The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Original Soundtrack has arrived! (1 Viewer)

[Romier S]

(posted this in the Two Towers thread in the movies section, reposting here)
I recieved my Two Tower Soundtrack today from the Time Warner store. Complete slam dunk for Howard Shore. He intermixes certain themes from the original film in with some truly epic and sweeping new pieces that you can't help but be emotionally moved by.
Evenstar featuring Isabel Bayrakdarian is so purely magical it makes me yearn to see it in the context of the movie. The theme for the Riders of Rohan is the very definition of regal. There is so much here that improves upon Fellowships score. I never believed I would say this as I consider the score for Fellowship to be one of the best to be released in the last 10 years but the Two Towers score so far to me is even better!
I want to take in a few more listenings to solidy that statement but I can very easily see another Oscar coming for Howard Shore.
Good job Howard!!

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Is it the regular edition? If so, does it feature the wonderfully twisted "Gollum's Song" performed by Emiliana Torrini? I'd buy it just for that. Thanks for your help.

 

[Rob Gillespie]

Adam, the standard release does include Gollum's Song (last track).

I've been playing the CD almost constantly for the past few days. This is a darker, denser work than Fellowship. I'm finding it less accessible, deeper, meatier and harder 'work' to listen to, but this is how it should be.

I haven't yet really got a favourite track, but there is some major, major good stuff here. That said, I'm finding little appeal in Gollum's Song, which I think sounds rather out of place. It sounds like the kind of song you'd hear in a West End musical.

 

[Rhett_Y]

Is the song on there that sounds alot like the soundtrack from requiem for a dream? They have been playing it on the commercial for TTT...

Thanks
R~

P.S. I can't wait anymore...damnit...bring it on...

 

[Romier S]

Is the song on there that sounds alot like the soundtrack from requiem for a dream? They have been playing it on the commercial for TTT...

No, the remix of the Requiem for a Dream theme is not included with the CD and as far as I know is not available (it was specifically mixed for the TTT trailer from what I had heard).

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Thanks, Rob! It's on the Christmas list for the relatives!

(Not that it wouldn't have been otherwise.)

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Thanks for the news. Looking forward to this one and what may be my favorite movie of the year!

 

[Dan Brecher]

Amazon UK are looking to fail in shipping my ltd edition today, so I will be heading into London tomorrow to get it. Precious will not evade usssss....

Dan

 

[Dan Brecher]

Well, doesn't look like Amazon got their stock from Warner, so I've canceled with them and shall pack the old portable CD player and catch the train tomorrow.

Dan

 

[Iain Lambert]

No, the remix of the Requiem for a Dream theme is not included with the CD and as far as I know is not available (it was specifically mixed for the TTT trailer from what I had heard).

Are you sure about this? The new Hed Kandi Winter Chill contains an Oakenfold and Brodsky Quartet mix of Zoo York that seems to be the culprit. Its also a really good compilation album anyway, with Julee Cruise, Underworld, Chris Coco, Space Raiders etc.
I've not got the Two Towers album yet - I'm holding off until I've seen the film, just in case there are musical 'spoilers' (despite the fact that I've read the book...)
(edit - I'm talking about it not being available; obviously you can be sure its not on the CD)

 

[Dan Brecher]

I'm as miffed as Bruce Banner on a bad day.... I scoured a good 5 miles of the west end of foot today, trying small specialist stores, two virgin megastores, three HMVs, waterstones and two branches of Borders..... Not a bloody thing!

One of the Virgin stores said they had some, but they had all gone. The chap there definately knew what I was talking about, knew what it looked like.....etc, but they were out and all other places had not received any stock.

So, permit me if I may to say;

YARRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Dan

 

[Iain Lambert]

Dan - if its in Tesco tonight (possible but unlikely), do you want me to get one for you, and drop it off?

 

[Romier S]

Are you sure about this? The new Hed Kandi Winter Chill contains an Oakenfold and Brodsky Quartet mix of Zoo York that seems to be the culprit.

