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¤ A NEW HOPE ¤ Score Restoration Project - (To be updated) (* unfinished project *)

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Only star wars is a double cd release reflecting the double LP, empire was a single disc even though there was a double LP, jedi got both a single LP and single CD.

the usa polydor cd is now quite hard to find.  Hopefully someone on these boards has it. 

The CD has the same problems as the 70's source tape as remarked upon in the anthology book i think by Lukas Kendal. 

The funny thing is now if someone unearthed those tapes at the Lucas Ranch the technology exists to make them really shine like the recent Beatles CD re-issues.

Instead they opted to make them sound overly clean on the special edition releases and far from complete, and the sound crushed and lacking any high frequency information on return of the jedi.

I think i remember reading that Lucasfilm almost scrapped the anthology release because it did not meet their standards.  I think it was mentioned by the person who did the anthlogy transfers on a message board.

The funny thing is the scores can mostly be reconstructed from the anthology release, and we almost did not get it.  We lucked out that the anthology release and the definitive laserdisc was released or the originals would probably be buried completely with contempt, claiming the special edition was better.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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skyjedi2005 said:

The CD has the same problems as the 70's source tape as remarked upon in the anthology book i think by Lukas Kendal. 

Would you be more precise? I just came across the book and didn't find any input about the master tapes. Thanks for your light anyway.

ESB AUDIOPHILE EDITION

 

The EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Score: "All-Sourced" Restoration & Sonic Achievement.

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I've got two copies.  The West German RSO and the US Polydor Version.  Thinking of selling the later if you're interested.

If I had some gum, I’d chew a hole into the sun…

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Schorman 13, I've just been thinking you may download my work in ten minutes - for free - when it took me 3 weeks to restore only CD1 for the new ESB project...!

I'm about to post this CD1 in a very few times (CD2 will be for a bit later). If you download it, enjoy it, and want to hear what I can do with the best recordings for Star Wars, you know what you might do "in return". Perhaps did you already try and enjoy the OT Soundtracks Salvage I worked on before by the way...?

If you really don't care to hear what I can do, there's no big deal... However I'd wonder why are you logged to this OT SW preservation forums if such kinds of enhancement projects wouldn't be interesting for you.

Thank you.

PS: of course if I met you some place else, I'd have say yes without the least hesitation ;)

ESB AUDIOPHILE EDITION

 

The EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Score: "All-Sourced" Restoration & Sonic Achievement.

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Posted this to a.b.sw.  CD's still available too ;)

If I had some gum, I’d chew a hole into the sun…

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You're so kind, thanks a lot! :) However I'm not linked to the a.b.sw, lol !

Don't worry, someone contacted me and it should be ok. Considering the time I need to finish the ESB project, there's no hurry here.

ESB AUDIOPHILE EDITION

 

The EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Score: "All-Sourced" Restoration & Sonic Achievement.

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In the opening of the booklet after Nicholas Meyers essay Lukas Kendal says the background noise is typical of recordings of the period and that is what i meant.

Being from various analog reels, etc etc.

Now if i could only locate those old message board posts,lol.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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skyjedi2005 said:

... Lukas Kendal says the background noise is typical of recordings of the period and that is what i meant.

 Amazing ! Indeed I rode that too and I thought mostly about ESB when I rode these words... And I found this a little shoking, because it looks (to me) more like an excuse to have let this noise unmanaged.

... Just try the new version I've just posted, and I think you'll see what I mean. :)

ESB AUDIOPHILE EDITION

 

The EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Score: "All-Sourced" Restoration & Sonic Achievement.

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OK, someone has graciously sent to me the 1986 CD release I was begging for. ... Thanks again man, if you read me !!!...

And now that I've heard some of it, may I come back to this:

 

skyjedi2005 said:

The CD has the same problems as the 70's source tape as remarked upon in the anthology book i think by Lukas Kendal. 

 

... MY ! Have you only ever give a listen to it ?!!! If you want to feel the wood, the brass and the strings, it is THE Star Wars recording in its excellence. There's no so much to do it seems to improve it, however I don't say it'll be an easy task.

