Now this presentation is where the rubber meets the road! The engine is screamin'; the tires are smokin'; and the adrenalin is surging. Not only did I check the like button for this video, I smashed it. As a classic film fan and a vinyl fan, these film score albums are a natural for me. I have the U.S. Red Label Casablanca album. It was passed down to us from my wife's parents who bought it new back in the day. I just finished listening to it. It was well loved, but you nailed it; it sounds great! 😻 In all my years of hunting for vinyl, I don't remember seeing these albums or if I did, they weren't in good shape. I may have one or two more, but just don't remember picking them up. Now that I'm aware of the series, I must have more. Thanks for covering this subject; it's the kind of video that keeps me coming back to your channel for more. 👍👍👍👍👍
Aww, thanks for your enthusiastic comment! Most of these jackets look different than the US releases. You may have seen them and passed them by. The UK Gold Seal ones have unique artwork. The US releases are well done too. Don't pass one up if it's minty! They usually are very inexpensive.
@ Sure, you bet, Scott. I call it as I see it, and this information is so timely. Motion picture related music is something that has been occupying my attention lately. I want to expand this portion of my collection. My son is a big fan of film music. I shared your video with him, and he enjoyed it too.
@ I hope that you will cover more motion picture soundtrack albums. Since you are much more knowledgeable about sound quality in this genre than I am, are there any particular labels to look out for when hunting in the wild? Are there any particular motion picture soundtrack grails you'd recommend?
Thank you! I know this is a neglected subject, and just want to keep the information moving to new listeners who might not be aware. These are sensational records!
Never cease to amaze. I thought I was the only one who treasured these, have a half dozen or so, all US, a few promo others bought at used stores. Gotta dug those out. Whenever someone goes on and on about some new film composer, of a certain someone who has done the same score ad infinitum, I suggest they check out these composers. Again, thanks.
I'm so glad you found this video. I was a little hesitant to release it, but it's starting to find those who appreciate this series. I haven't covered very much film music, but to ignore this fantastic achievement would be a crime! It's so darn great and I just wanted to share an overview with the fans who are in the know, and hopefully pique the interest of new listeners. Do you have a favorite you'd like to recommend to someone who might want to try one?
So happy you featured these - they are sensational! Back in university days I got to know Christopher Palmer who wrote the notes for many of these, and was a pioneering proselytizer for film music (he also worked on the Herrmann Decca Phase 4 records). I was writing my Master's thesis on Herrmann and Chris sent me copies of the complete autograph scores for "Citizen Kane" and "Psycho" - which were extraordinary to hold in my hands! Chris worked on many scores with Herrmann, most notably "Taxi Driver". That Herrmann LP is still one of the best sounding discs in my collection. You didn't mention several later records in the series that are often overlooked. First, the LP of Suites from "Star Wars" and "Close Encounters" which I think bests the Mehta. What's different about the CETK selection is that it is essentially the last 20 mins of the film, stunningly played and recorded. Second, a later "Best of..." LP titled "The Spectacular World of Classic Film Scores" which includes all the studio fanfares, plus some new material, most notably the Suite from "The Thing" by Tiomkin which is truly spectacular, with wailing theremin!!! Third, David Chesky put out an audiophile pressing titled "Hollywood Screen Classics". Also worth looking out for is a Reader's Digest box which was a precursor to the Classic Film Score series, "Great Music from the Movies". Go for the 5LP version. Gerhardt is one of several featured conductors, and Wilkie recorded a lot of this I believe. Some terrific stuff.
Wow! Such great information! I had no idea about the Readers Digest box. And Hollywood Sceen Classics is a Chesky I forgot completely! Thanks for enhancing the comments thread as you have been. This is my favorite part of the channel.
Hi, Thanks for watching this one. Any recording with Wilinsin engineering is a must, if you are interested in the music. Gerhardt is superb and the National Phil seen to be really enjoying these and playing them beautifully. If all you've ever heard are the original film versions, you're in for a big surprise!
Thank you! I remember you mentioning these a few months back. You know what? I thing I might have that Kings Row now that I think of it. Oh, the treasures in the vault!!😍
Oh, man! I have a number of these. Wilkinson's engineering is first-class. The "Kane" disc...Salammbo's Aria...wow...those massive whacks on the bass drum are reference stuff. A good friend is a concertmaster in a local orchestra and I played the whole disc for him one afternoon and he was very impressed.
