At this point, I think I'm happy to keep the first/original expanded edition - the only one I have - which doubled the old LP length and has great sonic punch.
The 1980s Southern Cross CD and 1995 Intrada CD knock the pants off the two which have followed.
They have tighter presentations, no sonic bugs, and two of Safan's original songs in the case of Southern Cross. The first disc has only 25 minutes of score but every note is a banger like a Greatest Hits.
Both of these releases also have liner notes written by Safan himself (from the time, then reflections from a decade later). The later two releases give this space instead to Intrada's producer who makes incorrect claims of sonic improvement (2015), then finishes by mentioning the wrong composer (2022).
I appreciate receiving these reports. I'll admit that I already get exasperated when soundtrack producers double dip (e.g. having to buy "The Danny Elfman Collection" to get the new and improved "Batman" when I had already bought the original 2CD release), I at least heard the improved sound on the "Danny Elfman Collection" release. So, if the 2015 and 2022 Last Starfighter come with noticeable audio flaws, it will be a pass for me.
Well, being negative about a Safan release feels like killing a puppy.
To make up for it, I'll do a thread ranking every Safan release out there. He has precisely 30 scores now available on CD and only 2 of them get much attention.
Dragon's Domain have put out some utterly amazing stuff in the last few years.
Well, being negative about a Safan release feels like killing a puppy.
That made me laugh. However, another way to look at it is this: a Craig Safan release deserves the best but it doesn't seem like it really got it.
FWIW, the issue about the sound quality re: "Last Starfighter" comes up in the recent podcast with Yavar Maradi in the midst of talk about "Matinee": https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/10697106-odyssey-soundtrack-spotlight-matinee-1993-with-joe-dante-and-marshall-harvey Skip to 02:03:00. Therein, they do a quick A/B comparison between 2015/2022 of The Last Starfighter". I can see their point about people having differing tastes about how something sounds and what we're used to. But, I take it that the point being made by you and others is not about things like the equalizer settings. Rather, you're talking about audio glitches that should have been digitally corrected or that were introduced during the mastering process.
It seems that this stupid trend is gaining momentum...
What is "stupid" about that trend? The more stuff remains available/in print, the better.
It's stupid that there are practically no premiere releases.
Put your money where your mouth is, then. Offer funding to specialty labels to produce YOUR premieres of scores you love that aren't already out there.
Ah excellent, more stuff available digitally suits me fine. I assume this master is from one of the recent Intrada reissues rather that the initial Intrada expansion from the 90s (which I happen to own two copies of).
It seems that this stupid trend is gaining momentum...
What is "stupid" about that trend? The more stuff remains available/in print, the better.
It's stupid that there are practically no premiere releases.
Put your money where your mouth is, then. Offer funding to specialty labels to produce YOUR premieres of scores you love that aren't already out there.
Calm down At your age, it's not good to get so nervous over nothing. What do you care what I write here? I don't insult anyone personally, unlike you.