Track-by-Track: Soundtrack Discussion and Analysis

[Encaitare]

I like the feeling of danger we have at the beginning of the track, since the Rohirrim first seem like they might be hostile towards our heroes.

All the music associated with Rohan is very beautiful, not just the theme played by the hardinger. The string theme at 1:42 is musically similar, and yet provides different images for me. This gentler theme seems to represent the practical side of Rohan, a place with strength that is being held under the surface. The theme the hardinger plays encompasses many other aspects of the society: majesty, beauty, honor. The melody does not sound happy, but it does sound driven and inspired.

The end bit of the track, if I'm not mistaken, is when Theoden has Grima thrown out of Meduseld. A bit jumpy, really. Grima doesn't really have enough of a part -- or even enough of a definite affiliation with anyone -- to have a full theme. The closest thing I can think of is the low brass like we hear in the Isengard theme.

[Anguirel]

I play this, and several other Rohan tracks, when writing battle scenes...

This is the first track, perhaps, which causes images to swell before the eye; I can see Eomer's eored speeding by; Eowyn in her white dress; the flag of the White Horse on the wind.

My only regret is that it feels too short and leads on to a piece of music I found as uninspiring as the scene it went with. All that unsubtle business with the corpse...

But that is later, and for the moment we are in Edoras, shorn of its glory but not of its romance. I love the point at about 2:24 when we are transported into the cramped, sorrowful, mourning of the golden hall; and the fiddle comes into its own here. But there's a beauty amid the tears; a feeling that hope is on the horizon. At about 3:36 the track feels like it's come to a slightly menacing end, but trickles on in a minor way, ever so slightly claustrophobic, smothering the chance of redemption we saw before.

Incidentally, I shuddered when Bernard Hill and others seemed to think that the Rohirrim were Celts. Was this a PJesque decision? The white horse motif and Norwegian fiddle would seem to hint otherwise.

[The Tennis Ball Kid]

I'll respond to the track tonight (hopefully!), but right now I thought y'all might want to hear the latest on the complete score box-set:

Originally Posted by Doug Adams

>>>Why is it so hard to release a complete score for this movie? It's not like they have to hurdle through loads of legality.>>>

Well, that depends on who is releasing it, does it not? Remember that during the whole process there was a major shake up at Warner Brothers Records, and that the division that was responsible for the three original soundtrack CDs (Reprise) essentially ceased to exist. Many executives lost their jobs or resigned, and a lot of the key people who had been pushing this material through were no longer on the map. This doesn’t mean that the LOTR project was ever abandoned, or even in trouble, but it did take time to find someone to champion it once again. Despite the fact that the project seems like a no-brainer success just waiting to happen, you still need to find someone that’s got space on his plate to shepherd it through. It is a huge, huge project, and more than slightly high profile.

>>>Yeah I know they want alternate cues, unused materials, ect.... but they all already exist. >>>

Unfortunately that’s not right. Not everything was mixed. Sure film mixes existed for almost everything, but not album mixes. And since the previously released music will now exist in a different context, a good portion of that will need to be remixed as well. Including the bonus material, you could easily be dealing with 12 to 13 hours of music that need mixing. That’s a huge job – and you’ve got to pay someone to do it. And that means you need to get a large budget approved very early. So assuming you have the producer with the time and energy, the mixer with the expertise and the willingness, you still need to push everything though a big company. Again, that’s not at all a bad thing, it’s just how things work. But it still takes time.

>>>2. They might be waiting to tie it into some other product (Like a book: Music of the Lord of the Rings)>>>

Oh sure, blame me! Really though, my timeline is entirely dictated by the record company’s decisions. There’s no way on earth they’re going to hold this project up because some Chicago area guy decided he wanted to walk the beach while contemplating the best way to describe the Shire Theme. They say jump, I say, where should I land?

>>>3. They may have wanted to wait until the LOTR fans were ready to absorb an expensive set.>>>

This is a very good point. No matter how you slice it, there’s going to be a certain price tag attached to this project. So how best to release it? Do you strike while the iron is hot, and get it out right after the last movie? That’s a time problem and perhaps unlikely to recoup the studio’s budget – everyone just got finished buying the one-disc soundtrack, that’s a pretty egregious double-dip. Do you put it out right after the last DVD? That’s an expense problem. If your average LOTR fan just spent $60 on the extended ROTK DVD, will he turn around and drop another $150 on CDs? At Christmastime? Do you cut it down then? Just put out a new mix and a handful of unreleased tracks? Maybe cut everything from the extended editions? The fans would be out for blood, and really no one involved wants to put out a compromised version of this.

>>>4. It could be: production problems, legal problems, art problems, permission problems>>>

Well the good news there aren’t any “problems,” there are just decisions that need to be made. Think of it this way, the more material involved, the more people involved. The more people involved, the more time-intensive the decision making process will be.

Fortunately, I’m happy to say most of these decisions have been made now. In fact, the last I heard, things are pretty well set at this point. Why no announcement yet? Well, you’ve got to realize that advertising is part of the decision making process as well. These things tend to be announced when they’re going to be most effective at capturing attention, but without being crass. As I say, I’m hoping to be able to report something in a month or so, but I’m giving that timeline because that’s the next time I’m planning to be in NY at the office, so I’ll ask then if it’s ok to say something.

Oh and as for the FSM quote… I’m a huge fan of Mr. Bettencourt, but I have to respectfully contradict him by saying that his quote is inaccurate in at least two ways and accurate in at least one wonderful way.

Ok, my vagueness is even annoying ME now. Sorry, guys!

Also, I've been going through the DVDs to see how much music is missing and I could post a track list for disc one if anyone is interested.




ttbk

[Encaitare]

ttbk-- Thanks for posting that! Sounds like it will be great whenever it comes out. Although when I saw "Doug Adams" I immediately thought of the late great writer...

I could post a track list for disc one if anyone is interested

What do you mean? A lsit of corresponding tracks of music in the DVDs?

[The Tennis Ball Kid]

What do you mean? A lsit of corresponding tracks of music in the DVDs?

Yeah, basically; it's my guess at a track list for the first CD of the box-set....


The Riders Of Rohan:
This track has three pieces of music, the first is the pounding, rhythmic bit as Eomer and co. surrond the Three Hunters.

This reminds me of something out of The Magnifcent Seven (which I was listening to today), something about the driving rhythms...I like it, especially the way it ends by seemingly circling itself around the Hunters same as Eomer does then suddenly halts.

The second, and shortest, underscores Gandalf riding from Edoras, the main thing of note is the "White Rider" theme making it's first appearance on the album.

The third, is simply splendid, the lead in with Eowyn's theme on strings, and the build-up to the fiddle solo of the Rohan theme, I find this piece quite moving.





ttbk

[Kitanna]

For some reason the very beginning of this reminds me of horses galloping. I think it has to do with the percussion in the opening bars. Very suspenseful music, like music played during a hunting scene.

Then the French horns and trumpets (I believe it's trumpets and horns...) come in with the Rohan theme and then the strings and finally the Hardinger. It's a very pretty and calming theme. One of my favorites on the TTT soundtrack.

[Encaitare]

Yeah, basically; it's my guess at a track list for the first CD of the box-set....

Go for it.