I bought this collection years ago but never played it. Started on disc 10 and WOW! Epic stuff! What was this going for on initial release? It's priced at $80 to $120 dollars on Amazon. I know I didn't pay anything like that for my set.
Hi solium.
I believe it was priced at around $100.00 new when it first came out around 2004. I've seen used copies from time to time going for half that price and sometimes a bit less but buyer beware of some of those because of the various condition concerns of the discs, case, and longbook.
Interesting that you started with disc 10. You have a lot of great listening ahead of you. There have been some complaints here and there on the net about it not being "complete" (Where have we seen that before? ) but for what it does contain, the 10 discs cover most of the ground and then some that those who enjoyed NFL Films presentations over the years will want.
I enjoy the set, and the contrast of styles over the decades between the classic Sam Spence cues through to the Hedden and Robidoux era.
This music had a hand in getting me into film music. When I was a kid I remember watching NFL films. Played high school football (middle linebacker) and would have the music rolling around in my head lol.
I believe it was priced at around $100.00 new when it first came out around 2004. I've seen used copies from time to time going for half that price and sometimes a bit less but buyer beware of some of those because of the various condition concerns of the discs, case, and longbook.
There are numerous times when new copies have sold for around $20. I got a new copy from Amazon for $17 back in May of 2011. I was shocked by the price, but looked around and noticed that other places had it for similar prices. No idea why.
I bought this collection years ago but never played it. Started on disc 10 and WOW! Epic stuff! What was this going for on initial release? It's priced at $80 to $120 dollars on Amazon. I know I didn't pay anything like that for my set.
Hi solium.
I believe it was priced at around $100.00 new when it first came out around 2004. I've seen used copies from time to time going for half that price and sometimes a bit less but buyer beware of some of those because of the various condition concerns of the discs, case, and longbook.
Interesting that you started with disc 10. You have a lot of great listening ahead of you. There have been some complaints here and there on the net about it not being "complete" (Where have we seen that before? ) but for what it does contain, the 10 discs cover most of the ground and then some that those who enjoyed NFL Films presentations over the years will want.
I enjoy the set, and the contrast of styles over the decades between the classic Sam Spence cues through to the Hedden and Robidoux era.
I really can't remember what I paid for my set. But it was a hefty purchase for me at the time. I'm thinking around $80 dollars. But it was so worth the price. I am still working backwards! On disc seven right now. If memory serves I played disc 1 when I purchased the set but was a little put off by the tinty mono sound. It was also a bit more jazzy than expected, which is not really my taste. I decided to revisit the set but start from the last and work backwards. Glad I did. Really loving the big orchestra sound.
On a side note anyone know the major cue used on Chris Berman's old ESPN NFL progam? (The Sunday evening show) There was one particular piece of music which always accompanied game high-lights.
Edit: Disc 7 "The Contender" Sounds a lot like Jerry Goldsmith's Supergirl theme.
Even though the sound quality of the early Spence material on these discs is not perfect, I still enjoy and have a special fondness for all of that early music because as a boy I grew up with hearing it in the NFL Films programs and as billiosis previously stated it fostered an early appreciation and interest in film scores. And Spence explored a wide range of musical styles in the themes he composed. It was unique for television in a time when mostly stock marching band music was tracked in sports highlight films.
When NFL Films first got off the ground in the 60's they were doing it all on a shoestring budget, with Steve and Ed Sabol personally lugging their own cameras and gear around to the various stadiums. So just their appreciation of what original music could bring to the project and having to finance that at the time was truly extraordinary.
It was probably my earliest exposure (early to mid 70's) in appreciating how the art of film scoring impacted the visuals, and obviously I'm not alone there.
That said, I love the Tom Hedden David Robidoux orchestral contributions. They have continued on the tradition long after Spence left the scene, and their music though not as "hummable" is no less effective in supporting the visuals and standing on it's own as interesting and listenable contributions.
