John Williams & Boston Pops Orchestra - Complete Philips Recordings (NEW 2022 21-CD boxset)

[bollemanneke 2873]

I don't stream.

[GerateWohl 2536]

1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

All (or at least almost all) Sony and Philips albums are on Spotify.

Some essential Sony albums are missing on Spotify.

 

After now also dipping into the Sony Box, I have to say, the Sony Box is sooo much better than the Phillips Box. Also concerning sound and performance.

 

[Jurassic Shark 9355]

16 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

Some essential Sony albums are missing on Spotify.

 

They could be available in some countries.

 

16 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

After now also dipping into the Sony Box, I have to say, the Sony Box is sooo much better than the Phillips Box. Also concerning sound and performance.

 

Agreed. The Philips recordings are to a greater extent curated for a geriatric, non-musical audience that needs easy pop arrangements in order to access the music.

[Marian Schedenig 6227]

2 hours ago, bollemanneke said:

Are the 1941 and Jaws tracks the same as on the first Spielberg album?

 

The same pieces? I think so. The same recordings? No, they were done 4 years apart.

[bollemanneke 2873]

yeah I meant the same recordings.

[Disco Stu 15468]

My interest in pops orchestras and their recorded output is I'd say at least 60% sociological/anthropological/whatever.  "Tracing the history of the high/middle/low lanes of American culture of the late 19th and 20th centuries" is a good 30,000 foot up view of my pop culture interests overall.

[Matt S. 458]

1 hour ago, bollemanneke said:

yeah I meant the same recordings.

 

Any duplicate selections were all recorded again when the Pops switched from Phillips to Sony.

[Jay 31058]

10 hours ago, bollemanneke said:

Are the 1941 and Jaws tracks the same as on the first Spielberg album?

 

The same sheet music was used, but it's different performances

 

The Philips recordings are owned by Philips (now UMG) and the Sony recordings are owned by Sony

[Jurassic Shark 9355]

54 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

The Philips recordings are owned by Philips and the Sony recordings are owned by Sony, of course.

 

The Philips recordings are owned by UMG.

 

Philips is a discontinued label.

[Andy 2236]

Warning: Long post ahead.

 

I continue on my listening journey.  I have finished up to Salute to Hollywood, and I have so many questions, but I'm not going to bury the lead.  I'll start with my biggest frustration and disappointment:  The two Jessye Norman albums.

 

Why?  WHY!?  Why her?  What a missed opportunity!  I just cannot get past Norman's voice, which seems to have only one setting ("ON").  I had never heard of her, and I was so looking forward to John taking on the classic pianist with his sultry muse.  His Fabulous Baker Boys if you will.  But she's just all wrong.  It's like someone unscrewed the cap from the salt shaker and just dumped it all over the recording.  I would rather listen to Margot Kidder do the vocals.  

 

Further, I found myself trying to listen through her voice, especially for Johnny on the piano, which is nearly impossible.  Is it me, or are these recordings not so sharp?  I don't have the ear that I used to, but that piano sounded very distant.

 

Williams has over the years had his female muses like Cate Blanchett, Daisy Ridley, etc.  It would've been amazing to have the right vocalist paired with Johnny in a charming and more playful way.  Could've been really fun to have him in the role of the older, dependable piano man who is the lady's best friend, but just not of her generation for them to be romantically paired.  The music could've told that classic story.  Just. So. Disappointing.

 

Anyways... here are some random questions.

 

Why does Fred Astaire get TWO tributes on different albums?

 

Would you rather ride on the Trolley from Meet Me in St. Louis (Aisle Seat) or the Tijuana Taxi from Digital Jukebox?

 

Why can't I remember listening to the Bernstein by Boston ?  I know that I did only last week, but I just don't recall any of it.

 

Quick Observations:

 

America The Dream Goes On has silly lyrics, but the orchestration and melody is better than its reputation.

 

Fanfare for the Common Man seems to have inspired Summon the Heroes, no?

 

Swing, Swing, Swing and Digital Jukebox are both very listenable.  We have an upscale grocery store (Wegmans) near us that every Friday night (pre-Covid) had live bands playing old fashioned Big Band style favorites, and you could watch all the Seniors dancing together.  It's very sweet, and these remind me that this was music for that generation's youth.

 

Pops in Love is very pleasant.  Maybe not dramatic, but pleasant.

 

I've heard The Planets before, and of course recognize its influence on film music.  But if I'm being honest, really, Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury are really all that seem to register with me.  Still, an overall good one.

 

Unchained Melody was terrific.  It felt like it could have come from an alternate 1955 where George and Lorraine McFly shared their first kiss to this instead of Earth Angel.

 

La Bamba - I think I enjoyed that more than I should have.  That was great!

 

With only a few albums left to go in my listening, I am beginning to realize that the disconnect is that these were not programmed for the fanboys wearing Indiana Jones T Shirts.  I think the target audience was more silver haired.  And while it's nice to make mental pictures of Johnny conducting, it's often difficult to find his distinctive fingerprints with just the audio.

