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I have read much about OBSESSION, but in my searches it seems to be VERY rare and unavailable.
It is, unfortunately. There have been rumours about a reissue for years, but nothing definite.
I don't even know if the available albums are re-recordings or original tracks. 
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For whatever reason, a lot of people don't like the rerecording of The Day the Earth Stool Still, but I love it.
But my favorite is The Three Worlds of Gulliver.
-Joshua
Yes,
Day The Earth Stood Still is my favourite.
The British Commander in France in 1940 was Lord Gort. Michael Rennie was British. Are there any other coincidences ?. Barada Nikkto !!.
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Posted: |
Jan 19, 2007 - 4:01 PM
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By: |
dogplant
(Member)
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Actually, the LP used the single-miked master, had little or no high end, and was poorly balanced between the softest and loudest passages...
Sorry for the error, re: Laurie Johnson's North By Northwest recording technique, I was going off a hazy memory but do recall being impressed by the dynamics. The LP even had a note, 'Don't turn your volume up real high, or you will have your fillings rattled by Crash of the Cropduster and On The Rocks,' or words to that effect, not included on the CD notes. I don't have my Varèse vinyl pressing at hand, but I do have the CD, am listening to it now and it sounds fine to me, although maybe not as cathedral-like as I remember the vinyl. Could there be a difference between the vinyl and the CD; or maybe I was just blown away by my first exposure to the music?
NP: On Dangerous Ground
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I have read much about OBSESSION, but in my searches it seems to be VERY rare and unavailable.
Tom Servo:
e-mail me privately about this matter; you'll find my address on my profile.
John
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Briefly, my favorite Herrmanns:
THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR - prefer the music tracks, released on Varese. Like the Bernstein re-recording, but I'm an original-tracks-kind-of-guy.
FAHRENHEIT 451 - One of my other all-time favorite Herrmann scores, currently in preparation for a complete re-recording, under the auspices of Messers. Morgan&Stromberg, who, in my opinion, do the best re-recordings; they always seem to get the sound just right, except that it has all the contemporary amplificication that they didn't have 60 years ago. (Also, interestingly, re:FAHRENHEIT: My favorite cue is "The Road/Finale," which in the actual film is divided into 2 separate cues, around a sequence of a little boy attempting to memorize Robert Louis Stevenson. On his "Fantasy Film World of Bernard Herrmann," Herrmann combined the 2 cues into one continuous piece of music, which, again in my opinion, is superior to the way it's presented in the film. It's also, perhaps, one of my favorite film music moments EVER written!)
THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER (aka ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY): There has never been any kind of re-recording of this score, and this is the one that got Herrmann the only Oscar he ever won! He wasn't even nominated for any of the Hitchcock, let alone his scores for the fantasy films! DADW is better in many ways than either KANE or AMBERSONS, which I've always considered mostly pastiche scores, sounding more like something composed for radio dramas, which is what Herrmann and Welles did for years before they went into films. DADW, however, has some lovely extended cues, such as pastoral moments, or those other cues, for the sleigh ride, or the "danse macabre," where the man's soul is taken by Mr. Scratch and his demonic fiddle. I know that Morgan&Stromberg would love to re-record this score, but it is still a far-off idea more than anything else.
BENEATH THE 12-MILE REEF: Those harps! Whoever would have thought of harps for a feeling of being underwater! But it works!
PRINCE OF PLAYERS - I always loved that main title, though the rest of the score seems more cut-and-paste. However, the tracks are still available on Varese.
ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM - Amazing score; always seemed to me that Herrmann wrote a Western-style score, then orchestrated it for Eastern-style instruments. Works for me. Original tracks still available on Varese.
VERTIGO - Well, I go for the original tracks, and Varese still has 'em. Go for it.
NORTH BY NORTHWEST - Original tracks still out on Rhino. (I saw that movie, the first time I went to a movie by myself; OK my father and my brother Roger were sitting in a different part of the theatre!, but I was by myself, at the Coraopolis Theatre. That was so long ago, I don't think the parking lot it later became is even still there!)
THE EGYPTIAN - I LOVE this score, though, personally, the most heartfelt moments came more from Newman, and Ken Darby, than Herrmann. Available in several recordings at present.
JANE EYRE - Little sister to GHOST AND MRS.MUIR. The tracks did come out on Fox, though I understand some people were dissatisfied. Some people are always dissatisfied.
