Some of the selections are items they've previously released. Those early ones suck. Others were newly-recorded for this set. These are the items I bought the set for.

The problem with SS is that you want to hear a score for years, something like DIAL M FOR MURDER, and when you finally get it it sounds so off the mark you want to commit murder. You have to give them a plus for recording something you want no one else has done, but if they blow it so badly, it's worse than not having it all.

In any case, I went into the 4 cd set with hope about the newly available material, especially TARZAN AND THE MERMAIDS and TENSION AT TABLE ROCK, both great scores by Dimi.

Now, Tiomkin is probably the hardest of all the composers to get right. There are literally billions of notes to play and all sorts of effects to get just right.

Like with Silva's Moross discs, this is probably the best they've been than at any time previously, but some of the suites still seem to miss the mark. My main complaint is, that even if they are playing things well and at the right speed, perhaps better than they ever have, the performances or arrangements still don't have the bite a Tiomkin piece is supposed to. It's as if they rounded off all the sharp corners and made Dimi sound prettier and more genteel than he should. It's more a Pops Concert performance of Tiomkin in places than I'd prefer it to be. Take the dance in DUEL IN THE SUN. They get the tempo right but Tiomkin's orginal comes off like a wild frenzy. The SS version is an easy-listening rendition in comparison. There's power in their FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE re-recording but not enough to ever substitute it for the Tiomkin versions we already have.

And yet, I have to say that the new material is the best they've produced. They did a great job on some items. For example, I'd say the GUNFIGHT AT OK CORRAL suite is just as powerful to listen to as the one Erich Kunzel did on his Round-Up album. Sometimes the versions aren't quite Tiomkin as you'll hear him in the films but the versions are good enough to listen to on their own to pass muster.

I don't know how I'll feel about this as I play it more often and compare it with the film versions. I may either agree, feel the disc is worse, or better than I'm saying it is now. But today as I write this, I'm enjoying listening to it. However, if you are new to Tiomkin, I'd suggest getting his originals to this. This isn't as essential as those and is for those already familiar with them.

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I've really started getting into some of Dimitri's music lately. I just finished listening to "55 Days at Peking." It has some really nice passages. Then there are others that I will skip through on subsequent listenings.

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Originally posted by Lou Goldberg:
...And yet, I have to say that the new material is the best they've produced. They did a great job on some items. For example, I'd say the GUNFIGHT AT OK CORRAL suite is just as powerful to listen to as the one Erich Kunzel did on his Round-Up album. Sometimes the versions aren't quite Tiomkin as you'll hear him in the films but the versions are good enough to listen to on their own to pass muster...[Message edited by Lou Goldberg on 11-27-2004]

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That's the one I would compare it to as well, Lou. I regard the Kunzel suite as a "nice try" -- poor ol' Frankie Laine's pipes were pretty well worn out by the time they recorded that, and the finale with the loud, high notes was a bit painful to hear. The male vocalist on the Silva set reminds me more of a Robert Goulet sort of voice, and while that took a little getting used to, I felt he did a fine job overall in handling the song. For me, GUNFIGHT is pretty much the highlight of the set. I agree with your impressions in general of the Silva release, and frankly was glad to have gotten it as a gift from a friend and not had to buy it!

I hate to disagree with Dinko but I can't whole-heartedly recommend this to a first time Tiomkin virgin just because it has a lot of the basic themes. I realize that person can't go out and buy a ton of original Tiomkin OSTs and that there isn't a real good in-print 1 disc Tiomkin complilation to fit the bill (there are a couple good OOP ones, the CBS and Gerhardt discs). Just the same, while they pass enough to give someone a taste for the scores, you can't put 2nd rate versions in front of someone and expect them to find the same emotions they would if they heard the better originals.