Who would have known that this one innocuous entry back on March 21, 2005 would have begun a post that has lasted through over FOUR HUNDRED-FIFTY ENTRIES!!!

Yes, one and all...The Lord of the Rings, and it's gorgeous score by Shore, is what we want.

This wont come out this year or at least around Xmas 2005

-Doug Adams (being coy out of legal necessity, not purely to be annoying.)

People should know here that you have to be like that or you will get fired.

Also I noticed in this FSM article from last week:

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The much desired ten-disc set of Shore's Rings music is unlikely to arrive this year...

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~Sam

[Message edited by TheTennisBallKid on 04-27-2005]

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Originally posted by TheTennisBallKid:
It's been over a month, any more news on this? (not that I'm excited about this release or anything :p)

Also I noticed in this FSM article from last week:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=1 face=arial>quote:</font><HR size=1>The much desired ten-disc set of Shore's Rings music is unlikely to arrive this year...<HR size=1></BLOCKQUOTE>
Truth?

~Sam

[Message edited by TheTennisBallKid on 04-27-2005]

[Message edited by TheTennisBallKid on 04-27-2005]

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Yes and no. I should be able to say more in about 4 weeks -- give or take.

1. Howard Shore might be too busy to devout the time to arranging the cues and approving the albums to do it immediately. He is scoring other films and conducting a few concerts.
2. They might be waiting to tie it into some other product (Like a book: Music of the Lord of the Rings)
3. They may have wanted to wait until the LOTR fans were ready to absorb an expensive set.
4. It could be: production problems, legal problems, art problems, permission problems

And, yes, I'm probably being too impatient about waiting for this release, I should go play tennis or something...

~Sam

Well, that depends on who is releasing it, does it not? Remember that during the whole process there was a major shake up at Warner Brothers Records, and that the division that was responsible for the three original soundtrack CDs (Reprise) essentially ceased to exist. Many executives lost their jobs or resigned, and a lot of the key people who had been pushing this material through were no longer on the map. This doesn’t mean that the LOTR project was ever abandoned, or even in trouble, but it did take time to find someone to champion it once again. Despite the fact that the project seems like a no-brainer success just waiting to happen, you still need to find someone that’s got space on his plate to shepherd it through. It is a huge, huge project, and more than slightly high profile.

>>>Yeah I know they want alternate cues, unused materials, ect.... but they all already exist. >>>

Unfortunately that’s not right. Not everything was mixed. Sure film mixes existed for almost everything, but not album mixes. And since the previously released music will now exist in a different context, a good portion of that will need to be remixed as well. Including the bonus material, you could easily be dealing with 12 to 13 hours of music that need mixing. That’s a huge job – and you’ve got to pay someone to do it. And that means you need to get a large budget approved very early. So assuming you have the producer with the time and energy, the mixer with the expertise and the willingness, you still need to push everything though a big company. Again, that’s not at all a bad thing, it’s just how things work. But it still takes time.

>>>2. They might be waiting to tie it into some other product (Like a book: Music of the Lord of the Rings)>>>

Oh sure, blame me! :) Really though, my timeline is entirely dictated by the record company’s decisions. There’s no way on earth they’re going to hold this project up because some Chicago area guy decided he wanted to walk the beach while contemplating the best way to describe the Shire Theme. They say jump, I say, where should I land?

>>>3. They may have wanted to wait until the LOTR fans were ready to absorb an expensive set.>>>

This is a very good point. No matter how you slice it, there’s going to be a certain price tag attached to this project. So how best to release it? Do you strike while the iron is hot, and get it out right after the last movie? That’s a time problem and perhaps unlikely to recoup the studio’s budget – everyone just got finished buying the one-disc soundtrack, that’s a pretty egregious double-dip. Do you put it out right after the last DVD? That’s an expense problem. If your average LOTR fan just spent $60 on the extended ROTK DVD, will he turn around and drop another $150 on CDs? At Christmastime? Do you cut it down then? Just put out a new mix and a handful of unreleased tracks? Maybe cut everything from the extended editions? The fans would be out for blood, and really no one involved wants to put out a compromised version of this.

>>>4. It could be: production problems, legal problems, art problems, permission problems>>>

Well the good news there aren’t any “problems,” there are just decisions that need to be made. Think of it this way, the more material involved, the more people involved. The more people involved, the more time-intensive the decision making process will be.

Fortunately, I’m happy to say most of these decisions have been made now. In fact, the last I heard, things are pretty well set at this point. Why no announcement yet? Well, you’ve got to realize that advertising is part of the decision making process as well. These things tend to be announced when they’re going to be most effective at capturing attention, but without being crass. As I say, I’m hoping to be able to report something in a month or so, but I’m giving that timeline because that’s the next time I’m planning to be in NY at the office, so I’ll ask then if it’s ok to say something.

Oh and as for the FSM quote… I’m a huge fan of Mr. Bettencourt, but I have to respectfully contradict him by saying that his quote is inaccurate in at least two ways and accurate in at least one wonderful way.

Heh, no problem, just playing around!

>>>Regarding the remixing of all the music: why don't they release the music on DVD or SACD instead of CD? This way, they can use the 5.1 film mixes (or am I mistaken here?) and we get the best possible surround sound.>>>

Well, the film mix is still going to be different than the album mix, so unfortunately that wouldn’t save a step. Remixing to some extent is always a must. Remember the film mix will be created to enhance the visuals while the CD mix needs to stand alone, so tweaks will be slightly different here and there. And of course, there are always different nips and tucks in each version. The 2-disc Phantom Menace is a good example of what happens when one simply releases the film mix, though obviously none of the LOTR scores were subjected to such heavy editing, so maybe that’s not the best comparison.

