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Who knew?
Thanks, Achnaton.
**
Sure enough, the Varese CD arrived yesterday, and I'm very happy.
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Posted: |
Aug 12, 2020 - 1:59 PM
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By: |
Grecchus
(Member)
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I took the plunge a couple of hours ago and carefully extracted the CD, along with the booklet tucked into the card case. I didn't quite know what to expect, but having had the MCA (actually purchased from the Backtrack stand at one of Jerry's Barbican outings) I can't help but feel the mono second disc should have been included. It is definitely still short even at 72 minutes.
This is probably due to my having obtained the Tsunami, More Music From Spartacus (Backtrack again, but from the Rye premises), which contains some of the cues that needed to be available for an expansive listening session, even if their quality is somewhat questionable. And so, it appears the Spartacus Varese release is still short, except it took unwrapping the Complete Album Masters to feel the fine tipped pinch of what is omitted. The cues that really left the soundtrack wanting are the Roman/Crassus fanfares seen in the film as a montage, insterspersed with the slave army's viewpoint. Then there's the Battle after Formations, which is one the mightier 'ouch' points, followed by the battlefield aftermath itself. Does this mean Varese have yet to release that mono disc of goodies to offer the fullest archive of Spartacus to the soundtrack completist? I just don't see why they didn't cast the two discs together at the more opportune moment brought about by this thread's subject matter.
Edit: I couldn't find the Spactacus box from Varese so had to go about looking for it on the internet. It seems the mono tracks have to straddle two CDs because it is so expansive. That means a further 2-fer release from Varese, which does not seem likely. I've only just noticed that several releases have been made by other 'vendors' of a more expansive treatment of the score all told, so putting together a fair-bet 'ultimate' jigsaw puzzle of this film's tortuous soundtrack trek to the sparsely spread 'masses' who want it complete needs to be a carefully thought out exercise on the part of the would-be purchaser. The two booklets that come with the Varese Complete Album Masters disc are very nice compilations, I have to say.
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Posted: |
Aug 12, 2020 - 3:15 PM
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By: |
Grecchus
(Member)
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Yeah, LC, I have been a bit myopic on this score. I can see why Townson opted for a more expansive treatment, especially as there was the Tsunami imperfect 'addon' to cloud the issue when tying it up with the MCA Spartacus to form an expanded double, which was basically my objective in the light of not much information to go on at the time. It's not the first time I got caught out with Tsunami. Yet again from Backtrack, I got their Cleopatra, which was really extravagantly presented. It had a card slipcase cover and the jewel case itself had the title of "Cleopatra" impinted on the outside plastic of the frontispiece in gold-leaf lettering - something I've never seen before or since. It cost a pretty penny, and no sooner had I obtained that when Varese came out with their Cleopatra 2-fer. It just so happens the Tsunami Cleopatra does have a piece of music the Varese 2-fer still manages to omit, which I think is, "We Shall Meet In Egypt." My Alex North epic film score dabblings have been somewhat muddy affairs of the heart, all in all. Still, onwards, upwards and heftily expanded outwards . . . we go.
Edit: of course, what we are really talking about with the Varese Spartacus is "All Surviving Stereo Masters of the Original Film Score." The Varese only has space at the top of the slipcase cover for "THE COMPLETE ALBUM MASTERS," so in general we must not lose sight of what the Varese CD sets out to do. In my case it is a little unfortunate that the stereo MCA Spactacus, at 40 minutes, loses the 32 minutes or so of extra music that goes onto the Varese stereo master. I just feel as though I'm limping along while knocking my head continuously on overhead beams in the effort of trying to obtain the DEFINITIVE SPARTACUS!  Three CD attempts and there's still some way to go.
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Posted: |
Aug 12, 2020 - 4:34 PM
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By: |
Grecchus
(Member)
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I had the "complete" 2-disc SVC release, which was great but it didn't have all the music. At least not the Exit cue on the usual releases which is a profoundly moving track.
That sucks about the missing track from "Cleopatra." I imagine you raised hell at the time.
I've just realised I've been discussing an 'unmentionalble.' Well, the Varese Cleopatra does actually sound better than the, er, other one. I guess I'm lucky I have a reference to that one track. It is a simple, jaunty piece with some repeating harpsichord figures which is very reminiscent of Rozsa's attempts to reconstruct music in the historical idiom he was trying to nail in the source cues between the main score narrative. Maybe not quite so far as that, but I've always liked the way North captured the folksy music in his own way. The Festival from Spartacus is one example, as is that from Cleopatra on the 'alternative.' And I really, really do like the one from Dragonslayer which was used to score simple instrumentations for a communal dance he captured in a diegetic sense. You know, it has a lot of musicality and rhythm going on which makes you tap along to it.
I see the SVC Spactacus runs to 141:03. Hop, hop, hop, hop . . . hop.
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