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Michael Kamen & Henry Mancini - LIFEFORCE (1985) - NEW! 2022 Intrada albums


Jay

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297511563_10159184234242169_857832531043 297573243_10159184234202169_715025873612

 

297679401_10159184234732169_683470883973 297725890_10159184234597169_905133029683

 

http://www.intrada.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=85336#p85336

 

Press release, track lists, samples, and order link available Monday evening, August 15th.


Official release date and begins shipping Tuesday, August 16th 

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15 minutes ago, Jaaaackified said:

So I take it as more Kamen material was restored to adequately fill a whole disc?

 

That seems very likely. The ~20 minutes previously released hardly felt like it could sustain its own album. Let's wait for a tracklist but I think we should all be prepared for some level of surprise, here.

 

Yavar

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Huh! So does that mean the BSX release is fully out of print then? Because there was a time when I couldn't buy it and was designated as "out of stock," but eventually became available again for a while. Now it's back to being listed as such, so maybe that's just how the website lists unavailable items.

 

If this is just for the sake of a better presentation for Kamen's material, I'll pass on that specific album, since the stuff on the original expansion just wasn't particularly compelling. Perhaps unused material and cleaner sound could redeem it, but I doubt it.

 

Now, I might be compelled to double dip if the Mancini album is a sonic improvement, cause while it’s not awful, the previous master for the full score definitely paled compared to the one for the OST. At minimum, perhaps the film version of Grandson of Web can sound perfectly fine now instead of being wonky in one area.

 

Absolutely would be down for a Molly Maguire reissue down the road if we're talking scores that had Mancini replace the original music (though Strouse made much more compelling material than MK in this case).

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LIFEFORCE is terrific. Although I prefer the rerecording. This is Mancini in his full orchestral charge mode. Highly recommended. 

 

The fact that Kamens music contributed in the realization of its own album is a testament that its going to be a worthwhile purchase. This could easily have been a 3CD Set but I guess Kamens estate must have had a say in to get this into a separate release.

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Wait, there is a re-recording? Or is that just the album having separate sessions just for it?

 

I did forget about the Kamen estate finding more stuff for Die Hard and Robin Hood, so that's definitely made me more curious as to what else there is for his work on LF.

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22 minutes ago, HunterTech said:

Wait, there is a re-recording? Or is that just the album having separate sessions just for it?

 

I did forget about the Kamen estate finding more stuff for Die Hard and Robin Hood, so that's definitely made me more curious as to what else there is for his work on LF.

Wait a sec. I think you are right. It’s just the album program I thinking of as a re-recording.

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They definitely seemed like the same performances across every track on both presentations (if mixed differently). The issue is that the OST master was certainly better preserved than what they had found for the film mixes, as the latter is a bit more muted and lacking some of the definition of the former.

 

It does make me wonder a bit if this whole re-release is mainly about the Kamen stuff, since I think they did use the original masters (or close to it) for the full Mancini score. I'd have to check again.

 

Edit: Oh wow, BSX actually took their release page down!

https://buysoundtrax.myshopify.com/products/lifeforce-original-soundtrack-by-henry-mancini-and-michael-kamen

 

And since there isn't an archived version of the page I can find, I can't check if there was information about the masters they used (though I don't really recall there being anything on it that wasn't on the booklet).

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Talking to someone just now, we do know that the full Mancini score was remixed specifically for the BSX release, so there's a potential for not much to change there besides significant remastering (as I'm aware Intrada doesn't like to remix things if they don't have to). The one bonus track might be fixed, but that's as far as I can guess.

 

Which leaves us with Kamen, whose work was definitely in rough condition on the prior edition. Given what was previously mentioned about Die Hard and Robin Hood, there's a high possibility his estate found a lot more material for his work on the project (since 20 minutes is a bit little for a separate release).

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24 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

How relevant do we expect the new Lifeforces to be for those of us who already have the previous 2 CD set?

 

There may be only minor tweaks to the Mancini, but I'm expecting the Kamen to be a major upgrade, to justify getting its own album...

 

Yavar

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29 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

How relevant do we expect the new Lifeforces to be for those of us who already have the previous 2 CD set?

 

17 minutes ago, HunterTech said:

Talking to someone just now, we do know that the full Mancini score was remixed specifically for the BSX release, so there's a potential for not much to change there besides significant remastering (as I'm aware Intrada doesn't like to remix things if they don't have to). The one bonus track might be fixed, but that's as far as I can guess.

