Intrada Soundtrack Forum

Doug, thanks for the reply. Can you shed any light on that Czech version choral that d-udo mentioned above?

Hi Doug,

I was wondering if you could speak a little to the differences in percussion between the original album and complete versions of The Orgy. It seems like the remastered version may be missing some of the big "gong" sounds at the climax of the cue. This is not a complaint at all... we've got both versions to enjoy... but a curiosity.

Thank you,
Matt

By the way, if no one changes the unfortunate title of this thread, which is misleading since by definition, creative choices are not errors... well, since I feel awkward changing the title myself, I will probably delete the entire thread, and sadly some useful conversation with it.
--Doug

Hi Doug,

Welcome back and happy new year! Any chance you could address my question about the alternate version of "The Orgy"?

Thank you,
Matt

[EDIT: the original poster, YanMan, is back (two posts below this one), so I've removed some now-irrelevant parts of my post here, and added a few other bits too]

*If you like just the score and not the movie, most of what follows will not interest you!
... over the past month, after listening to the score numerous times (and watching the movie yet again), I've noticed a few other things:

re: "Warm Welcome": not only is "Wolf Witch" not used in the movie, but most of "Warm Welcome" is absent too. I believe just the first minute or so of the track is looped throughout the whole 4-minute scene. It's difficult to tell in the film because of interference from dialogue and sound effects, but on the Intrada CD there's change in tempo in the drums from 0:51 onward; this whole latter part of the track seems to be absent from the movie.

re: "Defilers": in the film it begins with the sound of what I think is a gong and horns (just as "The Orgy" ends, but just before the initial "Defilers" drum strike -- i.e., right when Subotai taps the guard on the shoulder but just before he strikes him with his sword). The horn can can also be heard in the edits used for the end credits and during the "Battle of the Mounds", but is absent from the "Defilers" track on the CD (which of course begins with the drum strike; and the previous track "The Orgy" doesn't have the gongs at all, as Matt B previously noted in this thread).

re: the "Defilers" revised "fan edit" (posted on page 1 of this thread; the YouTube link is now dead) ...that fan's edit follows the audio of the BluRay, NOT the earlier DVDs or U.S. theatrical release (VHS). If you have both cuts of the movie, listen closely during the orgy room battle scene after Conan tips the cauldron over; the audio edit to the "Anvil of Crom" portion of "Defilers" is at a completely different spot. For the Bluray there's an audible overlap or crossfade at the edit point, just about a second before Conan's sword meets Thorgrim's hammer for the first strike. The Bluray/fan version contains more of the earlier part of "Anvil of Crom" from before the deleted strings portion, while the original U.S. theatrical edit is edited earlier and has more of the part after the strings.

re: "Defilers" (again) ...in the movie, when the edited part of "Anvil of Crom" winds down it suddenly switches to the rousing chorus and drums of "Riders of Doom", but the camera is still on a dumbfounded Thorgrim, who has inadvertently allowed the heroes to escape by knocking over the huge column. Probably the sudden, drastic change in musical tempo was meant to synch with the camera as it switches to show the heroes' flight, but that's about 2 seconds later.

re: "The Kitchen" ...the film / Varese CD edit (mentioned on pg.1) was probably done for a similar reason: in the film the chorus erupts at the exact moment the audience gets a glimpse of the victims being dismembered in Doom's kitchen. This makes an awkward sounding edit, but it complements the visuals better than the cue as originally recorded.

*By the way, if you like the movie but don't own it yet, BEWARE: there are many, many complaints about the audio on the 2011 BluRay of this movie, with the instrument levels awack all over the place, but mainly because the chorus is completely GONE during "Riders of Doom" and "Battle of the Mounds Part 1"...if you know the movie well and/or love Basil's score, (and you probably wouldn't be reading this if you didn't love his score), then the BluRay completely RUINS these scenes by butchering his score. Last year some fans started an online letter campaign to get Universal and Fox to fix the audio and replace the disc, but I haven't heard about anything changing. If they fix it, it probably wouldn't be until a box set or something after Arnold's next Conan movie comes out on disc, and since that hasn't even been filmed yet, that won't be for a couple years.

I am so pleased to have this momentous complete version of Basil Poledouris' masterpiece. It's been a dream of mine for 30 years, and now it's here in my hands and signing in my ears. I can only smile. Thank you... Thank you, Mr. Fake and Intrada. Thank you.

To the knowledgable and discerning audiophiles and fans posting in this thread, thank you as well. It is so uplifting to read perceptive and penetrating comments on a subject very dear to me, this score.

To all here I raise my glass and offer a celebratory toast to and in the spirit of the late Basil Poledouris... Bravo!

Ok my second post here is laced with negativity but please bear with me, and don't mistake me for a troll. Conan the Barbarian movie and soundtrack have been special to me since they were first released in the 80s. I've watched the movie a hundred times and listened to the soundtrack more. So yeah, I'm a fan.

When I heard this 3 cd version was going to be released with the COMPLETE soundtrack I was more than excited. I would have paid double the $30 to get this. My main reason - I have always hated the fact the fight in the orgy room was never released. A key dramatic moment from the film ignored on all soundtrack offerings until this one. Or so I thought.

For all the work put into this I find it inexcusable that the Defilers track was presented this way. While I would have gladly paid $60 to have a true complete work, I'm not sure I would have even spent the $30 had I known this track was going to be treated like this. It just seems careless. This isn't how the track was in the movie. Why even bother adding this track if it was going to be so mishandled?

I've enjoyed many releases from the respected group at Intrada, some of which I thought I would never see. I do appreciate those. I just don't understand how such a powerful track from the Conan film could go so wrong in a 3 cd Complete soundtrack.

Just weighing in to counterweigh the drama troll. ("Inexcusable!" "Careless!" "Mishandled!" "Wrong!" "Second only to the HOLOCAUST in heinousness of its CRIME against HUMANITY!!!!" Okay, I made that last one up.)

I like "The Defilers" as presented on the new set just fine. Plays great as a piece of music. I'm glad Doug presented it this way as opposed to the way the "complete" release of John Williams' "Phantom Menace" score was handled. Since this came in I've been alternating whether I play this version of "Conan" or the sparkly new re-recording from Prometheus and still enjoy both equally. I wouldn't be without either. Many thanks to all concerned!

I now return you all to your regularly scheduled kvetchfest.

_________________
Karl Morton IV

"Enjoy every sandwich."
-- Warren Zevon