BUT... he did not put heavy compression on the slashing strings for the murder cue as the original Herrmann recording did. Believe me, it makes a hell of a difference. The compression really makes the strings pump and scream. Elfman's not alone in the omission because I've never heard any re-recording employing that technique.
I don't think it's right to say that these scores do not exist at all. "Psycho" exists - but not in the form of the master elements, thus in bad sound quality. Many less essential soundtracks have been released in this way, though. Some of "Fahrenheit" exists as well...
I have the original score on the old Soundscape CD boot. The quality is OK (ish), the performance is amazing, it's played with such pace & vigor (the way they chomp down on these Cello strings!). I had the old Herrmann rerecording, but it's so ponderous. Are any of the other recordings played with the same zip as the original?
The original tracks sound like they do because of compression/limiting, which squashes the dynamic range and gives everything an artificial loud, in-your-face presence.
The original tracks sound like they do because of compression/limiting, which squashes the dynamic range and gives everything an artificial loud, in-your-face presence.
But I have to wonder, was this a creative choice of Herrmann's? A technical limitation? The purposeful doing of the mixer but not the composer? A glitch in the mix? An element of current prints that sounded different at the time (as so many fifty-year-old films do)? I really have no idea. (Janet Leigh's screams seem equally compressed.)
All the great Golden Age composers orchestrated their scores anticipating the recording limitations on the time, yet nobody from Gerhardt to Morgan/Stromberg has opted to recreate the flatter mono sound this music was composed for in their rerecordings. Nor, I believe, should they. But there is no one perfect way to recreate this stuff.
Compression has both practical applications and can also offer a creative choice when applied in the extreme. Whether Herrmann said to pour it on is anyone's guess. I imagine that most film scores use a certain amount of compression to control balance with dialog and effects.
From the collector's point of view, I can understand wanting the original of such a famed score on the shelf. But as a listener, I reckon there are more than enough fine versions to choose from, in excellent sound. I wouldn't feel any need to buy another, even the original soundtrack. Something less well served like Obsession is much higher on my want list. I don't find the Herrmann Psycho re-recording "ponderous". I actually prefer it over other versions for listening-only.
All very interesting, I think I'll hang on to my boot, with its "in your face" sound. I thought maybe the violins were playing with mutes on for some of it. I can believe the compression thing. After all, pop music in the 60's & 70's was always breaking rules to get certain sounds.
I would love to see a CD of Psycho -- considering how famous that movie is, I'm extremely surprised that the original score was never released. Universal created a surround sound audio track out of the mono elements for the recent blu-ray, so the score obviously exists in good condition. Why won't someone release it? (And give Psycho II and III a re-release while they are at it.)
The Joel McNeely recording is the best available so far. He got the tempo just right, but it lacks the rough, disturbing edge of the original. The City of Prague Philharmonic performed a decent suite on their Hitchcock CD compilation. Herrmann's re-recording from the 70s is too slow.
For my money, the original soundtrack would be most welcome - the playing is ferocious and I really don't think it could ever be matched. Whatever alchemy was at work, it's an incredible tour de force performance by whoever was in that orchestra of strings.