Great to know this series has some fans! I wasn't sure how well known this is, but some of us around at the time remember it was a big deal! Great comment and memories! Thank you! Were taking a poll on favorite disc. Is yours Citizen Kane?
This is another of your videos where I have never noticed these recordings in NZ before. Now you have highlighted them, I will probably find one when out record buying today! Love those old movie scores. Thanks for another great vid.
If you love the original music that accompanied these films, wait til you hear them recorded with perfection! I'm predicting you're going to find one on you hunt! Check the soundtrack section!
As always a very informative review Scott , this is why I love your channel . Not had any experience of these titles 😁 but will have a look at sunset boulevard 😁👍
Another fine video - thanks Scott! I have most of these, in a mix of UK and US pressings and treasure them. I have to say though that I have come to prefer recordings of complete film scores over comps such as these, wonderful as they are.
Thank you, and I understand that view because I share it with you! I look at these as a sampler. A beautifully recorded one at that. It would have been nice to have complete recordings of some of these selections done by the same team. A few labels came to the rescue later with mixed results. I'll get to a few of the best. Since you have some of these, can you suggest a favorite for other viewers reading the comments? I like the Citizen Kane myself.
Citizen Cane/Herrmann is great, as well as the others you featured. I also especially like Now Voyager/Steiner, The Sea Hawk/Korngold, and Casablanca/Bogart.
@fredericmorris2931 i do like the Now Voyager disc too. Of course the film is great too! I think Sea Hawk should have been included here. Some think its the greatest!
Fascinating Scott, not seen these in Oz maybe they came here I don’t know will have a look in my film section I grew up with these movies as Saturday movie matinee titles on free to air TV THX 😢
I bet some of the UK pressings made it there, if not specifically distributed in that market. If you love the music, wait till you hear how well it can sound under the right conductor and engineer!
I love the label credit to Kiri te Kanawa on the "Citizen Kane" disc. She sang the impossible aria from "Salammbo" that Bernard Herrmann pitched a key too high for ANY soprano to sing it, including Jean Forward of the Met, Dorothy Comingore's voice double in the film.
That is a special moment in this score. There are so many great moments across all these discs. Spellbound is a unique score too. So great to have all this music preserved in the best possible sound.
I have most of these and they are great. Wouldn’t it be great if Chad reissued some of these? I think there’s a good chance they’d appeal to lots of vinyl collectors. Maybe even a box set! Thanks for reviewing these.
I'm so glad you liked this video! Thank you for watching and commenting. There was a reissue planned for Citizen Kane at 45rpm by ORG, but their vinyl series seems to be stalled. They have a few Decca and Mercury titles in preorder for years now.
I really love that one too. The Rosza one with Spellbound is nice too. All are great, just a matter of which score you're in the mood for. The Errol Flynn one is fun but a bit much!
I know I have seen them on 4 track reel tapes, some on Q4 tape (Quad). Don't own any of them, guess I did pass them up but the price point for them used hasn't been cheap either. Thanks for the info if I do find any in my price range will snag them.
I don't ever think I've seen a reel-to-reel tape of these! They might be somewhat rare. I'm glad the video sparked some interest in possibly acquiring them. Definitely worth a chance to try one if you see them!
Thanks Scott for this. Mr. John Williams is probably “The last of the Jedi” of orchestral music for movies. Just wondering why you didn’t show Casablanca, Gone with the Wind & Bette Davis?
I don't have the first two, and I couldn't locate the American pressing I have of Now Voyager in the vault, which is a bit disorganized at the moment. The British ones are in my music room so I focused on those.
It's a CD. I admit the heresy. However, RCA/BMG 60863-2-RG, "The Sea Hawk: Classic Film Scores of Erich Wolfgang Korngold" is a reasonable way to sample Korngold's film output (12 films, mostly main titles as the selections). K. E. Wilkinson was the original recording engineer.
Now this presentation is where the rubber meets the road! The engine is screamin'; the tires are smokin'; and the adrenalin is surging. Not only did I check the like button for this video, I smashed it. As a classic film fan and a vinyl fan, these film score albums are a natural for me. I have the U.S. Red Label Casablanca album. It was passed down to us from my wife's parents who bought it new back in the day. I just finished listening to it. It was well loved, but you nailed it; it sounds great! 😻 In all my years of hunting for vinyl, I don't remember seeing these albums or if I did, they weren't in good shape. I may have one or two more, but just don't remember picking them up. Now that I'm aware of the series, I must have more. Thanks for covering this subject; it's the kind of video that keeps me coming back to your channel for more. 👍👍👍👍👍
Aww, thanks for your enthusiastic comment! Most of these jackets look different than the US releases. You may have seen them and passed them by. The UK Gold Seal ones have unique artwork. The US releases are well done too.
