Albums vs. C&C Presentations

OneBuckFilms · **Joined:** Thu Jun 24, 2010 10:03 am **Posts:** 303

Although I love C & C personally, I'm also completely in agreement with how Intrada presents the scores to First Blood and Alien.

As much as I've argued with you, Thor, about the merits of C & C releases, we both agree on the merits of a great album arrangement.

WorkingWithKnives · **Posted:** Thu Jun 30, 2011 4:47 pm

A disc I'd like to work with and place in some sort of coherent order is the CD of Don Peake's score to the 1976 version of The Hills Have Eyes released by Hitchcock Media. It seems the entire master tape was transferred as is to CD, complete with studio talk amongst the composer and musicians, the main title I believe is something like track 26. At first it bothered me and then I really enjoyed listening the the rawness of it all. Maybe the fact the film involves a group of wacked out, primitive, desert dwelling psychotics made that possible. Haven't seen the film in years, I'd like to place the tracks in cronological order just to see what the effect would be like.

Vanmunchen · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2011 2:01 am

Ivan-007 · **Joined:** Thu Sep 02, 2010 12:48 am **Posts:** 78

Well, I prefer COMPLETE score.
But if composer use only one theme 6 time successively (1 cue - 20 sec., 2 cue - 5 min., 3 cue - 1 min. etc with the SAME material), I prefer album version+extras.
If composer use more then 2 themes (like Barry in Hammett, for example), i prefer C&C presentation.
So all depends on that, if composer composes music for a concrete scenes, or he composes MUSIC (you know that there are some score that works good with movie and bad when you listen it separately - all depends on composer's skill)

Alan · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2011 3:56 am

Swashbuckler · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:55 am

I too have to take this all on a case-by-case basis. There are times when I much prefer a C&C presentation, but there is a specific skill to making a good album that many scores can benefit from. First Blood is a good example because while I am very happy to have the additional music offered by the complete score presentation, in general I will listen to the LP version. On the other hand, I haven't listened to the album of The Wind and the Lion much since the C&C version came out, which I find much more satisfying. And there's no point for me to listen to the shorter Clash of the Titans when the complete version is so much more colorful and detailed.

Part of the problem with abbreviating scores is that what is essential and what isn't is so much a matter of taste. As I've mentioned before, as much as I love John Williams' film music, I don't like the way he arranges his soundtrack albums very much.* On the other hand, I also love Elliot Goldenthal's film music and tend to be wholly satisfied with the way that he puts his albums together. They're doing the same thing: restructuring the score for listening purposes and combining cues, but the choices Williams makes doesn't fit my taste as well as those that Goldenthal does. It is, ultimately, too subjective; one of my favorite cues from Cherry 2000 didn't appear on the original album at all because it was too short (it's the goofy "Lester Follows").

The length of the score does make a difference too, I think; a shorter score can more easily be represented on an album.

I will say this as well; when both are available, it gives the music lover in me a nice choice. I like being able to listen to Howard Shore's more concise Lord of the Rings albums because I'm not always up for the marathon of the CRs; but when I am, I have a very good time listening to them. I like both having both versions of Capricorn One on my iPod because I like them both for very different reasons. Similarly, I can choose between the jazzier original album of Bullitt or the more rock-oriented original soundtrack recording. I like having the variations, subtle as they may be.

* - This refers to albums made from original soundtrack recordings, not his album re-recordings, such as Jaws, The Fury or E.T., etc, which I tend to enjoy.

Larry Deutchman · **Joined:** Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:53 am **Posts:** 219

I think Roger may have said it a long time ago and I think it's the ideal way to go. Make an album and then provide the rest of the tracks as bonus material including complete versions of cues that were merged/edited/reordered, but provide the C&C order in the liner notes so somebody who prefers it can rearrange the tracks to fit their taste but the ultimate listening experience as envisioned by the CD producer is there as well.

Having said that, I do prefer C&C but am one of the non-spoiled who believes that every time I get access to this music in any form its better than where I was before so I'll take it in whatever form I can get it and feel grateful for it.

Thor · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2011 9:23 am

tharpdevenport · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2011 9:41 am

Master tapes only last for so long. They go missing after being used, sometimes (perfect example: Elfman's "Family Dog"). They may not get a second pass before the tapes degrade. Studios may change heads, be bought out, and suddenly we're shut out for an indefinate period of time. The fanbase for each score, only lives so long.

Presentation is irrelevant -- let us just enjoy the whole score, while the tapes exist and labels have access to them, and make our own playlists.

You can please some of the people some of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't please ALL the fans ALL of the time. A complete presentation allows all fans to make of it what they will. Thor, is a distraction from happiness and preservation of music history.

Thor · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:08 am

tharpdevenport · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:16 am

You earned it.

kipling71 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2011 11:22 am

TerraEpon · **Joined:** Thu Sep 07, 2006 5:45 pm **Posts:** 785

bruce marshall · **Joined:** Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:16 pm **Posts:** 775

here is my latest 'album' presentation:

LOGAN'S RUN - Jerry Goldsmith
FIlm Score Monthly cd

program tracks
1,4,6,7,16,8,9,12,15,17,18,19,20t

TT: 41 minutes

close your eyes and pretend its an episode of THRILLER!

Other titles availabe in this 'series':
MARATHON MAN; BLACK SUNDAY; ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS, SOME CAME RUNNING; KLUTE

bruce marshall · **Joined:** Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:16 pm **Posts:** 775

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Albums vs. C&C Presentations

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