I'm not gonna work on it before a while, but I may post a sample just for the pleasure if I have a chance to give it a try.

ESB AUDIOPHILE EDITION

 

The EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Score: "All-Sourced" Restoration & Sonic Achievement.

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ABC said:

 

OK, someone has graciously sent to me the 1986 CD release I was begging for. ... Thanks again man, if you read me !!!...

And now that I've heard some of it, may I come back to this:

 

skyjedi2005 said:

The CD has the same problems as the 70's source tape as remarked upon in the anthology book i think by Lukas Kendal. 

 

... MY ! Have you only ever give a listen to it ?!!! If you want to feel the wood, the brass and the strings, it is THE Star Wars recording in its excellence. There's no so much to do it seems to improve it, however I don't say it'll be an easy task.

I'm not gonna work on it before a while, but I may post a sample just for the pleasure if I have a chance to give it a try.

Oh i have the Cd and it sounds quite good, just was remarking on how Lucasfilm nowadays wants a completely clean release free of any analog noise to have them sound modern i don't know. You could claim this was done to match the prequels except the special edition soundtracks were done before the prequels scores, and even the digitally recorded scores of those sound better and have better dynamics than the SE jedi release.  What a blunder that release and empire strikes back were.

The dynamics on the 1 disc return of the jedi and empire strikes back are pretty good sounding for early cd releases, the special editions in my opinion other than giving unreleased material are an abomination, even the anthology box which was better than the SE left a lot to be desired. 

Lucasfilm obviously has no intention of transfering those decaying masters they have and giving us a definitive release, who nows perhaps all the original recordings will be lost to time and all we will have is a bad digital SE copy, kind of like the original verions of the films are rotting in his vaults and no dvd or blu ray release made from the existing elements.  It is laughable considering how there is a an existing fanbase for these things to not to release them and make money.

In a perfect world you could have a complete return of the jedi score free of jedi rocks, with the same sound quality or better than the single LP vinyl record release.  The fact that they left the fancy man source track off the SE to make room for the awful jedi rocks is so dumb it boggles the mind. So does crushing the dynamics and running the music through such a harsh noise filter after already being a second or third generation copy of the recently located original masters which lucas won't pay to transfer.

Lucas probably thinks the dsd sony releases are perfect as he does his limited to 1080P digital transfer of the original trilogy recut with cartoon cgi, and bad colors and too much digital video noise reduction.

To me the best the best star wars music release i will ever see is the 1993 anthology, just like the 1993 definitive laserdisc collection will be the best the films of the original original trilogy ever look and sound on home video.

There will be no modern benchmarks lucas does not even consider a blu ray release and never probably will until the end of the formats life cycle like he did for dvd.

The same reason why there is no High Definition audio release of the original trilogy scores in DVD-A, sacd or other formats.  He is happy with mediocrity, and less someone disagree i say watch those horrendous prequels and indy 4 back to back for a taste of bitter medicine that Lucas does not care.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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To me the best the best star wars music release i will ever see is the 1993 anthology

skyjedi2005,

Oh, you mean "official" release...

Because notably about RotJ, you seem to totally ignore an unofficial release called "the OT Soundtracks Salvage" (I know you don't), set that shows clearly it's not a bad recording that much on the entire score. Just would I liked it could make you forget the other ones, but apparently... You don't want. ;)

Frankly I don't care about another version of RotJ than this successful "restored" one I'm proud of.

Note that even if I plan to restore ANH again, I would consider that the result of the work I already have made on the OTS Salvage goes beyond the source releases I used.

There's no ego trip here, and next bud who will handle such a work will make better, as it must be.

In the wait, I propose to make better than what I've done before, enriched with better sources (the RSO ones remain better than both Antho and SE when corrected), and it begins with ESB.

Then, about the Anthology: just keep the booklet !

;)

 

ESB AUDIOPHILE EDITION

 

The EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Score: "All-Sourced" Restoration & Sonic Achievement.