 

For all the shortcomings of his contract with SONY, at least they seemed to course correct with the Spielberg Collaborations, and John's own non-film compositions.  After finishing the Salute to Hollywood album, I threw on Dry Your Tears, Africa from the Collaboratio III, and the clarity and drama of that choir and orchestra nearly brought me to tears.  There's none of that in the Philips set.  I'm happy to have it as a testament to Williams as more than just a composer, but it will likely have more impressive presence on the shelf than actually in the CD player.

[Luke Skywalker 1440]

I listened to 'swing swing swing' yesterday and noticed that 'begin the beguile' was giacchinos inspiration to write 'road to berlin' from medal of honor. 

[Disco Stu 15468]

The original smash hit recording by Artie Shaw is an all-timer.  Don't settle for limp noodle orchestral arrangements that take all the "heat" out of the tune.

 

 

17 minutes ago, Andy said:

Fanfare for the Common Man seems to have inspired Summon the Heroes, no?

 

Yes

[Andy 2236]

That is nice!  I like Horner's version with the vocals by the lady from The Office.

[GerateWohl 2536]

23 minutes ago, Andy said:

I continue on my listening journey.  I have finished up to Salute to Hollywood, and I have so many questions, but I'm not going to bury the lead.  I'll start with my biggest frustration and disappointment:  The two Jessye Norman albums.

 

Why?  WHY!?  Why her?  What a missed opportunity!  I just cannot get past Norman's voice, which seems to have only one setting ("ON").  I had never heard of her, and I was so looking forward to John taking on the classic pianist with his sultry muse.  His Fabulous Baker Boys if you will.  But she's just all wrong.  It's like someone unscrewed the cap from the salt shaker and just dumped it all over the recording.  I would rather listen to Margot Kidder do the vocals.  

 

Further, I found myself trying to listen through her voice, especially for Johnny on the piano, which is nearly impossible.  Is it me, or are these recordings not so sharp?  I don't have the ear that I used to, but that piano sounded very distant.

 

Williams has over the years had his female muses like Cate Blanchett, Daisy Ridley, etc.  It would've been amazing to have the right vocalist paired with Johnny in a charming and more playful way.  Could've been really fun to have him in the role of the older, dependable piano man who is the lady's best friend, but just not of her generation for them to be romantically paired.  The music could've told that classic story.  Just. So. Disappointing.

It is rarely a good idea to let an opera singer do jazz.

 

[Jurassic Shark 9355]

33 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

Don't settle for limp noodle orchestral arrangements that take all the "heat" out of the tune.

 

I couldn't agree more.

 

24 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

It is rarely a good idea to let an opera singer do jazz.

 

I couldn't agree more.

 

49 minutes ago, Andy said:

Could've been really fun to have him in the role of the older, dependable piano man who is the lady's best friend

 

[Thor 5811]

1 hour ago, Andy said:

I continue on my listening journey.  I have finished up to Salute to Hollywood, and I have so many questions, but I'm not going to bury the lead.  I'll start with my biggest frustration and disappointment:  The two Jessye Norman albums.

 

Why?  WHY!?  Why her?  What a missed opportunity!  I just cannot get past Norman's voice, which seems to have only one setting ("ON").  I had never heard of her, and I was so looking forward to John taking on the classic pianist with his sultry muse.  His Fabulous Baker Boys if you will.  But she's just all wrong.  It's like someone unscrewed the cap from the salt shaker and just dumped it all over the recording.  I would rather listen to Margot Kidder do the vocals.  

 

I'm a bit surprised by these sentiments, especially that you hadn't heard of her. Jessye Norman is considered one of the greatest sopranos in the last 100 years (she passed away in 2019, only 74). However, I'm also no big fan of the jazz/opera combo (which is why Williams' song cycle SEVEN FOR LUCK has always been very "rough" listening), so I can relate to that particular aspect. I also don't play these two albums very often.

[Andy 2236]

I don't mean to disparage her as a person or talent.  And I'm sure my relative ignorance of her genre is revealed by my comments.  I'm also sorry to hear she passed so young.

 

But this was just a failed experiment.  Twice failed.

[Bespin 6830]

It is a very classical and strict way of singing that seems a little outdated today.  It's nothing against her voice, it's the style.

[Disco Stu 15468]

I'm getting deja vu because I think we've had this conversation before, but Andre Previn recorded a very similar album 20 years earlier with the great opera singer Leontyne Price that was much more successful.  She changed her style to suit the material better.

 

 

[JWMike 117]

Couldn't say no at that price! Currently £35.12 on Amazon.co.uk

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09DDWK2JM

[BB-8 1736]

https://www.berkshireeagle.com/opinion/columnists/inside-story-of-how-john-williams-was-secretly-chosen-boston-pops-conductor/article_2cf34792-1e4e-11ed-be95-1fb1e514d289.html

[Jay 31058]

Well now in 2023 they've released some kind of 53 track compilation that runs 3 1/2 hours

 

 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/boston-pops-orchestra-john-williams/1662646398

 

@Bespin

[JohnTheBaptist 47]

Just another UMG playlist dressed up as an album release. I don't know why Apple still allows that garbage to spam up all the artist discographies.