 

Which leaves us with Kamen, whose work was definitely in rough condition on the prior edition. Given what was previously mentioned about Die Hard and Robin Hood, there's a high possibility his estate found a lot more material for his work on the project (since 20 minutes is a bit little for a separate release).

 

I see someone somehow managed to get the same post deleted in the Intrada thread, so that's a bit awkward lol

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Oh, I somehow didn't realise we had a full thread for this with some details (I think did my post in the Intrada thread and it was moved). I'll have to re-check the previous album to see if I'm interested in more of the Kamen. It's always been the Mancini that thoroughly impressed me.

2 minutes ago, HunterTech said:

I see someone somehow managed to get the same post deleted in the Intrada thread, so that's a bit awkward lol

 

Ok, it definitely was moved. ;) 

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52 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

Oh, I somehow didn't realise we had a full thread for this with some details (I think did my post in the Intrada thread and it was moved). I'll have to re-check the previous album to see if I'm interested in more of the Kamen.

 

I'm not sure you can judge Kamen's contribution fairly from that very poor sounding 20 minutes of synth stuff that was previously released. I suggest waiting for sound samples from Intrada on Monday night, which will no doubt include some examples from his orchestral score too.

 

Yavar

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22 hours ago, HunterTech said:

And since there isn't an archived version of the page I can find, I can't check if there was information about the masters they used (though I don't really recall there being anything on it that wasn't on the booklet).

 

Here you go: https://web.archive.org/web/20220810034511/https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:8IMfajzYp7AJ:https://buysoundtrax.myshopify.com/products/lifeforce-original-soundtrack-by-henry-mancini-and-michael-kamen&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

 

Here's the full description:

Quote

Now back in print for a limited time is the original soundtrack to the 1985 Sci-Fi thriller, LIFEFORCE, with music by Henry Mancini and Michael Kamen. 

The package contains the complete original score composed by Mancini, the additional music by Kamen, the Film Version of "Grandson of Web", in addition to the original soundtrack album.

Lifeforce was the film adaptation of the novel The Space Vampires, by Colin Wilson. Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist), took some liberties with the story to tie it in to the reappearance of Halley's Comet. A space shuttle mission investigating the comet inadvertently brings back a race of space vampires to London who seek to transform the populace into zombies. Cannon Films, felt the title Space Vampires seemed too low budget and the film was renamed Lifeforce. 

In 1985 when the vampire science fiction film Lifeforce was in need of a composer, the Academy Award® winner Henry Mancini seemed an unlikely choice. But when Hooper's first choice, James Horner, hot off the heels of his work with the first two Star Trek films, proved unavailable, Mancini was brought on board.

Henry Mancini may best be recognized for his work with more lighthearted film fare, like Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Pink Panther film series, but earlier in his career Mancini was a member of the music department at Universal Pictures. As such he composed the scores for numerous horror and science fiction films like It Came From Outer Space, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Monolith Monsters, which led Hooper to see if Mancini was interested in revisiting the genre. 

Mancini composed a provocative, dramatic and dynamic orchestral score, an hour and forty minutes of music, which mostly fell victim to the cutting room floor. When Mancini did not want to go back and compose new materials for the film, itself now 20 minutes shorter, Michael Kamen was called in to fill in the musical blanks. Kamen was an up-and-coming composer, having already completed scores for David Cronenberg (The Dead Zone) and Terry Gilliam (Brazil). 

 

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Lifeforce and Santa Claus the Movie are my favorite Mancini scores.  Seems at that time, he was either flexing creatively, or being given "big" projects that challenged him to go the large symphonic epic route.  He succeeded, but it's too bad the films weren't successful enough to keep him supplied with projects consistent with this mode.  He was really cookin'.

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OK they got me (with the nudity). ;)

 

Seriously though, how often do the labels put together a trailer for a soundtrack release?  That was really cool, and I’m sure could inspire sales. 

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I agree it’s super cool.

 

I think maaaaybe Intrada has done one before?

 

LLL has done several:

 

 

 

 


A bit more substantial…


And the best of all was 10 years ago…a full on promotional mini-doc!


Yavar

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On 13/8/2022 at 7:19 AM, Jay said:

 


And now, its companion!

