The packaging is quite lavish (although
the cover is the horrible blue Darth Maul), with a meaty booklet.
Unfortunately, there are only two pages of liner notes, with the rest
relegated to stills from the film (one for each track - no track times
listed.) The insert that was posted on Theforce.net is probably fake -
there's nothing like that in the package. The full cover is like a fold-out
version of the Decca JAWS and expanded CLOSE ENCOUNTERS packaging, with the
booklet unfortunately glued to the inside, along with two fold-out trays.
The CDs themselves contain pictures of Amidala on disc one and Qui-Gon and
Obi-Wan on disc two.

As for the editing, all of those headings that hold multiple tracks are
actually lengthy suites, editing the music into its film version cuts. I
was initially worried about this, but I've listened to the first suite so
far and the editing is great - it's almost as if it was written as one
continuous piece (which it very well might have been) that was broken up for
the other soundtrack release.

Overall, this is a successful release in my view (even though I've held it
for about five minutes total.) I'll probably have a few more thoughts on it
later tonight after I listen to the editing of the Final Battle tracks.

Part II:
OK, I've had time to listen to the whole thing, and only one phrase can
describe this experience: a slaughter of good taste. The album may say that
John Williams produced it, but I can't imagine the Maestro wanting us to
hear his masterwork in this state.

When they said "as heard in the film," they really meant it. Every music
edit, no matter how bad, appears here. Single measures are repeated
endlessly, keys change abruptly, the music jumps between cues and different
areas of cues. In short, it's enough to make me recommend most collectors
to stay with the original album. Imagine the score to The Empire Strikes
Back presented as it was in the Special Edition film on CD - Hyperspace replaces
a different cue for earlier in the film and the final sequence is butchered
mercilessly because of the new footage. Multiply these heresies by 50. For
example, The Flag Parade now runs for one minute compared to its original
three (did they really have to do this?). The final battle sequence is a
total disaster - there are about four true pieces, each butchered without
mercy endlessly. The edits are horrible, disrupting the flow of the cue (as
well as the key usually). In this sequence, there is probably one new piece
that would be quite interesting by itself, but the editors slice it up into
at least five different parts, throwing it into a bed of similarly
slaughtered action music. The "Anakin Defeats Sebulba" track on the
original album is cut to about 2 minutes and scattered throughout the entire
album.

On a more positive note, most of the unreleased music is excellent,
particularly Anakin Is Free, the opening sequence, and the cue where Darth
Maul is killed and Anakin destroys the reactor. Some of the source music is
great - atonal alien music.

In short, I'd recommend that most people simply stay with the original album
and possibly download mp3's of their most wanted new tracks. This release
is truly a travesty, and I can only hope that Williams' original vision is
finally presented at some point in time.

To my ears, the sound quality is a little better. Eric Tomlinson's muddy, reverbish mix is still its usual self, but the album seems to have been mixed louder, so the volume doesn't have to be adjusted as much.

Thanks!

All this pooch-screwing in the soundtrack community must end, and it must end now! Sorry for that.

Sometimes the cues are allowed to play in their entirety, and some are edited so that they flow into one another - much like the Battle of Endor tracks from Return of the Jedi, only with a lot more editing and jumping around between cues. About half of the edits are pretty good (especially the opening suite), but it degrades as the album progresses. If you heard a jarring edit in the film, it appears on the album as well.

I think I am still going to get the Ultimate Edition but I still find it strange how Williams wanted it released.

Frankly, I am getting sick of record companies telling us that the music release is complete than finding out later that there is still music missing.

(Don't laugh, but I still haven't heard a single cue from Episode 1. Been "busy" with other titles)

First try was wrong...

It seems the second try is another miss...

I am grateful that I did not buy the first PHANTOM MENACE disc, but am not sure that I'd be terribly insulted by the newer one. Still and all, you know there'll be another version. That's what old Georgie is about.

If you find this a smooth, unified piece of concert-quality music, I'm sure you'll have no problem with the rest of the album's edits. Keep in mind that Williams penned a completely original, coherent cue for this entire sequence that we'll now possibly never hear.

BTW, this is my second day of owning this release, and I've only been able to force myself to listen to it once in the car. Every time I attempt to start it, I am overcome with anger at the loops and the visions of the unused cues.

I think I'll go listen to some Mahler now...

That track is a mess. I guess Lucas couldn't determine what music he wanted to hear during 3:00-4:00...

Thanks for posting that, Ricard.

At least we've had good Goldsmith re-releases lately

I was looking forward to hearing Williams' score as he wrote it, but it looks like I need look forward no more. Eventually I'm sure that I'll have an opportunity to hear this release, but I'm in no rush now.

