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OK, folks. Time to warn you. I posted this at FSM beforehand because I was so nutty over this. Just copy and paste because I want to warn you all…
It took awhile, but Danny Elfman finally gets the Silva Screen treatment with THE FILM MUSIC OF DANNY ELFMAN.
My question is, would they treat John Williams or Jerry Goldsmith this way?
Why is an orchestral score, originally recorded with an actual orchestra (and then re-recorded again by a real orchestra for the OST album), for the purposes of this compilation performed entirely on synths like “The Breakfast Machine” from PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE? If you’re not going to spend an afternoon recording the piece with the Prague Philharmonic, why have someone churn it out on a keyboard and embarass everyone involved?
Was the 40 YEARS OF FILM MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS set held up because they didn’t have a recording of “Map Room – Dawn” from RAIDERS, so someone decided to fire up Finale and bleat out their own, less costly option? Hell no. They gave the music — and the customer — a modicum of respect.
So why go the cheap route with Danny Elfman?
I realize that PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE isn’t universally beloved as “Dry Your Tears Afrika” from AMISTAD, but as a major fan of Danny Elfman’s work, I find the concept mortifying that some poor fool will pay (like I did!) to download this from iTunes or purchase the CD in a store (who does that anyways?) and think Elfman’s music from PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE really sounds this unrelentingly awful!
Where are the Starlight Singers & Orchestra when you need them…?
I figured a buck spent on iTunes would be worth it just to hear how badly they messed up the Spider-Man 2 Main Title.
Oh…oh, dear God.
First off, the recording itself is terribly “wet,” in the sense that it’s all a complete mush of sound. No clarity to it whatsoever. Waaaay too much reverb. Second, it sounds pretty bare without the electronics and Elfman’s added percussion. But third, and most horrifying of all, the tempo is UNGODLY slow. I’m truly sorry that the director, while conducting this piece, was not struck by lightening on the podium, for the tempo’s sake alone.
Ryan, you are correct. This album needs to be boycotted, and so I gladly join you in your disgust. Please do not buy this album, people.
Thanks for the Heads Up!
I still try to buy from stores as much as possible, I like holding the CD case in my hand and knowing I have it instead of I downloaded it. Then again I’m mental.
I’ll suggest this as a sticky topic as well, but… I found this arrangement of the Spider-Man titles on Imeem and I think it’s pretty nifty. Perhaps a thread about other good arrangements of Elfman material, independent or otherwise?
Wow, that is SLOOOW.
The arrangement on the Silva disc is actually the main titles from SPIDER-MAN 2 and they are as slow as the one you’ve linked through Imeem. A re-recording thread is a good idea. I’ll eventually re-title this one.
I think the arrangement on this Danny Elfman collection is the same one from “Comic Strip Heroes” which was rather hit and miss. Spider-Man(2) was bad, but their take on Batman (over 12 minutes!) was pretty good. The rendition of Jerry Goldsmith’s Shadow was spot on and they actually made John Ottman’s Fantastic Four theme seem almost decent!
I actually hate the concert arrangement from BATMAN. It’s been performed by the Cincinnati Pops and Joel McNeely for the BATMAN TRILOGY disc. The editing seems random (the statements of the Batman theme in “Up The Cathedral” are even judiciously cut or interrupted!)
My personal favorite Elfman re-recording is the Batman theme rendition by Bill Broughton on an old budget label disc. The recording and performance are decent, but they add an extra little statement of the Batman theme at the conclusion and a concert-like exclamation point. Here’s a clip of the ending:
http://elfman.filmmusic.com/media/elfman.filmmusic.com_Batman_ MainTheme.mp3
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