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Wow, almost none of FSM's releases over the past TWO YEARS have been Golden Age (I'm frankly disappointed not to see them show up with regularity any more), the big exception being the Rozsa Treasury. In recent years they've gotten much more into the 70s and especially 80s than they have in the past. And they've released AT LEAST as many Holy Grails as Intrada or LaLaLand. The difference with FSM, and the reason they don't have a reputation for sell-outs, is because Lukas doesn't like them and tries to avoid them, even if it hurts him financially. He wants to make sure the music remains available to collectors, even if it's a more obscure score. Hence why he releases 3000 copies for Leigh Harline (Broken Lance, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao) or even more obscure, underappreciated composers. Do you see Intrada doing that? No. For the obscure stuff (and even not so obscure -- look at The Miracle Worker) they are content to press only 1000 copies and sell out quickly.
To reiterate: All of the labels release a pretty even mixture of Holy Grails and obscure stuff, but FSM doesn't put small limits on the obscure stuff, so they have more of their catalog still hanging around.
Yavar
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Posted: |
Jun 15, 2010 - 8:53 AM
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By: |
alexp
(Member)
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I just listened to half of Disc 1 of Outland the other night. I am impressed with the robust sound quality of the source material—the crispness of the brass, the pounding of the bass, even the subtle background sounds of score pages turning (those sound elements must be pretty damn good), but those sounds are low-level and do not disturb the enjoyment of music.
I could have done without the source cues which are awful, but I can program them out.
I like the source music and, being a fan of the film and the music, it is also keeper. My minor quip is that after a soft sounding music track where I had the volume turned up high, the thumping disco-tech music hits you immediately and it surprised me, so, I had to quickly lower the volume.
My thanks to Lukas, Mike, and Bruce for presenting this almost 30 year-old score and making it sound as if it were recorded yesterday.
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Wow, almost none of FSM's releases over the past TWO YEARS have been Golden Age (I'm frankly disappointed not to see them show up with regularity any more), the big exception being the Rozsa Treasury.
The Rozsa Treasury is pretty big exception! And don't forget the Raksin set and the Western collections. If you look at the total number of discs/films represented by these sets they balance out a bit more compared with the Silver Age titles.
Plus, I happen to know that there will be some Golden Age titles in the not-too-distant future that should please collectors.
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Posted: |
Jun 15, 2010 - 9:59 AM
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By: |
rickO
(Member)
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I just listened to half of Disc 1 of Outland the other night. I am impressed with the robust sound quality of the source material—the crispness of the brass, the pounding of the bass, even the subtle background sounds of score pages turning (those sound elements must be pretty damn good), but those sounds are low-level and do not disturb the enjoyment of music.
I could have done without the source cues which are awful, but I can program them out.
I like the source music and, being a fan of the film and the music, it is also keeper. My minor quip is that after a soft sounding music track where I had the volume turned up high, the thumping disco-tech music hits you immediately and it surprised me, so, I had to quickly lower the volume.
My thanks to Lukas, Mike, and Bruce for presenting this almost 30 year-old score and making it sound as if it were recorded yesterday.
This edition of OUTLAND is fantastic -- the subtlety and magic of Goldsmith's score really comes alive on the recording! 79-83 is my favorite Goldsmith time period. He still retained a lot of the experimental sound palletes from earlier in his career but married to a more streamlined style -- really listenable and interesting!
The Boddicker source cues are actually interesting and well worth inclusion. Reminds me of 80s pop songs! Goldsmith didn't quite hit the mark with his versions of the dance music -- so it's nice to hear the film versions which I prefer.
Good job FSM!
-Rick O.
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Posted: |
Jun 15, 2010 - 10:41 AM
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By: |
Mark Ford
(Member)
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This was one of my favorite scores when it came out and I played the LP to death, so having this new release from FSM is just plain fantastic. This will sit nicely on the shelf next to Intrada's superlative Alien set as a companion piece.
The score tracks at times are very similar to the album tracks, however there are just as many times that the approach is quite different with cues taking on more tension through accelerated tempi and even more aggressive playing from the orchestra. The additional cues not on the original album or in the film, are more than I could have ever hoped for making this an exceptional release for me.
