It gives people something else to take umbridge over. Otherwise, I agree with you.
Yeah Mr Guy, I hope ol' zoobs doesn't take any oxbridge himself - zooba, we love ya! - but I think that some of us soundtrack fruit n' nutcases are a shade too sensitive, or overly defensive or something, about our film scores and beloved composers.
Leaving the composer's name off of the cover confirms the basic fact that soundtrack recordings are released first and foremost of promote the film. The music, no matter how good or important, is secondary.
...but with MCA-1660 in a rectangular box in the upper right-hand corner. But the back cover has MCA-2087 in small print, same location. Whatever. Seems to me I purchased it right after film's release.
I remember now. It was the first MCA CD release, I think around 1992, that did not have the composer name on the cover art.
Seriously, I think the only composer with enough name value to sell soundtracks on it's own is Ennio Morricone. Even with Williams or Zimmer the title of the movie seems to be te biggest selling point.
Perhaps that with only a handful of others recognition could lead to extra sails. I bought Aliens also because I likes Star Trek II so much.
That said, there are other, more important reasons to put the name of the composer on the front cover. Respect and rightful recognition for example.
Some other examples of composer not credited, although, in fairness, some of these were various artists soundtrack albums rather than sole composer albums:
And of course there's this. Okay, it's not the score album, but no mention of Jerry Goldsmith or John Barry anywhere, front or back. Credits the whole of the rest of the world, though.
Growing up buying soundtracks I have to admit it's not something I noticed or cared about. But in retrospect I think it's rather disrespectful leaving the composers name off the cover.
This. And like we really care about the vast majority of people who don't care about film music and film music composers. We're the only ones that care. Which is why threads like this have meaning to us only.
And of course there's this. Okay, it's not the score album, but no mention of Jerry Goldsmith or John Barry anywhere, front or back. Credits the whole of the rest of the world, though.
Remarkably, Miklos Rozsa's name doesn't appear on this front cover and his name as composer only appears in tiny print (magnifying glass not supplied) on the back cover as part of the music publisher (EMI) credit.
Sony later released EL CID and KING OF KINGS and remembered to credit Rozsa on those front covers.
Never mind the front cover.. How about not on the album at all?
Check out THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES. If memory serves Dave Grusin's name appears nowhere except the little box of film credits. Must have been a contractual thing as Atlantic and not his own label (GRP) released it at the time.