 

 

Furthermore, Doug Fake says the following:

https://store.intrada.com/s.nl/sc.13/category.60330/.f

Quote

We’ve put together a cool new feature to help bring a little anticipation and excitement to our latest releases as they happen. Trailers. Yep, with the talents of our team, and with Joe Sikoryak at the helm, we have these short little video announcements that will showcase our newest albums and in a half minute or so, spotlight the music of the composers involved. Getting out now are glimpses of the 2-CD complete score by Henry Mancini for Lifeforce and our separate CD of the alternate score by Michael Kamen, premiering his orchestral score with the cooperation of Michael Kamen’s Estate. These soundtrack trailers are in their “baby step” stage and we’ll tweak the features as we learn to walk… but they are already cool to see and hear, and are up now on the Intrada Facebook and fan pages and our Forum. Please take a few seconds to check them out, and hopefully support the albums highlighted in these trailers, too! These current albums are being released next week, with artwork, contents and sound samples appearing here this coming Monday eve, the 15th.
 

 

Yavar

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sigh Guess I will double dip after all :sigh:

 

Just from the portion in the Mancini video alone, this is quite the substantial upgrade from even the album master. It almost sounds like it was newly remixed too, but it's possible the newer source they got already was that solid out the gate.

 

And thanks to recently revisiting Oliver Harper's excellent retrospective, I'm certainly more open to Kamen's work now that it has a proper presentation. It likely just needs the connective tissue missing from the BSX tracks (which I am now curious if they're supposed to be demos and if they would be on the new set).

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Roger says

 

"

INTRADA Announces:

LIFEFORCE
Composed and Conducted by MICHAEL KAMEN
INTRADA ISC 480


The 1985 Cannon-produced space-vampire thriller Lifeforce went through a myriad of changes before being released in the US. Its running time was cut down dramatically and Henry Mancini's original score no longer quite fit the new film's configuration. With Mancini no longer available to work on this new version, director Tobe Hooper brought in composer Michael Kamen to help add new score, often with a more contemporary use of synths, to the newly cut scenes. Most notably, Kamen wrote new music for the opening sequence to conform to the new edits, eschewing Mancini's driving, heroic feel with a more brooding, stormy orchestral approach with sharp orchestral stabs. It was an early example of Kamen's strong command of the orchestra and creating a strong sense of foreshadowing. It is a more gothic opening to the score that is a modern take on an old story.

 

This new 76-minute CD, produced with the Michael Kamen Estate, features Kamen's complete 14-minute orchestral score performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra, mixed by Eric Tomlinson, as well as the 51 minutes of complicated, multi-layered electronic scoring used throughout and mingling with Mancini's score in the film. Those in turn are followed by two very cerebral cues intended for the initial two reels of the film, the second of which concludes with a series of chimes that trails quietly off into the darkness of silence. On its own it gives a very different and eerie take on the atmosphere of the Lifeforce film.

 

View the soundtrack trailer here: https://youtu.be/tQskUAtkBTI

 

In Lifeforce, astronauts stumble upon a mysterious vessel in space that contains bat-like creatures and three humanoids. Brought down to England, the three humanoids aren't everything they appear to be, as noted when the female space vampire (Mathilda May) begins to suck the lifeforce out of everyone she crosses. Astronaut Col. Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback) becomes psychically possessed by and obsessed with the femme fatale, who also has the gift of shapeshifting. That knack leads a team of scientists out to a psychiatric hospital on the moors, then back into a zombie-infested London where the city’s siphoned life juice is being shot back to the vampire spacecraft. In the end Carlsen gets his ultimate consummation of desire, saving the planet at his own expense.

 

Intrada Special Collection Vol. 480
Retail Price: $22.99
Barcode: 720258548009
Shipping Now
For track listing and sound samples, please visit https://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.12632/.f

"

 

 

Doug says

 

"

Michael Kamen
Label: Intrada Special Collection Volume ISC 480
Film Date: 1985
Album Date: 2022
Time: 76:49
Tracks: 18
Price: $22.99

 

Premiere of full Michael Kamen score for wild space vampire tale! Tobe Hooper directs bizarre space vampire tale, Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Patrick Stewart, Mathilda May star, Dan O’Bannon co-writes with Don Jakoby from Colin Wilson novel, Cannon Films (now an MGM property) releases in 1985.  Henry Mancini originally tackled scoring duties. However, due a number of post-production editorial changes to film prior to release, Mancini was unable to come back in to rescore affected segments - notably the entire opening - and equally esteemed composer Michael Kamen stepped in to handle additional scoring duties.