Don't pass one up if it's minty! They usually are very inexpensive.
@ Sure, you bet, Scott. I call it as I see it, and this information is so timely. Motion picture related music is something that has been occupying my attention lately. I want to expand this portion of my collection. My son is a big fan of film music. I shared your video with him, and he enjoyed it too.
@ I hope that you will cover more motion picture soundtrack albums. Since you are much more knowledgeable about sound quality in this genre than I am, are there any particular labels to look out for when hunting in the wild? Are there any particular motion picture soundtrack grails you'd recommend?
@@audiophileman7047 Thanks for sharing the video!
Another fine Pressing Matters production !
Ha, thank you John!
All of your videos are wonderful educational windows into the world of music. Thank you!
Thank you! I know this is a neglected subject, and just want to keep the information moving to new listeners who might not be aware. These are sensational records!
Never cease to amaze. I thought I was the only one who treasured these, have a half dozen or so, all US, a few promo others bought at used stores. Gotta dug those out. Whenever someone goes on and on about some new film composer, of a certain someone who has done the same score ad infinitum, I suggest they check out these composers. Again, thanks.
I'm so glad you found this video. I was a little hesitant to release it, but it's starting to find those who appreciate this series. I haven't covered very much film music, but to ignore this fantastic achievement would be a crime! It's so darn great and I just wanted to share an overview with the fans who are in the know, and hopefully pique the interest of new listeners.
Do you have a favorite you'd like to recommend to someone who might want to try one?
A fun new genre to explore, thanks Scott!
You'll definitely see one in your travels! Now you know!
So happy you featured these - they are sensational! Back in university days I got to know Christopher Palmer who wrote the notes for many of these, and was a pioneering proselytizer for film music (he also worked on the Herrmann Decca Phase 4 records). I was writing my Master's thesis on Herrmann and Chris sent me copies of the complete autograph scores for "Citizen Kane" and "Psycho" - which were extraordinary to hold in my hands! Chris worked on many scores with Herrmann, most notably "Taxi Driver". That Herrmann LP is still one of the best sounding discs in my collection. You didn't mention several later records in the series that are often overlooked. First, the LP of Suites from "Star Wars" and "Close Encounters" which I think bests the Mehta. What's different about the CETK selection is that it is essentially the last 20 mins of the film, stunningly played and recorded. Second, a later "Best of..." LP titled "The Spectacular World of Classic Film Scores" which includes all the studio fanfares, plus some new material, most notably the Suite from "The Thing" by Tiomkin which is truly spectacular, with wailing theremin!!! Third, David Chesky put out an audiophile pressing titled "Hollywood Screen Classics". Also worth looking out for is a Reader's Digest box which was a precursor to the Classic Film Score series, "Great Music from the Movies". Go for the 5LP version. Gerhardt is one of several featured conductors, and Wilkie recorded a lot of this I believe. Some terrific stuff.
Wow! Such great information! I had no idea about the Readers Digest box. And Hollywood Sceen Classics is a Chesky I forgot completely! Thanks for enhancing the comments thread as you have been. This is my favorite part of the channel.
I must second Scott's thanks for this interesting information. 👍👍👍
You both are great contributors!
Great video. Charles Gerhardt recordings seem to have great sound. Thanks for the video.
Hi,
Thanks for watching this one. Any recording with Wilinsin engineering is a must, if you are interested in the music. Gerhardt is superb and the National Phil seen to be really enjoying these and playing them beautifully. If all you've ever heard are the original film versions, you're in for a big surprise!
Wonderful series. Thx. Varese Sarabande did a digital (but good) National Phil remake of King’s Row, the brilliant Korngold score.
Thank you! I remember you mentioning these a few months back. You know what? I thing I might have that Kings Row now that I think of it. Oh, the treasures in the vault!!😍
Stellar vid, as always.
TNX Scott ❤❤
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Oh, man! I have a number of these. Wilkinson's engineering is first-class. The "Kane" disc...Salammbo's Aria...wow...those massive whacks on the bass drum are reference stuff. A good friend is a concertmaster in a local orchestra and I played the whole disc for him one afternoon and he was very impressed.
