August 11, 2014

Atmospherics Music

For anyone wondering which tracks are used for the blu ray disc menus, or "Atmospherics", here's the breakdown:

1. Trees/Woods
Love Theme Farewell



2. Pie
Solo Percussion 1



3. Signs/Places
Harold's Theme (The Living Novel)



4. Coffee
Dance Of The Dream Man (Soundtrack Mix)



5. Notes
Laura Palmer's Theme (Caroline Version)



6. Water
Twin Peaks (Alternate Version)


Note the new deleted clip from episode 1!


7. Donuts
Solo Percussion 2 (Grady's Waltz)



8. Owls
Owl Cave



9. The Ring
Nightsea Wind



10. The Red Room
The Red Room


Note the never-before-seen deleted clip from the final episode!

August 10, 2014

MixCloud changes

So, it seems that Mixcloud has changed their copyright restrictions, and no longer lets people in the US listen to mixes that have 4 or more tracks by the same artist! Meaning none of my 10 Twin Peaks mixes can be listened to in the US anymore! Which really sucks, as I spent a lot of time preparing and posting them for people to hear.

Does anyone have any ideas as to an alternative? In addition, I had planned on posting the Bootleg mixes as a MixCloud mix as well, but there seems to be no point in doing so now.


Any feedback and/or ideas would be welcome! Thanks.

August 5, 2014

The Music of The Missing Pieces

   
   
   
   
   
   

Probably the one thing I was most curious about before seeing the Missing Pieces was the use of music (of course). What would they choose to use? Since probably all of this material was cut at a very early stage, none of it had music. So the restoration on these scenes had to include finding and choosing music. I'm still not sure who was all involved in those choices, but most likely it was Lynch and Dean Hurley.

Watching the Missing Pieces for the first time I was struck by, and honestly a bit disappointed by, just how many scenes play without any music at all. Obviously, since I love the music of TP, it was a bit of a disappointment, but also because its in stark contrast to the rest of TP. The series, especially in the second season, was pretty much wallpapered with music. Even FWWM, when not featuring music, features an intricate sound design. The Pilot probably contains more scenes without music than anything else- until the Missing Pieces that as. 

Perhaps with these missing pieces it was a practical decision, as leaving them without music is of course easier. Or perhaps Lynch just thought they played better that way. To me, it makes a few of them seem a little unfinished, and I feel a few could have benefitted from added music. Especially the Sheriff station scenes.

Interestingly, even a few of the scenes that are extensions of scenes in the movie play without the track used in the film. For instance, the diner scene plays without "RR Swing". Perhaps Lynch wanted to emphasize Norma's lonliness. And the Bobby/Laura basement scene plays without "Moving Through Time".

Anyway, what they DID choose for the Missing Pieces, I was more than happy with. So here is a breakdown of what tracks appear:

Fire Walk With Me (Sax)
- Briefly at the beginning when the opening titles appear (slightly distorted)
- On the radio in the scene with Ed & Norma in the truck.
The Sax version (released from the Archive) was only heard very briefly in the finished film during the opening credits before switching to the original (trumpet) version.
It's use in the Norman & Ed scene is easily my favorite use of music in the Missing Pieces.

Don't Do Anything (I Wouldn't Do)
- Sam & Chet question Jack at Hap's (used here in the finished film as well)

Mysterioso #2
Chet fight Cable.

Twin Peaks (series track)
- Laura & Donna walk to school (used here in the finished film as well)

Love Theme Farewell (series track)
- The end of the Hayward scene, and Laura on the sidewalk
This track was actually a mixed track created for the season 2 soundtrack. It plays here complete with the wind sound effects.

