Search - Paul McCartney, Quatuor La Flûte Enchantée, George Martin & His Orchestra :: The Family Way (Original Soundtrack)

Great to finally have available, but could've been better

Sherman Applegate | San Jose, CA USA | 08/27/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although it's great to finally have the complete 1966 Paul McCartney/George Martin score, it's important to note that I feel the producers missed an opportunity to make this CD the definitive issue. Although the newer tracks featuring guitarist Carl Aubut from 1995 & the Quatuor La Flute Enchantee from 1998 sound wonderful, they are nevertheless re-recordings of the McCartney score. What fans want to hear is the original 1966 George Martin Orchestra performed tracks (#1-#13). Unfortunately these tracks, to my ears, seem to come from an inferior tape source. To be fair, the interviews in the CD booklet with McCartney, Martin & Aubut are enjoyable and informative. Most importantly, the music itself is good. My only quibble is with the source of the 1966 recordings. While it's certainly listenable (there are no noticable dropouts, early fades or vinyl pops) at times the solo acoustic guitar just sounds muddy. Some tracks have a bit more hiss than others. The fact that the producers of this CD have opted to use primarily mono masters mixed with an occasional stereo one just doesn't make sense. Original stereo versions of the LP feature every track in stereo. Why did they opt to only use a few for this CD edition? Another minor point is track timings listed on the back cover for the original 1966 recordings are incorrect. So, IMHO, a definitive issue still needs to be done. A single from 'The Family Way' film entitled "Love In The Open Air" is available on the George Martin box set 'Produced by George Martin'. It's sound is very clear & clean, albeit in mono. So...I believe a better tape source is available...somewhere. My own vinyl version sounds better than this CD. It should be noted stereo versions of the original '66 album have appeared on bootleg CD's but even those are rather spotty in quality, utilizing a vinyl source and changing the tracks running order(!). At least the bootleg gives you the music in stereo. The definitive version of this film score would still be the ultra rare stereo LP if you can ever find one and you're willing to spend big bucks. But..until then, this CD will do just fine. It's really quite enjoyable if it's all you have, but it's just a shame that it wasn't done a bit better. Let's hope next time someone who really cares about these important recordings will handle them with the loving care they deserve and really deliver the goods to longtime McCartney fans. Recommended, but could've been better."

It Seems To Be...

Chris Brewer | 04/29/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Sourced from vinyl. The original 1966 music that is. I've noticed numerous pops, hiss and clipping on the brass throughout the cd and the jumping back and forth from mono to stereo is a hassle. Still, it's nice to have these tracks coupled with the newer versions. Although, I should point out this cd is missing both versions from the original George Martin single and the alternate theme song by the Tudor Minstrels. There's a boot floating around with all the '66 versions in great quality. Search this one out if you're longing to hear these recordings in better quality."

Give My Regards To Technology Street

Mr. Richard D. Coreno | Berea, Ohio USA | 06/02/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For collectors, the original vinyl of this 1966 release is an absolute diamond, as this rare album still has great demand amongst Beatles/McCartney fans.



This reissue has the original soundtrack - which clocked in at nearly 25 minutes - of the George Martin Orchestra/McCartney and the arrangememts/performances from the 1990s by Carl Aubut and Anthony Rozankovic/The Flute Enchantee Quartet.



The problem is the music by the George Martin Orchestra/McCartney is not remastered, with this reissue source from vinyl. With the technology available, it essentially could be termed as an authorized bootleg.



But this will suffice for those who have waited for years for a CD release, in particular with the additional performances. Though this is a soundtrack that deserves a definitive reissue that does not cut corners.



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