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Certainly you must be a big fan to consider spending $500 or so on what amounts to 13 film scores and 3 discs of bonus material. The press materials state that 7 hours of the included material is unreleased. If you are a fan of these scores and Danny Elfman's collaboration with Tim Burton, you probably already own the majority of released material. Personally, I already own about half of the scores. So, do I think I got a good deal?
Overall, I would say I'm quite happy with the box set. Mine was in good condition upon arrival - just two of the disc envelopes were scrunched a bit. Everything else is in working order. So, I have no complaints on that account.
The sonic quality of the music I have listened to so far is excellent; Elfman writes they remastered much of the music, and this is evident. The huge hardback book about the music is extremely well produced, and i can see I will enjoy reading it. The Skeleton Key USB drive works well - it's a self-running Flash or Air application for Mac and Windows. The scores can all be saved from the application for use in iTunes or other MP3 player.
4 stars? Two elements take this down from 5 stars. The price is huge. If you bought 13 expanded scores, you probably would spend $300 or so. (Most expanded collector's score like from Film Score Monthly, Intrada or LA LA Records go for $20. Toss in shipping of $3 and that's $23 each.) Add in $45 for the book and $20 for the DVD. So, the box itself and rest of the demos and unreleased stuff is about $135 in cost. That's a large cost, and while I like the box, I'm not sure where I will keep it.
The second issue is smaller and maybe nitpicking. When you save the MP3s from the USB (encoded at 192 kb), the files are locked and have no artwork. I've found you can grab the artwork with a bit of image saving from the elfmanburton.com website, but the MP3s really should have been formatted to be perfect when saved. I also wish the rate had been higher - at least 256 or even 320. Honestly, I would have loved AIFFs although that would not have been good for Windows users. Of course, I can rip the CDs at whatever rate I prefer but the benefit of the USB key should be to provide the best experience for listening.
Coming back to the overall feeling of the set - it's right on the mark if you love Elfman and Burton. Fans won't be disappointed.
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Customer reviews
the USB all was fine and well intact
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2015
Well when i ordered this to my country in Pakistan via Amazon.com. It arrived at the airport at the courier company's office. So I had to go there and collect it in person rather than wait for the courier van to deliver it. My box was also slightly damaged or rather falling part from the seams. Apparently the seal was also broken and it appears that customs had to open the box in order to examine this very strange looking box which was also strangely playing a tune. The rest of the material, the cds, the DVD, the book, the zoetrope, the USB all was fine and well intact. All I did was take the box set home, use some super glue and fix the falling seams apart including the music box area which had been pried open by customs and it was good as new. Only recently the box's package starting coming off after some 4 years and I had to re-glue them back. Its still good as new. The real treasure of course is the music, the Book and the zoetroop effects. etc. Hours of enjoyment and the pride of my collection!
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2015
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Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2015
the USB all was fine and well intact
By John Doe on October 20, 2015
Well when i ordered this to my country in Pakistan via Amazon.com. It arrived at the airport at the courier company's office. So I had to go there and collect it in person rather than wait for the courier van to deliver it. My box was also slightly damaged or rather falling part from the seams. Apparently the seal was also broken and it appears that customs had to open the box in order to examine this very strange looking box which was also strangely playing a tune. The rest of the material, the cds, the DVD, the book, the zoetrope, the USB all was fine and well intact. All I did was take the box set home, use some super glue and fix the falling seams apart including the music box area which had been pried open by customs and it was good as new. Only recently the box's package starting coming off after some 4 years and I had to re-glue them back. Its still good as new. The real treasure of course is the music, the Book and the zoetroop effects. etc. Hours of enjoyment and the pride of my collection!
By John Doe on October 20, 2015
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Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2020
Top reviews from other countries
Karren Saynor
So I was extremely disappointed when I finally received my package
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 11, 2014Sabrina
Pour tous les fan de Tim Burton et/ou Danny Elfmann
Reviewed in Canada on June 2, 2020
