So my CD showed up a day early. I have only listened through laptop speakers, so I can't judge quality until I listen properly.. I didn't notice anything too bad upon first listen.
But one thing that does stand out... there's so much missing! And what seems to be several alternates upon first listen... I'm happy to hear the parts that are from the film. But I hoped there would be much more. Like I said, was my first listen, and via computer so I could be mistaken on some of this... but first impression - quality is good, but the content is very lacking.
Better than nothing I guess....
well, considering it was thought lost and only rediscovered recently(and i think some of the tapes were damaged) yes, it is better than nothing
My CD has just arrived. The sound quality is fantastic for the most part (there's some minor defects but that's probably the state the material was found in).
I'm struggling to understand some of the negative comments on here... the album presentation is fine (it's probably similar to how it would have been had it got a release in 1989) and the 45 minute length is a perfect listening experience.
I appreciate it's not got the full 'fan treatment' that a label like Intrada or La La Land would have given it, but that shouldn't put you off purchasing it!
At the end of the day, it's a minor miracle that a record company such as Sony Classical has released this at all... especially on CD. Just be grateful and support it!
I just finished listening and while I'm not qualified to discuss the technical aspects, in terms of track order, this thing is all over the damn place! And as a previous poster said, it plays more like the score album we would've gotten in 1989.
I was particularly disappointed that the ending of "A Baby Carriage Meets Heavy Traffic" is different than the one in the film. The latter half of "Oscar is Quietly Surrounded" almost sounds like something Danny Elfman would've done. If you want the heroic fanfare, "In Liberty's Shadow" is your track.
I am still happy we got something for sure. And I expected stuff would be missing, just due to the arrangement/length. However I did NOT expect the majority to be alternates/album arrangements. There are a few tracks that are straight from the film which is great to hear, and I'm definitely very happy with that. I'm not upset I bought the release... but more worried that we won't get a proper release now, since Sony seems to want all GB stuff to be 'in house'.
Listened on Spotify - sounds great, and 100% agree with the comments that it's a score album the the used to see. Designed around listening experience - akin to some of the fine albums that Chris Young has put out (Killing Season).
I am damn happy that this exists and will be ordering the CD very soon. For USA buyers as I'm still weary of SONY CD-Rs - can we confirm the USA/North American release is a pressed disc? I ordered the first score from a UK seller last time just to be safe.
So, I got mine through Amazon today, that was fast! Unfortunately I have to say, the soundtrack is really a disappointment. The audio quality is the worst, partly it sounds like an internet audio stream from 1998 and the rest sounds like they ripped it from a DVD. Some parts are fine, especially the quieter and tender parts of the music.
I could accept that, I couldn't stand the mix of the Bernstein score from Sony as well, the Varese is way superior in my opinion. So I didn't expect much from another direct Sony release. But what really hurts is that the court room action/adventure track is completely missing. There is an “alternate version“ of it on the CD, but not the film version. That is really really bad! And it's not that they cut the stuff together for the movie, no, you can hear it's a different version, but it's not on this release.
I'll still get the album, but I guess this looks like a job for Tadlow.
Listened on Spotify - sounds great, and 100% agree with the comments that it's a score album the the used to see. Designed around listening experience - akin to some of the fine albums that Chris Young has put out (Killing Season).
I am damn happy that this exists and will be ordering the CD very soon. For USA buyers as I'm still weary of SONY CD-Rs - can we confirm the USA/North American release is a pressed disc? I ordered the first score from a UK seller last time just to be safe.
I'm sure they'll find more here and there as the years pass. And by that time hopefully the choke hold Randy put on Sony will have gone bye-bye and La La Land Records can do the version fans want.
I'm sure they'll find more here and there as the years pass. And by that time hopefully the choke hold Randy put on Sony will have gone bye-bye and La La Land Records can do the version fans want.
Does more actually exists? I was under the impression this was all they found.
So I'm cloudy on this as well. According to this clip, Edelman says that they looked in the warner archives (why Warner?) and only found 20-30 minutes. I had thought the score was prepped for a LLL release at one point, but I could be mistaken on this.
Currently playing it for the first time. Pretty good; more interesting than Bernstein's original, IMO. Could be without a couple of tracks (like "He's Got Carpathian Eyes") that are just grating, but overall pretty straightforward and lovely. Edelman has always been good at homophonic tunes.
I'm absolutely thrilled to see a properly weeded down and re-arranged album experience. They are rare these days.
I admittedly haven't seen the film in some time, so I am not 100% sure on accuracy here. But here's how I have summarized the album compared to the film so far ... please correct any errors on my part, I'm going off of memory -
1. A Few Friends Save Manhattan - This sounds like an album arrangement. Themes/motifs definitely are heard in the film, but I don't think this track is anything from the film.
2. A Baby Carriage Meets Heavy Traffic - The beginning and ending are different/alternate. From :20 to 1:45 sounds to be as heard in the film
3. Venkman's 6th Ave Strut - Album arrangement. Nothing as heard in the film
4. Order in the Court - This sounds to be mostly an alternate, or re-arrangement/re-recording/highlights of the great court room scene. Again the themes and motifs are from this scene, but nothing here is from the film.
