La-La Land to release 15-disc original series score set

Been reading discussion of this set around the internet and it's just fired me up again about the possibilities. In particular I direct my next query to @Indysolo and @Ssosmcin but...

Is there any, shall we say, logic to be found in actually attempting to splice together from this set the episode "isolated scores", if you will, or is this a fool's errand without having a copy of the laserdiscs and a few months of free time?

Also a question. Found this particular snippet elsewhere:

This is in reference to the new TOS additions in the 50th anniversary set. Does this mean that the ENTIRE TOS library was found in improved condition, or does the 50th set just include tracks from the new sources that are on the TOS box in less-than-pristine quality? It was mentioned later in the same thread that "If you have the TOS box, it's easy to put these in iTunes and have a better sounding set."

 

Some library cues in the 15-CD set were taken from secondary sources and have a noticeable hiss. The 50th Anniversary set includes only those TOS cues, now taken from better tapes (at least one generation better) that recently came to light.

These cues include the kickass fight music in "Journey to Babel," and Kirk's "One Man with a Vision" speech in "Mirror, Mirror." Also the "Caesar and Christ, they had them both" music from the end of "Bread and Circuses." These are some great tracks. The better sound quality is significant and a very welcome development.

The great majority of the 15 disc set was mastered from the best studio tapes in the first place.

 

Hrm...so the 50th anniversary set would allow me to replace certain tracks I already have with higher-quality versions of same? I admit that's a little tempting (though I'd have to check pricing before I could say how tempting).

 

Well, having done only "The Corbomite Maneuver" shortly after getting the set, I can tell you - you'll need a LOT of free time. You really don't appreciate the amount of editing they had to do in order to stitch together scores out of existing cues. There is also a lot of repetition that you generally don't notice watching an episode. I was considering doing more, but that single episode pretty much spent my passion for it. Can you imagine doing "Balance of Terror?" Some cues are so sharply cut, they don't even make a good listening experience. Pop in the episode and watch when the Enterprise is firing on the Romulans, the same attack the Centurian is injured. The jarring cuts from "WNMHGB" are realy obvious on their own and a tough mudder to put together.

And, yeah, you'll need the VHS/Laserdisc prints at the very least to get close to an accurate account of the music.

However, if none of that discourages you, have at it and good luck! But you'll find that you won't be able to recreate every episode because of how some of the cues were edited together. Some cues were cross-faded to recreate how they originally sounded in their respective premiere episodes. Like "WNMHGB", "Amok Time", "The Cage," etc. At least the previous releases of those scores have many of the cues separate as originally recorded, but the cross-fading makes it tough to use the higher quality cues accurately. A library cue version of "One's Enough" from "The Doomsday Machine" was used in some episodes ("Mirror Mirror" for one) with a "sustain" at the end, fading out before the the triumphant exit music was supposed to come in. That other version is on the set, but it was attached to an alternate version of the exit music, so the sustain isn't there. So you can't recreate the final cues to "Mirror, Mirror" accurately. The drum hit in "Catspaw" as Jackon tumbles off the transporter pad was heard in some episodes on its own ("Obsession"). Also, that same cue ("Captain Kirk") was heard in other episodes without the drum hits, but doesn't exist on the set by itself. So, creating a fully accurate "isolated score" for "The Deadly Years," for example, isn't possible. Unless you can pull the music off one of the home video releases and wash out the dialog and sound effects.

I hope that isn't totally confusing.

 

Makes sense. So the entirety of the score as first recorded is there, but some of the remixes that were featured in the episodes themselves aren't possible to recreate.

Considering there's no *cough*digital copies*cough* of the laserdisc or VHS floating around, sounds like a dead-in-the-water project.

That said, let me ask you this:
How many completely incorrect music choices are there on the Blu-ray "broadcast mono" track compared to the laserdiscs, which are apparently also not perfect? Just a handful?

 

I haven't gone through them exhaustively, but as much as I know the sound effects are wrong in the majority of the episodes, the music doesn't seem far off in the mono tracks. Episodes that I noticed the music being "correct" in the mono apposed to the surround mix are "The Menagerie (Part Two)" and "The Deadly Years." "The Cage" restored version has the incorrect version of "Rigel VII" and a bit from "The Man Trap" still on there.

So, really, I don't know for sure, but most of the music itself it probably close on the mono tracks.

