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•	1984 Album

On the whole, though, the score's thematic outbursts and otherwise absent-minded wanderings work very well with Lynch's convoluted film. As for the CD releases of Dune, there is no word to sum up the frustration that consumers feel towards the three existing albums produced (for the most part) by P.E.G. Recordings. The original release of 1984 is frustratingly lacking in material. The 1997 expanded release has badly warped sound in parts, accidental voices, and more missing music. The imports released in between were simply re-pressings of the regular 1984 release. All of them eventually fell out of print. A remastered version of the 1997 release was distributed through non-commercial channels in 2001 after the label had officially ceased to exist. So what should you buy if you want the best and fullest film score experience from Dune? Sadly, more than one of them. This prospect alone has understandably caused much consternation for fans of the film and score. For a long time, only various versions of the original 1984 album were floating around as "imports" in America. People sought the expanded 1997 product for the strictly orchestral and choral performance of the "Main Title," and although it is indeed included on that re-release, nothing else on the 1997 album is worth a hefty price. The Eno theme is absent from the expanded re-releases, which is, in reality, no big loss. Additionally, the dialogue over the "Prologue" cannot be heard on the newer releases, which is something of a shame, because it's easy to grow fond of the introductory speech given by the Emperor's daughter before the opening credits (the music behind this dialogue is largely intact in the "Leto's Theme" cue). The 1997 re-release did finally offer a few other very good tracks of music (especially choral) that did not appear on the 1984 release. The demo version of the title theme at the end is not the same electronically enhanced performance as that on the 1984 release. The film version is not as strong, unfortunately, with weak bass and a shallower orchestral rendering. The cue from the scene of the Duke's death is excellent, as is the tandem of "Riding the Sandworm" and "Reunion With Gurney." Also of importance is the end of "The Betrayal/Shields Down," though more on that particular cue will come later.

The biggest disappointment of the 1997 re-release was the horrible distortion that can be heard in about half of its tracks. This distortion sounds like a wobbling record, causing the pitch to lower or rise in random places. It is extremely annoying and, given digital remastering technologies already available at the time, completely unacceptable. In the second track, for instance, as the Guild Navigator warns the "Emperor of the Known Universe" that spice production on Arrakis must go on, there's a distinct wobble at the 0:20 mark. The most embarrassing wobbles come during several parts of "The Betrayal/Shields Down," with awe-inspiring distortion that nearly ruins the track. The "Prelude (Take My Hand)" cue that appeared without a problem on the 1984 release suffers from a wobble at about the one-minute mark into its presentation on the 1997 product. There are about 10 to 12 other tracks that have noticeable wobbles or defects in quality. It's not pleasurable to have to come down so hard on P.E.G. for these circumstances, for getting the expanded version out at all was a difficult task, but these problems almost ruin the listening experience. Another concern that fans of the film have with the 1997 product is that it exposes Lynch's (or another editor's) rearrangement of the score in the final edit of the film. One of the best uses of music in the film is the scene in which the Harkonnens attack the Atreides with their shields down and take control of Arrakis. The main orchestral theme begins when an Atreides officer screams, "Shields! Shields!" and ends when Gurney (Patrick Stewart) yells "Long Live Duke Leto!" This is among the most impressive uses of music in the film, even if it's inserted somewhat artificially, and the mix of the orchestral version of the title theme heard here is not the same as what is presented over the opening credits. Thus, it remained unreleased. Additionally, the music that can be heard under the title "Shields Down" on the 1997 release does not appear completely in the film. Another peculiarity about the 1997 pressing is "Riding the Sandworm," which not only features horrific distortion at its outset, but also ends with someone's voice distractingly speaking a word or two over the music. Despite some fans' claims that it is a "vomiting sound," it's more likely a spoken stage direction.

The sound quality was not improved on the 1997 release, and the wobbles and voices make it a generally poorer-sounding CD. On the other hand, it had almost twice the amount of music of the original, thus making it, at the time, a slightly better buy. Many still awaited the day, though, when the Dune score that many love and have longed for was released in its entirety and with superior sound. When news of another remastering in 2001 hit the scene, there was finally hope. The exact contents of the 1997 album experienced a limited distribution to soundtrack specialty outlets, and this product was edited so that the wobbles and voices are minimized to near extinction (and the overall sound quality of the whole album is improved). Only at the end of the "Prelude" track (at 0:49) does a new distortion take place, though this is insignificant because that track has appeared without problem on both the other releases. In short, the 2001 album is what the 1997 one should have been, but even this 2001 album has its negatives. First, the 2001 album, of course, does not comfort those who purchased the problematic 1997 product. Because of the constraining agreement between distributor SuperCollector and the now defunct P.E.G. Recordings, no exchanges of the faulty 1997 product could be accepted. In turn, this means that those who want the correct edit of the music have to pay for the album twice, another completely unacceptable prospect. The same agreement dictated that even the errors in packaging could not be corrected, meaning that there is no way to tell from the outside packaging whether you are purchasing the 1997 or 2001 release (not to mention that the URL on the insert is still mistyped). So good luck in your pursuit! Another negative is the fact that the 2001 album failed to appear in stores, where most of the unhappy customers purchased the distorted 1997 product. Therefore, many will never know about the second remastering. Album producer Ford A. Thaxton insisted at the time that "it was either this or nothing," but that still doesn't solve the problem. All together, Dune is a great guilty pleasure that has been poorly presented on CD numerous times. The die-hard enthusiast of this score is best served by taking the 1984 and 2001 albums and producing their own edited compilation, a sad circumstance necessitated by years of frustration.   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

• Score as Written for Film:  *****
• 1984 Album:  **
• 1997 Album:  *
• 2001 Album:  ***
• Overall:  ***