With Decca’s excellent
release of the original recording to Jaws, one has to wonder just
what the producers at Varese Sarabande were thinking. Sure, the usual
powerhouse of Joel McNeely and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra were
selected to provide this re-recording, and the 20 bit digital sound is
definitely superior to even the terrific efforts of Decca to clean up the
original analog sources, but when presented with the original or the
re-recording, which one will soundtrack aficionados snap up? Especially when
the re-release album comes down the pike so far after Decca’s release?
I guess this is what has caused such a mass of negativity to emanate
from the reviews I’ve read so far, and this is unfortunate. I know I may
be going out on a limb here, but I think this is a really good effort from
Varese for what it is. Yes, the album is not without its problems, but
still, I think it can appeal to certain listeners. It is the only way to get
the score in chorological order, as even the Decca release sequences it in
suite form rather than trying to get it to flow with the film.
This leads to the first problem. Decca was correct in their decision
to arrange the tracks in an order that helped the listening experience. In
chorological order, the low rumblings of the Jaws theme take a majority of
the first half of the CD. Still, it’s not that big of a deal, and it does
allow the listener to follow along with the action in the film.
While I have read of some complaining about the quality of the
performances, I found that the Royal Scottish National Orchestra does a
really good job with the music. I think a lot of the problems some have had
with this release deals with the recording methods. Some of the orchestral
sections that were in the background in the original soundtrack recording
have been brought to the forefront here. Whether this was intentionally done
or whether it was due to the differences in the approach to the placement of
the mics, it doesn’t really matter. The music does contain interpretation,
just like it was for Superman and The Back to the Future Trilogy,
whether or not this fact is a problem for certain people depends on who will
enjoy this CD and who will be railing at each section that does not match
the original in every respect.
The linear notes are quite
informative and contain a track-by-track analysis (though it doesn't get too
deep as each description is only a couple sentences in length). The cover
art is not very good at all, and Decca's packaging looks much better (though
at least Varese uses a real CD jewel case).
The big question that remains is whether or not to pick up the
original from Decca or this one. In the end, I feel most fans will pick up
the Decca release and skip on this one. Still, if you are interested in
having the score arranged in chorological order, you just want to hear
McNeely’s take on the score, or you want something that’ll blow you away
in terms of recording quality, then you might want to give this disc a spin.
As long as the altered tempos or interpretation doesn’t bother you,
you’ll probably be rather pleased with this release. ***1/2
