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This is a John Williams score I don't have, and I have not seen the movie since it came about 32 years ago. I'll definitely go for it. Perfect.
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As I mentioned in the other ALWAYS thread, it's like a transitional score from the late 70s/80s crash-bang-wallop of a lot of his fantasy adventure scores to the more minimal (although John Williams minimal is still pretty full on) introspective style that would permeate much of his later scores, tapping into his pre JAWS/STAR WARS scores for their complexity and orchestration.
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Those spammers!! They ALWAYS hit their target
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A few memories brought to mind by a discussion with JSDouglas: The ALWAYS soundtrack was nowhere to be found when the film was released over holiday season 1989. In fact, the first copies made it to my local store some six months later. No idea if there's a story to be told about the delay. Affixed to the first LP pressings of the soundtrack was a sticker with the boast that the album contained "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" performed by J.D. Southern and then said in small print that this version of the song was not contained in the film. I've never seen that before or since. It appeared that there were two versions of the finale on the album: "Among The Clouds" and "Dorinda Solo Flight." Each used a different theme. The mastering level was low by today's standards and came at the twilight of the LP era, so it seems logical that the mastering was tailored to LP spec rather than CD. It's a lovely score and it was nice to see John Williams again writing music for Audrey Hepburn after so many years. I don't think I waited six months, but I know I waited two or three. IT WAS A LONG TIME. (The only reason I rule out six is because there was still snow on the ground.) I think the only time I was more of a pest to my local music sellers was when Batman took forever to hit the shelves. I never had the LP. I had cassette (the wilderness years between having a record player and my own CD player) and at some point I got the CD. I forget exactly how it breaks down, but in the film Among the Clouds transitions into Dorinda Solo Flight. I assume it's because of how the ending was reshot. (Come on, liner notes!) I'll be very interested to hear how this breaks down on the new CD. You know, I always worry that all of my favorite scores are from when I was around 10. But thinking on it, when I was 20/21: In that one year period we got (in no particular order) Always, The Abyss, Back to the Future 2 AND 3, The Hunt for Red October, The Little Mermaid. Batman, Star Trek V, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Field of Dreams... What am I leaving out?
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My memory is a bit sketchy, but I think the film didn't hit cinemas in the UK until August/September 1990? If it opened late (December?) 89 in the USA, that's a loooooong wait to marry up the music (which I would have bought via Masters Film Music or Screen Archives) to the film. I also remember the UK CD had a typo, calling the correct track Promise To Hap*, Promise To Help. *the Audrey Hepburn character
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Apart from this being an absolutely brilliant and underrated gem from John Williams, capturing the tragedy, grief and sadness of the characters perfectly, while offering some beautiful/ethereal musical soundscapes of the afterlife, it's also one of my most prized scores on a personal level. I got with my girlfriend in 1990 and this music was one of my main soundtracks of that time, underscoring my thoughts and feelings while our relationship blossomed. Over 30 years later and we're still as happy together now as we were during those early days. So it really has been ALWAYS Hoping to find my happily ever after. Turning 30 and not knowing that person gets anxiety inducing! Congratulations to you and your partner! Very awesome stuff! I plan to purchase this release. So maybe that will help keep me in a good mood in the mean time. Any John Williams score is a welcome addition to the soundtrack collection.
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I had a gut feeling that Always might be imminent. Not based on any real evidence, just a feeling that the time was right. Hopefully my gut feelings about Sabrina, Amistad, and Catch Me If You Can are right too!
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