 

Sweet. Good enough for me! If you ever make a more detailed analysis, keep me in mind please

 

Correct. The majority of the box set came from the first generation tapes. Dubs were only used in the cases of missing material or damage. In the case of the season 2 and 3 library cues, the first generation tapes were found after the box came out.

Neil

 

Another bump. Again, if you don't have the CD box set and want the music digitally, 13 volumes of it are now available on various sites. The final four albums contain, "Elaan of Troyius", "Spock's Brain", "I, Mudd", "The Trouble with Tribbles", "The City on the Edge of Forever", "And the Children Shall Lead", and all of the library music. This will cover as much music as La-La Land is able to release digitally. You'll be able to find the albums on iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play.

The new masters for some of the previously released music are not available digitally and will remain exclusive to the box set. Basically, you now get everything from the box digitally except the two pilots, "Amok Time" and "The Doomsday Machine".

And if you like La-La Land Records, please consider helping out MV Gerhard, the co-owner of the label. We've been having fires here in southern California and his home was destroyed by the Thomas fire. You can see MV in this video.

Neil

 

I’m so grateful for these digital releases. The library cues are fabulous and I’m really enjoying the subtle differences from season 1 to season 2. I’m sorry that many of these never made it to air.

This one—Approach of the Enterprise* (“The Doomsday Machine” M11A/M11S) (Kaplan, with Fred Steiner brass sweetener)—wow! What a difference that brass made. It was worth the price of admission.

Thanks again!

 

The only 'true' 'original' soundtrack is Roddenberry's b/w print, but I very much doubt they'll have sourced that. I suspect if they did have a mono track, it'd be from one of the earliest releases, still with The Man Trap cue.

 

Breaking the rules to bump this old thread, but since it announced the set, it might as well announce that the set is no longer available. Per MV Gerhard, co-owner of La-La Land Records, "Speaking of Trek it looks like after 8 years that amazing TOS set is finally sold out. Thanks to everyone for helping us make it the crown jewel in our 18 year old company."

I hope everyone that wanted one got one. It was a pleasure to work on and I'm glad that it's made so many people happy.

Neil

 

That appears to mean the physical box set moved 6000 units. That's damn good in the vintage soundtrack market! 3000 is the more common figure, and many old soundtracks get a limit of 1500. Add in the fact that iTunes and Amazon downloads were competing with it, and 6000 is amazing.

For me, buying the actual box was a complete necessity. You got a total of 120 pages of liner notes in the four booklets, packed with information and profusely illustrated with color photos, plus the three sets of jewel case graphics. There's a lot of context and history in there to go with the audio. That said, if the box is gone I'm glad people can at least still buy the download albums.

 

Glad I got mine!

 

Fantastic news. I still listen to this all the time. Refining my mp3 tags has become almost it's own hobby. (I currently have them organized by episode with re-recorded library cues grouped with the episode. I think I need to order them by recording date.) One of these days I'm going to make a digital (and searchable!) copy of the booklets.

Thanks again to all involved. A remarkable achievement.

Marvel's Avengers movie is more famous, but I consider this set to be just as impossible.

 

I had been a ST TOS fan for 35-odd years when this box came out. I would never have imagined how much the soundtrack set enhanced and expanded my enjoyment of the series, after all that time. I was glad to see it called "the crown jewel." As long as it stayed in stock I was worried it wouldn't break even! Thanks Neil, and all the team involved.

 

Echoing @ZapBrannigan I also needed to have the physical album. This was, without qualification, the the Holy Grail. It was, literally, my life's soundtrack. The longest wait was the time span between announcment and receiving the box at my doorstep. I go back to it all the time.

I am so thrilled it finally sold out. I know some of these vintage all in one boxes can languish and make it difficult, if not impossible, to do any more. Star Trek has again beat the odds.

All of you who worked on the set, put your time, talent and love into it and made it possible for us to have all of this, you have my unending gratitude.

People, just stop and think about all of the music we have from the series, the animated, the movies, and beyond. It's something I never would have thought possible in the 80's and 90's.

Great work and congratulations!!!

 

Bravo, @Indysolo!

You've worked on many terrific releases, but this set is surely among your best work, and I'm glad to have it.

 

I'm also gobsmacked at the fact all of that music still EXISTS after so many years and in great condition. Think about how many shows and movies half Star Trek's age which are incomplete or missing entirely. Really amazing....

 

We are so lucky to have this. Like others, this is my definitive listening music!