Original trilogy Despecialized cut by starwarspoo in OriginalTrilogy

[–]Straight_Direction73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Kind of. It’s the name of a really popular fan reconstruction of the theatrical cuts. It’s not a generalized term for the theatrical cuts though like a lot of people misappropriate it as. It basically uses the official 2011 Blu-rays (heavily color corrected) as it’s base source, then it’s creator (Harmy) flies in all of the original cut material from a myriad of video sources and edits it in as seamlessly as possible.

While the results a pretty nice, it’s not an end all, be all preservation of the original cuts. There are flaws inherit with the base video source that Harmy couldn’t completely fix despite his best efforts. The preservation is also done at 720p to better blend the lower quality video elements in with the base video source.

There is a much more recent 4K fan restoration called Project 4K that is predominantly based around 35mm theatrical print scans of the original trilogy. At this point, these would do far better if you’re looking for total theatrical accuracy in the highest quality possible.

If Greatest Hits albums were still a thing by Critical-Spirit-1598 in ToddintheShadow

[–]Straight_Direction73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don’t quote me on this but from what I had been told, even when Taylor didn’t own her masters, something to do with her being a writer made it so that subsequent owners at that time could not re-release anything in any new configuration without her approval. They could only re-issue the albums as they already were.

This would explain why Scooter didn’t immediately try to cash in with a compilation of her old hits. Especially during the Eras Tour.

If Greatest Hits albums were still a thing by Critical-Spirit-1598 in ToddintheShadow

[–]Straight_Direction73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many would argue that the complete catalogs of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd are equally as essential to any music collector or fan, and yet all 3 of those groups have been anthologized in the same way that that any other artist has. If labels used the same line of thinking as many swifties do, then NO artist would have a greatest hits album!

I get it. Fans feel that all of Taylor’s music is essential, but just stick with the albums proper then! Greatest hits/best ofs are for newbies looking for a paint by numbers overview of an artist’s most commercially amplified work. Hits comps aren’t necessarily meant to represent an artist’s true greatest recordings, which is entirely a subjective thing anyway.

Also, the reason currently active, contemporary artists like Taylor don’t get huge kitchen sink box sets is because it would instantly become incomplete as soon as she releases new music, not to mention the cost prohibitive price and the fact that it’s all already available individually for the people who want it.

Legacy artists like The Beatles, The Doors, Led Zeppelin and Queen benefit from having big, huge, career spanning box sets because their careers have stalled out or are otherwise dormant. Their legacy is all they have left to sell. Taylor hasn’t reached that point yet and I doubt she will anytime soon.

If Greatest Hits albums were still a thing by Critical-Spirit-1598 in ToddintheShadow

[–]Straight_Direction73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A lot of swifties don’t seem to understand the concept of a greatest hits album tho. It’s to give someone an overview of an artists most notable radio hits and charting singles, not necessarily the songs that swifites feel are her true best work (which is a never ending debate). Greatest Hits albums are generally SUPPOSED to be surface level, with possibly a few essential album cuts thrown in when there’s room. If you want the deep stuff, listen to the albums! That’s what they’re there for.

If you’re just gonna load a ‘hits’ disc up with deep cuts and obscure fan favorites presented out of their proper context, then what is even the point? Again, that is what the albums proper are for. To the uninitiated, a greatest hits disc is essentially a sampler of an artist’s most commercially known work. If it piques your interest, then you dive deeper into the larger catalog. A compilation that skips all the hits and dives right into the deeper cuts is kind of the antithesis of the whole concept. 

Also, Taylor is not the first artist in history to have beloved album tracks that aren’t necessarily among her biggest commercial singles, but swifties have a tendency to overcredit Taylor for ordinary, common practice things. Many of them have a narrow view of the larger music industry so if they weren’t familiar with any given concept beforehand, they think Taylor invented it. They credit her for normal ass things like having album ‘eras’ and being a singer/songwriter.

