Will The Sugarland Express finally be released for its 50th Anniversary?

[crumbs 14,385]

2024 marks the 50th anniversary of The Sugarland Express, the very first Spielberg/Williams collaboration. Both Intrada and LLL have tried to release this score over the years (LLL as the opening title of their Universal heritage collection in 2018), even presenting an assembly of the score to Williams before he nixed the release.

 

Years later, Mike Matessino mentioned he had "an idea" to change JW's mind about releasing the score, but we've heard nothing since.

 

There's only 3 non-Disney/pre-2005 Spielberg/Williams scores remaining for Mike to expand (Sugarland, CMIYC and Terminal). Could the 50th anniversary be the trigger that finally convinces Williams to change his mind on Sugarland, and bring Mike's restoration of the Spielberg/Williams collaboration full circle? (at least for the scores the labels can currently access).

 

Spielberg is attending a June screening of the film at the Tribeca Film Festival, complete with a post-screening conversation with the director. Any JWFanners planning to attend? Not sure if they're doing an audience Q&A but it might be a great opportunity to ask him about a soundtrack release.

[JTN 2,257]

I see two possibilites.

 

1. The original soundtrack is released, remastered by Mike.

 

2. It is rerecorded by The Hollywood Studio Symphony conducted by David Newman, approved by JW and Spielberg.

 

Either way it’s a win-win situation. 

[Ollie 1,069]

I hope so. This is an important score in Williams career as it marks the beginning of his relationship with Spielberg. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,735]

Why has JW always nixed its release?

[Luke Skywalker 1,813]

He seems not to be happy with the outcome, let it be craftmanship from his part or the performance of the orchestra.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,735]

That's understandable.

I wouldn't like to have anything sub-par with my name attached, to be released. I don't want my work misrepresented.

 

[Smaug The Iron 519]

3 hours ago, crumbs said:

There's only 3 non-Disney/pre-2005 Spielberg/Williams scores remaining for Mike to expand (Sugarland, CMIYC and Terminal). Could the 50th anniversary be the trigger that finally convinces Williams to change his mind on Sugarland, and bring Mike's restoration of the Spielberg/Williams collaboration full circle? (at least for the scores the labels can currently access).

It would be really lovely it Sugarland and The Terminal come out this year for the 50th and 20th anniversary.

Then do CMIYC next year and after that we must wait for Disney to realise that what fans wants is a 100% complete release (mastered by Mike) of Indiana Jones (and Star Wars) and that the reissue fee for the post 2005 is gone or changed so we can get the last 7 Spielberg/Williams scores. 

[crumbs 14,385]

3 minutes ago, Smaug The Iron said:

the reissue fee for the post 2005 is gone or changed so we can get the last 7 Spielberg/Williams scores. 

 

I'm quietly hopeful once we pass the 20 year threshold from the stupid cutoff date, the AFM will be more open to granting waivers to scores older than 20 years.

 

If that came to pass, we could theoretically get Munich and Memoirs next year.

[JTN 2,257]

In Mike we trust.

[filmmusic 1,909]

I don't think we'll see a release during Williams's lifetime!

[Jurassic Shark 12,250]

7 hours ago, JTN said:

I see two possibilites.

 

1. The original soundtrack is released, remastered by Mike.

 

2. It is rerecorded by The Hollywood Studio Symphony conducted by David Newman, approved by JW and Spielberg.

 

Either way it’s a win-win situation. 

 

Third possibility: no release. 

[filmmusic 1,909]

7 hours ago, JTN said:

2. It is rerecorded by The Hollywood Studio Symphony conducted by David Newman, approved by JW and Spielberg.

Why it should be re-recorded? I don't think the master tapes are lost.

Unless you mean because Williams is not happy with the original recording.

[JTN 2,257]

11 minutes ago, filmmusic said:

Unless you mean because Williams is not happy with the original recording.

Yes, I mean that.

[A. A. Ron 1,750]

I doubt a release is coming in the short term, but I also don’t really care much for this score or really any of Williams’ music for harmonica. The movie’s pretty good though.

[JTN 2,257]

This release would be historical. 

[Andy 4,283]

The original version of the main theme is much better (more earnest and natural 70s) than the far too bluesy revised concert arrangement.   I’d rather they not do  a re-recording. 

[Mr. Hooper 1,996]

Can't say I'm clamouring for it, TBH.