This isn't the complete release we were all hoping for. From my understanding (talking to some Hollywood types), and Sony (with Lucas' help - and possible direction) was to pull the music tracks from the film and put them on a CD. That's why things are broken up the way they are.

No remastering, no coherent flow to the music. This is just as if you were watching the movie on a DVD (like that will happen) and listened to the isolated score.

Sony dropped the ball big time on this, and hopefully the soundtrack-buying people (us) will send them a clear message by doing two things:

1. However tempted, don't buy the CD. Lack of sales figures will tell the Sony bigwigs that it isn't popular.

2. Write letters to Sony and Lucasfilm. Make your disappointment well-known.

These two things are the only way we are going to get the music in a format that is correct.

On a certain newsgroup, a Mr. Thaxton posted the addresses where one could write to complain. I give them to you all for your writing enjoyment...

Ms. Lucy Wilson
Lucasfilm Ltd.
P.O Box 2009
San Rafel, CA 94912

Mr. Peter Gelb
SONY CLASSICAL
550 Madison Ave 15th Fl
New York, NY 10022-3211

I'm going to take the money I was going to spend on this and order something else (from the Moviemusic store, of course!)

Kevin

you all knew from the Sony press release that this was going to be "as heard in the film," did you not? Why be disappointed now, upon release of the music?

I have decided not to buy it A, because I just can't afford it now, and B, because I know one day there will be an Ultimate Special Edition (if you will) of this score come out with every stinkin' note and arrangement Williams wrote. I can wait.

The Sony Classical people know music I'm convinced, and I think they must have been hogtied legally by Lucasfilm about what they could present on this release.

Over a year after its theatrical release, fans will finally be able to own every note of music that John Williams composed for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace from the opening logo fanfare through to the last end credit.

Unless I'm totally unable to read, it says in English that "fans will be able to own EVERY NOTE OF MUSIC that John Williams composed".

Fans of STAR WARS: EPISODE ONE - THE PHANTOM MENACE have asked for this complete, uninterrupted recording of the score, which is heard in its correct dramatic sequence on "The Ultimate Edition," allowing listeners to follow closely the story line of the film.

What fan asked for the complete score to be as heard in the film? I'd like to know this sorry, sorry jackass' name.

Shaun

quote:

---

This is Lucasfilm's first officially licensed and sanctioned Bootleg.

---

*** Warning, more complaining below!! ***

I really don't think it would have been so difficult for Sony producers to find out what the people wanted in this re-release. Perhaps Sony should have called up Film Score Monthly (or another record company who is educated with the wants of film music fans) and asked them how the score should have been presented.

The result would have been much more pleasing for movie music fans, resulting, of course, in better sales and MORE MONEY! Woo, more money. We know George Lucas loves hearing that.

Anyway, I think Kevin's friend summed it up quite nicely.

I have the original release and I don't think that I'll need to pick this one up.

Two strikes... Three Strikes, Yer out!

The kind of misleading advertising practiced on this release (which had many folks, including me, worked up into a happy froth), is sadly rather typical of the empire of George Lucas. I used to attribute some rather moderate - but honest - attributes to the man as a Filmmaker. It has been obvious for a bit that he is more Technocrat and Entrepreneur than Artist.

I'm also disappointed in ME, for allowing myself to be duped into hoping for the best & prepping my wallet for spendage. Specific marketing again, and I was too stupid to see through it. I shouldn't have been excited! I should have known something like this was going to be the case! Think about how the damn movie was marketed: a six-year-old child's Movie was sold to US as a heavyweight Film. Doubt me? Think of that DUEL OF THE FATES "video" that had so many of us drooling. Not much Jar Jar in that thing, is there? Lucas and his marketing whizzes were selling us on the dark, deep, Adult aspects of this chapter of Star Wars iconography. They KNEW it was a little boys' movie, and omitted the items most likely to have hinted at that. So, yeah, I'm pissed at myself for hoping for some respect as a consumer. It's too bad that RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK is my favorite movie of all time, because I don't want to think about giving Lucas any more money on that movie's eventual release on DVD.

But Thank You, Andrew + gang, for saving me some money on this one!

The assumption by fans was, after all, that the album would be in the same format as the RCA Star Wars Special Edition releases, Rhino's Superman or Arista's CE3k. Instead, we get an isolated score track without the movie.

It wasn't too hard for the complete idiots (who deserve to die a slow and painful death sad and alone) that programmed this album to figure out. The models already exist. What I think bothers us all is that we thought we knew what we were getting. And we get a piece of crap instead.