Lord of the Rings Soundtracks: Discuss

[Encaitare]

Alright, N&N, here I come. I'll just scamper off and begin, then.

[The Tennis Ball Kid]

The entire score is coming out on CD! More info: here, and here.

Anyway, things continue to progress at the corporate level. You know, with a project of this size, there’s always the question of exactly who will put it out? Or, how will it physically be packaged? Or, how will it impact other releases – when’s the best time to put it out? And of course there’s always the question of how exactly to present it all. There’s so much great music that you’ve not heard, even in the films. As I’ve mentioned before in emails to some of you, the word I’ve continually heard bandied about is "legacy." Everyone wants to make this something special. And we as fans know all too well what happens when things are rushed out.

So, that being said, understand that there’s not a set release date yet. I believe the intention all along has been to make this a fourth quarter release, which I think is a good idea. So, if it’s out in 2005, expect it around the holiday season. And should it be 2006, the same will hold true, I think. (This isn’t my way of hinting that it won’t be next year... no one really knows yet. As the other Douglas Adams said, "Don't panic!")

he nine-disc cd set will be similar to the ROTK special edition soundtrack, in that it will most likely also have a documentary part with the cds. The cds will have every bit of music recorded for the EE editions of the three movies. It also will include some out takes, such as the first version of the fellowship theme, and music from an Arwen scene that was cut from the movie.

Anybody else excited about this?


ttbk

[Encaitare]

Oooh! Very excited indeed ... I wonder how much that will cost... Sounds great, though.

By the way, welcome to the Downs, Tennis Ball Kid!

[Sharia]

Hi!
Does any one know what the song at the end of FOTR is called? I think it's the first song sung as the credits shows, it's a boy singing, but I don't know who? I love this song but I can't find it (and I haven't got the soundtrack)
Thanks
/Sharia

[Elladan and Elrohir]

Sharia, the song is called "In Dreams" and it is sung by Edward Ross.

I know the track-by-track thread is in full swing and in the middle of ROTK over in the Novice and Newcomers forum (and I heartily recommend it to any who haven't seen it yet), but I figured I'd go ahead and make some comments here, as this is a more general soundtrack thread.

First, these are absolutely phenomenal soundtracks. Howard Shore has absolutely captured the spirit of the movies, and, I think, the spirit of the books. I think FOTR is my favorite soundtrack simply because every track is very memorable, but ROTK is gaining quickly and may overtake it.

Just a word of caution for FOTR though: Heavy on the Black Riders theme. It appears with full choir each time in #3 (The Shadow of the Past), #5 (The Black Rider), #6 (At the Sign of the Prancing Pony), #7 (A Knife in the Dark), and #8 (Flight to the Ford). It may be slightly overused, but I like it and sometimes find myself humming it.

The themes for all the soundtracks are phenomenal. Shire, Fellowship, Isengard, Mordor, Rohan, Gondor, Lorien, Nazgul . . . awesome. My favorite would have to be the Fellowship theme, with the Shire being a close second. The best Fellowship theme tracks are FOTR #11 (The Ring Goes South), FOTR #13 (The Bridge of Khazad-dum), and TTT #5 (The Uruk-Hai). Well, okay, those are the most majestic renditions. There are others that might be considered equally good.

I can't get over how awesome all the music is. The only one that makes me cry (or want to cry; I'm a sixteen-year-old male, after all) is ROTK #17 (The Return of the King), when the Shire theme is played sadly. This is the moment in the movie when everyone bows to the four hobbits at Aragorn's coronation. I wanted to cry when I saw that in the theatre, and I want to cry when I hear it in the soundtrack.

OK, I'll quit raving; you're all bored to tears, I'm sure. My favorite tracks are, not necessarily in this order:

The Bridge of Khazad-dum

The Breaking of the Fellowship

Concerning Hobbits

The Black Rider

The Uruk-Hai

Foundations of Stone

The Return of the King

The End of All Things

The White Tree

The Steward of Gondor

The Grey Havens

The Ride of the Rohirrim

Many Meetings

OK, I could probably go on, but I know you don't want me to. I will just add a word about the three original credit songs. Enya's (May It Be) is beautiful and used to be my favorite. Emiliana Torrini (Gollum's Song) is truly haunting and captures the heart of Gollum. But my favorite is Annie Lennox in Into the West. It's just a wonderful song, and, well, obviously, she makes an awesome delivery. I know some complain because it's a lot different style from the other two, but I think it fits the end of the movie perfectly.

All right, I'll stop now.