[Richard Penna 3,782]

I saw a clip once with some extremely sparse scoring (here) - very percussion based. The main theme as presented on one of the JW/SS compilations is nice but I suspect that for most of us that's all we really need.

 

More a release for historical reasons than notable musical value imo.

[Thor 7,679]

Perhaps, but as a completist, I would need to have this regardless. Doubt it's going to happen while Williams is still alive, though.

[Jurassic Shark 12,250]

I don't think Mike is going to lift a finger to get this released as long as Thor wants it.

[JTN 2,257]

But we all want it. The problem is JW doesn’t.

[GerateWohl 4,497]

I don't know the score. But I wonder for example why Williams gave a go for a score like The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, which he put together in just two weeks and but then vetoes The Sugarland Express, which is his debut with Spielberg.

[JTN 2,257]

Knowing what a perfectionist JW is, I doubt that the reason why he hasn’t allowed TSE to be released yet is that he isn’t happy with the performance, more like with the recording. Or the composition maybe, but I highly doubt that for the same reason, because JW would never write and present a score to the director that he’s unsatisfied with or doesn’t believe that it’s good enough for the film. So it must be something else. So perhaps he thinks that the recording is not up to his standards, and he couldn’t do anything about it at the time and has let it go since. What he could have done and still could do, is rerecord it, which, for some unknown reason, he didn’t do. So it’s possible he doesn’t like that score and doesn’t want people to associate it with him other than in the film or its theme that he did rerecord. Anyway, I hope he will change his mind and let someone like Dave Newman record it in the best possible sound quality for the fans.

[Andy 4,283]

1 hour ago, GerateWohl said:

I don't know the score. But I wonder for example why Williams gave a go for a score like The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, which he put together in just two weeks and but then vetoes The Sugarland Express, which is his debut with Spielberg.

 

I may be wrong, but I think a lot of the FSM Silver Age titles snuck through before these things required Williams' approval.(?) I think it was more a matter of studio permission rather than Williams permission.

 

Anyways, I listened to a boot of Sugarland a year or two ago, and was surprised.  I rather liked it, more than I like the concert arrangement.

[Edmilson 7,650]

What task will be the hardest for Mike: to convince JW to release Sugarland or to convince Disney to produce Star Wars and Indy expansions?

[Holko 9,618]

20 minutes ago, Andy said:

 

Anyways, I listened to a boot of Sugarland a year or two ago, and was surprised.  I rather liked it, more than I like the concert arrangement.

From the movie I really liked it, it has a lot more swagger and personality than the Spielberg/Williams piece. I'd buy it without a second thought.

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30 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

What task will be the hardest for Mike: to convince JW to release Sugarland or to convince Disney to produce Star Wars and Indy expansions?

 

I wouldn't be surprised if everything else gets done before either of these scenarios come to pass.

[Jay 37,549]

1 hour ago, GerateWohl said:

I don't know the score. But I wonder for example why Williams gave a go for a score like The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, which he put together in just two weeks and but then vetoes The Sugarland Express, which is his debut with Spielberg.

 

I don't think anyone was asking for Williams' blessing when doing those early expansions in the late 90s and early 00s

[Thor 7,679]

46 minutes ago, Andy said:

I may be wrong, but I think a lot of the FSM Silver Age titles snuck through before these things required Williams' approval.(?) I think it was more a matter of studio permission rather than Williams permission.

 

Yes, that's it. Thankfully, we did get a handful of Williams premieres out in this 'wild west' time.

[GerateWohl 4,497]

47 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

I don't think anyone was asking for Williams' blessing when doing those early expansions in the late 90s and early 00s

Yes, but it is represented with seven tracks on the 20-disc "The Legend of John Williams" boxset, and I am sure, that this one is approved by Williams. And that is much more than Sugarland Express got so far.

[Jurassic Shark 12,250]

...which probably means an expansion is coming. 

[JTN 2,257]

2 hours ago, Jay said:

 

I don't think anyone was asking for Williams' blessing when doing those early expansions in the late 90s and early 00s

I shall let thee expand my score! 
 

 

1 hour ago, GerateWohl said:

it is represented with seven tracks on the 20-disc "The Legend of John Williams" boxset, and I am sure, that this one is approved by Williams.

Who could resist him?

[Andy 4,283]

2 hours ago, Holko said:

From the movie I really liked it, it has a lot more swagger and personality than the Spielberg/Williams piece.

