DRACULA is MIA and has been for quite some time. IF a label is working on it, all that has survived is so-so mono elements as far as I know.
Sad, I know, but such a beautiful score (in mono or not) is worthy of being saved and heard. I hope I'm not the only one who thinks this. (Are people *that* put off by monaural sound, when there's no other alternative? I mean, it's John Williams and the LSO!) Hope it's not deteriorated beyond saving, though, if it does still exist....
I have the LP and in the short notes from director John Badham, states that John Williams had never seen any previous film incarnation. It's a shame because James Bernard did some amazing scores for the Chris Lee films.
Not really. I'm at work, where youtube and many other sites are blocked. I won't have a chance to see your link until later in the week. Thanks, though.
It doesn't need re-recording. If complete elements cannot be found, put my vote towards a remaster and reissue of the original album.
I just wonder how much life can be remastered into this recording. Honestly, the distant, muffled sound of this recording (both on the LP and the CD reissue) has always killed this as a listening experience for me. Consequently, I never thought much of this score until I saw an excerpt performed by Williams at the Hollywood Bowl. Suddenly, the music was alive and wonderful! I put on the CD the next day, and again was disappointed.
So a rerecording might be the best bet, depending on what can be done with the tapes. I don't know that such a thing would make any financial sense, but creatively, I'd appreciate it.
It doesn't need re-recording. If complete elements cannot be found, put my vote towards a remaster and reissue of the original album.
I just wonder how much life can be remastered into this recording. Honestly, the distant, muffled sound of this recording (both on the LP and the CD reissue) has always killed this as a listening experience for me.
With my limited skills in Adobe Audition I've managed to clean up the muffled sound of the Varese CD presentation. It's not perfect but it doesn't sound like it's being played through a telephone anymore. I'm sure someone with more audio editing skills than I could make this album shine!
Sorry to hear that the masters are mssing. Perhaps we should get in touch with Eric Tomlinson who recorded and engineered the score recordings. Im sure the masters are somewhere stored and forgotten. This usualy happens when the boxes are mis-labelled and stored incorrectly. We always thought that CONAN THE BARBARIAN was lost and ultimately they were found in such great quality pristine sound. So I'm hoping that the label(s) will one day hit with an Eureka and bestow us with the goodies. Lets wait and be surprised. Hold the album remaster till they find them. 2CD set would be great!
I doubt the total time of recordings in this score would require 2 CD's, though I'd be the happiest John Williams fan ever if it did.
Let's not despair, though. Surely the LP master could be massaged by the likes of Neil Bulk and Chris Malone for an acceptable re-release--if it still resides in LA. This score's survival requires ANY MEANS NECESSARY to digitally archive it in the best sound possible.
If the effort has to reach the level of, say, FSM's TIOMKIN: THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, where the composer's personal acetate's were used, then so be it. The quality of composition and perfomance demands it.
The 20th century movie score cognoscenti (that's us) can accept no less than full archival restoration of this "minor" JW masterpiece, from whatever elements we're ultimately forced to accept.
I live in LA. If any record producer/label honchos want a free mule to scour the vaults for these tapes, I'll gladly do it for peanuts.
