the song for Troy (and Polar Express was around that time too) or for that matter, any of the end credit songs from LotR/Hobbits - that somehow a score alone isn't good enough to release, and has to be hitched to a song in order to sell. Particularly that stupid Ed Sheeran song from Smaug, which was the most embarassingly blatant attempt to link the current hottest artist to the soundtrack by any means possible, and had zero business being on that album. (I'm not a big fan of Into the West either tbh)

 

I suppose it didn't really deny us any score because an hour of actual score is about on par for Williams, once concert suites are accounted for.

 

It seems to be less of a practice these days, given that most releases are digital, so they don't have to use the old sticker on the CD case to draw attention to the artist.

[JohnnyD 1,220]

Beat you to it @Amer.

[Luke Skywalker 1,792]

On 21/09/2021 at 3:29 PM, GerateWohl said:

Yeah. Like some martial arts vampire priest.

I think it takes after neo in the matrix sequels. They performed matrix music in their early concerts.

[Jay 37,287]

On 08/10/2021 at 6:01 PM, Richard Penna said:

I suppose it didn't really deny us any score because an hour of actual score is about on par for Williams, once concert suites are accounted for.

 

Actually, that's not true!  Adding the songs caused 2 tracks of Williams score to be cut!!

 

We actually know exactly what the OST album was originally like before the songs came to be, thanks to early press release / articles, such as this one that still exists on the internet.

 

From that article: 

 

01. The Mecha World
02. Cybertronics
03. Hide and Seek
04. Stored Memories/Monica's Theme
05. Abandoned in the Woods/The Journey to Rouge City
06. Under the Ice
07. The Search for the Blue Fairy
08. Almost Human
09. The Replicas
10. The Moon Rising
11. The Reunion
12. End Credit
13. Vocalise (Monica's Theme)

 

I've bolded the two tracks that got cut when the songs got added.  The addition of the songs also caused all the tracks to end up in a different order than they did here, and by the final OST most tracks had been edited down further, too

 

We know the full lengths of the original OST album as well as the contents, because when the 2CD Oscar Promo leaked, all of CD1 and the first two tracks of CD2 actually ARE this original OST album (the remainder of CD2 was all the cues that didn't appear on the original OST in chrono order).  So with that in mind the OST would have looked like this:

 

01 The Mecha World (7:05)
02 Cybertronics (3:29)
03 Hide And Seek (3:26)
04 Stored Memories / Monica's Theme (11:44)
05 Abandoned In The Woods / The Journey To Rouge City (5:33)
06 Under The Ice (5:03)
07 The Search For The Blue Fairy (6:15)
08 Almost Human (4:12)
09 The Replicas (5:59)
10 The Moon Rising (5:54)
11 The Reunion (7:09)
12 End Credit (3:05)
13 Vocalise (Monica's Theme) (4:22)

 

As for what each track contained, here you go

 

01 The Mecha World (7:05)

• Same as the final OST track of the same name - except it wasn't edited down!

02 Cybertronics (3:29)

• Same as the final OST track of the same name - except it wasn't edited down!

03 Hide And Seek (3:26)

• Same as the final OST track of the same name - except it wasn't edited down!

04 Stored Memories / Monica's Theme (11:44)

• Same as the final OST track of the same name - except it wasn't edited down!

05 Abandoned In The Woods / The Journey To Rouge City (5:33)

• Same as the final OST track "Rouge City", except the Strauss quote wasn't edited out and awkwardly replaced with a tracked section of "The Mecha World"

06 Under The Ice (5:03)

• 7M3    Journey Through The Ice, which isn't on the final OST at all

07 The Search For The Blue Fairy (6:15)

• Same as the final OST track of the same name

08 Almost Human (4:12)

• 2M3    Wearing Perfume, which isn't on the final OST at all

09 The Replicas (5:59)

• Same as the final OST track of the same name

10 The Moon Rising (5:54)

• Same as the final OST track of the same name, except the music wasn't edited and swapped around, it's in the right order here

11 The Reunion (7:09)

• Same as the final OST track of the same name, except the final OST version is actually longer

12 End Credit (3:05)

• Same as the final OST track 2 "Abandoned In The Woods"

13 Vocalise (Monica's Theme) (4:22)

• Same as the final OST track 9 "Where Dreams Are Born (Monica's Theme)"

 

In short, the original OST album JW originally conceived is lightyears better than the final OST album we got.