The Pink Room
- Laura, Donna, & the guys enter the back room at Partyland (used in the Partyland sequence of the finished film as well)

Love Theme (Solo Rhodes) (series track)
- Leland hangs up the phone and looks at Teresa's picture in Fleshworld

Laura's Dark Boogie (Clean)
- Briefly when Teresa calls Leland back (used in the flashback sequence of the finished film as well)

South Sea Dreams (series track)
- Jacoby calls Laura

Dugpas (series track)
- Slow speed track heard as Laura sneaks out of her house and hides in the bushes from Leland
- Briefly heard again as Cooper's face in the Red Room fades into the curtains

Dance Of The Dream Man (series track)
- The Man From Another Place dances in front of Cooper in the Red Room.
Of course this track is also used in the series when the MFAP dances in the Red Room in Cooper's dream.

Dark Mood Woods (Studio Version) (series track)
- After the nurse takes Annie's ring she looks in the mirror
- Final sequence with Cooper in the Great Northern bathroom
Of course this track was also heard in the climatic scene from the final episode.


   

The Missing Pieces also feature some of the "sound design/effects" tracks created for the movie. And we hear the brief effects tracks Distant Train & Log Lady Presence as well. 

Distant Train
- Sarah smokes at the Dinner table alone after Laura leaves for Bobby's

Log Lady Presence
- The Log Lady in her cabin the night of the murder

Finally, the end credits feature the track Teresa's Autopsy (mixed with some additional sound effects)


In addition, the Missing Pieces feature two tracks that are new to the Twin Peaks world, and are not yet available anywhere:

Hotel Tango by Dean Hurley
- Played in the hotel lobby in the scene with Phillip Jeffries. 
Most likely a new track.

One Dog Bark by Thought Gang
- During the road trip to Partyland
Most likely from the unreleased Thought Gang album


Lastly, here is a new/alternate cover for FWWM (Sax) featuring the Ed & Norma scene for those who prefer it.



August 4, 2014

My Thoughts: FWWM The Missing Pieces



22 years is a long time to wait. But we finally have (most) of the fabled deleted scenes from Fire Walk With Me. As discussed elsewhere on this site, I've been a Twin Peaks fan(atic) since day one, and loved the series from the pilot thru the final episode. And even though it made a quick exit from theaters, I still managed to see FWWM 3 times on the big screen before it disappeared in 1992.

I loved the film from day one as well, although I did have to adjust to some of the cosmetic changes (fake Donna, Sheryl Lee's wig, different Palmer house, WAY different Harold Smith house). And I did miss some of the characters from the show, especially since I had heard so many had filmed parts, so leaving the theater that first time, I was like, "where were they"? Pretty quickly I learned of many of the cuts that had been made via a great article in "Video Watchdog". Which provided pretty much the only positive assessment I had seen at the time, and assured me I wasn't alone in my love of the film.

Over the years, those deleted scenes became legendary, and release after release came and went without them, even after hearing reports that they were going to finally see the light of day. So their mystique kind of snowballed over the years, made even bigger by the fact that no footage had ever leaked, and almost no pictures had ever been seen. No one had even seen pics of many of the cut actors.

Then the preview for the "Missing Pieces" dropped, and it was chill-inducing and surreal. Images that only existed in our heads were finally being seen. I for one, could hardly believe it. A wait of 22 years is crazy, and a lot to live up to. So did they?

Watching the scenes themselves didn't bring me that same level of surreal that the preview did, because the preview had already done that. But it was still an experience that can hardly be described, and can't really compare to anything. For me, finally seeing all of these scenes brought a huge sense of satisfaction, when it could have easily been one of disappointment or a sense of being underwhelmed.

I feel so happy and satisfied that I have finally seen these scenes. Seeing what amounts to 90 minutes of all-new Twin Peaks content after 22 years is nothing short of extraordinary. I loved it, and there are many highlights. But for the most part, I can see why Lynch made the choices that he did with the final edit. On the other hand, I think the Missing Pieces only enhance one's experience with FWWM. Having seen the original film so many times over the years, and knowing the script, the scenes kind of fall into place in my head. And the film and the Missing Pieces complement each other. So I don't really mind having them as two separate pieces of the whole. I only wish we would have seen these from the beginning.

