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Originally posted by TimT:
Um I have a quick question for mr MV Gerhard.
When the DVD was released to Dark Crystal many people bootleged the isolated score, and came up with 2CDs of music. Will this new licenced release be a 2CD set?

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I think it should be. I think it should include all of the material from the album not in the film, and vice versa. It would be nice to include some of the "hours of stuff" Jones recorded for the film's promotional tour, if it can be located.

Let's all inform the nice producers how much extra we'd be willing to pay for a second CD of added-value content. I'd shell out at least $40. Don't make me say what I'd pay at most.

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Also since it will be a complete release will it be produced like an album. Or just every single cue including tons of short 4-30 second tracks. Instead of being like Merlin with most cues edited into suites for a better listening experience?

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I certainly HOPE the cues aren't all edited together! In the first place, there aren't more than one or two under-30-second cues. And there are only a handful that are just under a minute. In the second place, combining these cues into "suites" would destroy the "complete and chronological" presentation of the album, throwing the musical development out of whack for a WORSE listening experience! Splicing these minor cues onto the end or beginning of the tracks that surround them would be rather silly, potentially destroying the musical coherence of those self-contained cues.

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Originally posted by Wedge:
In the second place, combining these cues into "suites" would destroy the "complete and chronological" presentation of the album, throwing the musical development out of whack for a WORSE listening experience!

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Not necessarily. Just because something is presented in FILM order doesn't mean it's a better listen. Many albums are presented OUT of order because they end up sounding better on CD. It's a bit hasty to say that it will be a worse listening experience just because it's not in FILM order.

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Originally posted by dgoldwas:
Not necessarily. Just because something is presented in FILM order doesn't mean it's a better listen. Many albums are presented OUT of order because they end up sounding better on CD. It's a bit hasty to say that it will be a worse listening experience just because it's not in FILM order.

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Not necessarily, true, but we're not talking about "many albums," we're talking about a specific score here, and in this case, I say yes, it does. As someone very familiar with the score, I see no benefit to taking what few short cues there are and creating artificial "suites." The short cues work fine where they are, and as someone who knows intimately the narrative shape of this score, any disruptions would be disturbing to me.

Let them give us "The Dark Crystal" as complete, distinct cues in their intended film sequence. Anyone who thinks they can do a better job is welcome to. That's what computers and the CD-programming button are for.

If an edit joining two adjacent cues makes musical AND narrative sense, and can be handled smoothly, I have no real objections. (Though I'd still prefer they be distinct.) But to take a cue, just because it's shorter than one minute, and displace it to somewhere else in the score just because there's another under one minute cue there ... it doesn't make good sense.

Want an example? What about the "Crystal Bats" cue? Just before Kira's song on the river? It's one of the shortest cues in the film, less than 30-seconds. It's musically similar to a brief one-minute cue "Danger on the River" (also involving a crystal bat) that takes place immediately AFTER "Kira's Song." So why not combine them? Because "Kira's Song" is an island of musical tranquility bookended by the tension created by the crystal bats. That's the narrative structure of the film, that's the way the composer designed it to work. Displace the "Crystal Bats" cue and it no longer functions the way it was supposed to within the narrative arc of the score.

As I said: if short cues really bother some people, it's relatively easy for them to fix themselves. If suites that displace narrative cues really bother us, on the other hand, it can be very hard for us to fix.

1. This will be a one cd set. Numenorean and Henson agreed upon this. The complete score in the movie is around 74 minutes. We may add a bonus track or two off the original LP. Since the album has yet to be mastered I cannot at this time give anyone a definitive answer.

2. With the help of Mr Jones we are aiming to release the best possible recording of his music. . .meaning in the best possbile sound and representation of his score.

3. No pre orders are being taken at this point. Perhaps in Early August.

4. Do not expect 4 second cues to appear on this cd.

We hope that this release of Mr Jones' magnificent score will satisfy both soundtrack collectors and Muppet lovers.

Also, we at Numenorean have a strict policy when it comes to 2 cd sets. If and when we get around to do a 2 cd set (of a certain project) in the future the retail price will be $24.98, and not a penny more.

And on a personal note, with all this ugliness going on in the world perhaps we should turn our frustration and anger to things of more importance -- like the casting of Bernie Mac in a "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" remake. What up with that?!

Of course, that's just my take on it.

Regards,

MV Gerhard
VP Numenorean Music

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Originally posted by Numenorean Music:
To answer a few questions:

And on a personal note, with all this ugliness going on in the world perhaps we should turn our frustration and anger to things of more importance -- like the casting of Bernie Mac in a "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" remake. What up with that?!

Of course, that's just my take on it.

Regards,

MV Gerhard
VP Numenorean Music

[Message edited by Numenorean Music on 06-26-2002]

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Jeezum crow are you serious!?!??!
What's next, um Jennifer Love Hewitt taking on The Devil and Daniel Webster!?!??
Drew Barrymore desecrating Barbarella!?!?!

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Originally posted by rfeigels:
I think 5000 is a lifetime supply, however.

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What's worse is that he's not playing the Poitier role. He's supposed to be cast in the Spencer Tracy role! You see, in this version it's an African American Daughter bringing home a White boyfriend! Oh, let the HI-larity ensue!

