POTO Soundtrack out - anyone have it?

[Loge]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 11:37am

Hi All,

Well, today's the day - the release of The Phantom of the Opera film soundtrack in the U.S. Does anyone have it yet? If so, what are your thoughts? I would appreciate any feedback, as I'm uncertain if I'm going to make the purchase!

Thanx

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 11:37am

Probably going to pick up a copy later today! YAY!

[Loge]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 11:40am

Well, please holla back with your thoughts, once you give it a listen!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 11:48am

haha, I sure will.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 12:12pm

I got mine. I am listening to it right now. YAY!!!!!

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 12:27pm

Oh. To answer your question. Um....I have both good and bad things to say about this recording.

GOOD:

1) The orchestra is GORGEOUS. I was in my car listening to it on the way home from the store and when the overature started, my body trembled (literally, along with everything in my car) because it was just so POWERFUL.

2.) The leads are AWESOME. I love Gerard as the Phantom. When he actually does his "Scary Phantom" moments it is actually SCARY!!!!!! And while Emmy tends to crack every now and then, I really do prefer her voice over Sarah Brightman. And Patrick is great. You actually care for this guy and feel that he actually loves this woman and will fight for her (in the OLCR, you do not really feel any of that).

3.) There are some word changes that I really like. In "Why Have you Brought Me Here/Raoul I've Been There" they change the words from
RAOUL: "Why Have you brought us here"
CHRISTINE: "Well, take me back then"

TO

RAOUL: "Why have you brought us here?"
CHRISTINE: "I can't go back there."

It just makes a lot more sense that way and I love how they sing it.

4.) Minnie Driver is HILLARIOUS (they place some of the diagloue from the movie). I was cracking up.

5.) They lowered the singing of the Phantom in some parts which I think is really effective because it is more heartbreaking.

6.) The new song, "Learn to Be Lonely" is gorgeous and I love how Minnie Driver sings it. It will definetly be up for an Oscar for best original song.

7.) The feelings of all the characters are more obvious here. In the OLCR. For example, Sarah Brightman always sounds whiny and heartless. And the Phantom is whiney too. Here, you have the Phantom, Christine, and Raoul ANGRY and SAD and HAPPY, etc. I mean, it is a rush of emotions with the characters, and for that I applaud the actors.

8.) If you buy the 2-Disk soundtrack, it comes in a little booklet with a qoute from both ALW and Schumacher and gives you a little inside into the movie and the recordings session. You also get great looking photos.

9.) "Masquerade" has never been better. You can hear every single word and I love how they spoke the part between Christine and Raoul. I think it is more personal that way. I REALLY love how they mixed "Notes II" into "Masquerade." The Phantom actually sings the "Notes II" part when he enters into the "Masquerade" scene. It is actually really freaky and Gerard's performance is WOW!!!!

10.) NEVER, NEVER, NEVER has "Point of No Return" sounded so GREAT!!!!! I think that is my favorite part of the soundtrack (besides the overature).

BAD:

1.) **After a second listen, this wasn't that bad....so I deleted it**

2.) The managers of the Opera CAN NOT sing. It is annoying when everyone else can sing and those two just start singing and sound off. But, they are only in a few scenes so it is not that bad.


FINAL VERDICT:

I love it. Everything is bigger and more glorious than the OLCR (Which I will still cherish and listen to, by the way). Like, I said already there are some things that I really don't like about it, but the good outways the bad by a lot so I would STRONGLY suggest you buying it because overall it is SUPERB. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask.

Updated On: 11/23/04 at 12:27 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 12:59pm

meep.
I'm so excited!!!! And I need to insert a small "yay" for Patrick.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 1:01pm

Why a small "yay?" I say "YAY" for them all.

[Phantess]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 1:02pm

I have mine too. Unfortuneately I'm sitting in a library so I can't listen to it!! I've heard most of it by now though and I definately recommend it.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 1:09pm

Mine is being shipped to me and unfortuntely isn't coming for sevreal days. Grrrrrrr

[Kelly]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 1:22pm

I have my copy right here but my computer died so I've been transplanted into a different office...where my CD player is NOT! Aargh.

[beacon1]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 1:23pm

Picking mine up this afternoon...I'm in Myrtle Beach, SC visiting my parents for the holiday so this will keep me sane. LOL...

E&E...I so hope you can go to the Red Carpet for the premiere.
How truly fun that will be. :o)

[Loge]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 1:25pm

Hmmmm...looks like I have a dilema on my hands. I've listened to clips of every number from this recording online, and to be honest, I wasn't impressed. Granted Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman are not my favorite singers (I think both are outdone by their counterparts on the Vienna cast recording), I feel the principals on the soundtrack are vocally weak and unconvincing. I heard Christine say, "he's here, the Phantom of the Opera" and it's so blase! The one plus is all the dialogue, because ideally I would prefer to have every word/note sung and the orchestrations, but I just don't know if adding this cd is worth it. I've heard "Learn to Be Lonely" and although I think Minne sings it beautifully, and with passion, it doesn't musically fit in with the rest of the work.

Hmmmmm....me wonders if perhaps online listening just doesn't do the actual recording justice!