And there are a few scenes I wish would have remained in the film:


The Norwegian scene. Great counterpoint to Bob-Leland. As a side note, it was great to see Wise, Lee & Zabriskie finally get to see this scene in "Between Two Wolds". Zabriskie has often talked fondly of this scene over the years, and you could tell she was excited to see it. And I have to say, she was really hurt the most by the final edit of the film, as most of her best bits were left off. She is just fantastic in these deleted scenes.



The Hayward scene. I always felt Donna was strangely parentless in FWWM. Plus Sheryl Lee's final line of this scene, where she turns back from the sidewalk, just might be her shining moment as Laura.



Laura under the fan. Amazing, mesmerizing & scary! Why this short bit was cut is baffling. Lynch at his best. This was also the biggest surprise for me, as I knew what to expect from most scenes, knowing the script.



Jacoby's call. Short and not exactly essential, but Jacoby's (as well as Ben Horne's) absence was a big continuity point with the series. Plus Lee is (once again) great here, and Jacoby, a man who should be helping her, in the end is just another creepy predator.



Log Lady in her cabin. Why cut it? It adds nothing to the runtime, but certainly adds to the film!



Of course the Convenience store and Bowie scenes are amazing and people are talking about them. But this is one instance where I love both versions. What's in the film, while cut way down, is a real highlight for me. One of the most beautifully edited sequences in the film. But its great to finally see the longer versions.


Other highlights, that I don't think necessarily fit into the final film:


The Desmond/Cable fight. Great to finally see.



Ed & Norma in the truck. Simply amazing. Without question, one of the best scenes here. Everything here is perfect, the acting, dialogue, music, feeling. Peggy Lipton is amazing in both this and the diner scene. To me, its her best work as Norma. I know Peggy has never been a big fan of the film, and that's probably partly because her scenes ended up being cut. Glad she was at the premiere and finally got to see these. And I'm glad we did as well...


And of course:


The post-series scenes. Holy crap. These were amazing. I think I held my breath the whole time. How amazingly well done. 

The fact that they filmed on the exact same series set for Cooper's room and the bathroom was really important- the scenes match so well. Of course there are still a couple of things that don't exactly gel with the series (although the same set, they swapped out the lights for some reason, Annie is wearing Caroline's Dress, "Some Months Later" really should be "One Month Later"), but who cares?

Probably the highlight of the Missing Pieces for me. But- do they fit into the film? I think Lynch made the right emotional and storytelling choice of going directly to Laura and Cooper in the lodge for an ending. The film needs to end with Laura/Angel/Cooper. And placing the deleted scenes BEFORE the Laura/Cooper ending throws off the pace, and makes it seem like the ending (with Laura) comes a month later (after the series) as well.

On the other hand, obviously those scenes were filmed in part to remind viewers where the story stood, and to end on pretty much the same cliffhanger as the series. Many fans were looking for a continuation, not a prequel. And the funny thing is, back when FWWM came out, I had hoped to see something like this- something that took place post-series. I didn't know until later about these scenes. So I feel that having them in the film may have actually helped fuel more positive feelings from fans and kept the momentum for a continuation. Who knows, if they remained in the film, perhaps another movie may have happened(?)

In the end, the one thing I was thinking may have worked is if they had gone the "Marvel" post-credits sequence route. End the movie as is, roll credits, fade to black, "One Month Later"... Hell, people who missed it because they left during the credits might have even gone back to see it!

Anyway, there are also some scenes that are still "Missing"... But we got most of them, which is something I had almost given up on. I had already gotten my "Holy Grail" of Twin Peaks with the music releases, but these scenes are amazing as well. Never did I think we would end up with almost all of the Twin Peaks music, as well as most all of the deleted FWWM scenes in pristine, beautiful quality. What a good few years its been to be a Twin Peaks fan.

What about the music? I will return to talk about the music of the Missing Pieces soon!