I've always felt this was one of the best examples of a combined orchestral and electronic score. The electronics really help reflect and magnify the atmosphere of the movie in a way that fits in with the orchestra in a natural, seamless way. I don't really care for the Boddicker source cues preferring the Goldsmith ones, so I can reprogram disc one swapping them out. I agree with rickO that they sound a lot like music from the 80s which is the reason they don't really work for me. They should represent something with a less familiar sound since they are meant to come from an unknown future. That's just one of the things I like about being given as much of the material as possible, if you wish you can re-sequence an album in a way that best suits your tastes and sensibilities---you have the option. Plus, here you get the original album sequencing as well, the best of both worlds.
And as always, FSM's rich and informative liner notes (here Jeff and Lukas) are tops. Grand Slam Lukas!
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Posted: |
Jun 15, 2010 - 11:50 AM
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By: |
rickO
(Member)
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This was one of my favorite scores when it came out and I played the LP to death, so having this new release from FSM is just plain fantastic. This will sit nicely on the shelf next to Intrada's superlative Alien set as a companion piece.
The score tracks at times are very similar to the album tracks, however there are just as many times that the approach is quite different with cues taking on more tension through accelerated tempi and even more aggressive playing from the orchestra. The additional cues not on the original album or in the film, are more than I could have ever hoped for making this an exceptional release for me.
I've always felt this was one of the best examples of a combined orchestral and electronic score. The electronics really help reflect and magnify the atmosphere of the movie in a way that fits in with the orchestra in a natural, seamless way. I don't really care for the Boddicker source cues preferring the Goldsmith ones, so I can reprogram disc one swapping them out. I agree with rickO that they sound a lot like music from the 80s which is the reason they don't really work for me. They should represent something with a less familiar sound since they are meant to come from an unknown future. That's just one of the things I like about being given as much of the material as possible, if you wish you can re-sequence an album in a way that best suits your tastes and sensibilities---you have the option. Plus, here you get the original album sequencing as well, the best of both worlds.
And as always, FSM's rich and informative liner notes (here Jeff and Lukas) are tops. Grand Slam Lukas!
If the movie had been made today, the source music would probably sound like Lady Gaga, LOL. The time period a movie is made always reflects the time period in which the movie takes place, even historical movies. Whether it's the music, the actors or the special effects. It's interesting "time" filters through everything.
-Rick O.
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Page 9 of the notes addresses "The Showdown". It was another Morton Steven's re-score and it could not be located.
Neil
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Posted: |
Jun 18, 2010 - 10:43 AM
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By: |
Mark Ford
(Member)
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If the movie had been made today, the source music would probably sound like Lady Gaga, LOL. The time period a movie is made always reflects the time period in which the movie takes place, even historical movies. Whether it's the music, the actors or the special effects. It's interesting "time" filters through everything.
-Rick O.
I agree with you Rick. What I was trying to get at in my post was that I preferred Goldsmith's source cues because it seemed he was trying to project what he imagined future music might sound like in his cues and not filter them through the then current day musical sensibilities (compound meters and rhythms aren't the stuff of contemporary dance music even today). Going with a contemporary sound may make it easier for the audience to relate to, but it isn't the same thing as trying to create something that tries to best represent the time period, even an imagined one, of the film. Either approach is valid and I just personally prefer the composer's approach here as it fits his overall vision of the future and doesn't take me out of the listening experience as much with contemporary sensibilities.
Goldsmith did something similar in Logan's Run and many hate his futuristic sounding electronics as a stand alone listen, but I think they served the film quite well and would have been less effective and less true to the subject matter if they had sounded like 70's music. And yes, some of them make for a rough listening experience on their own!
Good topic of discussion and a heck of a score!
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Is the DVD of Outland as bad as reviewers say... with respect to a terrible image transfer?
I don't think it's necessarily bad. It's just an old DVD from '97 or '98 when DVDs were brand new babies. Watching it today, it probably looks cruddy compared to DVDs produced in recent years.
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Is the DVD of Outland as bad as reviewers say... with respect to a terrible image transfer?
Sadly it is. It's an old 4x3 transfer that was used for the widescreen laser disc, released around 1991. I think the package might say it's 16x9 enhanced, but don't believe it.
There is a gorgeous HD transfer that has been shown on cable. Hopefully that will turn up on video sooner rather than later.
Neil
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