U.S. soundtracks on CD [antikvár]

n the early 1980s, the electronic industry began developing a new medium for commercial recordings. For nearly 30 years the 33 1/3-RPM vinyl "long play" album had been king of recorded music. The LP had weathered challenges from the defunct 8-track stereo cartridge and the standard audiocassette. It seemed indestructible. But despite good sound quality in general, the LP giant had several shortcomings, including pressing flaws, heat intolerance, and the ever-present threat of damage by the hovering phonograph needle. The format was also predisposed to wear and therefore could not be considered a permanent storage medium.The designers of the new mediumthe "compact disc" or "CD" undoubtedly set out to capitalize on the disadvantages of the LP format by eliminating these shortcomings entirely. In less than a decade, the LP was dethroned and all but destroyed, relegated to specialized pressings for audiophiles and die-hard vinyl aficionados. By 1991, the major labels had stopped pressing new releases, including soundtracks, on vinyl.From 1984 through 1990, most new soundtrack recordings were available in three formats: long play album, cassette, and the evolving compact disc. Initially compact discs were very expensive^topping $18 for a new release. LPs, by comparison, ran approximately $10 at the time. Because the CD was ever growing and the LP was in decline during these years, there are some soundtracks that were not made available in both formats. Some films released between 1984 and 1986 did not have had a compact disc release; two examples are Broughton's scores to Harry and the Hendersons and Young Sherlock Holmes, which have not to date seen a CD release. Similarly, many soundtracks released in 1990 did not have an LP equivalent. This time period was a crescendo for the compact disc and a decrescendo for the LPThis book attempts to catalog soundtrack releases on compact disc from the first CD release in 1985. Pressings of these first few discs were very limited, and few people had the equipment to play them at this early date. Soundtrack CDs began to appear regularly in 1986.The original intent of the first edition of this book, which was written by a collector for fellow collectors, was to catalog only domestic releases that were not rock oriented. In preparing the second edition, reader demand forced me to include foreign releases of soundtracks to U.S. films or U.S.-released films; examples include SpaceCamp, In Harm's Way, and Under Fire. Because collectors are also interested in other foreign issues, I have added general information on these releases.Soundtrack albums that are rock oriented, so-called song score albums.i- ' f I,IJ'lIC.' vii