Customer Reviews

The Essential John Carpenter Film Music Collection: Halloween

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

As the previous reviewer noted, nowhere on this CD does it indicate that the 'Essential John Carpenter' is someone re-recording all of the famous cues. Naturally all the info is on the inside.

And the disc? I don't see the point in bothering. They might as well make Assault on Precinct 13, Dark Star, and They Live (which pretty much don't have scores in print anymore) available again, even if they have to combine a couple to make one disc.

Carpenter does not use orchestras or elaborate bands for his scores. He does most of it himself and that makes another Carpenter collection simple. It's not difficult to play the notes, but everything is just slightly off and after a while you wonder what's the point.

This is NOT the music from the Carpenter films you love. This is someone playing that music. Assault on Precinct 13, which provides most of the attraction of this pretty worthless disc, sounds lousy and has none of the life of the throbbing synth of the original. Not only that, but they have the nerve to throw in two (2) cues from Starman, a Carpenter film that he didn't do his own music for(!) Instead the disc is broken by the Jerry Goldsmith pieces that sound NOTHING like anything Carpenter has done. It's bad--it belongs elsewhere, namely the Starman soundtrack which is still in print.

Stay away from this thing. It's a ripoff, another attempt to cash in on a name without providing any real product.

These jerks did a great job hiding the fact that these tracks are re-recorded by some schlep. Avoid this lame piece of garbage at all costs. The tones are totally wrong, it sounds very little like the genius originals. I bought this to get some of the Assault on Precinct 13 stuff, and was horrified to find that everything had been re-recorded. THIS IS NOT MENTIONED ON THE OUTER PACKAGING IN ANY WAY!!! You would never know until you open it and read the liners. Shame on these bastards for trying to dupe and rip people off. AVOID THIS [STUFF]!!!

like other reviewers said, this is someone else playing those classic carpenter tunes. sometimes it sounds like elevator music. unfortunately, the cover doesn't say anything about this piece of work...

What a piece of ****. Do not buy this worthless CD. If you are a fan of John Carpenter's scores, you will not like this. Don't waste your money like I did...And the only reason it got one star is because you can't give it any less!

You might think that having this THE ESSENTIAL JOHN CARPENTER MUSIC COLLECTION would be a special treat but that's not entirely true. I was intrigued at first and thought how nice it would be to have a quick and easy collection of some of his most famous Themes. To be honest I actually own most of his film's soundtracks to begin with but I thought that this would be an interesting add to my collection.

First off, none of the music is the original. It's all been re-recorded and updated to sound more new or fresh. The only one that I found interesting was the bonus track at the end. A Symphonic version of the STARMAN theme which really wasn't bad by the way. The music is okay and alright to listen to but if you a real die-hard Carpenter fan then don't bother because (like myself) you'll spend to much time hearing and comparing the changes that you'll find yourself in a very annoyed mood.

I recommend that you just go out buy each soundtrack separately because even though you'll spend more money you'll at least get the true original recordings that Carpenter himself wanted you to hear.

The music in CARPENTERs films, especially the older ones, really captured my imagination as a youth. I was very excited to find this CD on AMAZON & wasted no time in purchasing it. These are all alternate versions of the original themes but have been a welcome addition to my collection.Particular highlights of this CD are the versions of HALLOWEEN & HALLOWEEN II.Don't wait make them a part of yours!

The Essential John Carpenter Film Music Collection is a wonderful collection for all people who like the music of John Carpenter used in his films. The quality of the recordings are superb!

Hats off to Gareth Williams, James Fitzpatrick and Silva Screen Records for this venture into the world of John Carpenter. Silva has done a masterful job of recreating the feel of the original Carpenter film scores. This awesome compilation of "great thriller music" sends chills up our spines from composers Ennio Morricone, Jack Nitzsche, Dave Davies, Alan Howarth and of course John Carpenter. Each selection is arranged and performed with plenty of suspense dating back to 1974, which gave the audience a supernatural and imaginative fright. Each score paints the mood for every cue, which writer, producer and director Carpenter required...and then some.

Each score takes on a life of its own away from the film. If you've never seen any of the films, your imagination plays a key role interpreting what our legendary director/composer has up his sleeve when writing and directing the music. Entire album is a stand out ~ this one's for Carpenter and Silva fans alike, a collection for the first time with tremendours power and immediacy of each cue can now be heard. With Dolby Digital Surround Sound Recordings...this is a must have for your collection. All "film-score-buffs" beware, this is guranteed to give your goosebumps on the very first track, gotta love it!

Total Time 72:15 on18 Tracks ~ Silva Screen SSD-1143 ~ (2002)