Great to know this series has some fans! I wasn't sure how well known this is, but some of us around at the time remember it was a big deal! Great comment and memories! Thank you!
Were taking a poll on favorite disc. Is yours Citizen Kane?
This is another of your videos where I have never noticed these recordings in NZ before. Now you have highlighted them, I will probably find one when out record buying today! Love those old movie scores. Thanks for another great vid.
If you love the original music that accompanied these films, wait til you hear them recorded with perfection! I'm predicting you're going to find one on you hunt! Check the soundtrack section!
As always a very informative review Scott , this is why I love your channel . Not had any experience of these titles 😁 but will have a look at sunset boulevard 😁👍
Thank you Tony,
They are all excellent, one only needs choose by score or composer and you'll be treated to the best sound around!
Another fine video - thanks Scott! I have most of these, in a mix of UK and US pressings and treasure them. I have to say though that I have come to prefer recordings of complete film scores over comps such as these, wonderful as they are.
Thank you, and I understand that view because I share it with you! I look at these as a sampler. A beautifully recorded one at that. It would have been nice to have complete recordings of some of these selections done by the same team. A few labels came to the rescue later with mixed results. I'll get to a few of the best. Since you have some of these, can you suggest a favorite for other viewers reading the comments? I like the Citizen Kane myself.
Citizen Cane/Herrmann is great, as well as the others you featured. I also especially like Now Voyager/Steiner, The Sea Hawk/Korngold, and Casablanca/Bogart.
@fredericmorris2931 i do like the Now Voyager disc too. Of course the film is great too!
I think Sea Hawk should have been included here. Some think its the greatest!
Great recommendations!
Thank you so much for watching and commenting! I'm glad you found this video helpful.
Fascinating Scott, not seen these in Oz maybe they came here I don’t know will have a look in my film section I grew up with these movies as Saturday movie matinee titles on free to air TV THX 😢
I bet some of the UK pressings made it there, if not specifically distributed in that market. If you love the music, wait till you hear how well it can sound under the right conductor and engineer!
I love the label credit to Kiri te Kanawa on the "Citizen Kane" disc. She sang the impossible aria from "Salammbo" that Bernard Herrmann pitched a key too high for ANY soprano to sing it, including Jean Forward of the Met, Dorothy Comingore's voice double in the film.
That is a special moment in this score. There are so many great moments across all these discs. Spellbound is a unique score too. So great to have all this music preserved in the best possible sound.
I have most of these and they are great. Wouldn’t it be great if Chad reissued some of these? I think there’s a good chance they’d appeal to lots of vinyl collectors. Maybe even a box set! Thanks for reviewing these.
I'm so glad you liked this video! Thank you for watching and commenting. There was a reissue planned for Citizen Kane at 45rpm by ORG, but their vinyl series seems to be stalled. They have a few Decca and Mercury titles in preorder for years now.
Do you have a favorite among the ones you have?
Though I have most of them, I think I’ve listened to the Bernard Herrmann disc the most as he’s one of my favorites.
I really love that one too. The Rosza one with Spellbound is nice too. All are great, just a matter of which score you're in the mood for. The Errol Flynn one is fun but a bit much!
I know I have seen them on 4 track reel tapes, some on Q4 tape (Quad). Don't own any of them, guess I did pass them up but the price point for them used hasn't been cheap either. Thanks for the info if I do find any in my price range will snag them.
I don't ever think I've seen a reel-to-reel tape of these! They might be somewhat rare. I'm glad the video sparked some interest in possibly acquiring them. Definitely worth a chance to try one if you see them!
Thanks Scott for this. Mr. John Williams is probably “The last of the Jedi” of orchestral music for movies. Just wondering why you didn’t show Casablanca, Gone with the Wind & Bette Davis?
I don't have the first two, and I couldn't locate the American pressing I have of Now Voyager in the vault, which is a bit disorganized at the moment. The British ones are in my music room so I focused on those.
It's a CD. I admit the heresy. However, RCA/BMG 60863-2-RG, "The Sea Hawk: Classic Film Scores of Erich Wolfgang Korngold" is a reasonable way to sample Korngold's film output (12 films, mostly main titles as the selections). K. E. Wilkinson was the original recording engineer.
No shame in a great CD! And I have heard that one of the best. Same recording series.