 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm listening to the Decca tracks right now (as WAVs). It's interesting how a heavy no-noise filter can make an uncompressed file sound essentially the same as a lossy MP3. It's actually worse than I remember.
I'd cite "Man Against Beast" as a great example.
I guess it depends on whether the line will stop this year or continue after as a generic Universal line. Doug said JAWS wasn't coming in the 100th sadly; I agree it would've been a fine way to deliver it.
Hopefully it will come soon with or without the 100th. LLL would also do a bang-up job.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Sep 17, 2013 - 5:49 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
danbeck
(Member)
|
Some factual information on the issues with the Decca release (from Doug on the Intrada board - and very good news about the conditions of the original tapes) 
"Yep, we would agree with you on JAWS. What happened on that anniversary release is this: the actual, original three-channel recording session masters, long dormant, were finally pulled and the decision to remix them into 5.1 sound to accompany the audio restoration of the film happened. Those new mixes became the new music masters that were vaulted after the film restoration. This new 5.1 mix for the film was an okay idea, of course, but did not fold back down to two-track stereo very well. On top of that, the nominal hiss present in 1975 35mm three-channel stereo session recordings (most Universal scoring sessions were then recorded this way) was deemed too intrusive for the film restoration and greatly suppressed, necessitating new EQ settings which oddly reduced rather than enhanced the listening experience. Everyone we have ever spoken with about this seems disappointed in the sound of that first-ever release of the actual soundtrack. And this is, of course, as famous a soundtrack as there ever was! But, in some of the coolest news soundtrack fans will probably ever hear, those precious original three-channel stereo sessions do survive, every priceless roll, fully intact and un-tampered with.
--Doug"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
So, it's worth waiting before picking up a Jaws CD?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Very good news indeed. I'm hopeful Doug's knowledge of the condition of the masters comes from having looked at them recently. As I said over there, a two-disc set really needs to happen before deterioration begins to either score or album sources.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Some factual information on the issues with the Decca release (from Doug on the Intrada board - and very good news about the conditions of the original tapes)
"Yep, we would agree with you on JAWS. What happened on that anniversary release is this: the actual, original three-channel recording session masters, long dormant, were finally pulled and the decision to remix them into 5.1 sound to accompany the audio restoration of the film happened. Those new mixes became the new music masters that were vaulted after the film restoration. This new 5.1 mix for the film was an okay idea, of course, but did not fold back down to two-track stereo very well. On top of that, the nominal hiss present in 1975 35mm three-channel stereo session recordings (most Universal scoring sessions were then recorded this way) was deemed too intrusive for the film restoration and greatly suppressed, necessitating new EQ settings which oddly reduced rather than enhanced the listening experience. Everyone we have ever spoken with about this seems disappointed in the sound of that first-ever release of the actual soundtrack. And this is, of course, as famous a soundtrack as there ever was! But, in some of the coolest news soundtrack fans will probably ever hear, those precious original three-channel stereo sessions do survive, every priceless roll, fully intact and un-tampered with.
--Doug"
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
So, it's worth waiting before picking up a Jaws CD?
I want badly to read between the lines and believe a release is coming soon, but Doug is good. I'm sure it'll come at some point. So yes, I'd wait.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A new JAWS would be this score's fourth time on CD, right? That's not unprecedented: there are four CD editions of the 1978 BATTLESTAR GALACTICA movie. Maybe RAMBO had that many times at bat, I'm not sure.
For myself, I'm so satisfied with old MCA JAWS CD that I never bought an upgrade.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Decca "Anniversary" release still sounds just fine to me. But I would happily buy a new edition, which is probably only a matter of time as this point.
Haha, Michael, post of the day! Great stuff!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You got a CD case for the Decca? I got this shitty piece of garbage digipack. I nfact, I think it was a slip-in CD holder, too. I'd need to double check that.
EDIT: I recall now the CD fit into the tray, but the booklet was a slide out like some kind of LP. Great for protecting the booklet, pure utter shit for housing in a CD case, 'cause it has a tendancy to want to slip out if you pick it up the wrong way, especially if you have a CD holder with the back on the floor instead of upright.
I was satified with what the sound swas on the Decca CD, though it never quite sounded right, so a remastering from a label that wopuld pour love into it, like Intrada or La La Land, would definitively be worth my purchase.
And that MCA re-recording is fantastic. A remastering of that, since it's never sounded good, would be great. I'm not one for film score re-recodings, for a number of reasons, but I felt this is perhaps one of the best re-recodings I have heard.
That would make a hell of a double-whammy set.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Sep 18, 2013 - 6:22 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
nerfTractor
(Member)
|
Just get the Varese rerecording people, the sound on it is pretty decent I don't know if it's complete or even if the tempo is right, as I've never managed to listen to the whole thing. Not a score I go back to often. The original MCA release is the best listen, for me anyway.
"[P]retty decent" sound or not, the very talented Mr McNeely's version just can't match the performance John Williams got from his merry band, certainly not in the MCA re-recording. As for the original, I'm all for addressing the muddy sound. I'd spend my money on a sonically-improved release of either one. Both released together would be a dream.
... and don't get me started on Jaws 2. The Varèse straight re-issue has really good sound actually, but as we all know there is a fair amount of unreleased music. And yes, in this case, it's all worth it, every note.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Just get the Varese rerecording people, the sound on it is pretty decent I don't know if it's complete or even if the tempo is right, as I've never managed to listen to the whole thing. Not a score I go back to often.
The only good thing about McNeely's version is the souped-up take on what sounds like an early draft of Williams' "Quint Meets His End." It's amazing, and has a hair-raising moment that doesn't appear in the version on the Decca disc. The moment I'm talking about is actually in the samples on the iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/jaws-original-motion-picture/id288970545
It loses its power from not hearing the rest of the cue, but still---damn.
The rest of it, especially the action material, is either sloppy or makes use of alternate, inferior orchestrations (the snare drums in particular just don't sound right). Still, listen to that one track.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's funny that as I was coming here I had The Pier Incident on my iPod. I was thinking "Hmmm. Wonder if anyone is considering a new Jaws CD?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
So, it's worth waiting before picking up a Jaws CD?
I want badly to read between the lines and believe a release is coming soon, but Doug is good. I'm sure it'll come at some point. So yes, I'd wait.
Me too. Carefully reading between the lines, fingers crossed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
