In the film but not in the soundtrack...

Say what?

Sometimes it's a rights issue. Scores recorded with a union orchestra can only issue out so much music before the record/film company has to pay additional fees for the more music they include on a soundtrack (they've gotten more accomodating with hour-long CD releases as well as older ones, but still). Even if a score is recorded by a buyout ensemble, the composer usually picks and chooses which music makes the cut on the soundtrack. And sometimes when the soundtrack is being processed, a re-done cue is recorded at the last minute in place of the album cues and there's no time to include that in the soundtrack. Many different issues come into play.

Which is a shame, actually, as there is some really fantastic moments in a film score that sadly isn't included on the album. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has two moments of score that practically begged to be included on the album (particularly the scene where Hermione and Harry rescue Sirius on Buckbeak near the end of the film) but wasn't, and the film version of X3's main titles cue was leagues better than the album version.

Money. It costs more money to put more music out. Directors and editors often chop up the music pretty badly in films. If you watch listen really closely, you can hear the transitions and how they try to cover them up (with a big sound, etc). They try to arrange music on a soundtrack for "the best listening experience." That's why you often get a score that isn't presented in film order. I agree, I wish they would just release the entire score in film order, but that would cost so much because the average hollywood film often has 1.5 hours of score composed for a film, and that would require a whole extra disc for packaging. That gets pricey. If a film has a score that can fit all on one CD, it usually is low budget and wont get a release because there is no demand for that score. I mean, look at the Lord of the Rings Complete Recordings, 4 hours of score composed for each film. It was released because of demand. More music from Braveheart? More Music from Gladiator?

Yeah, re-use fees for scores recorded in the US are insanely high, I heard. They're much lower for scores recorded in Europe, so their chance of being released in extended form is more.

And... YAY, my 100th post!!

Really? I'd never have guessed Thor!


I do like re-arranged albums though, the likes of, for example, Williams The Fury and E.T. or Goldsmith's Our Man / In Like Flint albums are far more enjoyable and listenable than the expanded original film track versions and it is invariably these that I return to again and again.

Well, you know....I'm not sure how notorious my viewpoints are on THIS board.

If that had been true, maybe I would have....

I don't even think the concert arrangement of Duel of the Fates was composed for any specific scene. That and Anakin's Theme were recorded for the end credits and just like the Jurassic Park album were added to the album as separate pieces. I've heard some of the unreleased material and Williams used different arrangements and timings of the Duel Theme for the lightsaber battle.

-Erik-

Likewise, but if there are going to be concert arrangements of cues, they could at least be placed roughly in line with their place in the film. Having Duel Of The Fates as track 2 (or something) early seemed kind of weid. It was the best cue, and it was just out of the way so quickly...

Oh yes!
The wrath of Thor is the main reason cited for old Varese albums not topping 34 minutes, and Tony Stark not pushing for complete executive leadership of The Avengers.
..though the latter may be another Thor.

This never bothered me. I like having these concert suites at the beginning of the album to help set up the thematic material you will hear during the rest of the score.

-Erik-

Isn't there also an issue with the way in which the music - as composed and recoreded for the film - can get changed around?

I've got several Film Score Monthly releases, and their liner notes are interesting because they illustrate how often music cues as recorded end up being dropped or moved about.