As for a SACD or DVD 5.1 mix – my strong suspicion is that the upcoming releases will not be in 5.1, simply because I don’t think that format has yet proliferated in the mass market. I’m sure a lot of you guys are set up for 5.1... or even 7.1... but remember, we’re still a niche. Joe Casual Listener is probably more likely to be set up with a 1990 discman and a pair of beat up earbuds that he uses on the exercise bike. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to hear that Watcher in the Water cue too. I think a 5.1 only release would severely cut down on sales at this point... but, that’s just a guess.

That said, I’d also be shocked if we NEVER saw a 5.1 release of some kind, but that too is a guess.

>>>Between the debates over the Theatrical release, and the Special Edition scores, it's no wonder that the powers that be cannot make up their minds about the time and how to get everything remastered and edited.>>>

Well, I should make it clear that no such debate ever existed, per se. There were a lot of ideas kicked around for a while, but it never came down to two camps, one pushing for Theatrical one for Extended Ed. In the artists’ minds (i.e. any non-corporate party involved) this has always been a platform for the full scores, DVD material included. Also, I don’t want to give the impression that there’s a surplus of indecisiveness involved here. Parties are taking their time because they want to do this right, not rush it to market for a quick buck and a splashy press release.

>>>Oh, and will your (Doug's) book be packaged with the boxed set or sold separately?>>>

Always in motion is the future...

-Doug

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Originally posted by AustinHusker:
Doug, are there any updates for the official announcement timeframe? I have several Barnes and Noble gift cards that I would love to use on this!! <IMG SRC="http://www.moviemusic.com/mb/smile.gif">

-Chad

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Nothing yet, but hopefully soon. Hang on to those gift cards!

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Originally posted by Kevin:
Doug, any updates?

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Hi guys,

Well, I’m afraid I still can’t do much of an update just now, but I did try to answer a couple of questions over on the FSM board:
http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.asp?threadID=28003&forumID=1&pageID=2

[Look about half way down the page.]

Maybe this will satiate you just a little… if the contradiction in terms isn’t too much. I’m happy to try and answer a few questions here as well, but I’ve still got to be very general.

Best,

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Originally posted by Doug Adams:
Maybe this will satiate you just a little, if the contradiction in terms isn't too much. I'm happy to try and answer a few questions here as well, but I've still got to be very general.

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I guess the most pressing question on everyone's mind is: How much longer until you can stop being very general?

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Originally posted by Marian Schedenig:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=1 face=arial>quote:</font><HR size=1>Originally posted by Doug Adams:
[b]Maybe this will satiate you just a little, if the contradiction in terms isn't too much. I'm happy to try and answer a few questions here as well, but I've still got to be very general.<HR size=1></BLOCKQUOTE>

I guess the most pressing question on everyone's mind is: How much longer until you can stop being very general? ;)

NP: War of the Worlds (John Williams)[/B]

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I wish I knew! Basically, I'll know I can make the announcement when I get an email from Howard saying, "Ok, you can announce it."

The wait can't be that much longer, I promise!

But don't worry, you know the saying about good things and waiting, right?

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Originally posted by ridan:
Well, here's a small question:

Will the release have the music from the mvoes that Howard Shore did not compose? Like the Green Dragon song, the drinking song at the beginning of ROTK, A Long Expected Party, and the Wood Elves' song in FOTR?

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I have made a custom CD of the end credits from all three EEs and it makes just under 70 minutes of music including the fan club credits. It makes for a really cool listen in the car or on the computer during work.

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I have made a custom CD of the end credits from all three EEs and it makes just under 70 minutes

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[Message edited by Dalboz on 07-26-2005]

FOTR: 27:32
TTT: 20:33
ROTK: 21:37

total: 69:42

If I were a betting man, I’d say you’re likely to see the Plan 9 and Walsh (etc.) music included in the set. Complete isn’t complete unless it’s complete after all! And really it makes sense… oftentimes Shore’s score plays with the diagetic music. The orchestra outlines the vocals twice in The Road Ever Goes On and again in Billy Boyd’s and Viggo’s ROTK pieces. And once you set that precedent, it doesn’t make sense to only see it half way through. Don’t worry, no impingement will be registered… These little excursions actually help the breadth of the piece and the flow of the album. And quite frankly, they’re fun tunes.

As for the EE credits, no decisions have yet been made regarding Sissel’s piece or Bilbo’s Song, so I really can’t comment. They’ll be there, of course, I’m just not sure where. ROTK is still a while off.

More news soon. Really! Daily conversations with Warners are finally getting all the details hammered out. It’s crunch time now. Why do you think I’m typing in nearly unintelligible shorthand?

-Doug

I know the answer will be "No comment" but I have to ask, this just occured to me. If the soundtracks are going to be released separately then will your companion book be split up into three and released separately as well? I would think not, it wouldn't make much sense. I have not seen or heard about what your book will contain but I am guessing it will have some kind of track-by-track analysis. If that is so we would be reading about tracks for TTT & ROTK and not be able to hear them right away if you are releasing the book with FOTR. As you can see, the suspense is killing me!!! Enter your disclaimer now... "Soon, soon" J/K Doug, we appreciate any and all info that you can give us!