I certainly appreciate Spence's contribution. I find his early offerings rather nostalgic of the swinging jazzy style of the sixties and early seventies. The style is very reminiscent of the television scores at the time. Especially the spy thrillers.
Ive listened to the whole set at least once now. I broke it down into three playlists.
Discs 1-4- Jazz with a shift towards marching band and light thematic orchestration on disc 4. Discs 5-7- Shift towards thematic orchestration though mostly light and breezy. Discs 8-10- Full blown dramatic oriented thematic music reminiscent of 80's film scores.
Of course there are elements of jazz, big band, and orchestration interwoven among all the discs.
I should have posted the link to the PFRA Forum a long time ago on this thread. (Professional Football Researchers Association)
Perhaps some of the posters who commented here in the past and had some questions about certain cues will find it a useful tool if they haven't already visited this forum.
Here you will find people who share our enjoyment of this music, and there's some cool links posted to some music that Spence didn't compose (Although they sound like Spence) for some of the early NFL Films which incorporate that whole 60's and early 70's funk/jazz style of the cop/spy thrillers many of us enjoy.
A couple of my favorites (with links posted) are "Zodiac" by David Lindup and "Thunderbird" by Johnny Pearson.
This stuff should be right down Jim Phelps alley if they aren't already in his collection.
Too bad "Just Win Baby" isn't held in the same high regard around here as "May the Force Be With You" and "Live Long and Prosper." There's some fine music to be heard.
Super Bowl XI. Vikings vs. Raiders. Kenny "The Snake" Stabler. The music of Sam Spence and the legendary voice of the great John Facenda. (The announcer at the beginning of the film with the thick dark glasses could have doubled for Jerry Fielding.)
So as usual it's impossible to find any info on just who created the music outside the composers themselves...
I have some tracks I bought digitally and want to tag them but of course seeing that companies don't care to actually give credit anywhere and just take your money...
So are there orchestrators? Named orchestras or are they all contracted? Who conducts? Etc...
So as usual it's impossible to find any info on just who created the music outside the composers themselves...
I have some tracks I bought digitally and want to tag them but of course seeing that companies don't care to actually give credit anywhere and just take your money...
So are there orchestrators? Named orchestras or are they all contracted? Who conducts? Etc...
Sam Spence conducted most, if not all, of his work for NFL Films. He was also assisted by Russell Garcia in some of the sessions. Regarding orchestration, Spence fully orchestrated all of his work. When short of time, he would flesh out a sketch and hand it out to copyists who knew exactly what he wanted. I have their names available for you, as well as the names of some of the german orchestras who performed on the recordings. Please e-mail me if interested.
You read my mind again Phelps. (How does that keep happening?) I was perusing "Doomsday" just last night. Or as John Facenda so aptly puts it, " The DOOOMSDAY defense".
Listening to "Round-Up". (I think from disc 5.) A little trivia , this cue was played on King Of Queens, when Dough was trying to beat the record for the most packages delivered without damage. I'm pretty sure they used other cues in another episode. Which got me thinking. Can anyone mention what films or television shows incorporated Autumn Thunder cues? They were usually used for comical montage scene of some sorts.
The Sam Spence cues are the ones that usually show up in various other shows and commercials. Of course they are the most recognizable. The Dave Robidoux material has been re-used in countless sports documentaries produced for both HBO and the NFL Network. I posted an article earlier on this thread where Steve Sabol talked a bit about this. I believe he stated some Spongebob cartoon episodes were tracked (likely for comedic effect) with some of the earlier classic Spence cues.
The music used in the program's intro is a far cry from the likes of "Autumn Thunder." I don't recall who the composer of the NFL Today theme was. Anyway, this clip is quite a bit of nostalgia (and represents a lot of what I didn't like about sports coverage---then and now).
) but for what it does contain, the 10 discs cover most of the ground and then some that those who enjoyed NFL Films presentations over the years will want. 
I love me. lol 