 

Ultimately, Kamen recorded over 75 minutes of music, including powerful orchestral cues for the entire opening sequence and complex electronic music for much of the film thereafter. This current CD is all Michael Kamen, produced in cooperation with the Michael Kamen Estate. Separate 2-CD set of Henry Mancini’s score is also available from Intrada! Joint U.S. and British team working in space encounter immense spaceship hidden within Hailey’s Comet. Inside vessel are bats and humanoids. Brought back to earth, the female alien (Mathilda May) emerges a “space vampire”, draining energy from her prey. Particular focus is on Col. Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback). His encounters with the female vampire (who memorably plays much of her part nude) ultimately lead to spectacular, and bizarre, climax in London cathedral. 

 

For the initial spaceship encounter sequence, Kamen scores for full orchestra with aggressive blocks of fortissimo brass leading the massive resources of the National Philharmonic Orchestra. Kamen also rescored the Carlsen nightmare sequence with his orchestra. 

 

For the electronic cues, Kamen worked with multiple layers of sound, melding both his signature rhythmic devices and piano motifs within larger ideas both thick and intense, transparent and cerebral. In addition to the underscore, Kamen recorded two lengthy sequences which he entitled, “Alien Spacecraft Atmospheres”. These appear as extras after the 65-minute score proper, with the second one bringing the entire album to a peaceful, serene cascading of electronic chimes that fade, twinkling away into the night. 

 

Tim Greiving offers informative booklet notes, Kay Marshall designs the exciting package. Eric Tomlinson records and mixes at EMI Abbey Road Studios in London and Mayfair Studios during April and May 1985, Michael Kamen composes, conducts the National Philharmonic Orchestra. Intrada CD available while quantities and interest remain!

 

ORCHESTRAL CUES
01. Main Title/Approaching The Comet (1:42)
02. We Have To Look Now (1:40)
03. Entering The Alien Spacecraft/The Gate Opens (4:24)
04. The Discovery (2:52)
05. Nightmare/Carlsen Wakes Up (2:26)
Orchestral Cues Time: 14:09

 

ELECTRONIC CUES

06. Entering The Alien Spacecraft (1:18)
07. Passage Of Time/Rescue Mission/Girl Awakens (10:49)
08. Caine’s Entry/Waking Male Vampires (4:07)
09. Autopsy On Guard/End Of Autopsy Scene (4:13)
10. Girl In Park (1:01)
11. Leaving The Nurse/To Sykes’ Cell/Injecting Dr. Armstrong/Interrogating Armstrong (8:50)

12. London Street Chaos (0:33)
13. Helicopter Interior And Blood Clot Scene (2:58)
14. Carlsen’s Flashback (2:36)
15. Prime Minister/Helicopter Escape/Army Base/Lifeforce To Aliens (6:01)
16. Arrival At The Cathedral/Carlsen Enters The Crypt (8:28)
Electronic Cues Time: 51:18

 

THE EXTRAS
17. Alien Spacecraft Atmospheres – Reel 1 (5:26)
18. Alien Spacecraft Atmospheres – Reel 2 [Chimes] (5:34)

The Extras Time: 11:04

 

CD Total Time: 76:40

"

 

Lifeforce_isc480_1600b.jpg

 

Lifeforce_isc480_1600a.jpg

 

Lifeforce_isc480_600c.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roger says:

 

"

INTRADA Announces:

 

LIFEFORCE
Composed and Conducted by HENRY MANCINI
LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

INTRADA ISC 481

 

In 1985, composer Henry Mancini was able to return to his roots. The composer, most famous for his light, pop melodies like "The Pink Panther" and "Breakfast at Tiffanys," got his start scoring Universal B sci-fi and horror films in the '50s. And while Mancini was a star in pop circles, he always yearned to take on more dramatic projects. Lifeforce, the 1985 Cannon-produced film about space vampires with a unique taste for human souls, afforded him just such an opportunity – one which he embraced wholeheartedly with the power of the London Symphony Orchestra. It's driving, propulsive main theme (excised from the US print) kicks off what can be best described as a serious, symphonic work that provides a magnificent scope of mystery, terror and thrills, concluding with one of Mancini's most powerful endings. Mancini was so proud of his theme that he included it in his concert repertoire, feeling compelled to explain what Lifeforce was while looking at the audience and stating, "You didn't see Lifeforce."

