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Lord of the Rings-zenéket:
BLUE BOX FEVER HAS BROKEN... THE SUPERMAN COLLECTION IS
HERE!
Film Score Monthly’s
exhaustive 8-disc box set features all four Christopher Reeve Superman
scores by John Williams, Ken Thorne, and Alexander Courage PLUS Ron Jones,
Giorgio Moroder, and much more!
Linden, VA - February 21,
2008 - It’s safe to say that there has never been as much anticipation for a
soundtrack release as that for the “Blue Box.” Never.Among the
too-many-to-count speculations, there were a few that were very close. But no
one could have guessed the exhaustive extensiveness of the project. Yes,
the "Blue Box" is finally here and it is Superman: The Music
(1978-1988), an 8-CD set of the complete scores to the four
Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve, with music for the original
by John Williams and adapted by his colleagues Ken Thorne and Alexander Courage
for the sequels. Bonus discs include music by Ron Jones for a 1988
Superman animated series and source music for the features, all
packaged in a deluxe hardcover slipcase with a 160-page illustrated hardcover
book.
Superman: The Movie
(1978) is a score that needs little introduction – it is one of John Williams
glorious "blockbuster" works from the late 1970s in which he nearly
singlehandedly revived the symphonic film score. Rousing, tuneful and
unforgettable, it is a lynchpin of any soundtrack collection. The film features
a kind of tripartite structure, moving from Superman s origin on planet Krypton
(given austere, almost Shakespearean colors) to his teenage years in Smallville
(scored with beautiful Coplandesque melodies) and his debut in bustling
Metropolis, where the film s action, romance and comedy come to the fore in some
of Williams greatest scoring ever. Like the film itself, Williams music is a
perfect combination of heart, humor, myth and drama.The music to
Superman: The Movie has been released on several occasions, most
recently on a 2-CD set from Rhino (now out of print). That album, however, was
reconstructed using secondary dubbing elements, as the six-track 35mm music
masters were unearthed only afterwards. For this definitive presentation, the
entire recording has been painstakingly remixed and remastered from that
first-generation source, yielding the best sound quality ever. Discs 1 and 2 of
this set present Williams complete recordings to Superman: The Movie
(additional alternates and source music are on disc 8) – including alternate
versions never before heard, such as a powerful early version of the Kryptonian
villains banishment to the Phantom Zone.Williams was not available to
score the Superman sequels, but in each case his music was adapted and
re-recorded by one of his colleagues. For Superman II (1980) and
Superman III (1983) it was British composer Ken Thorne, who had a long
working relationship with director Richard Lester. For Superman II – in
which Superman deepens his relationship with Lois Lane and fends off the
Kryptonian super villains – Thorne stuck close to Williams’ compositions,
stretching and reworking them to fit the drama. The result was a score filled
with interesting variations on Williams cues that beautifully supported the new
picture. Thorne s score was released on LP by Warner Bros. Records that surfaced
on CD only in a long out-of-print Japanese edition (coupled with the
Superman III album). This premiere release of the complete score
(doubling the playing time) has been entirely remixed from the 35mm music
scoring masters and is found on disc 3.Superman III found
Superman traveling in a lighter direction to accompany director Lester s
sensibilities and that of costar Richard Pryor. Superman defeats a supercomputer
financed by industrial tycoon Robert Vaughn and overcomes poisoning by fake
kryptonite; his alter ego, Clark Kent, begins a romance with Smallville s Lana
Lang (Annette O Toole). Thorne was given a freer hand with the music and
composed a great deal of new material (such as a main title ballet for slapstick
on the streets of Metropolis), returning to Williams themes for key action and
character moments more in the Superman mythology. A creative and intriguing
work, only 20 minutes of his score were included on the film s 1983 LP (and
aforementioned Japanese CD). Disc 4 features his complete Superman III
soundtrack, while alternates and source music (including the five tracks by
composer/producer Giorgio Moroder) are on disc 8.The Holy Grail for
Superman music aficionados has been the completely unreleased score to the
fourth film, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), for which
Williams themes were adapted by his longtime friend and occasional
collaborator, Alexander Courage. With Superman IV being an attempt to
restore the quality of the franchise, it was decided that all major Williams
themes would be used (where appropriate) in the new score. What s more, Williams
himself contributed three new melodies for Courage s use: "Someone Like You," a
sultry, sexy melody (recalling the swinging sixties work of "Johnny" Williams)
for Mariel Hemingway s character of a young newspaper executive; "Nuclear Man
Theme," a driving action theme for the radioactive villain played by Mark
Pillow, treated in versions alternately dramatic and comedic; and – sure to be a
delightful surprise – "Jeremy s Theme," a lyrical theme for the young boy who
appeals to Superman to rid the world of nuclear weapons.In addition to
being the composer of the original Star Trek theme, Courage was one of
the greatest arrangers and orchestrators for Hollywood musicals. That training
came to great use in Superman IV as he adapted Williams melodies into
a powerful symphonic work, with imaginative and nuanced renditions of the