[Jurassic Shark 12,029]

4 minutes ago, Jay said:

Same as the final OST track "Rouge City", except the Strauss quote wasn't edited out and awkwardly replaced with a tracked section of "The Mecha World"

 

I was so disappointed when I purchased the OST and discovered that JW's take on Strauss was missing.

[Smaug The Iron 510]

I just got my replacment discs. 

[Amer 2,080]

I never liked the programming on the OST. The LLL set fixes everything and the flow is so much better. The inclusion of some other tracks such as the ‘AI Theme’ would have been great way to start the OST album instead of ‘The Mecha World’ I find it too jarring.

[Jay 37,287]

The "AI Theme" track was on the OST, at the end of the track called "The Search For The Blue Fairy" 

[Amer 2,080]

2 hours ago, Jay said:

The "AI Theme" track was on the OST, at the end of the track called "The Search For The Blue Fairy" 

Yes,that's partially there.  And I was refering to the vocal rendition. It would have been great way to start the album. And Monica's Theme (Vocalise) should have appropriately closed the album.

[Jay 37,287]

Yea the OST album doesn't have enough of the blue fairy theme, that's my biggest issue with it

[oierem 151]

On 09/10/2021 at 12:31 AM, JohnnyD said:

Beat you to it @Amer.

 

God, the beginning is really awful! The guitarist (?) can't follow the tempo at all!

[Richard Penna 3,670]

It might just be me, but Groban's voice really doesn't work for me for that song - it only needs Fabian.

 

But I guess needs must when someone at WB decides Groban is going on the soundtrack.

[GerateWohl 4,335]

This... piece doesn't work as a song at all. The vocalise version is slightly better. But basically this melody does not work well as a voice melody for me. It is more a woodwind thing, I would say. Oboe or something like that. It's simply not good for putting words/lyrics on it.

 

[Jay 37,287]

Wow.  This was even worse than I was expecting.  Yikes!

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

I find the Fabian alone pretty good but can't stand Groban's voice 

The best way to listen it is to stick with the AI theme instrumental from the LLL album

[Jay 37,287]

The "AI Theme" track is arrangement of the Blue Fairy theme

 

"For Always" is an arrangement of the main theme, which also got a concert arrangement released as "Where Dreams Are Born"

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

Sorry I meant Where Dreams are Born. I'll be For Always confusing both

 

[Jay 37,287]

Quote

Our release of A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: 20th ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION by John Williams is finally BACK IN STOCK and available NOW!

The previous master issue regarding this anniversary re-issue has been fixed. You will have no need for any replacement discs.

 

https://secure.campaigner.com/csb/Public/show/4our-2gwkri--x1pro-ag4f6q4

 

By "available NOW!", that means available at 3PM EST today when the new titles go on sale

[Once 604]

Huh, somehow I missed all this hoopla with the wrong discs. Now I really wish I had ordered this re-print, but I deemed it unnecessary, because I got the first release.

On the one hand I'm really fascinated and want to hear the new alternates, on the other hand I just hope it doesn't have a negative impact on the relationship between Williams and his team and Matessino and LLL.

 

I still feel that Williams having influence over how and when his music is released is more important than my longing for any shawm-cues he might have written.

[Richard Penna 3,670]

33 minutes ago, Once said:

I still feel that Williams having influence over how and when his music is released is more important than my longing for any shawm-cues he might have written.

 

Really? I feel the opposite. While it's nice to have Williams' blessing for an expansion to happen, I couldn't care less if he's approved the exact assembly, precisely because it usually means he tries to fix problems that aren't problems in fans' minds.

 

I would imagine that for most here, having an officially JW signed-off package makes said package feel more special but it always comes at a cost.

[Once 604]

54 minutes ago, Richard Penna said:

 

Really? I feel the opposite. While it's nice to have Williams' blessing for an expansion to happen, I couldn't care less if he's approved the exact assembly, precisely because it usually means he tries to fix problems that aren't problems in fans' minds.

 

I would imagine that for most here, having an officially JW signed-off package makes said package feel more special but it always comes at a cost.

Yeah, really. (And I've actually been longing for the shawm source cue from Prisoner of Azkaban since I was a child, I frequently find myself humming it unconsciously.)

Personally I'd like to own every note of music he has ever recorded. Film scores, concert pieces, source music, demos, everything. But I still think his opinion on his music is more important than mine.

 

If I composed music I know I'd like to be involved in how it was released.

[bollemanneke 3,337]

I am loving this so much! Especsally the bit about how the published suites leave out so much. Will listen to Louisa Di Tulio's episode after this.

[Jay 37,287]

Wrong thread?

