Raggedy Ann & Andy The Musical Adventure (Columbia 1977)

[ndiamone]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtOQ-U-y7HA
Didi Conn as Raggedy Ann and Mark Linn-Baker (Perfect Strangers) as Raggedy Andy. Never been on CD or DVD yet and the only place you can get the original stereo recording to the film sessions (different than the LP sessions) is if you have a 35MM CinemaScope stereo print. All the home videos (VHS Betamax, CED) are all mono and pan-and-scan.

QS encoded same as the movie. - This transfer is taken from the white-label promo version where the NORMAL red-label versions play about less than half the surrounds as the promo version. I have both and checked to be sure - and my white-label decodes just as well as this download - and my red-label is like truly anemic in the surrounds dept.

Runner up for 1977 Best Soundtrack and Best Song (Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers - lost to Star Wars and Cantina Band
Completely different takes though, this soundtrack LP version does NOT lock to picture AT ALL because it's a studio cast recording.

Some selections more active than others.
Mostly the big production numbers have the most surrounds.

Overture starts off with bassoon and flutes as mostly surrounds, french horn comes in the left rear then the piano comes in front center with the rest of the orchestra surrounding it.

No Girl's Toy starts off kind of closed in but opens up as it get's a little bombastic/Tin Pan Alley esque.

Not much til Rag Dolly
Very little in Babette's number, but opens up wide for the Captain's number (Miracle)

Not much til Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers starts off normal and then widens out as it gets bombastic.

Side 2 starts off with Camel's Lament (Blue) and Camel's Mirage (Goin' Home) and is VERY active.

Not much else til Babette's second number after she overthrows the Captain and tries to sail to Paris and then flattens out til the closing number (Home and Home (Reprise)

 

[boojidad]

Interesting that the soundtrack album is on Columbia. Quad not indicated anywhere, and it probably is just stereo, but if it was/is quad, Columbia was all SQ, not QS. Curiouser and curiouser.

 

[ndiamone]

Quad not indicated anywhere.

Did you look at the dead wax of the promo copy? Mine has a (Q) suffix on it where the stock copies do not and the grooves are considerably deeper and appear to have considerably more vertical modulation than the stock copies. Same with Watership Down a year later.

Interesting that the >>soundtrack<< album is on Columbia. But if it was/is quad, Columbia was all SQ, not QS.

My guess is because since it was the second picture to be mixed for Dolby Stereo (QS) the first being A Star is Born and the third being Star Wars - both of which along with the original Star Trek the Motion Picture and Close Encounters also retain their QS encoding along with The Wiz on the soundtrack LP's (Star Wars and Close Encounters being counted as Columbia from being mastered at 30th Street and pressed in Columbia plants).

As in other musical soundtrack albums of the period such as Grease, Saturday Night Fever and The Wiz, even though in places they laid new vocal tracks for the record which do not sync to picture, all the score does. So - for the rest they just used the original premixed Dolby Stereo DM&E or M&E tracks.