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 1:25pm

Beacon, you are only 3 hours away from me. But, I promise you will enjoy it. The second disk is better than the first because it doesn't have what I put in the "Bad" section. But, AWESOME cd all around. "Bravo. Bravo. Bravisamo.:

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 1:26pm

Loge, trust me. The online listening does not even come CLOSE to doing it justice.

[thespian geek]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 1:29pm

"Loge, trust me. The online listening does not even come CLOSE to doing it justice."

Agreed. I'm listening to Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again and HOLYCRAP. I'm in love with this soundtrack, I really am. They all sound different from the OLCR (obviously), but they all sound wonderful. Gerard's MOTN put me into convulsions... in a good way, that is. Hehehe.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 1:34pm

I think all of the new material is wonderful. I mean, "Madame Giry's Tale/The Fairground" is heartbreaking (Even without the visuals) and "The Swordfight" is INTENSE. The new orchestrations are also a plus. I love the electric guitar in the title song because it goes backs to it's roots (that is how the original was) and also builds that moment even more. I think my favorite "new" thing added was when **SPOILER** Joseph Buqouet gets hanged. It starts off with the ballet and then a more demanding, creepy music overlaps with the ballet and you hear Joseph breathing heavy and getting scared and you hear him when the Phantom puts the noose around his neck. It was CREEPY and I love it.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 2:33pm

"Why a small "yay?" I say "YAY" for them all."
I was trying to do the world a favor by keeping my shilling to a minimum, but what the hell... YAAAAAY!

beacon, we're planning on it.

[Loge]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 2:34pm

Please my dilemas last 10 seconds. I just got back from getting it. Putting it on my iPod right now. Also got the Gwen Stefani CD - three tracks in and it rocks. She bugs, but I love "What You Waiting For. These two, along with The Woman in White are giving me a lot of new stuff to listen to.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 2:37pm

Have I been living under a rock? I saw this thread title and clicked it, about to do my "IT'S CALLED A CAST RECORDING, MOFOS!!!" spiel...and then...I stopped. Because I forgot about the movie soundtrack.

Jesus, RENT soundtrack release time is gonna screw up my chi so badly. Where's some feng shui when I need it most??? (And Spiderdj, you're not allowed to tell me this is karma for being such a bitch to other people when they get it wrong. C'mon now, doesn't reading the phrase "POTO soundtrack" and "Rent soundtrack" give anyone else a nervous twitch?)

Updated On: 11/23/04 at 02:37 PM

[Loge]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 2:56pm

It too hate when people call cast recordings soundtracks, but I would not make such a crude error :)

Ok, I'm two tracks in and LOVE it so far. The added dialogue is great and the new orchestrations are wonderful. The overture is quite different and it's nice to have more of Hannibal! Margaret Preece, who sings Carlotta, has a FANTASTIC voice! WOW! It's weird that Minne sings "Learn to Be Lonely" but nothing else. Obviously, she wouldn't be able to handle the operatic demands of the role, which would require training, but I love Preece's voice.

I will say I do not care for the packaging. Essentially, I am never going to cart these discs any where (bravo iPod) because the packaging could be easily damaged.

Minne just had her early tirade, LOVED IT! Funny. Can't wait to hear the Christine...coming up.

I like the Vienna Cast Recording because I think the Phantom and Christine (esp Christine) are better than Crawford and Brightman, plus it has more of the show music. The Soundtrack, should be most complete of them all, so I hope it continues to be as great as it is.

UPDATE: I'm on the title track right now. Emmy Rossum (Christine) has a nice voice, but Gerard Butler's Phantom is a HUGE liability. It reminds me of Banderas on the EVITA soundtrack. Big mis-cast IMO! Too bad! On to "The Music of the Night" - man Butler is TERRIBLE, just TERRIBLE! No power, no emotion, no grace...just blase! Ok, now I am at the part of the music, that is note for note taken from Puccini's opera The Girl of the Golden West (night time sharpens, etc) and it's getting better. Sorry, had to put a jab at ALW in there for stealing from Puccini!

Updated On: 11/23/04 at 02:56 PM

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 3:28pm

I didn't get one because I used up all the money that I had in my wallet, at the time, to buy Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azakaban. But it wouldn't matter because Wal-Mart is stupid and didn't have it. Guess I'll wait until "Shopping Day" this Friday when Circuit City has their $9.99 CD Sale, but I want the Special Edition, which may not be eligible for $9.99 pricing.

Posted: 11/23/04 at 3:38pm

getting it in roughly an hour and a half! :)

[Loge]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 3:50pm

Fetch is NEVER going to catch on :)

I like it. All I Ask of You is quite nice. Butler has a nice voice, but lacks any power what-so-ever. Still his better than Colm was on the Canadian recording. Otherwise, it's very nice and enjoyable. The Christine is definitely better than S. Brightman IMO.

[Jus B]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 4:00pm

I went to Barnes and Noble to get it and they didnt have it. I even left school early to get it (i have student assistant 7th period so not a big deal, but still.) The guy handed me the not special edition version, and I asked if he had the extended version. He said "we got one copy in, and a customer was looking at it, but didn't buy it, but now I don't know where it is." Hmmm, guess he walked off with it... I ended up ordering it from the website