Ok, I'm either going to get that 4 disc set with the nice packaging or all 3 of the 2 disc sets that came out for the SE's. Opinions wanted on to get either: A. 4 disc set. or B. The 3 two-disc sets. Can I be any more blunt?
B. You'll get all the music written for the films, with very, very minor exceptions. You'll also get superior editing of the music. The box set uses wrong takes on occasion. With the 2-disc releases you'll be missing "Lapti Nek" (the original song from Jabba's Palace) and the "Ewok Celebration" (the Yub-Yub song). That being said, your best bet is to get the SE's. They are the finest soundtrack presentations, ever. Neil
I would also say that it all depends on how much of a Star Wars purist you are. As Neil pointed out, you're going to be missing some tracks that were originally in the films but removed for the S.E.'s. I own both, and when I want to listen to some Star Wars music, I'll usually go for the S.E.'s. There are times, however, when my stance as a purist on these films makes me bring out the Box Set.
Thanks, I think I might get both afterall. (I figured out I'm a completest.) I'll pick up the box first since I heard it is either currently out of print or soon will be. I'll then see if they do a super-deluxe-mega-kick-ass-12-disc set in 2005 after Ep III. Since they released that 2-disc set for Phantom Menace that makes me beleive they will for the remaining 2 films.
If you're a die-hard, as its been mentioned before, you need both the box set and the Special Edition soundtracks to have everything, as there are tracks in the box that are not available in the SEs, and vice versa. And the booklet/liner notes that is included with the box set is very nice, descriptive, and thorough. There are people here though, that prefer the sound of the box set discs to the SE discs. I've never done an A-B comparison myself, though. If you can only get one, I'd probably recommend the SEs first. -mwb-
So, what exactly is the difference between the regular SE releases and the slimline releases, other than the size of the case? Do the regular ones have a booklet of some sort that the slimline case won't have? As far as I can tell (without actually seeing the CDs - I'm browsing online) the music and the covers are the same, but the slimline releases are all $8-10 cheaper than the double-size ones... All other things being equal, I'd obviously rather save $25 and go for the slimlines, but if there's something I'm missing, I'd love to know. Thanks.
I'd go with B as well, although I've seen A for really cheap in stores ($20 I think), so you might as well pick it up as well. I'll admit, however, that the 1990 Sony Classical Williams conducted Skywalker Symphony Trilogy recording gets the most play of all my Star Wars CDs. It features concert arrangements of all the main themes from the Trilogy, and this CD, thanks to Shawn Murphy, is the best sounding of all.
Funny, I asked this same question just a day or two ago. I already own the Anthology and based on everyones suggestion I picked up the Star Wars- A New Hope SE. I was able to get it off of half.com for $10.
