Jump to content

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF: 50th Anniversary Remastered Edition from La-La Land Records (3-CD)


Chewy

Recommended Posts

4 minutes ago, crypto said:

I'm not a musicals guy either but I adored this film! So rich with themes and subtext, not to mention fantastic music!

I'm more of a "Sound of music" guy. I love all the songs in that one!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, filmmusic said:

I've just finished it.

I'm afraid it didn't do anything musically to me...

 

I didn't mean it had the most powerful music, I meant it was the most powerful part of the story

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

I didn't mean it had the most powerful music, I meant it was the most powerful part of the story

Yeah, I understood you the first time.

The "i've just finished it" sentence was a reply to your comment.

The next sentence was my general assessment of the music, irrelevant to your comment.

I guess I should have been more clear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is indeed a fantastic set. I also feel it does need some reprogramming to put together all film versions ('alternates') and the underscore from discs 1 and 3, but then it flow beautifully, and the complete score really underlines what a great soundtrack and adaptation this is.

 

Many thanks to @Holko for the breakdown!

 

One question, which may already have been answered: the 'demo' of "Any Day Now" is the earliest version, and the playback version is the more developed version of this unused song, right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I was familiar with many of the most famous songs from this musical, I had never owned any version of this score prior to this fine release.  It is fun to hear so many Williamsisms in the scoring as well as possible influences on John Williams's own musical Thomas and the King, written a few short years after this film.  There is a lot in To Life from FOTR that puts me in mind of We Shall Do It! from TATK, stylistically at least.

 

One factual error in the booklet that I cannot help myself being pedantic about is the description of Anvil Studios as being in the "western London suburb of Denham".  Denham is very close to London but is just across the county border in Buckinghamshire.  If Boss Hogg were pursuing the Dukes of Hazzard west along the A40, he would have to have let Thames Valley Police take over by the time the General Lee sped past Anvil Studios on the A412.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At least in America a suburb is basically defined by not being in the administrative borders of the city it is a suburb of.  So being in Buckinghamshire instead of Greater London only makes it even more a suburb in the way we often use the term.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting!  Another good example of two countries separated by a common language.  Denham is quite a well-to-do area and I reckon most residents there would be appalled to see it described as a suburb of London (for the record, I do not live in Denham :)).  It used to be a place where lots of actors (e.g. John Mills) and TV stars (e.g. Cilla Black) lived - close enough to London to commute easily but far away enough to feel like they were in the countryside and had some privacy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, fommes said:

One question, which may already have been answered: the 'demo' of "Any Day Now" is the earliest version, and the playback version is the more developed version of this unused song, right?

 

Any Day Now is the only song that has a demo version, because it's the only song written brand new for the film and not a new version of a song from the original show

 

The Playback versions of all songs where never meant to be heard by anyone outside the production of the film.  If Any Day Now had been kept in the final finished film, the music and/or vocals might have been re-recorded to be different from how the Playback version sounds; We'll never know.

 

But yes, to answer your question, the Plackback version of Any Day Now would have been recorded after the Demo version, yes

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Omen II said:

If Boss Hogg were pursuing the Dukes of Hazzard west along the A40, he would have to have let Thames Valley Police take over by the time the General Lee sped past Anvil Studios on the A412.


Laughed out loud!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Does anybody else on JWFan have any thoughts on this new release?

I don't feel like it's gotten the attention and discussion here it deserves.

 

I'd really love anybody else who's heard it to share some thoughts!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is the first JW musical that I have ever owned!  On top of that, I had only recently seen the movie for the first time.  Musicals just aren't my thing typically, however, I thoroughly enjoyed both the film and the music.  I remember being very young and my mother having this playing either on our 8-track or vinyl can't remember which, so a couple of the songs instantly brought my back to that time lol.

 

This release is a bit repetitive over the 3 discs in spots, but the sound is fantastic and a great listen.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yea, it works best if you choose to only play 1 of the three discs, then move on to other stuff.  Playing all 3 back to back to back isn't really the intended experience I don't think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know I recently listened the three CD in a row and find that it was a really pleasant experience, not one I would do every day I give you that but it still had a very nice flow

Otherwise it's the third best release of 2021 which was a great year

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is interesting... JKMS are working on the score!

 

 

...but why?

 

And what is the cue 17A Transition to Railroad Station? That transition is unscored in the film, and the only other music after 17 Do You Love Me and before Far From The Home I Love (presumably cue #18) is the unreleased action cue, when the soldiers attack the rebels in the village on horseback.

 

Can anyone who reads music identify what 17A is? Is it that action cue?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, Valentinice said:

Disc 3 Track 25. Fiddler On The Roof (Instrumental) 0:00 - 1:00

 

The“Fiddler on the Roof (Instrumental)” from disc 3 begins with the fiddle and flute duet from the beginning of the prologue — but doesn’t have the rest of orchestra join in as it does in the finished film and doesn’t feature Topol’s narration. I’m not clear where the second section of this track comes from.

 

This is an alternate take of the opening of the Prologue that was used in the opening track of the 30th anniversary edition

 

54 minutes ago, Valentinice said:

“Fiddler On The Roof (Instrumental)”

Disc 3 Track 25. Fiddler On The Roof (Instrumental) 1:00 - END

This is the second half of the solo violin / flute duet that opens the film. Again, I’m not sure if the second section was meant to score something specific, or if it’s just a reworked variation on the first half of the cue. But it ends the playlist on a nice coda.

 

This is an alternate "Finale"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool breakdown, perhaps even better than mine! ;)

2 minutes ago, Jay said:

This is an alternate take of the opening of the Prologue that was used in the opening track of the 30th anniversary edition

The first, solo fiddler notes phase with the disc 1 and 2 tracks' openings, so it was possibly a partially used donor take that the 30th anniversary "producers" misidentified as the used take?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.