Yes!  That’s it precisely. 

[Andy 4,283]

I think if and when the original recordings are heard, I think a lot of people will be surprised to find there's a better score here than we were led to believe.  We've all been conditioned by Williams himself to go, "Oh Sugarland, yeah.  That one's no good."

[Edmilson 7,650]

1 minute ago, Andy said:

I think a lot of people will be surprised to find there's a better score here than we were led to believe.

Of course it is. A "bad" score from John Williams is still miles ahead of the "best" score from like 70% of composers 

[Richard Penna 3,782]

5 hours ago, JTN said:

Or the composition maybe, but I highly doubt that for the same reason, because JW would never write and present a score to the director that he’s unsatisfied with or doesn’t believe that it’s good enough for the film. So it must be something else.

 

Quite a few leaps and assumptions there. If a composer is really up against it for time or resources, the film still needs the score regardless of what he produces. Even if there were no such constraints, this is not an overly prominent score and I can easily see there being some creative reason why he doesn't feel it represents his best abilities as a composer.

 

Given the number of composer interviews where even later on in their career they've been nervous about presenting material to the director and hoping it's what they wanted, there's no way Williams is immune to worrying if his music is good enough.

[Tallguy 3,547]

6 hours ago, Thor said:

Perhaps, but as a completist, I would need to have this regardless. Doubt it's going to happen while Williams is still alive, though.

 

You're a what now?

[JTN 2,257]

7 minutes ago, Richard Penna said:

I can easily see there being some creative reason why he doesn't feel it represents his best abilities as a composer.

That would be HEARTBEEPS.

[Tallguy 3,547]

3 minutes ago, JTN said:

That would be HEARTBEEPS.

 

1) Heartbeeps is awesome and

2) We can go listen to it right now on Spotify. Not so with Sugarland.

[Brando 1,895]

I have yet to watch this movie but find it amusing that Williams has vetoed it’s release (or possibly “escape” at this point) more than once. I see the movie has good reviews on IMDb, maybe I’ll check it out since it’s the 50th anniversary this year.

[JTN 2,257]

1 hour ago, Tallguy said:

We can go listen to it right now on Spotify. Not so with Sugarland.

That’s why we need a CD release of TSE.

[Yavar Moradi 2,650]

I don't remember Intrada saying they tried to release it... anyone got a link? I only knew of the LLL attempt, and Intrada's to release The Rare Breed and Story of a Woman.

 

Yavar

[Faleel 5,455]

1 hour ago, Tallguy said:

 

You're a what now?

Completist, as in, every "I need a representation of every score"

[Edmilson 7,650]

I wonder if the reason why Williams has an aversion to this score is if it due to personal reasons? The Sugarland Express was released on March 30, 1974, a few weeks after his first wife's death on March 3, 1974. So he may have some painful memories of the movie and its score?

 

I dunno, I'm just speculating.

[Stark 342]

That was the reason I had assumed.

[Jay 37,549]

Nah, the entire film was finished and in the can in 1973.  Universal moved it to 1974 at the last minute.

 

The last score he wrote before her death was Conrack.

 

The first score he wrote after her death was Earthquake.

[Luke Skywalker 1,813]

6 hours ago, Andy said:

I think if and when the original recordings are heard, I think a lot of people will be surprised to find there's a better score here than we were led to believe.  We've all been conditioned by Williams himself to go, "Oh Sugarland, yeah.  That one's no good."

And the hissy awful sounding boot doesnt help.

 

If we can get "Mike-raculously" a crystal clear release it would be an ear opener.

[crumbs 14,385]

I wonder if JW would change his mind if he knew such an awful quality bootleg of the score was circling online?

 

Or is that subject too taboo to even raise with him?

[Mr. Hooper 1,996]

2 hours ago, crumbs said:

I wonder if JW would change his mind if he knew such an awful quality bootleg of the score was circling online?

That might be the best argument to make, if quality is his main concern. Even if it's a career lowlight for him, better to have a good quality recording out there. One will probably come out eventually anyway, after his passing.

[Brando 1,895]

2 hours ago, crumbs said:

I wonder if JW would change his mind if he knew such an awful quality bootleg of the score was circling online?

 

Or is that subject too taboo to even raise with him?

Shoot if that’s how it works I’ll send him a letter myself and tell him there are boots and whatnot for SW and Indy floating around as well.