Intrada Soundtrack Forum

Since a couple people have asked... this debut release is intended for a wider audience than us typical soundtrack fanatics. AND... the album we released won two Grammy Awards in its download version. All of us involved absolutely wanted to retain that program.

Our partnership with Walt Disney Records is already spawning several projects that are restorations aimed at you guys. So worry not. UP needed to be the album that Michael won his awards for. And it's the album I prefer.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of totally complete and chronological presentations unless the score actually warrants it. Somewhere along the line, someone started producing these soundtracks with an archival mindset and everyone sort of followed suit. Sad. Now our audience demands every note exactly the way editors put them into the picture, no matter what the composer would prefer.

Once upon a time, composers assembled really classy albums. Even today, I'd much rather hear Hans Zimmer or James Horner or John Williams or Michael Giacchino work with their music and assemble a great listening experience. Zimmer's PEACEMAKER is an album I play frequently. I have a DAT of the entire score running some two hours... and it's unlistenable in that form. Lots of short bits, repeated material, whatever. Ditto THE ROCK. Sometimes a solid, thoughtfully assembled album is just a better listening experience... no matter what the completists say. I will always prefer the musically sound album Jerry Goldsmith recorded for PATTON over the complete and chronological soundtrack - which, necessarily, has all the quiet stuff in the first half and all the loud stuff in the second half. It served the picture but it's not a great album sequence when slaved to the picture sequence.

Yes, many scores benefit from a complete presentation. But many don't. Sure, I'd rather listen to the complete ALIEN anyday. Goldsmith tossed out way too much material doing his album. But Poledouris put together a much better album on QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER when he omitted the numerous repeated cues and kept it at 40 minutes... in my opinion, of course. Anyway, I like the album Giacchino put together for UP. Apparently the Grammy folks did too. And I'm glad to see it released.

(And to the guy who wrote the snide comment on FSM right after we announced this release, I want to break his jaw.)
--Doug

As Roger himself already wrote, it depends.

Many great Intrada volumes were conceived and produced with the special intent to offer a complete program of masterpieces already produced (in many cases by Intrada itself, in some cases not from longtime).

RED DAWN, BANDOLERO!, FLESH+BLOOD, NIGHT CROSSING, INCHON, FIRST BLOOD, SILVERADO, TOMBSTONE, RAMBO III just to remember the most valuable of them.

I agree that I would not interested in listening 2 hrs. of Zimmer's music to PEACEMAKER.

My point is that I would be really interested to listen the whole marvelous work Giacchino wrote for this delightful movie that is UP. I think that's all.
Anyway, Douglass, I'm devoted to your work and I'm very happy with this new work.

I do agree that it's a matter of individual cases. And I tend to feel it has to do with the kind of film being scored. If there is a strong narrative throughout, and the music matches the dramatic flow well, as with ALIEN, EMPIRE STRIKES BACK etc, then the C&C approach can make an experience both musically and even dramatically satisfying. But for films where the narrative isn't as well-paced, or maybe just a so-so film where the music itself provides the drama, then a composer or producer's album sequence and editing may actually give some needed structure that was missing.

I'm glad both methods exist. My two cents' worth.

_________________
Randy Wilson
Dallas, TX

Many of the CD recordings Jerry Goldsmith produced from his own scores run slightly over and sometimes under 30 minutes. Sometimes expanding those scores seem like second guessing the person who knew best how to represent his music away from the films.

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"I used to worry about losing my mind. Now that I've lost it I don't worry about it anymore." -Wavy Gravy

And how many of those 30 minute discs were'nt 30 minutes just because of reuse fees?

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"I used to worry about losing my mind. Now that I've lost it I don't worry about it anymore." -Wavy Gravy

It's here! And it looks great. Once I'm finished watching Superman Returns, I imagine it'll sound great too.

Mmmm, nice! Delighted to receive this. Best of luck with whatever's next!

By the way, if one of your future releases should happen to be Mark Isham's wonderful music for "Eight Below" (only available on iTunes), why that'd be just fine with me.

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Karl Morton IV

"Enjoy every sandwich."
-- Warren Zevon

From Doug F:
But I assure you they don't get overly excited about titles like ONE LITTLE INDIAN or NIGHT CROSSING or BABY: SECRET OF THE LOST LEGEND or SHOOT TO KILL.


Well, I did! I cherish all of the above, play them ALL frequently ('cept STK, still waiting for
that to come in), so there!

And I'll take an EIGHT BELOW too - anyone notice how, starting with MIRACLE, at least that
I noticed, how aggressive Isham's brass and percussion writing has become? I love his work,
have followed everything he's done since NEVER CRY WOLF and his electronic masterpiece,
TROUBLE IN MIND, up to now, and if you trace the arc of his career, it's quite impressive.
Even if you think his writing is bland, ya can't argue that THE BLACK DAHLIA is unimpressive.
C'mon, I dare you

And to keep this on point, UP is amazing, I am very much looking forward to getting this.
The action writing harkens back to those fully formed action cues the composer used to
do for the Medal Of Honor series, and that brings me great joy - fully rounded action pieces
that work almost like a song in A B A form, sounding like Williams, but not really ripping him
off. I knew we were onto something when I heard those game scores 10 years ago, and I was
truly moved when I saw this fine composer get his Oscar, and deliver such a moving speech.
Not to mention the incredible take on Rota in this score, again, not a ripoff, but just residing
in the same neighborhood - and that sequence, the Happier Days scenes - I cannot listen to
this without tearing up, ever, which sucks, but shows the power of that piece....sigh.....