[bollemanneke 3,337]

Yes, definitely. My booster jab is doing weird things to my brain it seems.

[GerateWohl 4,335]

The regular album release is a better listening experience than the unauthorized "mis-print". No need to worry about not having this.

[Jay 37,287]

No need to put "mis-print" in quotes - that's literally exactly what it was.  A misprint.

[Bespin 8,479]

I'm late to the party, what are the tracks that have been "corrected" on the new reprint?

[Jay 37,287]

The discs being sent out if you buy it now are 100% identical to the discs from 2015.

 

Less than 100 copies of the misprinted version were sent out before they shut it down. 

 

The misprint has 4 brand new tracks on disc 3, a cue that was on disc 3 is instead edited chronologically into its place on disc 1, and there are slight mastering differences.

 

 

On 10/08/2021 at 12:11 PM, Jay said:

Potential minor mastering differences aside, 13 tracks on the misprinted disc 3 are the same as 13 of the 14 tracks on the correct disc 3, while the remaining 4 tracks are brand new and are not on the correct pressing / the 2015 pressing

 

1. misprint 1 For Always (4:45) Performed by Lara Fabian = correct 1 For Always (4:45) Performed by Lara Fabian
2. misprint 2 Cybertronics (Alternate) (3:08) = correct 2 Cybertronics (Alternate) (3:08)
3. misprint 3 David's Arrival (Alternate) (3:10) = correct 3 David's Arrival (Alternate) (3:10)
4. misprint 4 Canoeing With Pinocchio (Alternate) (1:57) = correct 4 Canoeing With Pinocchio (Alternate) (1:57)
5. misprint 5 Abandoned in the Woods (Alternate) (3:34) = correct 5 Abandoned in the Woods (Alternate) (3:34)
6. misprint 6 Rouge City (3:35) = Joseph Williams' "Rouge City Jazz"
7. misprint 7 Inside Dr. Know's (4:30) = correct 7 Inside Dr. Know's (4:30)
8. misprint 8 Inside Dr. Know's (alternate) (2:05) = a new darker and less comical alternate for a portion of previous track that we never knew existed before
9. misprint 9 Helicopter (2:01) = Joseph Williams' "Joe's Helicopter Cue"
10. misprint 10 Replicas (Alternate) (4:02) = correct 8 Replicas (Alternate) (4:02)
11. misprint 11 Finding the Blue Fairy (Alternate) (6:00) = correct 9 Finding the Blue Fairy (Alternate) (6:00)
12. misprint 12 Finding the Blue Fairy (Orchestral Excerpt) (3:43) = correct 10 Finding the Blue Fairy (Orchestral Excerpt) (3:43)
13. misprint 13 What Is Your Wish (Alternate) (4:07) = correct 11 What Is Your Wish (Alternate) (4:07)
14. misprint 14 The Reunion (Alternate) (7:01) = correct 12 The Reunion (Alternate) (7:01)
15. misprint 15 For Always (Duet) (4:45) Performed by Lara Fabian and Josh Groban = correct 14 For Always (Duet) (4:45) Performed by Lara Fabian and Josh Groban
16. misprint 16 Abandoned in the Woods (album version) (3:10) = correct 13 Abandoned in the Woods (album version) (3:10)
17. misprint 17 = A.I. Theme (Vocal Version Alternate) (4:16) = different orchestral performance and vocal takes of the "A.I. Theme (Vocal Version)" (4:02) track from disc 2 that we never knew existed before

 

On 14/07/2021 at 9:31 AM, crumbs said:

The Biker Hounds is integrated into The Moon Rising, rather than separated on disc 3 as in the final (2015 approved) set.

 

On 30/07/2021 at 4:47 PM, Chewy said:

From a certain point a view, the master that was pressed on disc 2 also seems to be incorrect although the music is the same as the 2015 set.

 

The last three tracks are different:

• The Reunion (T9) & Where Dreams Are Born (T10): these tracks have EQ differences (the same differences can be observed on some tracks on disc 3) => They sound brighter on the 2015 set.
• A.I. Theme (vocal version) (T11): both the 1st generation and album masters were used for the track (I believe to cover some saturation in the vocal performance).
  However, the version that was pressed on the 2021 release doesn't use the album master at all. => Consequently, we can hear some of that saturation effect when the vocal performance gets loud (at 0:29 for example).

 

 

[Bespin 8,479]

So the very first prints of the set mistakenly featured an "unapproved version of the product", right?

 

Now, how to know if I have the wrong or corrected version if I bought at the time it was released?