Customer Reviews

Kings Row / The Sea Wolf Soundtrack

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4 star:		(1)
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1. This is (and will likely remain) the definitive original sound track (OST) of KINGS ROW. The music here is from the "uncut" version of the film as originally previewed. There's more of Korngold's film symphony in this CD set than in the film as finally released (and recently available on DVD).
2. The OST of KINGS ROW has never sounded better with this restoration when compared with the straight-up analog bits and pieces of the score on other recordings currently in circulation (such as: ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD - THE WARNER BROS. YEARS MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK ANTHOLOGY, Rhino (Turner) R272243, 1996, CD 2; and WARNER BROS. 75 YEARS OF FILM MUSIC; Rhino R2 75287, 1998, CD 1). That said, this attempt to work "digital-domain magic" on a priceless historical object is only partially successful.
3. Instrument clusters and even individual instruments can be clearly heard with no obvious distortion. But listening in either the digital (adds noise) or analog (recommended) playback mode is a challenge for your ears. Background noise is ever present and constantly fluctuating. It's particularly annoying leading into a track, during "quiet" musical passages within a track, and at the end of one. Surely, this close-to-painful distraction could have been rendered moot with more sophisticated computer algorithm(s)! The listener is left with two counter-measure extremes: keep the volume low or aspirin.
3. THE SEA WOLF OST is one of Korngold's shortest film scores. Its abbreviation was intentional. The absence of film music can often be as powerful an emotional atmospheric as it's presence. Korngold's conducting from almost 70 years ago easily surpasses (make that steam rollers) modern recordings such as THE SEA WOLF: FILM MUSIC OF ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD, Chandos CHAN 10336. Digital restoration is plus/minus ditto as for KINGS ROW. But for THE SEA WOLF, there is already another restoration currently in circulation (THE SEA WOLF, Tsunami TSU 0144, 2003), and a close comparison between the two is especially revealing. Where the current restoration excels and stumbles, its predecessor is just the opposite. With the Tsunami release, no aspirin is needed even at high-volume playback levels.
4. The CD booklet is so extensive it barely fits into the CD jewel case. Its creator is Mr. Brendan Carroll, Korngold's undisputed definitive biographer. Carroll expansively (as is his style) describes the circumstances of how KINGS ROW came to be and why it eventually ended up as a Warners release as well as provides an insightful, bar-by-bar description of each track. The same holds for THE SEA WOLF.
5. Suspiciously missing from the bulging booklet for this CD set is a description of the digital restoration process employed for these OSTs. With any OST restoration, I immediately search for information on how the restoration was achieved, and what computer algorithm(s)--almost always proprietary-- were employed. This release only supplies the name of digital engineer and the company hired to make the restoration. Production folks listen up: Lack of restoration transparency is NOT appropriate (or acceptable) for OSTs!

William F. Flanigan, Jr., Ph.D.

This CD is a limited pressing to 3000 copies and contains a interesting 28-Page-Booklet.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold was for John Williams a Idol/Inspiration so you can hear in "Star Wars", "Superman" some similar themes of Korngolds "Kings Row". So it must be a great soundtrack which is complete available on this release. And yes, it is a wonderful score with wonderful themes/melodies.

Disc One: Track 1 - 12 "Kings Row" - Disc Time 74:56

Disc Two: Track 1 "Kings Row" (incl End Cast) Time: 9:38 (= Total Kings Row Score: 84:33)

Track 2 - 16 "The Sea Wolf" Total Time: 47:27
total Disc Time: 57:13

Fazit: its a must have it. It's a movie score History!!!!

If you like older Hollywood movies and storied classical soundtracks like those from the original Robin Hood movie of the 1930s, then these renditions of Erich Korngold's classic soundtracks of Kings Row and The Sea Wolf are superb. They are as true and faithful to another era they are new today. - Mike Haller