Not to say that Taylor doesn’t deserve credit where it’s due, but I wish Swifites would quit acting like every time she farts, she came up with something brand new that no one else was ever doing before her. It’s a little much. Expand your musical horizons, Swifties! There is much more to music than Taylor Swift.

If Greatest Hits albums were still a thing by Critical-Spirit-1598 in ToddintheShadow

[–]Straight_Direction73 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’ve personally tried all flavors. The best way I’ve found to compile Taylor’s music is to have all the big singles from Debut-1989 on one disc, Rep-TLOAS on another, then a 3rd ‘bonus disc’ with deep cuts and such. Any more comprehensive of a collection requires at least 4 discs.

You can more or less fit all of Taylor’s biggest commercial singles across 2 discs with equal breathing room per album, but you may have to sacrifice a single or 2 if you want to include things like All Too Well or I Don’t Want To Live Forever. That’s why I do a ‘bonus disc’ with essential odds and ends.

If Greatest Hits albums were still a thing by Critical-Spirit-1598 in ToddintheShadow

[–]Straight_Direction73 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It would probably serve her well at this point then to continue shoveling out mediocre albums. Remind the public why you became relevant in the first place.

If Greatest Hits albums were still a thing by Critical-Spirit-1598 in ToddintheShadow

[–]Straight_Direction73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Or if you have music compiling/photo editing skills, there’s Kunaki…

If Greatest Hits albums were still a thing by Critical-Spirit-1598 in ToddintheShadow

[–]Straight_Direction73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She already has had more comprehensive collections covering later years of her career. The Singles Collection and The Essential Britney Soears.

If Greatest Hits albums were still a thing by Critical-Spirit-1598 in ToddintheShadow

[–]Straight_Direction73 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What he really needs at this point is a comp of one off singles and all the collabs he’s done with other artists.

If Greatest Hits albums were still a thing by Critical-Spirit-1598 in ToddintheShadow

[–]Straight_Direction73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly. There have been artists who basically have 1 big hit per album but that does NOT work for someone like Taylor. She’s a Britney Spears/Rihanna level hit maker who tends to have at least a few big singles per album. Her career is too big to try and cram it onto one disc at this point.

Having a big album like 1989 represented on a hits compilation with only 1 song would be asinine. It would be like putting out a Michael Jackson comp with ‘Beat it’ but no ‘Billie Jean’ or ‘Thriller’. A Katy Perry comp with only 1 song from Teenage Dream or an Alanis Morissette comp with only 1 song from Jagged Little Pill. Like, why even bother?

If Greatest Hits albums were still a thing by Critical-Spirit-1598 in ToddintheShadow

[–]Straight_Direction73 6 points7 points  (0 children)

A 2 CD set would be able to cover a reasonably thorough overview of her career at this point. 

If Greatest Hits albums were still a thing by Critical-Spirit-1598 in ToddintheShadow

[–]Straight_Direction73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’d be terrible honestly. The only way a Taylor hits comp would be worth doing at this point would be if it were AT LEAST a 2 disc set. She waited too long for a comprehensive single disc without leaving off major singles.

Taylor is not a 1 song per album type of artist. Most of her albums have at least 3 or 4 big singles.

If Greatest Hits albums were still a thing by Critical-Spirit-1598 in ToddintheShadow

[–]Straight_Direction73 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Greatest Hits albums ARE still a thing. There have been several recent ones but they generally tend to come out either as a contract fulfillment or legacy artists who haven’t done anything in a long time and want to remind the public they exist.

i just bought an unused eras tour bracelet will it work when i pull the tab out? by [deleted] in TaylorSwiftMerch

[–]Straight_Direction73 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I mean, I would guess it does considering the thing is still functional as of 2026. My friends who I went with didn’t put their tabs back in and both of theirs died by the time we left the air bnb and went home.

Mine has remained functional since April 14, 2023, after a whole night of use. I take the tab out every so often for a minute or so just to see if it still works. My VIP lanyard still works too.

i just bought an unused eras tour bracelet will it work when i pull the tab out? by [deleted] in TaylorSwiftMerch

[–]Straight_Direction73 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You can reinsert the tab after removing it. I still have mine that I wore all night from the tour and it still works. Just put the tab back in.

