As most of us already know, there has never been an "official" release of the original score that was heard in the actual film. There were two re-recordings – one in 1975, conducted by Bernard Herrmann himself (the major flaw there of course is that he slowed down the tempo of the main title theme), and another in the 1990s by Joel McNeely. There was also the bootleg of the original score that was taken from the laserdisc’s isolated score, where a lot of the tracks were jumbled together. It also claimed on the artwork that it was "remastered", etc, etc., but as we all know, it wasn’t remastered. And the only copies of this I’ve seen have been in low-bitrate form.
What I have here is very similar to the bootleg, but hopefully a little better. For years, I had been wanting to invest in a laserdisc player and a copy of the Psycho laserdisc with the isolated score on it, in order to do my own rip of the score and see how it sounded. However, it always seemed to be too pricey for just one score.
Then, I happened across some website forum somewhere (honestly don’t know the site now, it wasn’t one of the usual places) and someone had been very kind enough to do their own rip of the isolated score and post it in 320kbps mp3 format. So, most of the credit here goes to that unnamed individual, and I am very grateful to the person.
All that I’ve done here is a little bit of cleanup to those mp3 files. I was able to increase the volume on some of the quieter pieces (nothing too intrusive), clean up the fade-ins and -outs, and especially take away a little bit of that nasty hiss. Now, I emphasize a little bit of the hiss – any more than just a tiny bit, and you start getting that horrible metallic tinny sound. But it’s definitely an improvement (I think).
Also, please keep in mind (especially if you’ve never heard the previous bootleg before) that this score was recorded 51 years ago, so it sounds like it was recorded 51 years ago. Granted, the re-recordings sound really crisp and pure, so if that’s your cup of tea, simply ignore this. Personally, I love this version because it’s the original, warts and all. (I especially love the ferocity of the main theme. Classic.) My point is, this has not been remastered by FSM or Intrada (although it would be nice if they would ever figure out a good way to do that – they claim that the masters are gone, and apparently this iso score is all we’re left with, but hey). So yes, there is some hiss and clicks and pops every now and then.
The tracks I downloaded were in 320 mp3 format. So, here I’m presenting two versions – in WAV format (not true lossless, but still) or converted back to 320 mp3. There are 33 tracks total. Either way, I hope you enjoy! If not, no harm done.
WAV:
www.multiupload.com/JH7BZKQYFR
320kbps mp3:
That’s too bad, though, that such a classic film has no good copy of its score left. I appreciate your verve in seeking this out.
One point about the Herrmann re-recording from 1975, he didn’t actually slow the tempo down for the main theme, he played it at the original recording speed. The title theme on Psycho is has been sped up, and Herrmann was restoring it to the way he intended it, so it isn’t actually a flaw.
That bootleg is already available in lossless – in contrast to your lossy version.
mp3_1 –> editing –> wav (–> mp3_2)
mp3_1 = mp3 version you downloaded somewhere
wav = wav version you posted
mp3_2 = mp3 version you posted
In that case, thank you for having specified it.
However, lossy formats should NEVER be converted into lossless formats :).
The most of the users here, including me, have appreciated your work.
So why should you have to stop? 🙂
Agreed. When I’m editing, mp3 is my preferred choice and it annoys me when someone pipes up after I’ve worked my arse off making my projects the best I could because it’s not in their preferred format … so long as you can hear it clearly, what’s the problem
Thanks for this. I have the other version that you mention, so I am interested in hearing your version!
You want to try an excellent Hermann than give Vertigo a try. McNeely’s re-recording is superb.
Someone had mentioned something about ripping the Blu Ray of this score. I’m sure they did a great job with the overall sound on the new release, but I briefly tried taking a look at the rear channels, and just a quick glance told me there’s quite a bit of sound effects. For instance, at the beginning of the film, you can definitely hear the sounds of the city, the birds (no pun intended), etc. Not majorly intrusive, but it’s definitely there. (I think I had read somewhere that they filled out the 5.1 channels using a music/sound effects mix, so I guess that explains it.)
As for people whining that this is lossy to begin with, you don’t have to download the WAV version if that bothers you. At least the poster stated up front it’s not true lossless. Much preferred over assholes on the internet who surreptitiously transcode VBR to FLAC and upload them to torrent sites so their ratios can get inflated from all the seeders rushing to grab it from them.
According to the booklet, it took 36 years for finally a (bootleg) CD could be made available, meaning that it was released in 1996. The laserdisc with the isolated score was released in 1998. So it’s fair to say that there are two bootleg versions floating around, right?
According to the booklet, it took 36 years for finally a (bootleg) CD could be made available, meaning that it was released in 1996. The laserdisc with the isolated score was released in 1998. So it’s fair to say that there are two bootleg versions floating around, right?
Possibly…the laserdisc release could have been in the works for a year or two..
I’d like those directions too… 🙂
The link is several years old, so it is probably dead. I just tried it a moment ago and every link is a Livid download.
Lossy WAV: Free File Hosting – Online Storage; Upload Mp3, Videos, Music. Backup Files (http://www.peejeshare.com/storage/363586894/sec.env.d324.rar.html)
MP3 320: Zippyshare.com – sec.env.d325.rar (http://www26.zippyshare.com/v/70920081/file.html)
Password: Orion999
Thanks! I needed this.
Yes…thank you very much! 🙂
That’s not really necessary, it appeared again, on this thread:
Please read that thread carefully (there are just 2 pages worth of comments), so you know what has been done with the original audio files from dsguardian. There are three different links on that thread, two of them from me, which still are working!
You’re welcome, Emperor!
Liberace, a.k.a. the Squire of Gothos, at your service! 🙂
No problem, there’s a working link from me already, on another thread (as I already pointed out in message #53 on this page!):
Then… don’t. Use mine.
https://mega.co.nz/#!iJwGRBLB!q4OygyYMjjNvy0MYHr7Zj8OmiZxWA3n7oBFnRg_ 98ys
Here’s the link for the WAV files:
https://mega.nz/#!iJwGRBLB!q4OygyYMjjNvy0MYHr7Zj8OmiZxWA3n7oBFnRg_98ys