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Victor Young is probably the most under rated composer in Hollywood history check out:
I guess it's possible he's underrated today but when he was alive he was quite popular and celebrated. Even nowadays he's had plenty of releases; Shane even sold out at 2000 copies...not bad these days for a 50s score.
You want to talk about most underrated...how about the brilliant and prolific (but barely represented on album) Roy Webb?
Yavar
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Posted: |
Dec 6, 2014 - 12:14 PM
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By: |
.
(Member)
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I've completed a side-by-side comparison of the Varese and Stanyan CDs. The first thing that separates them is the level, with the Varese louder than the Stanyan. So I transferred both to audio files with the Varese volume lowered slightly to match the level of the Stanyan. That way, comparison wouldn't be influenced by different volume.
Then there is more reverb on the Varese. Nothing unusual here and typical of what we seem to hear on today's re-masterings – a warmer sound that has more bloom and an added glow to the bass.
So do I like the new one better? My initial response was that it's more a case of the Varese being "different" rather than "better". The Varese is definitely the "bigger" sound and would be instantly recognized by most people as the newer of the two. There's something about a lot of the re-releases these days that makes recordings sound similar, as if they've been recorded at the same venue – all very nice and rich, with a diffuse edge that softens hard edges. Maybe it's something to do with the same kind of enhancement software being added to some degree or other.
Switching back and forth between the Varese and the Stanyan reveals that the older sound holds up pretty well – the Stanyan could be described as lifting away some gauze and returning to a dryer and crisper presentation of what the actual performance might have sounded like. I've always liked the Stanyan for not having the "digital edge" of so many early CDs.
I suppose what one person hears as some welcome extra gloss, another might hear as a bit of bloat. And what one listener might perceive as a more accurate, leaner presentation, another could hear as colder and slightly undernourished.
Not wholly decided, I put the side-by-side switching aside and just played the CDs normally a couple more times as I went about my other business in my apartment. After that I'm now sure which of the two I'd pick to play in future.
My vote goes to the Varese. When just sitting back to enjoy this wonderful music rather than fiddling around assessing it, the added glow and smoothness of new version does win the day. I am surprised though by how well the old Stanyan CD still acquits itself after all these years. I feel a bit sad that an old favorite has been superseded, but a great score and performance like this deserves the best available CD and that's the new Varese.
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Thanks, Basil. That's exactly the kind of useful information that I (and I'm sure others) appreciate to hear.
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Great to read all the positive reviews of this score, it's one soundtrack I've always wanted but never managed to obtain.
I ordered it on the strength of the sound bites on Varese's website, but I'll admit to having some concerns about the sound quality, not through the samples, more due to the age of the recording.
However, you good folks have put my mind at ease, I am now even more excited that this sublime score is heading across the Atlantic to me.
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