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Posted: |
Jan 14, 2012 - 8:14 AM
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By: |
Rozsaphile
(Member)
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These fascinating reports add luster to the already distinguished legacy of a great audio preservation project. They should incite us to pick up more of the albums while they are still available.
But, what does it mean when the best-selling item in a series featuring masterworks and rarities by Goldsmith, Herrmann, Korngold, Newman, Rozsa, Waxman, Williams, et al., is . . . Star Trek II? Meaning no disrespect to the talented James Horner, I confess that I just don't get it.
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Posted: |
Jan 14, 2012 - 8:29 AM
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By: |
Solium
(Member)
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These fascinating reports add luster to the already distinguished legacy of a great audio preservation project. They should incite us to pick up more of the albums while they are still available.
But, what does it mean when the best-selling item in a series featuring masterworks and rarities by Goldsmith, Herrmann, Korngold, Newman, Rozsa, Waxman, Williams, et al., is . . . Star Trek II? Meaning no disrespect to the talented James Horner, I confess that I just don't get it.
I'm not surprised at all. It's the one title I would have expected to out sell the rest.
80's titles are very popular, Star Trek has legions of fans, science fiction in general has legions of fans. Probably one of Horner's most popular scores, arguably the most popular Trek. (score and film)
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I love these articles, thanks for sharing!
I have to agree that the Rozsa box is a bit of an odds and ends thing and not a perfect musical object like the other FSM boxes, but it's still a fun and interesting listen.
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Posted: |
Jan 14, 2012 - 2:28 PM
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By: |
ToneRow
(Member)
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But, what does it mean when the best-selling item in a series featuring masterworks and rarities by Goldsmith, Herrmann, Korngold, Newman, Rozsa, Waxman, Williams, et al., is . . . Star Trek II? Meaning no disrespect to the talented James Horner, I confess that I just don't get it.
Ah ... this could be a subject for another thread in itself.
What does it mean when STAR TREK II is the best-selling album?
It means plenty of topics for discussion, such as business endeavors vs. artistic aesthetics, for one.
We are all here on this board because we love aspects of film music; however, our specialty labels stay afloat (or try to) by assessing the wants and sensibilities of this niche marketplace.
It's a marketplace that has little interest in composer-centric concert pieces (consider the poor sales of FSM's disc presenting Maurice Jarre's non-film works), but it's a marketplace in which a lot of members could recite dialogue from STAR TREK movies by rote memorization.
The music Franz Waxman wrote for THE SILVER CHALICE is of such academic significance that the Library of Congress made one of its infrequent requests for this score’s original sketches. The sheer musical values on display within THE SILVER CHALICE are, apparently, not enough to attract the additional buyers needed for this title to sell out (FSM made 2,300 copies, of which a little over 1,500 has moved).
Sales soar for a soundtrack whose music is attached to a Hollywood blockbuster, popular franchise, and/or a fondly remembered genre flick (of recent vintage and not monaural).
One may be willing to wager that most people who purchased FSM’s STAR TREK II and contributed to this album’s success are folks who were born after Waxman had passed away.
Months ago, I posted in the non-film music discussion area a thread about any Pulitzer Prize- winning music that any of us might have on albums …
http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=82916&forumID=7&archive=0
… it got zero responses.
In summary, members in our little soundtrack community are motivated to get albums based upon their associations with familiar (not obscure) audio/visual story-telling entertainments (typically not high-calibre, with respect to either cinema or music).
Re-phrasing Rozsaphile’s initial question in terms of cuisine might be apt:
Why are so many people satisfied with STAR TREK II (ST II = fast food hamburger) when there’s a smorgasbord of gourmet creations out there?
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What does it mean when STAR TREK II is the best-selling album?
I dunno, maybe that people like it and it's good music...
One may be willing to wager that most people who purchased FSM’s STAR TREK II and contributed to this album’s success are folks who were born after Waxman had passed away.
You mean everyone up to 44 years of age? The guy's been dead a long time, so don't make it sound like everyone born from 1967 on are like 12 years old or something.
In summary, members in our little soundtrack community are motivated to get albums based upon their associations with familiar (not obscure) audio/visual story-telling entertainments (typically not high-calibre, with respect to either cinema or music).
Is it really unreasonable for people to primarily listen to scores after hearing them in films? Isn't that how many people get into filmscores inthe first place? Scores are notoriously hit or miss. I have a lot of Golden Age scores and even Waxman and Steiner have curned out music that doesn't move me. Some I even find boring. Many people enjoy the music more when there's a film familiarity because it does help in appreciating what the composer intended. Also a sense of "I wonder what happened here?" creeps in when you don't see the movie. Seeing the films, IMO, is vital when trying to appreciate the music completely, even though you can absolutely love a score based on the music alone.
Why are so many people satisfied with STAR TREK II (ST II = fast food hamburger) when there’s a smorgasbord of gourmet creations out there?
Don't be a snob, it's not very attractive. There's nothing wrong with Horner's score. It's an excellent piece of work and does its job spectacularly. I resent the insinuation that people who prefer enjoy it are somehow less sophisticated than people who enjoy The Silver Chalice. If you don't like it because your interest lises mostly in Golden and Silver Ages scores, that's your issue, nobody elses.
If non die hard film score buffs (the kind who will buy blindly) are not familiar with an old movie, most likely they will not buy the score. Since The Silver Chalice isn't exactly being run to death on cable these dyas, I'd say that's the reason why Star Trek II sells better. It's more familiar to the public at large. And also, Star Trek has a larger fan base than Franz Waxman. Yes.
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the Golden Age scores are not going live on past the generation the grew up with them
(with exceptions of Rosza & Herrmann).
deal with IT!
BRUCE
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