METROPOLIS by Giorgio Moroder et al

ReddiShadow · **Joined:** Sun Jun 26, 2011 8:22 am **Posts:** 39

I know this one was suggested by someone else back in April, but since that got no response whatsoever, I thought I'd give it a go to try and drum up some support for this badly underrated soundtrack.

First, let me make it utterly clear that there will be no comparison between the original 1927 score by Gottfried Huppertz and the subject of today's request, the 1984 Giorgio Moroder version. Both have their fans, and it is a point of hot contention over which is better, fans of the original deriding the Moroder version as "godawful disco", and fans of Moroder counter-arguing that their version is far more enjoyable a listening than the stodgy, forgettable original. Both have their own merits, and comparing the two is unfair. It's like asking "Alien or Aliens: which is the better movie?" Both are so distant and different from the other that comparison falls down to little more than personal opinion. Besides, the Huppertz version has already had a fine release from Capriccio recently (although it's the 2010 performance and this forumite is used to the 2001 performance from the original DVD and slight performance variations highly irritate, but that's just personal preference).

There has only been one 'proper' release of Moroder's soundtrack, however. A very early CD from the mid-Eighties, it contains eight songs (although the album version of Pat Benatar's 'Here's My Heart' is wildly different from the film version, and is IMHO far inferior to said film version) and two score tracks, 'The Legend of Babel' and 'Machines'. These are not the only score tracks available, however. The single for Freddie Mercury's 'Love Kills' was backed with a Moroder score track 'Rotwang's Party (Robot Dance)', and while I have seen it implied that at least one other song from the soundtrack was released as a single backed with another exclusive score track, I haven't been able to track down any more information. Regardless, it shows that there is plenty of unreleased goodies to warrant a complete release. Even if licensing rights mean excluding the songs, the expanded score alone should entice the many 80's fans I know inhabit these forums and make many 80's score releases runaway successes. Rotwang's Party, for example, has the same type of guitar/synth sounds that will be very familiar to fans of The Neverending Story. However, I think it would be a shame if corporate greediness on the part of the copyright holders forbade the inclusion of the songs, as the film version of 'Here's My Heart' badly needs to see commercial release.

While the sound quality isn't anything spectacular, it's pretty good for such an early CD, however returning to the original master tapes for a remastering would yield immense improvements. For Moroder fans, and fans of Eighties synth scores in general, this is one unfairly derided score that has been buried not out of obscurity, unpopularity or low quality, but because the people who dislike it are vocal enough to shout down any love it might have received.

Don't believe the hype, ignore the fact that this received the least deserving Razzie nomination in that award's history (not once but TWICE, I might add), and let people judge for themselves whether they love it or hate it (I can already smell the scathing Filmtracks review), and give this one a chance.

I put forward Giorgio Moroder's Metropolis, one of the most polarising scores in memory, for your consideration.

SAMPLES
-----------
The b-side to the 'Love Kills' single, 'Rotwang's Party':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mL0SEY4jZs

The film version of Pat Benatar's 'Here's My Heart':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzj4qOCsZm0

sifr2 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 15, 2011 1:41 pm

Apparently there's a good rumour that a BD/DVD is in the offing soon, so at least it will supersede the old laserdisc and (hopefully) have a lossless soundtrack - it's a start!

Caution - do not click the link on that article to the original AICN story - the abusive comments on there make me want to punch an anger hole in the universe.

ReddiShadow · **Joined:** Sun Jun 26, 2011 8:22 am **Posts:** 39

I had heard rumours of such a thing, but thought that was just silly Internet stories. If this does turn out to be true, I'll be right there on the first day getting my copy. Wouldn't it be just dandy, seeing how it's a silent film and thus can get the songs minus sfx without resorting to 7.1 jiggerypokery, to see a CD release alongside it to capitalise on the BR? HINT HINT

bruce marshall · **Joined:** Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:16 pm **Posts:** 775

I recently acquired the "complete soundtrack" cdd which sounds as if it were taken from the laserdisc.
It is MUCH more enjoyable in this form - its a rock opera- with a continuos flow of music and only snippets of the songs interspersed. Plus, the superior Benatar song!
I would love to see a legit release of the score from the original elements, remixed to eliminate the
flaws of the ld mix e.g the sound levels are way too low on some of the best instrumental tracks.

btw this was the first film released in 6-track digital sound so the original elements will sound fantastic

ReddiShadow · **Joined:** Sun Jun 26, 2011 8:22 am **Posts:** 39

Yeah, in one of the announcements of the re-release it did mention that it was the first 'all-digital' soundtrack. Also, I did suspect the songs would be used in short bursts, as the YT video of the "Here's My Heart" film version fades in and out several times, each time sounding remarkably different. The first time its slow and has that feel of lovers first meeting, the second it's an instrumental, and the third it's a soaring ballad. I'm most looking forward to those final scenes after Rotwang dies, since I think that's where this last version is played, and it would so lift the rather corny "THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN MIND AND HANDS MUST BE THE HEART" ending.

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METROPOLIS by Giorgio Moroder et al

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