Ian, I'm not sure if whats included there is a remix of Zoo York. I have "Bunkka" (his solo album) at home and I know the version of Zoo York that appears on that album is definitely not it. As far as I am aware there is no actual CD to get this mix on. Though I may be wrong and if that mix is it... YAY! Sign me up for a purchase. There must be a "recorded" version of this out there...

The reason I say this is because I happened to do a search in Kazaa and found the mix in question in its entirety (its almost 5 minutes long). Now this leads me to believe that there definitely is a "recorded" version somewhere. The question is where? Hed Kandi Winter Chill seems to be the the only source I've heard of right now so I may just go ahead and purchase it nonetheless.

 

[Dan Brecher]

Iain, did you see it in Tesco at all? That'd be the ultimate irony if they have it. Virgin in watford have told me to call back after midday tomorrow as they MIGHT have stock.
The record label has really screwed up here. Along with their telling retailers at the 11th hour that the UK standard CD release was moved up from dec 9th to dec 2nd this delay with no set set for the UK ltd ed really puts them in my bad books.

The reason I say this is because I happened to do a search in Kazaa and found the mix in question in its entirety (its almost 5 minutes long). Now this leads me to believe that there definitely is a "recorded" version somewhere.

If you mean 'Requiem for a Ring' or whatever it's called, it is fan made by some chap who extracted the re-mix from the trailer and made a suite out of it also using the original RFAD score.
The full answer was presented in a previous Ebert Q&A from the Chicago Suntimes website and read as follows;
Yes, the "Requiem" score was used, and yes, it was re-orchestrated. I contacted the AM's expert source David Bondelevich, award-winning music editor and lecturer at the University of Southern California. He at first assumed that "but re-scoring it would be prohibitively expensive," but his contact at the Ant Farm, which created the trailer, said otherwise.
Nathan D. Duvall, music producer at the Ant Farm, explained, "In many cases a trailer is created in two days and there isn't enough time to create original music. With 'Two Towers,' the editor who cut the trailer fell in love with the 'Requiem' score but found that it didn't quite adhere to the typical trailer music formula. To solve this we created a larger orchestration that arched to a big resolution. 'Requiem' is a more intimate feature yet it has a haunting melody that easily translates to a more broad feature in 'Two Towers.' The 'Rings' score is well placed in the first minute of the 'Two Towers' trailer but the editor found that she needed something different since 'Towers' is a different act in the trilogy. Once you have introduced the known characters and reminded the audience of their separate journeys we needed to depart from the old score. Howard Shore had not yet completed his score for 'Two Towers' by the time we finished our trailer so we couldn't use any of the new music. As far as creative decisions go, our partner here at the Ant Farm who holds the Rings account, Barbara Glazer, supported our attempt with the revised 'Requiem' theme. And all creative decisions are finally approved by [LOTR director] Peter Jackson."
Dan

 

[Iain Lambert]

Ah. So, to sum up, no- its not the version on the Hed Kandy compilation, that must be the 'original' version from Bunka (which I've still not got around to getting myself).

 

[Dan Brecher]

Arghhhhhhhhhhhh for the love of God. Virgin in Watford didn’t get stock of the limited ed today either. The chap said they have 600 on order to go out to all their big branches, and nothing has shipped from the incompetent record company. I am PISSED off.

Dan

 

[Dan Brecher]

Bah, that's it. I just ordered the Limited Edition from Amazon in the US with Courier shipping. Even if it suddenly comes in stock in the UK tomorrow, whatever, I am happy to know it's secured and I have one coming possibly by Friday. Only cost me about eight pounds more then the UK one will retail for (whenever they bother to release it).

Dan

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

God bless the internet, right?

 

[Dan Brecher]

God bless the internet, right?

Truly, even if it did cost me $50 (inc courier shipping). It's shipped and should be with me Friday latest. I can relax now.
Dan

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Rob Gillepsie said:

This is a darker, denser work than Fellowship. I'm finding it less accessible, deeper, meatier and harder 'work' to listen to, but this is how it should be.

Pretty well sums it up for me too. It's gonna take a couple of days to let it percolate in my mind. BTW just picked it up today and listened to it twice. More listenings on the way!