Lord of the Rings Complete

[Titanium Dome]

I've had my eye on the Howard Shore Lord of the Rings Complete musical recordings since the first one came out a couple of years ago. Currently, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers are available as three CD plus one DVD-A sets. I haven't heard much about a Return of the King set, but it must be in some stage of production.

The sets are a bit pricey at $50–70 retail. They don't come up often on ebay, and Amazon's price is a pathetic 3% off or so. Recently I had the chance to get them for about 20% off, so I bit. After more than a week of shipping time, they arrived yesterday.

I did some preliminary listening, and I must say I'm awe-struck! The high resolution sound of the DVD-A in both hi-rez stereo and high-rez surround is sensational. Since the movies themselves were such enveloping experiences sonically, the surround versions sound just right to me.

As I get more time, I'll add more reactions to the thread. I have not been a big fan of soundtrack albums, though occasionally I've liked one here or there. This is not a simple soundtrack album, however; it's a complete orchestral rendering of the monumental music scored for the films.

Anyone else have either or both of these?

[clmrt]

I'd be interested in the catalog numbers, if you have time.

[Titanium Dome]

I don't have them in hand right now, but here's a link:

http://www.howardshore.com/works/discography/

It shows both works.

[Titanium Dome]

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, The Complete Recordings is a feature rich package. I snagged a couple of pictures of the package from this full review:

http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=173

[Titanium Dome]

Here's a look at the cover of the box.

[Titanium Dome]

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Complete Recordings is a similar set, but graphically distinct. Again, a review supplied these pictures, and there are more at the link.

http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=209

[kingjames]

het TI just bought it from your link> well let you know what I think.

[Titanium Dome]

het TI just bought it from your link> well let you know what I think.

Glad it was useful to you. I hope you enjoy it.

I got so obsessed I paused and watched The Two Towers extended edition. I was more cognizant of the music, predictably.

[kingjames]

Got the oppurtunity to listen to this and it is nothing short of stunning. Sitting on my office chair and kicking back my head I completely left this world for a time.Not too many pieces of music can do that for me.

I close my eyes and get lost into this musical miracle.I listen and find myself remembering the movies and what parts go with what scenes's.
It is truly an experience to behold and very uplifting. I think having JBL'S with this score is a perfect match.

Why would I want to listen to this on anything else?This is my perfect little world and when I can leave this planet by listening to a piece of music then I have achieved (at least in my mind) sonic Heaven.

I mostly prefer soundtracks and when listening to the cd or dvd you hear what you never hear in the movie.

It still amazes me to this day how a speaker is able to reproduce music and how JBL does it so good.

[Titanium Dome]

Sounds like you had a good time, and I know exactly what you mean.