Poseidon Adventure Reaction
by Lukas Kendall
Last Wednesday we announced our second title in the FSM Silver Age Classics
series of limited edition releases - available exclusively from our magazine
and web site. This is John Williams's The Paper Chase and The
Poseidon Adventure, two complete scores on one CD - with a bonus of
the main title from 1974's Conrack, also by Williams. (Some folks
asked if they could order just one score or the other... um, no... they're
on the same disc together.)
For complete info, see http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/articles/15_Jul---The_Poseidon_Adventure_CD.html
Here are some great letters we received, in addition to the many orders
from excited readers:
From: jason.henry@lw.com
You guys are the virtual Stud Muffins! of the modern film music
genre. It was in 1972 (age 11) that I walked the 2 miles to my local 4-plex
in Oklahoma City to hear and see Poseidon Adventure, and to discover an
awesome melding of vision and sound. Like you, my initial foray into film
music began with Barry's Bonds (You Only Live Twice '67) wetting my appetite
for what eventually became an obsessive quest for dramatic orchestral film
scoring. I must have made that walk every sunday (after a forced church
service with the family) for 10 weeks to see (hear really) that main title,
for which I became spellbound and permanently transfixed. From there, it
became apparent that there were others as well, aside from Barry and Williams;
Herrmann, Goldsmith, Newman, Rozsa and the rest.
For POSEIDON ADVENTURE to see a long overdue release is truly a
grand effort on your part. Even if it's not stereo (1972??, How could this
have happened at FOX?) I'm confident the recording will be a meticulously
crafted effort. Good work Lukas!
We do have two tracks (six minutes) of Poseidon in stereo, as
well as bits and pieces of The Paper Chase. The complete scores
to each WERE recorded in stereo, or to be more specific, they were recorded
in a multi-track format that can be remixed to stereo if all of the reels
survived the years intact. Sadly, for both of these scores, the reels were
damaged - the magnetic 35mm reels simply deteriorated with age. We were
lucky that some of them were playable at all. (It doesn't seem to make
sense, but some of the masters from the early '70s have been the worse
for wear compared to recordings from the '50s and '60s... it's due to the
film stock they were using at the time, plus the vagaries of where the
reels were stored.)
From: "Cory D. Lewis" <cdlewis@holly.ColoState.EDU>
I've been a Williams fan ever since I can remember enjoying movie
scores, but I'm not what one would call a "completist." For example,
after seeing Rosewood in the theatre, I decided against running out and
picking up Williams' score (despite the hype) until I got the chance to
give it a better listen, after which I still decided against buying it.
My favorite scores have been (of course) the Star Wars/Indy Trilogies,
Empire of the Sun, and Far and Away. My question is this: Is the Poseidon
Adventure a guaranteed classic or more of interest to collectors for completion/nostalgic
value? I definately don't want to pass on this opportunity if it is indeed
one of Williams' best, but I must confess that I will need to save my pennies
in the meantime. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance and keep up the great
work!
This is a bit of an awkward question for us to answer, because of course
we want to sell as many of these discs as we can. Here the completely honest
response: the main and end titles to The Poseidon Adventure feature
a stunning Williams theme which IS a classic and which his fans are sure
to love. Personally, I would buy a CD just for this theme.
Most of the interior cues to Poseidon are dissonant and claustrophobic,
and not as exciting as the theme, but I know fans of the film will want
to hear them. Then there's the main title to Conrack, and certain passages
from The Paper Chase (the "Passing of Wisdom" piece),
which should appeal to fans of Williams's modern-day efforts - they're
really lovely.
And finally, yes, there are some pop-oriented pieces from both The
Paper Chase and Poseidon which we included for completist/nostalgic
reasons.
Altogether, we tried to cram enough stuff on this disc (75 min.) and
wrap it up in cool notes and artwork so that it is worth the $19.95. The
CD is of course going to be a different listening experience than Star
Wars or Far and Away, but we think it's good and sure hope readers
do too... and the Poseidon theme is as close to guaranteed "great"
we can ever offer.