Chimps with word processors, that's all I'm saying.

Regards,

I don't know... Drew as Barbarella for some reason piques my interest

The thought of what might be done to Charles Fox's score however, makes me shudder

The score does, indeed, run around 74 minutes as it appears in the film. Some of the cues, however, are very chopped up, and in some cases music gets repeated.

Is it going to be available on September 1st? (As the moviemusic release notice says) And if so, are they still waiting to release the name of the site that will accept orders for the soundtrack?

After the 5000, will there be any more copies available? (I saw some conflicting posts about this)

Any information I could get would be very much appreciated (You can probably tell that just by seeing my username. And yes, I know it's "skeksis" in the film. =p )

Thanks,
M.N.

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Originally posted by Skexis:
I really must bump this topic a bit. I've searched around the site, but I have yet to find a definitive answer about the soundtrack.

Is it going to be available on September 1st? (As the moviemusic release notice says) And if so, are they still waiting to release the name of the site that will accept orders for the soundtrack?

After the 5000, will there be any more copies available? (I saw some conflicting posts about this)

Any information I could get would be very much appreciated (You can probably tell that just by seeing my username. And yes, I know it's "skeksis" in the film. =p )

Thanks,
M.N.

[Message edited by Skexis on 08-18-2002]

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Originally posted by OHMSS76:

What's next, um Jennifer Love Hewitt taking on The Devil and Daniel Webster!?!??
Drew Barrymore desecrating Barbarella!?!?!

What IS the world coming to
Ixnay on the remakes people....just witness Rollerball to see what happens....
Sean

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Lol!!!

And: Wooohoooo!!!! Dark Crystal! Woohooo 5000 copies!!!
I think I'll wait, & order from here or intrada. And if it sells out, then I'll be disappointed, I suppose.

Such bullshit.

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Originally posted by drdetroit2020:
love yr day of the dead cd BUT come on guys u think you do a cd of a film that has never had a cd instead? i can give you over 100 score u can put on cd...notld 1990 is Alredy on a 2cdr with twice the stuff u guys came up with.

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OUTSIDE IF IT HAVING SOME CUES NOT IN THE MOVIE, I THINK THE OFFICIAL RELEASE WILL DO.

Is this English? Probably a staff writer for SEVENTEEN magazine.

Ryan

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Originally posted by drdetroit2020:
love yr day of the dead cd BUT come on guys u think you do a cd of a film that has never had a cd instead? i can give you over 100 score u can put on cd...notld 1990 is laredy on a 2cdr with twice the stuff u guys came up with.

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The point is that your 2CD NOTLD isn't licensed; it's a bootleg, and you even decribe it as a CDR, so it's not even a pressed boot. Numenorean's release is legitimate. (Same with DAY OF THE DEAD.)

And music isn't necessarily worthy of a CD release just because it hasn't had one already. It might be from a DTV film so obscure that no-one's ever going to take a $20 + shipping chance on it. David Reynolds' music to the recent EARTH VS THE SPIDER remake is as good as an example as any. Would you pay $25 for it? I certainly wouldn't. I doubt I'll even pick up this NOTLD release (but I might get THE DARK CRYSTAL on the strength of Trevor Jones' other scores). Or the tapes might be lost, or deteriorated so badly that they're now unlistenable. The rights might not be available or the composer doesn't want it released. We can all name 100 scores we want on CD, but there are any number of reasons why we can't, or shouldn't, have them.

So when someone does try and legitimately release something, why knock it? They might as well not bother and you can happily sit there with your CDRs.

And I'm wondering why there hasn't been any "official" reasons for the delay. For a place trying to put out a product that they think people want, having unknown delays doesn't build confidence.

Oh yeah, and no word on the other CD (Night of the Living Dead). That was supposed to be out in July.

Not too good of a business practice there.

Kevin

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Originally posted by Kevin:
And I'm wondering why there hasn't been any "official" reasons for the delay. For a place trying to put out a product that they think people want, having unknown delays doesn't build confidence.

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Kevin, how often do record labels put out "official reasons for delays"? Come on! It will be out when it's out - and they'll let ya know when that is as soon as THEY know.

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Oh yeah, and no word on the other CD (Night of the Living Dead). That was supposed to be out in July.

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Dude, that's been out for weeks: http://www.buysoundtrax.com/night_living-dead.html

Unfortunately in this business projects get delayed. That is why most labels don't bother announcing their latest releases until they are well into production. The announcement of Dark Crystal was premature. We were hoping to have it out by August, but we have hit some delays (mainly regarding mastering and such). But rest assure THE DARK CRYSTAL is coming forth. We HOPE to have it out by October. We are doing everything we can to expedite the matter.

Oh yeah, and no word on the other CD (Night of the Living Dead). That was supposed to be out in July.

It came out three weeks ago. A Press Release regarding the release was posted on this site as well as several other film music and horror movie websites at the time of the release.

All we ask is that YOU and others be patient. We want to release the best possible cd of this magnificent score. As the saying goes, "All good things come to those who wait."

Or, as I say, "Why do a half ass job when you can put your whole ass into it?!"

Regards,

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Originally posted by Numenorean Music:
"All good things come to those who wait."

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Or like the saying goes "I do so only because it suits me to leave. But it does not mean I will not return."