 

For this new release, Intrada struck new transfers of the 1/4" Eric Tomlinson film mixes made at Abbey Road Studios and subsequently stored at MGM. Intrada created an all new complete program, retaining some of Mancini's envisioned assemblies. Two of Mancini’s session rolls included a variety of individual instrumental effects created between the player and engineer. Some of these sounds are signatures that Mancini aficionados will recognize from his earlier classic suspense work such as Charade, Experiment in Terror, Arabesque and Wait Until Dark. These premiere on this release in the extras section.

 

Visit our album trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6qfhN2JYg8


In the film, after a space shuttle goes dark while investigating a mysterious spaceship hiding in the tail of Halley's comet, an investigative unit discovers the sole survivor (Steve Railsback) has protected three human-looking occupants of the spaceship. Once brought down to earth, these seemingly human characters escape, wreaking havoc on London, stealing souls and threatening all of human kind. The hunt is on to stop them before it's too late.

 

Intrada Special Collection Vol. 481
Retail Price: $30.99
Barcode: 720258548108
Shipping Now
For track listing and sound samples, please visit https://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.12633/.f

"

http://www.intrada.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8961

 

 

Doug says:

 

"

Henry Mancini
Label: Intrada Special Collection Volume ISC 481
Film Date: 1985
Album Date: 2022
Time: 148:03
Tracks: 53
Starts Shipping August 17
Price: $30.99

 

Complete, riveting Henry Mancini horror score on remastered 2-CD set! Tobe Hooper directs wild space vampire tale, Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Patrick Stewart, Mathilda May star, Dan O’Bannon co-writes with Don Jakoby from Colin Wilson novel, Cannon Films (now an MGM property) releases in 1985. Leading the memorable components: Legendary Henry Mancini’s ferocious and evocative score! Due a number of post-production editorial changes to film prior to release, Mancini was unable to come back in to rescore affected segments - notably the entire opening - and equally esteemed composer Michael Kamen handled additional scoring duties. This current 2-CD set is all Mancini. Separate album of Michael Kamen’s score, including premiere of his orchestral sessions is also available from Intrada! 

 

Joint U.S. and British team working in space encounter immense spaceship hidden within Hailey’s Comet. Inside vessel are bats and humanoids. Brought back to earth, the female alien (Mathilda May) emerges a “space vampire”, draining energy from her prey. Particular focus is on Col. Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback). His encounters with the female vampire (who memorably plays much of her part nude) ultimately lead to spectacular, and bizarre, climax in London cathedral. Henry Mancini is right in the midst of the action! Launching with incredible 12/8 meter rhythm in lower strings, with dynamic French horn and trumpet lines above, Mancini instantly takes command, runs with the ball. Within his score are moments of haunting beauty, quiet mystery, but aggressive climaxes are always nearby. Ultimately, Mancini reaches finale after much spectacular orchestral fireworks, coming to an incredible finish in what might be his most powerful fortissimo - and bravura - ending of his celebrated career. The orchestra crescendoes, strings and woodwinds swirl, brass and percussion pound with massive chords… wow! And in an equally magnificent moment of musical excitement, Mancini then jumps into his 12/8 meter action rhythm to launch “The Lifeforce Theme (End Title)”, bringing this final riveting piece to an unyielding rhythmic coda. Take that, space vampires! 

 

2-CD set includes entire Mancini score plus a few alternates, courtesy MGM, including his “stingers” and myriad brief cues intended for the film makers to utilize throughout the film as musical punctuation. These include his signature rubber balls dropped on piano strings, glassy bowing effects on the edges of gongs, other ideas both grotesque, ethereal. Original Varese label CD program also appears on CD 2. Tim Greiving provides informative booklet notes, Kay Marshall designs exciting package. Eric Tomlinson engineers at EMI Abbey Road Studios in December 1984, Henry Mancini composes, conducts the London Symphony Orchestra. Intrada Special Collection 2-CD set available while quantities and interest remain!
 
