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John Powell's HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (2014) - 2022 Varese Deluxe Edition


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3 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

Demos were way more interesting in the years before orchestral samples got so sophisticated.  Like hearing Elfman's demos for the 80s/90s scores in the Burton box was fascinating.  Nowadays they just sound like the final cue but kinda crappy.

OTOH, Demos are where alot of the early alternates happen nowadays though. For example the original opening of HTTYD1.

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Just now, Power Windows said:

Demos are where all the alternates happen nowadays though.

 

True.  And then there's Zimmer's sketchbook albums which are all sampled I assume (I've never actually listened to one of those albums lol).

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5 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

Demos were way more interesting in the years before orchestral samples got so sophisticated.  Like hearing Elfman's demos for the 80s/90s scores in the Burton box was fascinating.  Nowadays they just sound like the final cue but kinda crappy.

 

I agree with Disco Stu

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I don't really care about them at all for newer scores. I find more value in alternative mixes, i.e. instrumentals or choir-free versions of tracks.

 

A few of the demos from Wyatt Earp were a passing interest as synth demos back then were really basic.

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HTTYD2_Deluxe_Cover_Banner_1800x1800.jpg

 

How To Train Your Dragon 2: The Deluxe Edition (2-CD)

John Powell 

UPC: 888072425378

Release Date: 3/11/2022

Regular price: $24.98 


On the heels of Varèse Sarabande’s Deluxe Edition of How to Train Your Dragon (2010) comes this 2CD set of John Powell’s magnificent symphonic score to the 2014 sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2.

 

Beloved by critics and audiences alike, the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy was produced by DreamWorks Animation, based on a book by Cressida Cowell. Written and directed by Dean DeBlois, the second film continues the story of a young dragon hunter, Hiccup, who befriends rather than kills a dragon, Toothless, by introducing Hiccup’s mother (voiced by Cate Blanchett) and a formidable villain, Drago (Djimon Hounsou).


John Powell created a glorious, Academy Award-nominated score for the first Dragon film, and continued his style for the sequel: gloriously symphonic, enhanced with Irish instrumentation, it is deep and rich in the classical tradition while conveying emotion and nuance for modern audiences, particularly around the joy of flight. As with the first film, Icelandic singer Jónsi collaborated with Powell and contributed vocals to selected tracks. New to the second film are performances by the Scottish bagpipe group, Red Hot Chili Pipers.

 

How to Train Your Dragon 2 was released as a single CD at the time of the film. Varèse Sarabande’s Deluxe Edition expands the program to two discs, including several demo tracks, with new liner notes by Tim Greiving interviewing the director and composer.

 

Limited to 2,000 copies


Tracklist

Disc 1:

1. Dragon Racing (1m1-INS) (Alternate Film Version) 1:04
2. Dragon Racing (1m1) (Original Opening Version) (4:40)
3. Where No One Goes (1m2s) (2:29) †
4. Together, We Map the World (1m3-4) (2:22)
5. Hiccup’s Gonna Be Chief (1m5) (3:20)
6. Eret Educates Hiccup (1m6) (1:45)
7. Drago’s Coming (2m7) (1:54)
8. Eret Has Visitors (2m8) (1:03)
9. Me Likey (2m9) (1:03
10. War is What He Wants (2m10) (1:53)
11. Hiccup and Toothless Attached (2m11) (2:34)
12. Dragon’s Lair (2m12) (1:34)
13. Should I Know You? (2m13) (1:57)
14. Valka’s Dragon Sanctuary (2m14) (0:55)
15. Hiccup & Valka Bond (2m15-16) (2:31)
16. Valka’s Flash - Good Alpha (3m17-18) (3:25)
17. I Grew Facial Hair For You (3m19) (1:20)
18. Flying With Mother (3m20) (2:50)
19. Can We Start Over? (3m21) (1:56)
20. Meet Drago (3m22) (4:28)
21. Stoick Finds Beauty (3m25-26) (2:43)
22. Get’ Em You Son of Eret (3m27) (1:43)
23. Courting Song (3m28s) (2:33) ††
24. Courting Song Instrumental (4m29) (0:54)
25. Battle of the Bewilderbeast (4m30) (6:29)

 

Disc Two:
1. Hiccup Confronts Drago (4m31) (4:09)
2. Stoick Saves Hiccup (4m32) (2:23)
3. Off to Valhalla (4m33) (3:47)
4. Riding to Drago’s (4m35) (1:02)
5. Alpha Comes to Berk (4m36-37) (2:22)
6. Toothless Comes Back (5m38) (3:50)
7. Challenging the Alpha (5m39a) (3:00)
8. The Chief Has Come Home (5m39b) (3:26)
9. Where No One Goes Reprise (5m40) (3:52) †

 

Bonus Tracks:
10. Dragon Racing (1m1) [DEMO] 4:36
11. Together, We Map the World (1m3-4) [DEMO] (2:37)
12. Valka’s Flash - Good Alpha (3m17-18) [DEMO] (3:26)
13. Flying with Mother (3m20) [DEMO] (2:50)
14. Off to Valhalla (4m33) [DEMO] (3:51)
15. Toothless Comes Back (5m38) [DEMO] (3:55)

 

Music Composed and Produced by John Powell

† John Powell & Jònsi
†† Gerard Butler, Mary Jane Wells & Craig Ferguson

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Ordered!