From: "James F. Clark" <Jfclark@ROPESGRAY.COM>
My sincerest thanks for issuing the John Williams CD. I'm especially
excited about listening to the score to the Paper Chase. As a Harvard Law
School student myself, I find that movie particularly relevant to daily
life. Sorrowfully comical, ThePaper Chase gave the Law School a handicapped
reputation which it has spent a generation in trying to overcome. (While
I have fun there, there are still professors there who behave like John
Houseman.) My classmates and I will definitely get a kick out of listening
to the score. Thanks very much again!
From: Brad Mcdowell <Brad_Mcdowell@SUTH.COM>
Lukas Kendall, you have made my day, week, and possibly my Year.
My jaw dropped with your announcement that Silver Age Classics next release
will be The Poseidon Adventure. I thought that after 26 years, this score
would never get the commercial release that it deserved.
For many it was Star Wars that made John Williams a household name,
but my initial discovery of John Williams music was through The Poseidon
Adventure. I remember going to see this movie three times at the theater,
twice because I loved the movie, I went the third time to concentrate on
listening to the music which captivated me. I searched record stores endlessly
looking for a vinyl copy of the score, not knowing that it had never been
released.
With the new score for Saving Private Ryan in 1998, the release
of Thomas and the King from Jay Records, Varese Sarabande's upcoming releases
for The Towering Inferno (excerpts), Midway, and Amazing Stories, and your
releases of the Poseidon Adventure, The Paper Chase, and the theme from
Conrack, this is turning out to be one hell of a year for fans of John
Williams's music.
I can only hope that you are considering the release of more John
Williams unreleased scores. You know the titles!!!
This announcement certainly makes Silver Age Classics a contender
for record label of the year. Keep up the great work.
Thanks!
From: Robert0320@aol.com
This is a good question and one we've been waiting for. Here at FSM
we have a strict no-bootleg policy: we do not review or mention them. Frankly
we don't buy them or listen to them, either. I will mention the Poseidon
bootleg CD from a couple of years ago only because I know some people
have it, and are wondering the same thing as Robert0320.
There is only one thing on the bootleg CD that we do not have: the song
"The Morning After" as commercially available. We did not include
it for several reasons: 1) It's not by John Williams. 2) We did not have
access to the film version - no tapes. Actually, I don't even know what
the film version is or if it's been released, but we had no elements whatsoever
for the song. 3) We did not have the budget to license the commercially
available recording which the idiots who made the bootleg swiped.
And most importantly: (4) Our CD is 75 minutes as it is, and we decided
we'd rather add the six-minute main title to Conrack (which has
never been available) than scrape up some rendition of this song... which
Williams did not write.
How else does our CD differ? Well, we did upgrade six minutes to stereo,
and in general have a better mastering, from a professional engineer who
worked directly with the mono reel-to-reel tape source for all of the non-stereo
tracks. Oh yeah, and our CD has a whole OTHER COMPLETE SCORE on it, The
Paper Chase, plus the aforementioned Conrack main title.
Also, I don't suppose it means anything that our CD is legitimate, that
we are paying the people involved, and that we've done a color 16-page
booklet illustrated with photos from the Fox Archives, with new liner notes
by Jeff Bond and Jeff Eldridge.
In short, our CD has every piece of John Williams music as the bootleg,
in better sound (two tracks are stereo), and with proper packaging and
notes... and at around half the price! We have heard time and time again
from collectors who say that they will always buy a score legitimately
even if they already have a bootleg of it. Well, we've put our money
where our mouth is - we hope you do the same.
Thanks again for your support and send your orders and questions today!
As we previously wrote...
How to Order!
For best results:
1) Print and
mail or fax this form (link here to separate order form for easy printing).
or...
2) Send an e-mail with your name, address, and order and include your
VISA or MasterCard number and ex. date. We will be offering a secure-server
thingamajig in approximately two weeks, but you know what? This is perfectly
safe. Mail to: Order@filmscoremonthly.com.
Remember:
1) Name
2) Address
3) VISA or MasterCard number with expiration date.
4) How many copies you want and the total cost. The disc is $19.95
plus shipping: U.S./Canada: $3.00 first disc, $1.50 each additional. Rest
of world: $5.00 first disc, $3.00 each additional.
For easy computing:
If you're in the U.S. or Canada, it's $22.95 for one copy, or $44.40
for two copies.
If you're somewhere else, it's $24.95 for one copy, or $47.90 for two
copies.
Discs will ship the first week of August! Thanks again!
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