CD 1 LIFEFORCE – SCORE PT. 1
01. The Lifeforce Theme (Main Title) (2:23)
02. The Discovery (9:55)
03. The Discovery (Cont.) (6:58)
04. Rescue Mission (4:26)
05. The Vampire Lives (6:44)
06. Nervous Time (0:59)
07. No Longer Dangerous (0:46)
08. Feeding Time (With Strum) (4:27)
09. Prelude (0:40)
10. Carlsen’s Story (4:12)
11. Carlsen Sleeps (1:02)
12. Evil Visitation (1:20)
13. Energy Crisis (3:25)
14. It’s Immense (1:43)
15. Are You In There? (1:22)
16. Let Me Go! (2:38)
17. Chain Reaction (1:05)
18. Anyone For Tums (1:30)
19. Horny Alien (3:44)
20. Martial Law (2:07)
21. Call Of The Wild (2:17)
22. House Of Blue Lights (1:13)
23. The Web Of Destiny (2:54)
24. Son Of Web Of Destiny (3:06)
CD 1 Total Time: 74:42

 

CD 2 LIFEFORCE – SCORE PT. 2
01. Grandson Of Web Of Destiny (4:09)
02. The Lifeforce Theme (End Title) (3:32)
Score Pt. 2 Time: 7:41

 

LIFEFORCE – Total Score Time: 82:23

 

1985 SOUNDTRACK ALBUM
03. Lifeforce Theme (3:32)
04. Evil Visitation (2:20)

The Discovery Suite
05. Part I: Spacewalk (4:43)
06. Part II: Into The Alien Craft (3:06)
07. Part III: Exploration (2:48)
08. Part IV: Sleeping Vampires (2:56)
09. Carlsen’s Story (4:11)
10. The Girl In The Raincoat (3:28)

The Web Of Destiny
11. Part I (2:54)
12. Part II (2:53)
13. Part III (4:10)
Total Album Time: 37:11

 

THE EXTRAS – ALTERNATES & STINGERS
14. Feeding Time (Without Strum) (2:58)
15. Son Of Web Of Destiny (Alternate Mix) (3:06)
16. Grandson Of Web Of Destiny (Alternate Mix) (4:12)
17. Brass Stings (0:25)
18. Vomit Scene No. 1 (1:01)
19. Vomit Scene No. 2 (1:01)
20. Wild Piano Series (2:24)
21. Bass Bow On Bowl (2:23)
22. Big Ball On Piano (0:35)
23. Waterphone Series (1:51)
24. Bowed Gong Series (1:42)
25. Super Ball On Gong (2:02)
26. Super Ball On Smaller Gong (1:26)
27. Nuts & Bolts Wind Chime (1:10)
28. Nail, Crystal And Plastic Wind Chimes (0:45)
29. Keys & Screws Wind Chime (0:50)
Total Extras Time: 25:08

 

CD 2 Total Time: 73:21

"

https://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.12633/.f?sc=13

 

Lifeforce_isc481_1600a.jpg

 

Lifeforce_isc481_1600b.jpg

 

Lifeforce_isc481_600c.jpg

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I want to support any release with a track title of "Vomit Scene No. 2"

 

 

Seriously, I want this.  Between the two, it's a big old double dip of Lifeforce.

 

But I want.

 

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Close to $60 to purchase largely the same material I paid half the price for last year.

 

Eh, I've made worse spending decisions before :D.

 

I am curious if one of the mixes of Grandson of Web is the film one that came slightly damaged from the master BSX used. Probably would've specified if it had choir, but then it's likely there are other differences too.

 

In any case, I am pleasantly surprised to see this much new material from the Mancini score as well. Interesting that they continue to place Evil Visitation before the Discovery suite instead of after for the OST section, so maybe that original order was an error on the first manufacturer's end.

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My hunch is that “Son of” was Mancini playing off of his days scoring Monster movies for Universal. Although he didn’t personally score Son of Frankenstein, it was probably familiar and fun to him, with “Grandson “ for Part III taking it to the next level silly.  
 

Giacchino is the next Henry Mancini!

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Oh that's not the part I find amusing. It's the fact Intrada kept the "of Destiny" part for the subsequent finale tracks instead of removing them like BSX did. Of course, it most certainly adds to charm of the old school movie monster inspired title, but it just throws me off being used to the previous arrangement.

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18 hours ago, HunterTech said:

Close to $60 to purchase largely the same material I paid half the price for last year.

 

How do you figure? The BSX release had only ~20 minutes of Kamen synth stuff, in poor sound. The Intrada has 14+ minutes of Kamen orchestral stuff premiering, plus over an hour of Kamen's complete synth work...no doubt in much better sound than BSX's source.