 

And my single frustration with the Int'l store: they don't offer first class postage, so I won't receive this until Weds because the UK shuts up shop now. I really wish Varese would move their releases to Thursday.

 

That's why the lack of a concurrent digital release is annoying.

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Someone in this thread was hoping for an instrumental version of Courting - and it's here!

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That was me, but no, it's the same as on the FYC - it's only the first bit, sadly. The rest of the cue where it speeds up is still buried under Craig Ferguson's vocals. That was the bit I was hoping would be available clean. Oh well.

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Fuck it, ordered direct from Varese International. Don't really have anything to pair it with anyway.

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Ordered immediately. Didn't even need to look at the track list. :D Interesting that he again starts off the program with the alternate film version intro and then the original one haha. That is my ONLY critique of the original set, here again. But oh well.

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Just now, Richard Penna said:

That was me, but no, it's the same as on the FYC - it's only the first bit, sadly.

Is the track before the full OST track? Because the opening of the OST track comes after the song in the movie.

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Just now, Jay said:

I guess I need to finally see this film now

Not as great as the first but fun enough with well done emotional beats, a lot better than the third.

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5 minutes ago, Holko said:

Is the track before the full OST track? Because the opening of the OST track comes after the song in the movie.

 

Ah, I've realised now, Courting Song (Instrumental) is just the first minute of the OST, so we've had it from the start anyway. It's the instrumental bits from 1:30 in For The Dancing and The Dreaming that I was hoping would be here. I'm really surprised that no one producing this thought we'd like to hear it on its own.

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Don't recall hearing that choir so prominently in Bewilderbeast for the Flying bit when the family swoops in.

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Huh! Really surprised it is honestly still in print at 3,000 units. Maybe that is why they are doing the bundle. And maybe that is also why this release is only 2,000 units. I think maybe the first one still hasn't sold out because, if I recall, the FYC has everything on it (and lossless copies came up). For this film the FYC was only ever in MP3 and lacked the film versions of "Where No One Goes".

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Whew, found the link that worked.  While I think I agree with Holko that the third may be the weakest overall score, it's certainly not a steep dropoff by any stretch and it also happens to contain my favorite theme of the entire trilogy.

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1 minute ago, Disco Stu said:

While I think I agree with Holko that the third may be the weakest overall score, it's certainly not a steep dropoff by any stretch and it also happens to contain my favorite theme of the entire trilogy.

Well I was answering Jay and meant movie but I do happen to also find the third score the weakest, the only to have parts I never managed to connect with. Though maybe you were just remembering it from past conversations :lol:

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The third score has REALLY grown on me since it came out (the film... not so much haha, but I still like it). I definitely welcome any expanded release of it, and that is partly why I am happy to buy this one to help prompt it.

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I'm least desiring an expansion of the third as the album plays really well, but there's no way I'm going to turn down a hat trick of HTTYD complete scores. Plus two of the extra tracks on the FYC are really nice, and as mentioned, there's some action cue missing.

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Haven't seen the film, don't really care about it. The score is just so mature for an animated film, and I love his new themes - it's probably my favourite of the three. I remember being absolutely bowled over when the suite came out.

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I still read that track name us "Furries". ;)

 

3 minutes ago, Richard Penna said:

I'm least desiring an expansion of the third as the album plays really well, but there's no way I'm going to turn down a hat trick of HTTYD complete scores. Plus two of the extra tracks on the FYC are really nice, and as mentioned, there's some action cue missing.

 

YES! That missing action cue before the big battle is honestly a highlight for me, so having that on CD officially alone would make that worth it. I am sure there must be interesting demos, maybe even actual alternates too that we may not know about?

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6 minutes ago, Richard Penna said:

If this theme doesn't evoke 'Legend', I don't know what does. This thing is as well crafted and evocative as any JW theme, any day.

I also love the third one, it has fantastic themes. Looking forward to the deluxe edition for that.

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Yeah, the third score has such wonderful themes and they're excellently used during the whole score.

 

OTOH, I think Armada Battle is pretty good but not as great as Battle of the Bewilderbeast, which may be Powell's greatest action cue ever.

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Back on the second score... it will be so crazy to finally hear the opening instrumental of the "Where No One Goes Reprise" without the sfx sounds over it... it will likely be one of those things to get used to like when I first heard the "T-Rex Jeep Chase" music from Jurassic Park without sound effects over it LOL.

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28 minutes ago, scallenger said:

Huh! Really surprised it is honestly still in print at 3,000 units. Maybe that is why they are doing the bundle. And maybe that is also why this release is only 2,000 units. I think maybe the first one still hasn't sold out because, if I recall, the FYC has everything on it (and lossless copies came up). For this film the FYC was only ever in MP3 and lacked the film versions of "Where No One Goes".

 

I imagine the surprise digital release of the first DE threw away whatever sales potential it had (especially if (allegedly) there were some bitter buyers of the CD disliking the YT streaming copy of the album). With this, I guess VS and BL decided to be more strategic about it in advertising ahead of time so that people are to be better informed about what they can buy (as well as figuring where the real market is).

 

We did get a proper lossless rip of the FYC eventually, but it is also missing 2m12 in addition to the Where No One Goes tracks, so even further reason for the official release to entice fans.

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Huh! I never knew about the lossless rip of this film's FYC, but of course that's irrelevant now. Even if I had known it's still worth getting this, even just to support Powell.

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