Back to the Future Original Score

[Dmcfan1981]

I don't know if any of you are audiophiles but the BTTF music that is available on iTunes, CD format, etc is lame and not the original score. It irritates me because I can tell the difference between the movie soundtrack and the CDs that are available. On one particular version of the BTTF theme the low brass plays it a little bit different than it should be. Anyways this website/record label rereleased the original score a few years ago and I can't wait for it to come in the mail.

http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.6315/.f

[Farrar]

Nice find! Thanks for sharing the link!


On one particular version of the BTTF theme the low brass plays it a little bit different than it should be.

Most non-score recordings I've heard suffer from the fact that the first Horn player can't play the opening fanfare/theme up an octave like it is on the original motion picture soundtrack. That Horn player -- and I can't remember his name -- gets almost ALL of the scores recorded out there. He is ridiculously good.

Anyway, I look forward to your thoughts on sound quality. I once purchased a special limited edition CD of the soundtrack from "Heavy Metal," and the sound quality was disappointing; I'd wager that the original tapes were simply dumped to disc and had not been remastered. If these discs sound good to your ears, I'll add this release to my collection. I really like Alan Silvestri's work, and I think he was in exceptionally good form when he scored the first BTTF film.

[DL4567]

Interesting. I bought this CD many year ago: http://www.discogs.com/Alan-Silvestri-Back-To-The-Future-Original-Motion-Picture-Score/release/1355531

Is that one of the ones you don't like?

[kajcienski]

Wow! The CD track samples sound great! I'm a TV/Film composer (heavily trained on the orchestral side) so am very sensitive to later recordings "gone bad". I will be throwing the recordings I have of this away ;) Sounds spot on, and so many interesting colors that shine through in the original. Now, if they would only release the original Bernard Hermann recordings...

[martydmc12]

Here's the list of the officially licensed soundtracks to the "Back to the Future" films.

BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)
22031
http://www.bttf.net/Back_to_the_Future_Soundtrack_CD_p/mcad-6144.htm
The original soundtrack from 1985, featuring all the hit songs from the movie by Huey Lewis and the News, plus Johnny B. Goode. Contains only two tracks from the Alan Silvestri score.

BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II (1989) OUT-OF-PRINT
22032
The original 1989 release to "Back to the Future Part II" of Alan Silvestri's score. Contains 13 tracks/45 minutes of the score on this album.

BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III (1990)
22033
http://www.bttf.net/Back_to_the_Future_Part_III_Soundtrack_CD_p/vsd-5272.htm
The original 1990 release to "Back to the Future Part III". Contains 18 tracks/45 minutes of music. The instrumental version of ZZ Top's "Doubleback" is on this album, but does not include the hit ZZ Top song "Doubleback" itself.

THE BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY (1999)
22034
http://www.bttf.net/The_Back_To_The_Future_Trilogy_CD_p/302-065-950-2.htm
A re-recording of the trilogy (*except for "Back to the Future Part III"). Contains 20 tracks/53 minutes of music. "Back to the Future" comprises of 8 re-recorded selected tracks; "Back to the Future Part II" comprises of 7 re-recorded selected tracks; "Back to the Future Part III" comprises of 4 original selected tracks; and it also contains a re-recording of "Back to the Future... The Ride".

BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE COMPLETE SCORE 2-DISC SET (2009)
22035
http://www.bttf.net/Back_to_the_Future_2_CD_Score_CD_p/7-20258-37792-0.htm
The official release to the complete score of "Back to the Future." Contains 40 tracks/1.4 hours of every bit if Silvestri's score used throughout the movie, including alternate unused takes.

DL4567, the version you linked to, is an unauthorized bootleg.

The complete scores to "Back to the Future Part II" and "Back to the Future Part III" are currently being discussed for future release.

[Farrar]

DL4567, the version you linked to, is an unauthorized bootleg.

Please clarify the link to which you're referring; two different links were posted above yours -- by two different users -- linking to two different releases.

[Nicholas R]

This is my favorite soundtrack. Original pressed vinyl of the soundtrack of the first movie:

[DL4567]

DL4567, the version you linked to, is an unauthorized bootleg.


I bought it on Ebay in 2005. Came from a company in Poland called "Movie Music Records." Bootleg or not, the printing quality on the CD case inserts and the disc itself is as good as any official factory produced CD.