 

I was surprised there's apparently more Mancini too, but if you think the Mancini is "largely the same material", you could of course just purchase the Kamen alone to get the bulk of the previously unreleased music, which is about an hour's worth!

 

Yavar

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60% the same still counts as being a large amount :P

 

I'm obviously being a pedantic little bitch for show, since I figured I was gonna have no hesitation buying both sets when they were announced. After years where I've bought multiple copies of Williams Superman and the Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, I just find it greatly amusing this is where else I've decided to make a double dip (especially in a time I could easily invest in other releases of interest).

 

Mancini I'm mainly buying for the sound improvement, plus those extras that make me very curious. Kamen I've decided on because listening again to what's effectively a sampler on the BSX release recently made me appreciate better what he was going for, and I'm sure hoping it ends up being a more well rounded presentation with all the added pieces.

 

What I want to know is if all the orchestral cues are just for the opening, given my awareness of Intrada pulling the same separation of it and synth cues for Apollo 13.

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The thing with Mancini's work is that the opening/ending titles isn't particularly indicative of the score as a whole. I would've described it yesterday elsewhere as this elegant space fantasy adventure that ramps up in key sequences. The Discovery Suite is better indicative of what the score feels like as a whole.

 

Kamen is more akin to what I'm told was the standard horror music of the time, per the demands of the American distributors for the film. It never quite gets to the high of Mancini's key tracks, but I'd argue it works better as this overall package of moody terror (as I did find Henry's full score hit a bit of a lull after the fantastic opening cues, taking a bit before picking up again).

 

The US cut most definitely is the worse version of the movie, and I'm told the MK cues clash with the HM stuff that is kept. But since we're here to compare the scores, it probably would be a good viewing after you've seen the original cut.

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53 minutes ago, HunterTech said:

The thing with Mancini's work is that the opening/ending titles isn't particularly indicative of the score as a whole. I would've described it yesterday elsewhere as this elegant space fantasy adventure that ramps up in key sequences. The Discovery Suite is better indicative of what the score feels like as a whole.


Yes. This precisely.  Sometimes I wonder how much of someone’s estimation of a score is based solely on the Main or End Title. 
 

It is a very rich and complex score, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I wish the Main Title theme had more integration in the body of the score, because there is almost none. 
 

That said, the Discovery suite is almost like a concerto, and the Web of Destiny is suitably dramatic. 
 

Lush, robust, and rewarding, but not as accessible as the main title might lead you to expect. 

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After that amazing promo video of Kamen's score have to say I am slightly disappointed (whilst fully acknowledging I have not heard the full 14 minutes). What's there sounds like slightly amped up suspense moments from Lethal Weapon and Die Hard, perhaps with a hint of the hopefully soon-to-be-fully-heard Event Horizon orchestral score.

 

I was wondering about the potential of an unheard and undiscovered Kamen scifi score but this is what it always was - an alternative version to paper over a new edit and add some contemporary 'sheen' to Mancini's stuff.

 

Does not discount Kamen as a composer or the value of this important release as a great companion to what is an amazing film. 

 

The key point remains that Mancini's score is a winter wonderland of orchestral goodness that everyone needs to buy!

 

 

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So, first of all thank you everyone for your responses! This prompted me to do what felt like the most sensible thing: see the movie, lol. Luckily it was easy to do. The longer cut is on the Tubi app for free if anyone is curious, but it is also on Shudder for anyone who has that (I currently do because I want to see Phil Tippett's "Mad God", but haven't gotten around to it yet since I am told it is... really gross. Hahaha. So I need to be in the right mood.).

 

The movie is... well it's a strange one for sure, haha! And I am all about strange! I love sci-fi movies from any era (hell one of my favorite sci-fi films is Metropolis from 1925). But I don't know... something was really off about this movie. I think the directing and pacing? The concept was great, I just don't think it was executed incredibly well, apart from some cool scenes of the life-sucked people looking appropriately gross and creepy. I think this is a film that would benefit from a remake/reimagining honestly. Before you throw food at me, movies like John Carpenter's THE THING or David Cronenberg's THE FLY are some prime examples of just how good remakes can be.

