Intrada Soundtrack Forum

I know Horner's work can be polarizing. I know this particular soundtrack is not everyone's favorite. I know "My Heart Will Go On" was played to death. But Titanic is still film score history.

One of the highest-selling soundtracks of all time, and virtually nothing that's been released commercially - even across two albums - was actually used in the film. All of the released tracks are basically suites of themes or stuff that was written specifically for the album; almost nothing is in the film as heard on the soundtrack (I think every track had at least one adjustment made to it...expected for a film of this scope and for a director of that caliber, but it's still amazing that so much went unreleased).

The ASCAP cue list for some of the works ("Titanic Cues" and "Titanic Incid Music") show some hidden gems:

- Absolution
- Butterfly Comb
- Gift of a Necklace
- King of the World
- Leaving Southampton
- Lovemaking Pt. I/II
- Rose Frees Jack
- Rose Looks For Jack Pt. II
- Rose's Suicide
- Rowing Away
- Trapped on D-Deck
- Two and a Half Miles Down

I've waited for years, researched everything I could, and (I guess with the above, it goes without saying) I'm extremely passionate about this score ... I have to say, it was really disappointing when the 3D re-release and Blu-ray release - two pivotal moments in the film's timeline - were accompanied by a lackluster "remastered" score with two extra CDs of pure fluff. I know petitions are pretty worthless, but . We've got a fair number of signatures already (over 500 as of this writing and growing every day). The demand is there, the time is right ... if there is any way a complete score could happen, at all, that would be beyond amazing. It may be a long shot ... but I'll go out swinging.

Kevin

Yes, do not count on a petition doing anything of use.

Large music companies and movie studios love to stick with nonsensical anniversary celebrations for hugely successful titles like this, so maybe you'll get something of your wish for the film's 20th anniversary in 2017.

Sony's Didier Deutsch (you see him credited on a lot of Sony co-productions) was interviewed a couple years ago and briefly discussed it:

(Translated from French)
http://www.underscores.fr/index.php/201 ... c-deutsch/

I proposed to do it but Sony did not want, estimating that it would be too expensive, and they preferred for the fifteen years of film to republish 4 CD gathering various already published albums. It is not an evil, but that is addressed to a vast public and not to truths music lovers of film.

From my understanding Sony is unwilling to do it. It makes sense on one level - why pay money for licensing music for a niche market when you can use public domain music and still make money? - but on another level it just seems weird that a score/movie that did so well is being held under such a strict lock and key. Intrada and other labels have attempted to license the score in the past but the answer has always been no - I just hope that the winds change. I'm sure the demand is there - not to the general public, but I bet a limited run would sell out pretty fast (although I may be biased).

It's a very strange irony that the most popular of scores have the least chance of getting definitive releases.

Perhaps because they did so well, there's a perception that an expanded release wouldn't do as well. Maybe Titanic will break the trend? I prefer to stay optimistic, although I know it's a small chance and it certainly wouldn't happen overnight.

Yeah, I meant that that the expanded release wouldn't sell as well in a the small soundtrack market, as you mention. I can't imagine Titanic coming out to a mass market release now - the only time I would have seen that as a possibility would've been the 2012 re-release, and even then it'd be extremely unlikely. I know the Celine Dion song was overplayed, and Titanic found its way into pop culture back in the late 90's so much so that a lot of people simply got sick of it. I wonder how much of that cultural backlash is still present, even among score collectors. From what I've seen it does seem to be a pretty desired score, if not as highly regarded as some of Horner's other work -- but then again, I'm sure my results are biased.