At the time, it was discussed on the bttf.com forums, and was far superior to this release of re-recordings:

THE BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY (1999)
22034
http://www.bttf.net/The_Back_To_The_Future_Trilogy_CD_p/302-065-950-2.htm
A re-recording of the trilogy (*except for "Back to the Future Part III"). Contains 20 tracks/53 minutes of music. "Back to the Future" comprises of 8 re-recorded selected tracks; "Back to the Future Part II" comprises of 7 re-recorded selected tracks; "Back to the Future Part III" comprises of 4 original selected tracks; and it also contains a re-recording of "Back to the Future... The Ride".

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A 2005 review from Amazon of the re-recording above compared it to the Polish company's release, saying the Polish one was very accurate.

"I must now say that this CD is one to avoid if you are a true conesseiur of the score from "Back to the Future" or if you are seeking a TRUE representation of the film's actual score....

....If you want a TRUE representation of the film's score try tracking down a copy of the CD from "Movie Music Records", a company based in Poland. They sell copies of the "BTTF Part 1" score on Ebay from time to time. This is an actual copy of the score used in the film, not a re-recording. It's pricey but if you're a fan you'll be glad you paid the money. Trust me. "

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I have no regrets in buying it, as it seems it was the best option available for many many years. If this new 2-disc set is also accurate/better/official, I might get a copy of it as well.




BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE COMPLETE SCORE 2-DISC SET (2009)
22035
http://www.bttf.net/Back_to_the_Future_2_CD_Score_CD_p/7-20258-37792-0.htm
The official release to the complete score of "Back to the Future." Contains 40 tracks/1.4 hours of every bit if Silvestri's score used throughout the movie, including alternate unused takes.

[martydmc12]

DL4567, the one from Poland produced by "Movie Music Records" http://www.discogs.com/Alan-Silvestri-Back-To-The-Future-Original-Motion-Picture-Score/release/1355531 is the bootleg; as in, unlicensed and illegal. (Sorry, I'm not a fan of pirated material, no matter how good the quality).

This version however...

BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE COMPLETE SCORE 2-DISC SET (2009)
http://www.bttf.net/Back_to_the_Future_2_CD_Score_CD_p/7-20258-37792-0.htm
The official release to the complete score of "Back to the Future." Contains 40 tracks/1.4 hours of every bit if Silvestri's score used throughout the movie, including alternate unused takes.

This is the one you would want to own. This is the kind of soundtrack release where it was taken from the original master recordings, directly from Universal Studios archives, and contains all the cues used throughout the film. It's also the best quality.

[DL4567]

DL4567, the one from Poland produced by "Movie Music Records" http://www.discogs.com/Alan-Silvestri-Back-To-The-Future-Original-Motion-Picture-Score/release/1355531 is the bootleg; as in, unlicensed and illegal. (Sorry, I'm not a fan of pirated material, no matter how good the quality).

This version however...

BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE COMPLETE SCORE 2-DISC SET (2009)
http://www.bttf.net/Back_to_the_Future_2_CD_Score_CD_p/7-20258-37792-0.htm

This is the one you would want to own. This is the kind of soundtrack release where it was taken from the original master recordings, directly from Universal Studios archives, and contains all the cues used throughout the film. It's also the best quality.

Obviously, at this point the 2009 2-disc score is the one to own. But back in 2005, there was no alternative to what you say is "pirated" for those who wanted the correct recordings. I'm not suggesting someone buy the Poland one now (if it's even still available), just adding info and history for those who have been looking for these scores for a long time and would find it interesting what has led up to this most recent score release.

[Farrar]

This version however...

...is the exact same one as this (http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.6315/.f).

[Dmcfan1981]

Bingo. ill give my review after I receive it. Nothing other than vinyl beats CD quality. Our ear drums are analog! 128 Kbps mp3s or even 320 Kbps mp3s could never even touch the quality that comes from a lossless recording

[TTait]

If your not a geek, skip to next...

For what its worth, I can comment on the legacy of the audio for the ride.

The original recordings and stems from Alan's score were used, but there was also an original recording done for the ride, conducted by Sylvestri. It's possible that some of the original stems were used in the ride and mixed with the new recording.

