Search - Herbert Stothart, Harold Arlen, E. Y. Harburg :: The Wizard Of Oz: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - The Deluxe Edition

The BEST "Oz" soundtrack yet!!!

Kenny | Virginia | 05/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a true Oz fan! I collect everything that I find (unless it's not in my price range) and when i saw this I couldn't pass it up, even though it was a bit pricier than I had expected. Trust me, this was well worth the price!!! I love this CD and the book that came with it is more than just a bonus, it is a God send! If your an Oz fan this is a must! You've got to have this. Don't just think because you have other soundtracks of Oz and such that you don't need to buy this! This is the only CD that has ALL the songs including the outtakes, and even half takes and the only one I have seen with a 52 page book! What more could you ask for?! This is truely a must have! If you are an Oz fan and/or collector be sure to pick this up to day. You won't be sorry!"

The DEFINITIVE presentation of the music of Oz on CD.

takemehome | USA | 05/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's been nearly 11 years since Rhino Movie Music and TCM Music teamed up to bring two editions of the awesome soundtrack from this movie to the public. One edition is a single-disc version and only contains the songs and a few bits of score. (However, it contained ALL of the songs, including outtakes and extended versions.) This is often found for around $10 and is a great buy for the casual fan or one who rarely shops online and can't find the 2-disc in a store. Although I feel more could have been included on it, it's a nice little package, especially for the kids.



However, Rhino and TCM also released a deluxe 2-CD edition featuring ALL of the music recorded and some great supplemental material as well. This deluxe version comes in a long box with the two discs, a tracklisting and short paragraph on what's inside on the back, and a special book that not only explains the music, making of the film, and the stories behind those who created it, but also contains pages for the tracklisting that includes the vocalists on the tracks and even dates of recording. One chapter even offers an annotated film guide, with notes on where the tracks on the CD appear in the film, as well as details on the deleted/extended materials presented here. Also included is a plethora of photos sprinkled all through the book.



These two discs contain a total of 82 (!) tracks, 59 of which are the songs and score. Almost immediately, you're treated to extended pieces of score as well as score that was entirely deleted. In addition, some of the songs we all know and love contain additional material, such as the Scarecrow's deleted dance from If I Only Had A Brain. There are even three deleted songs presented on this set: The Jitterbug, a reprise of Over The Rainbow, and Ding-Dong! Emerald City/The Trimuphal Return To Emerald City. The fact that all this material has been completely preserved and is made available to the public is to be commended.



If you think the songs and score will be all you get on these CDs, you're wrong. Starting with Disc 2, Track 14, you're treated to 23 demos, alternate/partial takes, alternate versions, orchestral angles, and other rarely heard materials such as a partial take of Over The Rainbow where Judy Garland messes up, a take of Over The Rainbow that doesn't make it to the final film, a demo of the deleted Jitterbug number, and even an alternate version of the end credits music.



The sound, for the most part, is absolutely amazing and clear. Some tracks have a minimal amount of tape hiss. Enough that you notice it, but not enough to detract from the listening experience. Also, it sounds as if some of the sources were slightly deteriorated, as on some of the instrumental tracks, there's a considerable amount of warp. However, for audio that at the time was over 55 years old, this soundtrack is amazingly clear and crisp and vibrant-sounding.



Rhino and TCM are to be commended for their beautiful treatment of the music from greatest family film of all time on CD. If you're a casual fan, don't care about anything but the songs and most important score pieces, or just don't want to pay this much, the single-disc CD soundtrack is an excellent package. However, if you're a hardcore fan of the film such as myself, you definitely want to spend the extra cash and pick up this lovingly created box set. Just to have the complete score alone is worth the price, but in addition, the supplemental audio materials and the excellent box and beautiful packaging make it all worth every penny. I plan to sell my single-disc soundtrack ASAP, as I no longer need it."

All the Wizard of Oz Music!

Aaron B. Pacentine | Greenville, SC United States | 05/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great addition to your "WIZARD OF OZ" Collection. I hae a copy of it and it's done very well. You can also get to hear many of the outtakes music stuff from the movie and that's really neat to hear too. There is also a wonderful extended verison of "Over The Rainbow" by Judy Garland when she filmed the movie she sang the song a few times but it ended up that they had to keep redoing the song a few times as heared on the CD because she ended up crying!"