I don't know how the music is obtained (possibly extracted from DVD or laserdisc releases, and in some cases, burned from LPs), but the ones you mentioned above, as well as most of the CDs that they sell, are all bootleg CD-Rs, and probably made on someone's PC (although they may look somewhat professional). I don't know how MIM has gotten away with it for so long, but they've continued to sell this crap for years despite the fact that it is totally illegal to do so.

American.Nightmare, April 15, 2007; 1:34 AM

But that doesn't make sense, I know that at least two of the four scores I mentioned CAN'T be either DVD rips or taken from LP's. So *where* do these scores come from?

j6524, April 15, 2007; 1:50 AM

I don't have an answer to that, but regardless of where they come from they're still bootleg CD-Rs (and therefore illegal). However, I, too, share your curiosity as to how and where they are able to obtain such music.

American.Nightmare, April 15, 2007; 1:59 AM

It's a shame. I'd like real releases for these scores! I won't lie though, I did order the others scores. I suppose I should feel bad--damn my ever-growing apathy!--but look at it this way: Two of these films (Razorback and The Gate) are virtually out of the print in the US, have no real distributors, and the composers have moved on to bigger things and probably don't even INCLUDE either score on their resume. Pumpkinhead composer Stone has been dead for six years, and while that certainly doesn't make it right to buy the CD, shouldn't this obscure composer's work be HEARD? and I'm sorry but I love the Prophecy score. A lot. The sound quality, given the age of the recording, is very good, none of the expected hisses and pops you get w/ an old LP, assuming that's the source. I guess the quality of their private releases depends, in turn, on the quality of their source. Either way they have connections, that's for sure...
Anyways, you're right in that they have no right to releases these basement-born CD's, but in the case of the four I listed above, let's face it: They never have, and never will, see a CD release of any sort, and the legal rights to some of them may be so tangled that any real future release would be impossible. It's the quality of the music itself that matters to me; I say if there's a good score floating around out there and a real release isn't in the cards, let it be heard!

j6524, April 15, 2007; 2:24 AM

I feel your pain, my friend, I FEEL YOUR PAIN!!!

If only these wonderful scores would get the official releases that they deserve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

American.Nightmare, April 15, 2007; 3:15 AM

As the evil Paramount logo hints, there's sadly no way we could get an official release of THE PROPHECY.

42zaphod, April 15, 2007; 9:36 AM

Why? Is Paramount fussy about these things?

j6524, April 15, 2007; 10:27 AM

I don't know about those titles, but I once bought several others from MIM. All were legitimate releases. Some of what they sent me were the legitimate CDs, and others were CDR copies of the legitimate CDs with color Xerox (or maybe scanned and printed) inserts. It appears that they sell legitimate products when they have them, but make CDR copies of both illegitimate releases and of out-of-print legitimate ones when they run out of originals. They sell the CDR copies of the OOP titles for the same price as originals, but don't tell you what you are going to get. In fact, for one title I ordered, they sent me a blank CDR, with a label on it. They forgot to even burn the copy. BEWARE!!!

betenoir, April 15, 2007; 10:31 AM

Yes, as it is, Paramount doesn't allow our beloved soundtrack labels to licence their scores for release. With this current status, Paramount = no legal soundtrack to be released.

42zaphod, April 15, 2007; 11:54 AM

Hello j6524,

According to the description you are depicting of that PROPHECY bootleg release, I think the pirates must have used the original recording sessions. The think is: how have they had access to this stuff?

Just like happens to you, seeing the score from PROPHECY officially released has always been one of my impossible dreams. In fact, before I knew of the Paramount and Universal politics on releasing old scores on record, I used to imagine a wonderful double feature CD pairing PROPHECY and THE CAR, two masterful horror soundtracks composed by Leonard Rosenman in the late seventies. I'll keep on dreaming...

Regards,
Angel

angeldibujo, April 15, 2007; 4:33 PM

It's been ages since I've seen the Car, was the music good?
Prophecy is great stuff. I know a lot of people don't like the lyrical style Rosenman uses, but I highly enjoyed this score.

j6524, April 15, 2007; 6:09 PM

Yes, it is wonderful!

It's mainly based on the Dies Irae chant with a very menacing feeling. I also saw the movie many, many years ago, but the music really shocked me. I don't remember any lyrical moment. It was slightly herrmannesque and, in several moments, highly nervous and propulsive. I recall a very intense use of the string section lowest register in an interesting mixture of action and horror oriented music.

Sorry for my dull description, but my english isn't enough good :(

Cheers,
Angel

angeldibujo, April 15, 2007; 9:50 PM

Actually, I believe there ARE music-only tracks (a promo release or recordings done back in 1977) of Rosenman's score for THE CAR. I've seen it around somewhere but can't recall where I saw it (for download).

kriegerg69, April 16, 2007; 9:55 AM

Just like "Betenoir": I will never buy from them again! I had the same problem with them! They suck, suck, suck (eventhought they release great unreleased horror scores!)!!!

davegaumann, April 16, 2007; 11:59 AM

I had been looking for The War of the Gargantuas soundtrack for a while & thought I found my beloved "gem" for a perceived reasonable price at MIM. The first bad sign was that it was enclosed in that dumb heat-shrink wrap that didn't come from the original manufacterer. The green-tinged CD-R was the other tip-off, along with the funky-smelling insert (see how the ink rubs off pretty quickly; No, don't do that!). I finally found the Futureland original via a legit source -- lesson learned: if it sounds too good to be true, you know the rest!

rick.ramos88, April 16, 2007; 7:35 PM

In response to Dave, yeah they do release great unreleased scores, and since there are no other sources for them, I do buy their stuff on occasion...

j6524, April 17, 2007; 12:54 PM