In the frenzy of last week, we got confirmation of the release of Transformers Generation 1 cartoon score music for the first time on any format, a release date, and an actual drop of the product. 40 tracks, 45 minutes. Collector level vinyl records only, 2000 copies total. 500 Optimus Prime themed, 500 Megatron themed, and 1000 Bumblebee themed. Op and Megs sold out in under 5 minutes, Bumblebee later that day. All three containing the same awesome tracks. EnjoyTheRide Records and Hasbro Studios, along with one of the original composers Robert J. Walsh have graced us with pure gold. We were provided with a preview copy of the record and I have been listening to it non stop all weekend. Read on to check our thoughts and some quick pics!
Hasbro Studios Presents: 80s TV Classics – Music from The Transformers Original Television Series Score by Robert J. Walsh and Johnny Douglas
Overall Thoughts:
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
Soooo good. I’ve been waiting for this for 20 years. Not 30+ years, because as a kid I never dreamed of owning the background music to the cartoon. But as I became an adult collector, the music from the original show triggered nostalgia feels like nothing else. I think it’s a step above all other toons, the music featured in Transformers, G.I. Joe, and other Sunbow produced shows was top notch in retrospect.
These tracks are pristine quality. Nice and crisp, free of sound effects, voices, and other distractions. What a difference getting them from the source can make. You can hear the subtle drums and hi-hats of the beat, faded melodies that are difficult to catch in the shows or fan edits. We have 40 total, hitting 45 minutes worth of music. So lots of short bursts. All of side A is from seasons 1 and 2. Tracks 1-7 on side B are also from seasons 1 and 2. So 29 total. Track 8 – Mad Planet and forward on side B is season 3 music, which was inspired by the music Vince DiCola did for the 86 movie.
Be aware, this is not a complete presentation of everything heard in the show over the course of it’s run. It is a curated selection. Why this was done, I don’t know. Was it on purpose, to wet our appetite for more? Is it all they had, and masters have been lost for the others? Did they want to get it out now, so they are still working on re-mastering the others? Are they saving the rest for a CD / digital release? Who knows, I’ll try and ask the powers that be but for now it’s a mystery. I’m a little bummed that versions of Cold Slither and the Dancitron disco music was not on this. Both are significant pieces worthy of a spin.
Another key point – the theme song is not the final version we heard at the start of each show. It does not have the robotic effects layered on top of the vocals. While cool to hear, as I assume this is the raw version that was actually recorded, it would have been nice to have them both at this level of pristine quality. Speaking of which, the intros and outros for season 2 and 3 are also not present.
Bottom line, this is well done, crisp, clean awesome presentation of some of the music from the show. The only things that could make it better – MORE / ALL of it, and a CD release of it.
These sold out immediately and ticked a lot of fans off. The folks at Enjoy The Ride Records did mention on social they plan to do another run in different themes to address demand. So hold tight, word on that should be coming soon. Right now, no non-vinyl version is planned.
Check some pics below, and to those that caught a copy, get ready for a fun ride!
jamarmiller
one thing id kill for is all the commercial animation that was done, to be put on dvd in a quality level picture.
Greenspan
Absolutely. If Hasbro cared about putting everything in order, they would engage in win-win discussions with everyone involved.
Like I said above, money is not the issue. Hasbro has the cash and these rights issues are not that expensive.
I honestly think it's about having one, or a few employees, in house that have a cohesive view of the big picture and explain it to the big brass.
Ford, Kinder, Floro Dery's TF:TM movie art, old IP's art and development material, artwork, music, etc. etc.
They need the archive department to actively secure these old assets before they truly get scattered to the four winds.
A few years back, it was possible to purchase the TFs G1 and ARAH G.I. Joe entire series on Vimeo.
Why can't we anymore?
How about purchasing Spiral Zone, M.A.S.K., Jem, C.O.P.S., Inhumanoids, Visionairies, Centurions, Sky Commanders, etc. etc. etc.
How about buying the music of those shows?
Those of us who grew with these shows have the interest and the cash. The whole retro vibe is still very strong and will be for many years.
Why not capitalize on it on every front and saving it all for posterity at the same time?
Murasame
But wouldn't license holders also benefit from a release? Like Ford and Kinder would need to be involved in all revenue of their theme and they also deserve that. I really need a complete soundtrack. This one was nice, but most of the songs I expected are not even present. So, I'm not fully satisfied. It's more like an appetizer to me, or like a demo. Or in other words: the itch still needs scratching.
Greenspan
Bad blood, old feuds and legal disputes can always be settled through the mighty dollar.
My theory is Hasbro could settle any and all rights but choses not to.
I assume there is nobody within the company championing the benefits of curating old and discarded IP's. What might seem to be worthless now, could be worth millions down the road.
There is also the inescapable truth that old cartoons are work of arts. Plain and simple. Safeguarding everything about them is worthwhile in of itself even if it doesn't generate revenue in the near future.
My point is this: As many of these creators (music composers, script writers, animators, designers, voice actors, etc.) are still thankfully with us, it would make sense to secure all available assets before they disappear with their creators.
Ex: Most of all the Beast Wars packaging artwork disappeared with the closing of the Cincinnati office. Reassembling them now would be a colossal, and expensive, endeavor. Hence, we have no products, (art books, t-shirts, stickers, mugs, etc.) with the great Beast Wars artwork.