5. He's Got Carpathian Eyes - This is the scene when Vigo comes out of the painting, neutralizes the Ghostbusters, and has an exchange with Peter. This sounds like what is heard in the film
6. The Sensitive Side of Dana - Album arrangement. Nothing as heard in the film
7. In Liberty's Shadow - This is the scene when the Ghostbusters unsuccessfully try to blast the slime off the museum, and then realize they need the Statue of Liberty. Followed by Louis wearing/becoming a Ghostbuster. Lastly, the scene when the Statue of Liberty crashes the roof of the museum. This is all as heard in the film (and great fun I may add!)
8. Rooftop Broom Kidnap - This sounds to be an alternate. The actual music of when Janos takes Oscar from the ledge sounds to be from the film, from 1:53 to 2:42. There is also missing pieces here from this scene - the part when Dana notices Oscar on the ledge and Louis calls 911 - that music is not present. From 2:42 on sounds like the film version of the 'Venkman's 6th Ave Strut' motif. I'm not sure if it's straight from a scene or not.
9. The Scoleri Brothers - This track has already been discussed here. The beginning sounds like the sentencing scene from the film, but the rest is an alternate/unused track
10. Oscar is Quietly Surrounded - Album Arrangement.. mostly the slow rendition of 'Rock a bye baby'. Nothing as heard in the film
11. A Slime Darkened Doorway - The first half is when Winston falls in the river of slime. The last half, from 1:19 to the end is the scene when Egon and Ray are developing the pictures of Vigo and everything catches fire. This sounds to be the film version to me.
12. One Leaky Sewer Faucet - I have no idea what this is meant to represent, but it sounds totally unused/redone. Nothing here was used in the film.
13. Vigo's Last Stand - The end when Ray is possessed and the Vigo head is destroyed, followed by Janos getting slimed and the aftermath. This sounds as it does in the film. From 1:53 to the end, it sounds like a few smaller tracks from earlier in the movie. I *believe* these are all heard in the film as well
14. Good With Kids - This is the one track I really can't place. I think parts are as heard in the film, and sound to be from the beginning of the movie. Unsure of how many cues in this track
15. Enlightenment - This is the scene when Janos is possessed. It sounds like it's as heard in the film, but some of the louder parts must've been edited out in the film.
16. Family Portrait-Finale - The very end when NY is again saved, Janos and Ray love each other, and the Ghosbusters painting is unveiled. This all sounds to me as heard in the film. The finale piece I don't think was used for the actual end credits.
I was cross posting this yesterday, forgot to post it here.
After a few hours of fun, here's the score in film order:
S2 - A Baby Carriage Meets Heavy Traffic (2:01) S8C - Rooftop Broom Kidnap (2:42-End) [Rename to "No More Parties"] S14 - Good With Kids (1:23) S15 - Enlightenment (1:32) S9A - The Scoleri Brothers (:00-:59) [Rename to "The Verdict"] S4A - Order in the Court (:00-:2:09.4) S13C - Vigo’s Last Stand (2:05.65-End) [Rename to "Carpathian Kitten Loss"] S4B - Order in the Court (2:09.4-3:05.5) [Rename to "Bath Time"] S9C - The Scoleri Brothers (1:20-End) [Rename to "Suck in the Guts (Alternate)"] S4C - Order in the Court (3:05.5-End) [Rename to "She Cleaned"] S8A - Rooftop Broom Kidnap (:00-:38) [Rename to "Asking Janine Out"] S11B - A Slime Darkened Doorway (1:16.8-End) [Rename to "Developing Photos"] S11A - A Slime Darkened Doorway (:00-1:16.8) [Rename to "River of Slime"] S9B - The Scoleri Brothers (:59-1:20) [Rename to "No Reservations"] S8B - Rooftop Broom Kidnap (:38-2:42) [Rename to "Rooftop"] S7 - In Liberty’s Shadow (3:48) S13B - Vigo’s Last Stand (1:15.9-2:05.65) [Rename to "Janosz is Hosed"] S5 - He’s Got Carpathian Eyes (2:34) S13A - Vigo’s Last Stand (:00-1:15.9) S16 - Family Portrait (:00-1:29.86) S1 - A Few Friends Save Manhattan (2:01)
Unused/Newly Composed Tracks: S12 - One Leaky Sewer Faucet (1:13) S3 - Venkman’s 6th Ave. Strut (3:06) S6 - The Sensitive Side of Dana (4:08) S10 - Oscar is Quietly Surrounded (4:23) S16 - Finale (1:29.86-End)
S14 is tracked into a few other areas and the fanfare from S7 is also heard elsewhere. Many of the tracks are alternates of some sort. The only reason S9C is marked as an alternate is because it is 100% different from what was heard in the film but the instrumentation heard is similar to pieces from that section. The finale of S16 is heard on S1 with a piano track preceding it that is unheard in the film.
I'm enjoying the score! I've always appreciated Edleman's melodies, but I remember thinking of him as almost the pre-Zimmer, where his scores invariably contained so much synth and were so processed sounding that no matter how good the melodies or how big the orchestra, they just sounded kind of low-rent (but fun!) ...
As with what others have noted, I'm also enjoying the album presentation of this score. It doesn't bother me that it isn't complete and honestly, I don't remember any other music from the film that I would want to hear. I appreciate that the cues are presented in a "what if" fashion of a 1989 score album release. This to me is akin to some of those Intrada albums of Horner scores with which he was involved, like HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS and SOMETHING WICKED.
The one skippable track for me on this GHOSTBUSTERS II album so far is track 10, as it leans way too much on the "Rocka-bye Baby" melody that Edelman uses for baby Oliver.
