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Without a doubt, Meet Marian had to have been ghostwritten. It sounds nothing like the rest of the score with that dense brass writing. Awesome cue though, short as it is!
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I surprisingly haven't listened to the prior Intrada version as much as I expected since I got it. For those who are more familiar with the prior release, how much of a difference is this new mastering? Are we talking minor tweaks like Intrada's second Rocketeer or some serious Superman La La Land release changes? I'm especially interested in Basil's thoughts about the changes.
I haven't gotten my copy yet, and don't have Rocketeer, but I do have Superman. A-B'ing the main title (sample vs the first Robin Hood), I'd say it's in the direction of Superman but probably not quite as big a difference. Probably because the old RH was already quite good. The new one has, to my years, more definition and room in the recording though.
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I'd be interested in hearing thoughts on the end titles as well, since there's no sample for it.
The End Title is a very pleasant, gentle and almost lullaby-like instrumental treatment of the song. Very pleased to have it.
Less pleasing is almost three minutes of formless noise called "Generic Witch Ambience" that now takes up residence in the main score section.
"Generic Witch Ambience" would be a great name for a band. 
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Posted: |
Sep 25, 2020 - 7:14 PM
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By: |
JGouse0498
(Member)
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Received mine today and listened through everything except "Generic Witch Ambience". I'm not a fan of source music, and reading another member's earlier comment about it being "formless noise" didn't really motivate me to listen to it.
The first thing to note is that the sound quality improvement...I can't even hear it. It sounds just as good as the original expansion. In the newer portion of the liner notes though, it says the improvement is nominal.
Second, the track listings give the illusion that there's more new music here than there is because a multitude of tracks have been broken down into smaller portions and renamed.
End Credits - The earlier description of a lullaby version of the Robin/Marian theme is an excellent description. I don't think it would've been a good end credits track simply because it would've gone from a rousing flourish in the last shot to this really gentle melody. That being said, it's an absolutely lovely piece of stand-alone music, and it's a wonderful addition to the set.
I particularly like Circle of Stones with the cellos repeating the opening of the main theme. Of all the additions, this is the one that jumped out at and hooked me. It just does a fantastic job setting the stage for the first of the climax's two lengthy action cues. Will Captured isn't anything particularly impressive on its own, but it gives the whole track a sense of completeness. Same with And His Merry Men. Nothing revelatory IMO but the score feels more complete with it.
The new cues on Disc 3 are of varied interest for me. When I ripped the discs to MP3, I combined the alternates with the OST assemblies from Disc 4 and put them in film order as best I could (especially since the OST combined cues). That means I have three consecutive versions of Training Sequence and then three consecutive renditions of Marian at the Waterfall. Hearing them back to back...they're not radically different, so while it's nice to have them for completeness' sake, I don't feel as though they add much value to the set for me. They just sound redundant. The three Medieval Dance - Source #3 cues and Hangman's Drums are pretty cool additions to the set. I was disappointed with Finale Part 4A (Bridge to Song) because there's really not much there. I was expecting it to culminate in an instrumental of "Everything I Do (I Do It for You)", but nope. The track all but fades out at the 0:38 mark and the remaining 25ish seconds are just a low sustained note that isn't very audible without headphones or the volume turned up.
Now, all that being said, was it worth the double-dip if you have and are satisfied with the original 2-disc version?
Right off the bat, $34.99 for a 4-disc set is a fantastic price no matter what way you cut it, so no issues there (I know overseas customers will probably factor that into their decision more than stateside customers). This is one of my favorite scores, so having the extra half-hour was worth it. I guess it comes down to how much you really want the extra cues and the remastered OST assemblies. I have no regrets about it, but I wouldn't necessarily feel gypped if I didn't get it either because Intrada's first swing at this score was so good.
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ORDERED IN A HEART BEAT!
How epic is it that this score was put together so fast? As an author I will say my best work is usually done under a time crush with nothing but my adrenaline carrying me though.
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I agree with much of what JGouse0498 wrote. I maintain I can hear a difference in quality, though it's not huge, and that combined with the new material and album assembly makes it worth it. Especially if it's a favorite, which it seems to be for many. But if it's not your favorite the 2-CD is a great package too.
And "Generic Witch Ambience" is formless noise. 
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It's interesting, another of my favorite scores is Shining Through, which Kamen did only a few months after this one (that film was originally scheduled for release at Thanksgiving of 1991) and I definitely hear phrases and little bits of compositions that he repurposed in Shining Through. Not in a bad way, just in a way that's cool to see the connective DNA between them.
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An initial side-by-side comparison (via headphones) of just the first few tracks of Disc One of the old and new Intrada sets suggests to me there's no significant difference in sound quality. In fact I'm playing sections over and over in an attempt to spot any differences at all. Listening at maximum volume, even the characteristics of the low background hiss seem the same.
I think if I switched one of these tracks from one set with the same track in the other, no-one would spot the difference. BOTH SOUND VERY GOOD and the extra music is the real attraction.
However, it could be that later tracks exhibit differences. If so, I'll update this.
Clean your ears! I can hear a difference for sure with the sound buddy. Much better.
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I'd be interested in hearing thoughts on the end titles as well, since there's no sample for it.
The End Title is a very pleasant, gentle and almost lullaby-like instrumental treatment of the song. Very pleased to have it.
Less pleasing is almost three minutes of formless noise called "Generic Witch Ambience" that now takes up residence in the main score section.
So close to getting a nice pleasant comment...and then the critique. I’m fascinated by you. I need to meet you someday.
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