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Good point on the album versions, Goblin Sean. That was one of my conclusions in listening to the Chain Reaction expansion - that the album was really a very good representation of the score that kept the repetitiveness in check.
It's easy to think that all those 30 minute albums required by the times were simply inadequate, but very often these days I find a powerful suite more effective musically, which is what I care about most.
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I haven't gotten my copy of this yet, but being the Goldsmith nut that I am, I want every note my favorite composer wrote released on disc. If Mozart and Beethoven and Bach can get that treatment, then I want Goldsmith to have that treatment too, and then I'll pick and choose playlists and whatnot.
That said, there are at least 10 Goldsmith scores after 1990 where I wouldn't want to listen to the complete score for pleasure. Star Trek: Nemesis is one (the only Trek score I don't like to listen to in complete form...too much droning boring underscore -- much of which was on the original terrible Varese album instead of the score's actual highlights, of course!) Chain Reaction may very well be one of them too. But well over half of his 90s output was not interchangeable and formulaic. There may have been more of it than in previous decades, but then we also got amazing scores like The Shadow and The Mummy.
The Dante scores in particular are all unique and exciting in their own ways. I can't wait for complete releases of Matinee, Small Soldiers, and especially Looney Tunes: Back in Action. There's a lot that Varese still controls that I long for complete releases on.
Yavar
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I love this expanded release. Great additional action cues but also some wonderful previously unreleased atmospheric cues with some inventive synth sounds like Invaders, the beginning of Too Late or Questions. Great stuff.
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....But well over half of his 90s output was not interchangeable and formulaic. There may have been more of it than in previous decades, but then we also got amazing scores like The Shadow and The Mummy.....
Yavar
Yavar, I like the way you put this very much, it's exactly right. I'm very fond of both Shadow and Mummy for example, and just love Hollow Man.
And counterpoint, thanks for the particular mentions of tracks - it's helpful for me to hear about particulars that folks are enjoying in this release.
The funny thing is that after I uploaded it into iTunes, I didn't add it to my iPod, and today I'm regretting it because I want to listen to (at least some of) it again. I'm just so conflicted about this one! 
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All you have to do after you put it on your iPod and start listening to it again is this: make a little note every time a particular track is boring or repetitive or whatever, and then hit the skip button. After you're through listening to the complete score, then go back into iTunes and delete those tracks from your library. You'll always have the physical CD in case you find yourself changing your mind later and want to add a track back in, but poof, you've just made your own "professional" (sorry Thor) album of the score that you in all likelihood will enjoy more than the original Varese album.
Yavar
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Yeah, that's the thing, Yavar. I'm like Thor, I want an album presentation, I don't want to make my own. I don't want to spend my time editing out tracks, not that I use that time doing anything more valuable, just not my kind of activity. I'm a full album kind of guy (alternates not included). [I did do this with Marathon Man, but usually just listen to the whole thing or just don't.]
But I do know how to skip tracks. 
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But skipping tracks is essentially creating your own album experience. If you follow my method all that happens is those tracks are "automatically skipped" for you in the future.  Oh well, it works for me...
Yavar
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Yeah, but the next time I might want to hear that track! (This has actually happened to me, that's part of why I stopped cutting.)
I'm just a complicated guy.
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Surely there must be *some* tracks which are just completely useless droning underscore that you're safe to cut out!
Yavar
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[Doing his best Foghorn Leghorn voice]:
How dare you, suh! This is Jerry Guhl---, I say, Jerry Goldsmith we are talking about here. This is an outrage, suh!
[Back to regular voice - but you are welcome now to hear me always as Foghorn Leghorn]
Not to beat this dead horse to very pulp, but I'll take Nemesis as an example. I actually find I enjoy all the atmospheric underscore in the expanded version, so I didn't cut any of it. Sometimes I skip through it, but sometimes I listen to every blessed moment. That's why I roll with everything or nothing (or original album sometimes). When it comes to JERR-Y, JERR-Y, anyway.
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Fair enough...
ALTHOUGH, iTunes also has this little feature called playlists. You can drag the complete score in, and then follow the steps above to delete the boring-ish tracks you often/sometimes feel like skipping from the playlist only.
That way, if you're in the mood to listen to the complete score, you just find it on your albums list and go through every track. If on the other hand you just want to listen to the highlights (most of which Varese left off their original album), you have a handy-dandy playlist with say 50 minutes of prime latter-day Jerry.
Just trying to help.
Yavar
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All right, Yavar, one more peek into my odd mind. I'm such a child of albums as the defining iteration of recorded music, that's all I work with in iTunes.
I've put together some playlists but I almost NEVER go to them. It's a great feature, and I can completely agree that everything you suggest here today makes sense. But since I stopped air conducting favorite cues years ago I just stick in the land of albums, where I'm in my happy place. (And, well, sometimes my unhappy place, but I suspect that makes me happy too.)
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But since I stopped air conducting favorite cues years ago
That's the saddest thing I've read all day, Sean!
Yavar
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Well, a kid came along and there were new games to play, as it were. Mostly listen these days while working or zoning out - but the time may come again. (I still have a lovely baton! - never say never.)
I bet everybody is starting to wonder about now, "why do I keep opening this thread?" I know I do.
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Yes, I understand how life can intrude...
On your behalf, I look forward to the day far in the future when your kid(s) will be off at college and you can go back to air-conducting your favorite cues!
Yavar
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Next year, actually!
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