 

I am glad you all warned me about Mancini's main titles being a bit misleading since... dear God, it was! LOL. I think it popped up maybe a couple more times before the end credits? And when it did, it felt HORRIBLY out of place in the film to me! It was used as some "vampire zombies" were leaping onto a helicopter as the lead characters were getting away from the city, during the third act. It just felt... way tonally off. It robbed any suspense that sequence could have had. Honestly, the more I hear that awesome "main title theme", it seriously doesn't go with the movie at all. It feels more akin to a fun western or something. Not this wild movie about space vampires! I'm not sure what the thought process was, to be honest. Did the director want this adventurous theme, or was it the composer's doing?

 

The rest of the score was interesting/good though! It was sometimes hard to tell who did what music while watching it, but I was able to pick out some of Kamen's (he has a style I am a little familiar with from other scores he has done). And don't get me wrong, I like Mancini as well! It's just so odd that his theme, that honestly sucked me right in as soon as I heard it, was so "miscast" for this score.

 

This is all just my views/opinion of course. I am thankful you all gave me the heads up to check this out first. I don't regret seeing the movie! But, I think I may pass on the score releases overall. However, let me know if they contain a lot more music NOT in the film that would be worth visiting, since that is my only source of hearing it so far!

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26 minutes ago, scallenger said:

 

The rest of the score was interesting/good though! It was sometimes hard to tell who did what music while watching it, but I was able to pick out some of Kamen's (he has a style I am a little familiar with from other scores he has done). And don't get me wrong, I like Mancini as well! It's just so odd that his theme, that honestly sucked me right in as soon as I heard it, was so "miscast" for this score.

 

 

As far as I remember the longer cut only uses the Mancini score (Kamen rescored tracks are used on the US shorter theatrical cut).

 

I love the Main Title music and think it works well in the movie (Main and End Titles). Some of its propulsive style is used also at the end of Carlson's Story and in the mid of Son of the Web and also works with the over the top style of the movie.

I agree it does not goes well with the helicopter escape (but it is not Mancini's fault as it was tracked there) 

 

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4 minutes ago, danbeck said:

 

I agree it does not goes well with the helicopter escape (but it is not Mancini's fault as it was tracked there) 

 

Yes!  It’s almost as though the editors wanted more of that from Mancini in the first place.

 

You get a little more of that driving string writing in Santa Claus the Movie actually.  The last part of this cue sounds like a more optimistic Lifeforce.
 

 

@scallenger deserves an award for being the first in the history of the Internet to review Lifeforce without using the word ‘nudity’. 

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Oh yeah! There was boobies!

 

92376e02-862a-4898-b734-ba9fea2abd93_tex

 

I guess I paid it no mind, being gay and all. ;) ALTHOUGH I did notice "the penis" on "the men" was always covered up in "clever" framing setups! So ya'll get to have your "boobies" but I don't get to have "the penis". No wonder us gays finally started a revolt!

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5 minutes ago, scallenger said:

ALTHOUGH I did notice "the penis" on "the men" was always covered up in "clever" framing setups! So ya'll get to have your "boobies" but I don't get to have "the penis". No wonder us gays finally started a revolt!

 

Right???  I know what you mean, with those strategically placed crystals and all!  Well, it was 1986 or whatever, but yeah.

 

I have to say though, thinking about the female vampire character... she is so omnipresent, it seems a shame that Mancini didn't write her a seductively creepy theme in the creepy 1950s monster movie style.   The score, like the movie, is flawed in many areas.

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Honestly, I feel like the film would have been better with something like John Williams Dracula score. And I am not just saying that as a John Williams fan! Haha. I think it would have fit the movie a lot better, like you are saying. Since they played up that dark romance angle.

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1 hour ago, scallenger said:

Honestly, I feel like the film would have been better with something like John Williams Dracula score. And I am not just saying that as a John Williams fan! Haha. I think it would have fit the movie a lot better, like you are saying. Since they played up that dark romance angle.


Yes, perfectly stated. Or the 1950s throwback “Call of the Crystal” from KOTCS.   Gothic and eerie. 

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Oh, I thought I had posted Roger's message here but I guess I haven't:

 

"Just a heads up that due to a shipping delay from the plant these will not be shipping right away. An ETA will be forthcoming."

 

http://www.intrada.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=85361#p85361

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It got pushed a week up, only to now potentially reach consumer's hands around when it was originally announced to come out. What else could I call it?

 

It does make me wonder if perhaps the CD plant got informed too late that it was going to release early, even if I'm sure there'd be enough communication to prevent that sort of thing. More likely a COVID related thing.

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