I just picked this up. It says on the back that the content is the same as the Colpix LP, but that it is stereo. Is it true stereo? Are these the film versions? I never had the Colpix LP. The only Sinbad music I have consists of the CD from the 1990s or whenever and the Phase 4 suite.
The Varese CD was a great release, but be aware that the Overture (Main Title) is abbreviated to 1:09 as opposed to the complete 1:54 version (which is only available in stereo as a bonus final track on the 2CD Prometheus edition; Herrmann also recorded this complete version for London Phase 4). The full Overture is in a-b-a-b-a form; the abbreviated one on Varese is a-b-a only.
Also not all tracks are stereo (track 8 "Transformation" and the penultimate track "The Death of the Cyclops/The Crossbow/The Death of the Dragon" are definitely mono). But this is also true of the Prometheus release which contains the complete score, much of it only in mono. The Varese preserves pretty well all of the surviving stereo cues (as does the definitive Prometheus release, along with the complete Overture).
The Varese is a great stand-alone listening experience; the Prometheus contains the complete recordings. I own both, but you won't be disappointed either way.
I just listened to side 1. What a great sound! Is this Muir Matheson conducting a European orchestra? Is that how it got an LP release?
I love the tight crossfades between the cues, and I love the fact that the dynamics are not exaggerated as they are on contemporary digital "classical" recordings.
McNeely always ruins his Herrmann albums by including all these tiny little cues with lllllooooonnnnnggg decays on the final notes of each. It totally breaks the momentum. This album, by contrast, is non-stop, it is like two suites, one on each side.
The version of the "Skeleton Duel" on this album is the best I've heard. The Phase 4 is slow, and the version by Debney or whoever sounds like it is on the verge of falling apart. This one locks into a solid groove even at the brisk tempo.
The Varese CD was a great release, but be aware that the Overture (Main Title) is abbreviated to 1:09 as opposed to the complete 1:54 version (which is only available in stereo as a bonus final track on the 2CD Prometheus edition; Herrmann also recorded this complete version for London Phase 4). The full Overture is in a-b-a-b-a form; the abbreviated one on Varese is a-b-a only.
Good point. The full Overture is my favorite piece from this score (in fact the version on the Phase 4 is what originally turned me on to this score in the first place), and it's a shame that it's abbreviated on the album. It was great to find the full version in stereo on the Prometheus 2-CD, which is essential anyway.
Good point. The full Overture is my favorite piece from this score (in fact the version on the Phase 4 is what originally turned me on to this score in the first place), and it's a shame that it's abbreviated on the album. It was great to find the full version in stereo on the Prometheus 2-CD, which is essential anyway.
The Varese LP Overture is the abbreviated a-b-a version. The full Overture (a-b-a-b-a) is notable because of the lovely strings that take up the b theme during its second iteration. If you find a two-minute version on youtube, that's probably the one.
The Varese LP Overture is the abbreviated a-b-a version. The full Overture (a-b-a-b-a) is notable because of the lovely strings that take up the b theme during its second iteration. If you find a two-minute version on youtube, that's probably the one.
Is the longer arrangement on either the Phase 4 suite or the Debney album?
It's on the Phase 4, but I'm not sure about the Debney. Looking at the two-minute track time I'd guess that it is. Debney can conduct a little slow but I don't know about that slow.
The overture on the Varese LP is indeed the FULL version. The Phase Four recording is the full version. The Debney recording is the full version. The Paul Bateman recording on Silva Screen is the full version. The first track on CD1 of the Prometheus set is the full version. The last track on CD2 of the Prometheus set is the full version.
The edited version appears only on:
The Varese CD of the OST. The first track on CD2 of the Prometheus set.
The overture on the Varese LP is indeed the full version. The Phase Four recording is the full version. The Debney recording is the full version. The Paul Bateman recording on Silva Screen is the full version. The first track on CD1 of the Prometheus set is the full version. The last track on CD2 of the Prometheus set is the full version.
The edited version appears only on:
The Varese CD of the OST. The first track on CD2 of the Prometheus set.
Yep, I was wrong! I haven't spun the LP in a while and assumed after what George wrote that the Varese LP was the same program as the Varese CD (which I also owned at one point), but a simple glance at the track times on the LP confirms it has the full overture. I even spun it real quick to make sure, and it's definitely on there. So many soundtracks, so little brain space!
I produced the Pioneer Speial edition of Sinbad and found the STEREO versions of transformation and the previously mentioned Death of the dragon etc. and new dupes of these pieces were properly catalogued and turned over to Sony.
Also, WHY would there be a longer version of the Overture? I doubt the credits were ever longer, which is what Herrmann was writing to.
I produced the Pioneer Speial edition of Sinbad and found the STEREO versions of transformation and the previously mentioned Death of the dragon etc. and new dupes of these pieces were properly catalogued and turned over to Sony.
Also, WHY would there be a longer version of the Overture? I doubt the credits were ever longer, which is what Herrmann was writing to.
Hi Joe,
Glad to hear that those two cues still exist in stereo. I have that laserdisc you worked on. It sounds great.
As for the Overture, let me try to make it a little clearer. The "long" version IS the one that's in the film. It's the shorter edit that is the mystery. Was this just some kind of editing/mastering mistake when Varese put out their CD of the original soundtrack perhaps?