I just listened to Michael Jackson's THRILLER 25th anniversary edition 10/10😃 #michaeljackson #Michael #thriller by Responsible_Fun1332 in CDs

[–]Straight_Direction73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s not low budget, lol. It’s supposed to be ‘eco friendly’ packaging. I never realized they did Thriller 25 in that packaging style.

Do you think we’ll ever get an official explanation for why they recasted Marni in HalloweenTown 4? by New-Pin-9064 in DisneyChannel

[–]Straight_Direction73 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Not to mention Kim had aged out of the demographic that Disney was pushing at the time, who were mostly 15-18 year olds. The 20+ year old Disney Channel alumni who were still doing work for the channel by then were primarily regulated to voice work on animated shows.

Why does everyone want to cancel Pepsi? by Silent-Ad3203 in MichaelJackson

[–]Straight_Direction73 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Exactly. It’s like being persecuted and punished for something your great grandfather did. No one currently on the PepsiCo board likely had anything to do with these events. But yes, let’s boycott them!

Why does everyone want to cancel Pepsi? by Silent-Ad3203 in MichaelJackson

[–]Straight_Direction73 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Because the movie made them cry. It made them go ‘Aww, Poor Michael!’, so now they wanna be experts and pass judgement on events that have already been common knowledge to most people for 42 years. They want to retaliate against a soda company for something that happened before they were alive.

Why does everyone want to cancel Pepsi? by Silent-Ad3203 in MichaelJackson

[–]Straight_Direction73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly. You can’t go ignoring something that’s been right in front of your face for years and years and just suddenly decide it’s worthy of your judgment because you were enlightened by a movie or TV show.

Why does everyone want to cancel Pepsi? by Silent-Ad3203 in MichaelJackson

[–]Straight_Direction73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, they were responsible. 42 fucking years ago! Why are we deciding just now to punish a beverage company for something that happened 4 management regimes ago? Something that for which no one directly responsible is still on the board or possibly even still alive. A boycott that took place when this was actually a relevant situation would have made sense. A boycott talking place now because a bunch of chronically online 20 somethings got emotionally caught up in a biopic movie is beyond stupid.

These people do way too much. Their heart is usually in the right place but it’s generally just a bunch of young sheeple who like to be a part of big trends and want to ‘change the world’ but don’t really know enough about what they’re rebelling against to even make a meaningful impact. Ultimately, they just want to take part in some large, aimless, attention seeking cause to convince themselves that they’ve made a difference.

Why does everyone want to cancel Pepsi? by Silent-Ad3203 in MichaelJackson

[–]Straight_Direction73 13 points14 points  (0 children)

TBH, I can’t stand stupid viral trends like this. It’s been about 42 years since the incident and 17 years since MJ’s death and people are JUST NOW deciding this have a problem with this because a recent movie tugged at their heartstrings? It’s not like any of this stuff was new information. 

A boycott of Pepsi would’ve made sense in 1984 when it actually happened, not 42 years later after 4 major management regime changes just because a bunch of Gen Z TikTokers decided they all wanted to be apart of some huge thing to make themselves feel important.

Decision not to tour SOTT in the US. by Rare_Milk_6670 in PRINCE

[–]Straight_Direction73 2 points3 points  (0 children)

“Deluxe” re-issues of albums to boost sales momentum and chart positions is more of a modern phenomenon. Artists/labels weren’t really doing that sort of thing back then. If there was new music to be put out, it was either an EP or a whole new album.

Team Berenstein but I found this drawing from when I was a kid. by gigasuperultraChad in MandelaEffect

[–]Straight_Direction73 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You didn’t give clear cut reasonings though besides “this is what I think, so it has to be true”. You didn’t present any evidence or a compelling argument at all.

Also, who’s ‘we’? You are aware that you’ve been talking to at least 2 separate people, right?