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It was not a dig or attack on your work in any shape or form.  I was just remarking how Lucas and however else manages the music has access to the first generation original recordings and is not preserving them for future generations.

An insult to all John Williams fans and oot star wars fans as well.

 

Empires originals were so far gone they had to transfer them very carefully and those probably can never be used again.  They were rotting in a basement at one of lucas facilties under a bunch of junk and there was water damage from a leak in the roof or some other such thing. 

 

The dude set up an archive for star wars props but it is crazy to think that the films and music themselves are not being given the same care.  It makes me furious, i am no historian but these films mean a lot to me and millions of other people.

 

The thing is if the original analog recordings are not preserved they will never have the starting point in the future for any kind of restoration as a third generation or fourth generation digital copy does not similate the original depth of the recording.

Not only will they lose the only originals in there posession, to have any kind of release in the future they will have to rely on the BAD SE digital copy or else completely re-record the entire scores again.

With modern technology they could put out the highest fidelity recording of star wars trilogy ever heard,  from the first gen masters lightyears ahead of the truncated 70s and 80's album arrangements masters.

The only originals they could not locate during the post production of the special edition and remixing were the jedi original masters and those have since been found.  They put out the original recordings for empire but risner botched it so badly i wonder if it was a deliberate creative decision on lucas part.

According to a report ken wannberg says only star wars SE release is close to what they would have heard in the recording booth, all recordings for empire and jedi released leave a lot to be desired in terms of an audiophile release.

At least that is what i remember reading from someones article who did personal correspondance with the original people involved.

 

Supposedly the empire release would be perfect if not for the improper mixing of the multi track elements and the reversed channels on some songs.

As for Return of the Jedi they had a copy of what the anthology team had access to, a further generation from what even the anthology people had.  Then they put it through further equalization and noise reduction filters.  It sounds horrible possibly the worst CD i have ever owned of a symphonic score, period.  So bad i took out my record player and put on the LP from Return of the Jedi which sounds phenomenal by the way.

For which the album masters have never been located by the way, the polydor people from overseas could not be bothered to look for them, so they are assumed lost.  Some tracks on the anthology believe it or not were taken directly from the CD,lol.

Someone did a LP rip once but it is no longer active on a certain site.  I wish i still had that or the equipment to do my own.

It is just plain sad that the re-recordings done for jedi by various orchestras through the years have better sound yet don't duplicate the same performance as the LSO sadly.  I think the best ones are the utah symphony, and the npo under charles gerhardt, even the Boston pops sound better and less ruined by overfiltering.

Also for years the best presentation of the empire strikes back music though incomplete was the album released on varese sarabande records under the NPO.

 

It is obvious the limitations on all the official released recordings in the 70s and 80's was do to the playback technology people owned at home at the time, and the ability to faithfully reproduce what was heard in the recoding studio through to the albums using the technology of the time.  These were understandable limitations of the time and would be exceptable if people still used those old analog stereo systems before the advent of digital everything, but when they did the special editions that excuse no longer applied nor does it aplly to any modern release of the catalog of the original trilogies music. 

The excuse if they are good enough as they are and lets just keep releasing the same imperfect crap over and over again to make money on our fans who will buy it anyway because they are dumb.  After all they ate up the latest table scraps of Lucas the prequels with relish, and finished it with a nice glass of Lucas Kool Aide.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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It was not a dig or attack on your work in any shape or form

I know. Just I wished you give it some credits "next" to the Anthology, and note that you DO HAVE a ROTJ version with the bad filters more or less undone, depending of the tracks, as well as a powerful dynamic back. :)

 

They put out the original recordings for empire but Risner botched it so badly i wonder if it was a deliberate creative decision on Lucas part.

That's why I don't blame this guy. Working with the SE in details, it looks in the same time extremely professional, and totally fucked up. It can' t be made without a good reason.

...

I can see you know the whole (sad) story. Thanks to have taken time to share your knowledge of it !

 

ESB AUDIOPHILE EDITION

 

The EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Score: "All-Sourced" Restoration & Sonic Achievement.