familiar themes. The film was cut by over a half hour prior to release, with
much of Courage s work ending up on the cutting room floor. This presentation
(on discs 5 and 6) showcases his score as it was meant to accompany the complete
version of the picture – meaning many cues, some comprising entire sequences,
have never been heard in any form. His complete score (recorded for scheduling
purposes in both Germany and England) has been newly remixed from the original
two-inch multitrack masters.The second half of disc 6 features the music
by the other composer whose work was abridged when Superman IV was cut
for release: Paul Fishman, son of composer and music supervisor Jack Fishman and
a recording artist with 1980s British techno-pop band Re-Flex. Fishman was hired
to provide contemporary pop music primarily for a sequence at the Metro Club
discotheque (where the "First Nuclear Man" – a deleted character – shows up to
battle Superman). When the character and sequence was cut, it resulted in the
deletion of most of Fishman s contributions to the movie (and the cancellation
of a planned soundtrack album). The artist has personally remixed an
eight-selection presentation of his Superman IV work here.If
you were the right age to watch Saturday morning cartoons in 1988, you might
remember an above-average Superman animated series that aired on CBS,
produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises. Only 13 episodes were made, but the series
was noteworthy for its "Superman s Family Album" vignettes of Superman s
childhood in Smallville as well as the high quality of its animation – and
music. Ron Jones (today of Family Guy, then of Duck Tales and
Star Trek: The Next Generation) was hired to bring a symphonic
feature-film touch to the show s soundtrack. He recorded a combination of
original (to-picture) scoring and library music in the style of his powerful
Star Trek music – and done in the best tradition of Williams
blockbuster work like Star Wars and Superman, one of the
inspirations for Jones career. Ruby-Spears licensed Williams Superman theme
for use in the show s main title; the series theme was otherwise a similar
heroic march written by Jones. This is some of the best music ever created for
1980s children s animation and truly belongs in a collection of theatrical
Superman music. Jones score to the 1988 Superman comprises disc 7 of
the box set, rounding out a full decade of music for the iconic
character.As indicated above, disc 8 of the set collects alternates and
source music for Superman: The Movie, Superman II and
Superman III which would not fit on discs 1-4, respectively. This
includes previously unreleased radio source music by Williams heard only in the
extended television broadcast as well as cues written by Thorne for similar
purposes in the sequels. The eight discs are packaged in two "clamshell" or
"butterfly" cases – four discs to each case – and the two cases placed along
with a 160-page hardcover book in an equally durable blue slipcase with silver
"S" insignia! The 160-page book sets a new bar for a soundtrack presentation.
The table of contents are:4 Introduction: Music That Becomes an
Icon6 Overview: A History of Heroic Music8 Superman: The Movie:
This Is No Fantasy11 John Williams: Composer of Legend29 Disc 1:
Superman: The Movie, Part 144 Disc 2: Superman: The Movie,
Part 255 Interview: In Williams s Own Words58 Musical Analysis: The
Making of the "March"60 Superman II: A Return to Glory64 Ken
Thorne: Composer of Choice68 Disc 3: Superman II84 Superman
III: Laughter in the Air87 Disc 4: Superman III104
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace: Facing New Challenges109
Alexander Courage: The Consummate Musician114 Disc 5: Superman IV,
Part 1126 Disc 6: Superman IV, Part 2133 Source Music and Songs
by Paul Fishman136 Superman (1988): Animated Rebirth141 Disc 7:
Superman (1988)152 Alternates, Source Music and Songs:
Extra!153 Disc 8: Superman: The Movie, Superman II and
Superman III156 Yes, Giorgio! Songs by Giorgio Moroder160 Album
Production CreditsThe scores are essayed in unprecedented cue-by-cue
detail, articles augmented by new interview material with John Williams, Ken
Thorne, Ron Jones, Paul Fishman, Eric Tomlinson, Angela Morley, Leslie Bricusse,
Margot Kidder, Richard Donner, Tom Mankiewicz and Ilya Salkind – the largest
collection of Superman music journalism and documentation ever attempted,
written by Mike Matessino, Lukas Kendall and Jeff Eldridge. Superman: The
Music (1978-1988) is produced by Mike Matessino and Lukas Kendall, with art
direction by FSM s regular designer, Joe Sikoryak. Our gracious thanks to:
Warner Bros. Records and Warner Bros. Entertainment who have licensed these
historic recordings, as well as the photographs and artwork contained in the
packaging; the creators for their time and recollections; and the composers and
recording artists for their gifts and inspiration, particularly John
Williams.The set also celebrates the Man of Steel s official birthday of
February 29 as well as a triple anniversary year... The character made his debut
70 years ago when Action Comics #1 hit newsstands, and 30 years ago, on December
15, 1978, Superman: The Movie was released, introducing audiences to
Christopher Reeve s indelible portrayal and John Williams classic themes.
Additionally, Warner Bros., the studio behind the Superman series, celebrates
its 85th anniversary in 2008. With SUPERMAN: THE MUSIC, Film Score Monthly
delivers a release befitting this multi-tiered celebration.The set is
available as a limited edition of 3,000 copies priced at $119.95
each. Fifty (50) copies of the
enclosed book have been signed by composers Ken Thorne and Ron
Jones. These autographed editions are available for $199.95 each
on a first come-first served basis and with a limit of one (1) per
person.