Herrmann's OPERA, WUTHERING HEIGHTS - WONDERFUL score! To his dying day, Herrmann denied he used any of his film music in it, although, even with my tin ear, I can perceive whole cues from both JANE EYRE and GHOST AND MRS.MUIR. But there are other magnificent moments in it as well, too many to elucidate here. If you can find it, it's well worth the price. Magnificent piece, which Herrmann always regarded as his masterwork.
If I think of more, I'll add them later.
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Posted: |
Jan 19, 2007 - 4:24 PM
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By: |
EdG
(Member)
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Sorry for the error, re: Laurie Johnson's North By Northwest recording technique, I was going off a hazy memory but do recall being impressed by the dynamics. The LP even had a note, 'Don't turn your volume up real high, or you will have your fillings rattled by Crash of the Cropduster and On The Rocks,' or words to that effect, not included on the CD notes. I don't have my Varèse vinyl pressing at hand, but I do have the CD, am listening to it now and it sounds fine to me, although maybe not as cathedral-like as I remember the vinyl. Could there be a difference between the vinyl and the CD; or maybe I was just blown away by my first exposure to the music?
NP: On Dangerous Ground
My understanding of the history of Laurie Johnson's North By Northwest is this: Starlog Records (remember them?) and Varese recorded the score with two systems - a massive single-mike that recorded to digital stereo, and a conventional multi-mike setup as backup that recorded to analog.
The initial Starlog/Varese lp used the digital master, as did the initial Varese cd pressing. The digital recording was characterized by "Carlsbad Caverns sound" as one review put it, and by the improper sequencing of the Mt. Rushmore music at the end (one passage was needlessly repeated out of sequence if memory serves). The loud passages were quite powerful, but the quieter cues had a hollow, echo-y sound without any detail.
Tracks from the analog backup first appeared on a Milan/Unicorn lp that also featured selections from Herrmann's Psycho re-recording.
At some point, without any fanfare, Varese switched to pressing a new cd master using the analog backup. The analog recording was crisp and detailed, and corrected the sequencing error in the final cue.
The same analog master was used when Unicorn-Kanchana released their version a couple of years later, but Unicorn added a new cue, "The Aeroplane". I don't know if Varese ever added that cue to their release.
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The same analog master was used when Unicorn-Kanchana released their version a couple of years later, but Unicorn added a new cue, "The Aeroplane". I don't know if Varese ever added that cue to their release.
No, they never did. It's only on the Unicorn CD. I found this out AFTER buying the Varese album, typically. 
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[...]
THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER (aka ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY): There has never been any kind of re-recording of this score, and this is the one that got Herrmann the only Oscar he ever won!
[...]
You're wrong.
The Suite "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1942) contains important portions of the oscar winning score.
There are at least two recordings of this suite. One by Herrmann (UKCD 2065) and the other one by Sedares (Koch 3-7224-2H1). Herrmann also recorded two tracks from the score (London 448 948-2), and Elmer Bernstein recorded "The Devil's Concerto" (Milan 35643-2).
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The British Commander in France in 1940 was Lord Gort. Michael Rennie was British. Are there any other coincidences ?. Barada Nikkto !!.
Then Lord Gort probably ended up on the beach at Dunkirk with 400,000 other Allied troops waiting for Clem Miniver and the other English yachtsmen to pick them up before the Germans finished cutting them to pieces.
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The "Jane Eyre" CD from Naxos is pretty good overall. The orchestra is competent enough and I like the score, but the recording isn't that great. I like the suite Herrmann recorded of the score the best.
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I think Silva's essential herrmann coupled with the Gerhardt is a pretty damn good start.
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I think Silva's essential herrmann coupled with the Gerhardt is a pretty damn good start.
Add to that list the Esa-Pekka Salonen CD with the LA Philharmonic and you get a incredible overview of his career.
This would be the best way to guide someone to what full recordings they might wish to pick up.
Ford A. Thaxton
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At some point, without any fanfare, Varese switched to pressing a new cd master using the analog backup. The analog recording was crisp and detailed, and corrected the sequencing error in the final cue.
The same analog master was used when Unicorn-Kanchana released their version a couple of years later, but Unicorn added a new cue, "The Aeroplane". I don't know if Varese ever added that cue to their release.
The analog mastered Unicorn-Kanchana CD is definitely the one to get. The stereo music-only track on the DVD is also superb, far surpassing the Rhino remastering of the original soundtrack.
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