MovieChat Forums > China Beach (1988) Discussion > FOR PEOPLE WITH TIME-LIFE DVD SET

FOR PEOPLE WITH TIME-LIFE DVD SET

posted 11 years ago by sarah-103
9 replies | jump to latest

I am super excited about this amazing show finally getting a legitimate DVD release. Does anyone know how they are handling replacement music? If it's generic sounding instrumental music, I would think twice about buying the set, especially for $200, but if they got a sound-alike group to rerecord a classic song (it's still the same song and arrangement, just not the original artist singing it,) then I would seriously think about buying the DVD set.

"Forget reality, give me a picture"-Remington Steele

[–] PillowRock 11 years ago

but if they got a sound-alike group to rerecord a classic song (it's still the same song and arrangement, just not the original artist singing it,)

I can't answer your question about this DVD set. And I don't anything specific about the rights to the songs used over the course of this series.

However, I want to mention something about how music rights generally work.

You seem to be assuming that the problem with music rights in general is not with the right to use the song, but with the right to use the specific performance. In fact, the primary music rights payment issue is generally with the song writer's royalties. There was a period of time when syndicated re-runs of WKRP had to replace the sound of the doorbell in Jennifer's apartment because the time of their original rights purchase to use a couple measures of "Fly Me to the Moon" had run out (from what I've read online, it seems that they reacquired those rights more recently); obviously that wasn't about the particular performance / recording.

Approaching from the other side:
I once saw an interview with Michelle Phillips (from The Mamas And The Papas) in which she talked a little about her long term income from the group. It seems that one day John had her write down what he was working out for a new song, which turned out to be "California Dreamin'". For doing that work, Michelle got co-writer credit on that song. She said that, in the long run, she made *much* more money from the co-writer royalties on that one song than she ever did for singing / recording *all* of the groups songs combined.

[–] sarah-103 11 years ago

I do have some understanding of how it works. I have also seen different outcomes of what happens with shows that make extensive use of oldies music are re-released in other forms (streaming and DVD). "Wonder Years" on Netflix has sound-alike versions of some songs. It's not the original artist singing it, but it sounds similiar and it is the same song. The DVDS of "Quantum Leap" and "Happy Days" replaced many classic oldies with generic sounding instrumental songs. Since I watched both those shows on television, I could tell when actual songs had been replaced.

"Forget reality, give me a picture"-Remington Steele

[–] prbronx5 11 years ago

Wasn't there something in the website saying that the original songs were left intact? The set is to pricey for me to justify buying, but I'm sure I saw something about the original songs being left in.

[–] h_l_flinchum 11 years ago

I read in a recent interview with Dana Delany, there were only two songs they couldn't get permission to use. An old "Christmas standard" and Jimi Hendrix' s version of All Along the Watchtower. The Christmas song they just replaced and for the other they went to Bob Dylan, the song writer, and got permission to use his version.
Hope this helps. Going to be ordering my set soon!

[–] achn2b 11 years ago

I just got my set, and am almost halfway through season 2. I have all the episodes recorded on tape, but many are from when it was syndicated on Lifetime, so a lot of scenes may be cut or trimmed. I don't have the time to do so now, but one day perhaps I may go through my tapes and compare the music with the DVD set, but for now, here's what I have seen:

The Hendrix version of All Along the Watchtower is on the set, that surprised me. I also had read that in the first episode, when the VC nurse tosses a hand grenade at Boonie and Sweetness' table, the music track was Hendrix's Are You Experienced(checked my tape, and yes, it was), but that's been replaced with some other song, not sure what, maybe it's generic, but it sounded sorta Eric Burdon/Animals, or Mitch Ryder-ish to me.

I'd love to have all of the music intact, but China Beach has been on my list of must-haves since DVD's first came out. If they had changed a ton of the music, and done it badly, as in generic 60's sounding crap, I wouldn't have bought it, even though I lust for this series. But it seems they went to great lengths to make it as good as they possibly could, and so far, I have no complaints. I've seen some film defects, and lots of grain in places, but for the most part, it looks as good as when it was first broadcast, and better than my videotapes, so I'm happy.

[–] sarah-103 11 years ago

I found an article that answered my question, and thought it might be of interest to other people

http://www.ohio.com/blogs/heldenfiles/the-heldenfiles-online-1.258385/ more-about-china-beach-dvd-1.371034

"Forget reality, give me a picture"-Remington Steele

[–] achn2b 11 years ago

Just watched the season 2 episode Where The Boys Are. At first, when Ray is taking Frankie for a ride in his chopper, I felt certain that Magic Carpet Ride was a soundalike, it didn't quite sound right. But after checking my videotape copy, it's the same music track. I think they just sped it up a little, so John Kay's voice doesn't sound quite as deep and gruff; the song tempo feels a bit rushed, maybe to better fit with the racing and diving chopper action.

Also, I swear I saw a young, uncredited, skinny, George Eads as one of the soldiers who comes to move Ray out of the medical ward near the end.

[–] achn2b 11 years ago

So this was odd. In the first season episode Home, they replaced Are You Experienced with some other music. But in the second season episode Promised Land, it's there.

[–] headhunter46 8 years ago

I found season one in a bin at the check out lane of Menards!
Just season one, there may be others but I was in a hurry. It cost $9.99 and it was produced by Star Vista. It had all the original music at least for season one as I remembered it.