Mega Movies

Jerry Goldsmith (Composer), Recorded Sound (Composer), James Horner (Composer), Hans Zimmer (Composer), Alan Silvestri (Composer), John [Film Composer] Williams (Composer), Stephen Schwartz (Composer), Mark Snow (Composer), Randy Newman (Composer), David Hirschfelder (Composer), David [1] Arnold (Composer), Stephen Warbeck (Composer), Trevor Rabin (Composer), Erich Kunzel (Conductor), Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
• Conductor: Erich Kunzel
• Composer: Jerry Goldsmith, Recorded Sound, James Horner, Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, et al.
• Audio CD (May 23, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B00004T9B1
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,880 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #13 in Music > Indie Music > Miscellaneous > Sound Effects
  • #37 in Music > Miscellaneous > Sound Effects

Track Listings

1. Sand Volcano [The Mummy]

2. Main Title [The Mask of Zorro]

3. Main Title / The Parachutes [Main Title from Air Force One]

4. End Title

5. End Credits

6. Dedication and Windsong [From Mighty Joe Young]

7. Day at the Races (Sound Effect from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace)

8. Main Title from Star Wars / The Flag Parade [Main Title from Star Wars:

9. Badge of Honor / L.A. Confidential [From L.a. Confidential]

10. When You Believe [From the Prince of Egypt]

11. What's That Hun? (Sound Effect from The X-Files)

12. Threnody in X [From the X-Files)]

13. The Time of Your Life [From a Bug's Life]

14. Main Title

15. A Stroll in New York City (Sound Effect from Godzilla)

16. Main Title

17. Main Title

18. Iceberg! (Sound Effect from Titanic)

19. Back to Titanic [From Titanic]

20. Main Title

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Test the limits of your sound system!, May 23, 2000

By 

Steven W. Hill "Owner of shillpages.com" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mega Movies (Audio CD)

MEGA MOVIES is a new compilation from Telarc featuring new recordings of recent film music performed by the popular Cincinnati Pops conducted by Erich Kunzel. The disc also prominently features six specially (and spatially) recorded sound effects tracks to complement the music.

SELECTION In order to properly sell a compilation a producer must include a hefty sampling of "the usual suspects" which in this case include TITANIC, THE PHANTOM MENACE, THE MUMMY etc. There isn't really any great risk-taking here, but the selected cues do make for a pleasant listening experience. The other selections are from THE MASK OF ZORRO, AIR FORCE ONE, THE ROCK, CONTACT, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, THE X-FILES, A BUG'S LIFE, ELIZABETH (the nicest surprise here), GODZILLA, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE and ARMAGEDDON. 7/10

PERFORMANCE In most cases the Pops performance closely matches the original performance as heard in each movie. There are a few exceptions, though. THE ROCK (End Title) particularly struck me as being quite different from the original soundtrack. 8/10

SOUND QUALITY The sound quality is THE reason to buy this disc. Going *beyond* reference quality, the punchy, incredible sound mix is often jaw-dropping. The liner notes say that the sound effects tracks are the first sounds to be recorded direct to six-channel Direct Stream Digital. Sadly, the effects tracks are generally short and a bit disappointing in relation to the amount of time and care spent recording them. Still, the disc's audio quality - both effects and music tracks - is simply amazing. We even get a warning about sound levels, which reminds me of the "WARNING! LIVE CANNONS!" messages on the early digital 1812 Overture releases. Did I mention the entire disc is in Surround Sound? 10/10

PACKAGING A very unattractive text-based CD cover hides nicely detailed yet brief notes about each track. It is fascinating to read the notes regarding the creation of the effects tracks. If you buy the disc, be sure to read the liner notes. 7/10

OVERALL Most film music aficianados will already have some (or many) of these cues in their collections...for them it will be the sound quality that's the main attraction. For the more casual buyers, the selection should appeal nicely and the performance will more than satisfy. Either way the buyer comes out ahead. 8/10.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's adequate, but does not replace the original soundtracks, July 17, 2000

By 

Chek Yang Foo (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mega Movies (Audio CD)

I've been listening to Erich Kunzel's music with the Cincinnati Pops for quite a while now- the very first album of "popular" film music I listened to was back in 1988 of their 1983 recording of selected music from the Star Wars trilogy and other Steven Speilberg/John Williams colloborations. Make no mistake: Kunzel and the Cincinnati forces are always well served by some of the best recording sound, linear notes, and overall production values there are out there in this music genre; and their music artistry is always easy to like, as is their choice of films to include in their albums. The representation is indeed excellent- one can only take a look at the track listings included on this page to see that.

Having said this though, I'm not sure if I particularly liked his latest offering. Keeping in mind that perhaps more casual listeners of Kunzel's would like it more than I would, the rearrangements of film music to suit a more "concert-oriented" presentation is a tricky business and isn't always tastefully done. A case in point: a frequent listener may observe that in Kunzel's albums and included rearrangements, the ending for each newly arranged piece display a tendency to sound too similar. With the exception of film composers who write their own concert arrangements of their biggest hits- John Williams coming to mind immediately- the repeated "big band" and explosive/loud climax to most of this disc's arrangements does tend to wear thin. In other instances, the closings seemed rushed, hinting of an attempt to quickly finish the concert piece and move on to the next track

Within the tracks themselevs, particularly successful in my opinion, are the tracks for The Mummy, The Mask of Zorro, Shakespeare in Love, and A Bug's Life. Less so were the tracks for The Rock, Air Force One and Titanic; the latter most probably because one would have heard it so many times, and Kunzel's rendition, well, sounds very different.

Ultimately, whether one finds this album enjoyable to listen to repeatedly depends on one's expectations of the music recorded in it. There is much to enjoy, sound is excellent as is the representation, and casual listeners looking to be reminded of some of the music from recent block bluster movies would need to look no further. More frequent or serious listeners who like to hear music the way it was written- and closer to the context of the film itself- would serve better to also own copies of the original soundtrack recordings though.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Tracks and FX, December 12, 2011

By 

Cursor - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mega Movies [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

As far as my preference is concern, the arrangement and mastering of the sound track are top notch. The FX part give more life to the tracks. If you had a SACD player and surround speakers properly setup, you will be able to enjoy the CD a whole lot more.