And Beast Wars single-handedly saved the Transformers franchise. Safeguarding all the assets concerning it WAS relevant.
Final though. This weekend's Toyfair 2020 is proof that Hasbro's future is based on old material. Next to no modern Transformers character are present in toy form. They're releasing Ghostbusters toys and props from the 1984 movie.
I say somebody at Hasbro should take this "curating" old IP's more seriously.
kary
You definitely bring up a strong point here. Hasbro really should spend some of that cash to safeguard those licenses. I do wonder if they've tried that route before, but some of the folks who own the licenses don't want to budge based on principles etc… or they just want to stick it to Hasbro for some bad blood they've got with them (ex: Anne Bryant)
Greenspan
I've worked in the business so I know all to well how much of a pain in the a** these licensing issues can be.
That being said, Hasbro has a market cap of 12.3 billions, with B.
A good chunk of their operating income comes from very old franchises like Transformers and My Little Pony.
Their entertainment future is almost ALL based on their old properties.
I'm trying to make the argument that, since Hasbro's success and future is so dependent on these old franchises, they could easily justify to the share holders the expense of buying out any loose ends in the rights and licensing department.
Ex : If they don't own M.A.S.K., Centurions, Sky Commanders, Silerhawks, etc. a 100%, why not buy the remaining stakes and go full on with it?
Blade Runner rights were a mess and Warner Bros finally put money on the table and settled everything for good.
I'm not saying they should buy every single IP outright, but there are some with tremendous potential and just ache to be brought to life again.
I'm looking at you M.A.S.K.
kary
Sometimes things are more complicated than they appear to the public. There's a lot of licensing issues that go on with movies / soundtracks etc that you can't even begin to imagine. My friend works for IMAX, and I was told that I wouldn't believe the number of issues they go through trying to get a movie released in a country only to have someone else file for a licensing trademark for it months prior. Then, the movie studio has to pay the individual(s) off just to get it released in that market since the license / rights have already been taken.
I'm sure Hasbro wouldn't have had the foresight to think people 35+ later would be interested in getting a soundtrack to their most popular shows. The fact that we have anything official is probably short of a miracle.
Greenspan
Most likely.
But short sighted from Hasbro's part.
It's not just TFs, it's also G.I. Joe music, Inhumanoids, Visionaries, JEM, Spiral Zone, etc.
Hasbro should have a small department (1-2 employees) dedicated to old niche IPs and keep them alive by curating them with products aimed to preserve posterity.
kary
I have a feeling this comes down more to licensing and what was agreed upon. It's possible there's some contract in place which prevents the music from being released on CD or sold digitally.
kary
S**t outta luck.
Murasame
Sol?
myrrh
…i.e. folks with real stereos are SOL…
ChromeMagnus
In the meantime you can enjoy the tracks in digital form via these organized playlists from YouTube. Much more convenient than a CD seeing as how you can listen to them through the Youtube app on your smartphone. You can even listen to them in your car speakers from your phone if your car is bluetooth enabled (or you have a bluetooth kit for your car).
Greenspan
Anyone still has hopes for a CD?
Will Toyfair this weekend be good for us who wants more TFs music?
Let's hope someone at Hasbro cares enough to make this happen one day.
Phuz
If anyone has been searching for the first pressings of this record, I have a couple of them for sale in the BST section (Megatron and Bumblebee variants).
Geof7609
Yeah, I noticed that today as I listened in my car at louder volume. I think your guess about a fan edit is most likely correct.
Most browsers have built-in download managers, you just need to tell it which folder you want files saved to.
As for converting, look at programs like Foobar or Audacity, they have various codecs to let you convert to WAV format, which is what you'd want to burn to a CD.
Thanks! I'm not hopeful, considering ETR's response and TealShark's observations, but it'd be nice to know for sure.
WishfulThinking
I have a second pressing (the Starscream version) but I don't have a computer tied into my turntable (it's a SONY from 2004). So no, I wouldn't be able to confirm wavelengths. But I could confirm timing. If I have time, I'll give it a spin when I get home.
ILoveLuci4
Wish I knew where. I'm not very tech-/net-savvy.
I guess I didn't phrase that right. Was interested in downloading/converting tracks, so that I could put them on CD.
TealShark
So I had a chance to listen to the tracks that are different and compared it with my vinyl 1st edition pressing, and I've noticed something: The "missing" parts have a different fidelity than the rest of the track. The soundstage is more narrow (nearing mono in a couple of tracks) with some fluctuating stereo separation (track 6 especially) that may be indicative of noise reduction or tape degradation; they don't sound like they're from the same mastering.
My guess is maybe a fan edit to elongate the tracks to "restore" them to what they should be by using other sources (like the recreation). There's also a slim possibility that they are earlier masterings that later had the "different" parts of the tracks purged for sound consistency, but the chances of that are likely slim.
That said, I too would like to hear from anyone that has the second pressing. If my analysis is wrong, I will gladly buy a second copy for a few more seconds of music.
Geof7609
Well, unfortunately the person who posted the vinyl rip didn't actually create the rip himself. If anyone owns the reissued version(s), I'd love to know the running times of those 4 tracks. If they are indeed longer, I'd certainly buy a 2nd copy.