Christopher Lloyd was recorded at a studio in Los Angeles, as was Tom Wilson. Last minute pickups for Tom however were recorded at Trumbull's "studio" in the Berkshires - in a mechanical equipment room that happened to have large amounts of fiberglass insulation on the walls to cut down on the equipment noise.

The score/mix was prepped in studios in Los Angeles and Santa Fe, but the final mix was done in one of the two theaters for Orlando at the park. The master recordings from the (protools-esque mix) were laid back to digital multitrack at 48k 16 bit. These were the tracks:

Dome Audio:
Left
Center
Right
Low Center
High Center
Subwoofer

Car Audio:
Left Front
Right Front
Left Rear
Right Rear
Subwoofer
HFI (High Frequency Injection - actually a low frequency track fed directly into the hydraulic servo valves on the motion base to make the vehicle simulate fine vibration and texture).

For Orlando in '91 the audio was pulled out in pairs, laid via analog onto 1" video and mastered onto 6 laserdisks which theoretically played in sync into a Sonics Theater audio system. The problem was that the laserdisks only held sync to within one video frame, about 16ms. The output was line level unbalanced pairs of third generation audio feeding into a million dollar audio system. The results were always random, and often muddy. It did not sound particularly good.

By 1993 for Hollywood, an extremely talented and dedicated systems engineer (I'd tell you his name, but I'm humble too, ahem) decided to fix the mess and worked with Roland to adapt pairs of their DM80-8 digital audio workstations per dome to play back the audio. It was transferred digitally into the roland units, which were synchronized by timecode, video black, and (the real improvement) word clock. Sylvestri and Stearns both stated that the audio sounded correct for the first time ever since the mix. Shortly thereafter the DM80's were added to Orlando as well.

The DM80's also received an additional track of Doc urging guests to 'Hurry up, get out. We have returned to a point 4 minutes earlier than the time we left - you don't want to run into yourself coming in.' The audio was recorded by Universals resident Doc impersonator, not Christopher Lloyd. Additional operational and emergency spiels were also loaded onto the DM80, but were cued and played as needed.

The mix was manually edited in the DM80 units to adjust and increase the HFI at key spots, and make the Dino belch more audible. HFI was patented for this ride, and was quite remarkable. By using the hydraulic valves to vibrate the entire ride vehicle, you could actually play music just with the ride system driving the car

For Japan I am told that the audio was transferred to Fostex LV2424 playback units, still clones of the original digital masters.

The DM80 systems were temperamental to maintain, so for the life of the ride Universal had to continue to bring in the original engineer when reconfiguration and advanced maintenance was needed. This eventually paid for my (oops, I mean his) D, #10902 - which was rescued from Universals back lot. See, long story but it was kind of relevant to both the discussion, and this forum!

[BTTF-1]

Awesome. You are my audio hero.

Thanks so much for sharing.

ED:popcorn::Headspin::Headspin::popcorn::popcorn:

[Dmcfan1981]

the CD arrived and all I can say is I had goosebumps all over my body. I highly recommend it to every BTTF fan. :thumbup:

[Farrar]

I received mine yesterday. It's always nice to have more Alan Silvestri in my collection. The audio is very good quality, especially considering the age of the materials. I believe that the source for Disc 1 was the original 2" tapes, except in the case of the additional material on Disc 2, which was 1/4" half-track tapes (which we used to use in FM radio -- we'd call it "broadcast quality," but not "audiophile quality"). Even so, the noise floor is low and the spectrum is wide. Additionally, the discs have not been mastered to a very high volume level as with many commercial releases, thus ensuring a great dynamic range. There's no noticeable wow or flutter. The high end has a nice shimmer to it, but it's not overdone like it is in some analogue-to-digital transfers; likewise, the low end is punchy but not overbearing. Interestingly, I noticed the use of some electronic instruments in the score -- something I failed to notice when I saw the films. (Granted, it's been years since I watched them.) The subtleties in the more delicately-scored cues are beautifully captured, and the cues with panache and bravado are just as dynamic and teeth-rattling as I remember them being in the film. All in all, it's an enjoyable release, at a good price, with comprehensive liner notes and attractive packaging to boot. In my opinion, Silvestri fans and fans of the movie both would be pleased with this release.

[thirdmanj]

It goes with everything...
http://FunnyOrDie.com/m/8a70