I'm trying to decide whether to buy the original Dark Knight soundtrack
or the upcoming special edition one being released on Dec. 9th.

I've read some talk that CD2 on the special edition is just the same songs from CD1 but in different arrangements. For example, "A Watchful Guardian" is a recombination of Aggressive Expansion and A Dark Knight.

Does CD2 have new music? Can you please comment on what I can expect from CD2? Would I be getting the essential soundtrack with buying the original release? I just want to buy the soundtrack but it sounds like I can only get CD2 if I buy some crap book along with it.

I was entirely unaware of another edition of this until your post, so thanks for bringing this to my attention. According to the description on Amazon, "The Special Edition features the complete score on two CD's plus four bonus remix tracks; it also contains an 8x8x40 page hardbound book." Not sure if that helps, but that's the extent of what I was able to find.

I had posted all information regarding this in the Dark Knight Blu-ray thread in HD Talk.

NO one knows what the second disc's contents will be, so that talk is just that - talk. Nothing concrete in the slightest.

I even included an mp3 sample clip in that thread, which was an edit of the two tracks mentioned because that's how it's heard at the end of the film.

Also as mentioned in that thread is the fact that the track titles DO NOT correspond to what the actual music is, or where it's heard in the film. It's just various lines from the film used as track titles with no connection.

your TDK editing sample sounded great. The end music is what led me to want to purchase the music in the first place and I was sad to not hear it on the original soundtrack release. But the end is a combo of track 14 and track 4 huh-so it's on the original but not in the sequence heard in the movie?

I suppose I should get the Special Edition in hopes of getting this combo track. Any info on if WB will release just a complete soundtrack without the extra crap like a book etc?

I understand that the song names do not correspond to placement in the movie but did the songs on the original soundtrack play in the movie at some point in the sequence presented on the CD? For example, is there some point in the movie where the approx. 16 minute "A Dark Knight" can be heard?

Or are the songs on the soundtrack "stock" from which the movie music was created from?

Well, your example of "Aggressive Expansion" and "A Dark Knight" allows me to put it this way:

"A Dark Knight" is a cue that for the first 2 minutes or so, is precisely what you hear when Batman and Gordon decide to protect Dent's reputation and label him a hero, whereas Batman will be the villain. As Batman runs away and Gordon gives his epilogue about the 'silent guardian, a watchful protector...a Dark Knight', part of "Aggressive Expansion" plays up to the end credits. (17 seconds into that cue, those loud banging drums and the Batman 'theme' blaring from underneath those drums)

The remainder of "Aggressive Expansion" is the music heard when Judge Surrillo is blown up, Commissioner Loeb is poisoned, and ends with Joker storming Bruce Wayne's fundraiser for Dent.

The remainder of "A Dark Knight" is tricky, because while most of it is end credit music, some of it (about 12 or so minutes in when those strings get very high pitched as the tension builds) is music from earlier on when the two groups on the ferry boats can't bring themselves to detonate the bombs, proving Joker wrong. Some of it isn't in the film at all, much like the second half of "Harvey Two-Face"

Usually with albums like this, separate music is edited together into suites, so there's no clear-cut way of hearing it as presented in the film. Many of the tracks are intact in the film (Aggressive Expansion is as I mentioned, except for the loud opening used for the film's ending) with bits and pieces heard elsewhere.

it sure is pretty obscenely priced thats for sure.

I can't really grasp what the unreleased music would be, because aside from the album's contents which for the most part are in the film, there wasn't much else other than 'Batman' music that sounded lifted from the first film just edited to fit this one. The one example that comes to mind is when the real Batman shows up to kick those imposter's asses. Then he got bit by the dog. The BIG dog. Ouch.

it sucks.

yeah it does

Funny thing is, I HATE Hans Zimmer's music. Hate it. Hate his ego, his overall attitude (badmouthing Danny Elfman's Batman theme and calling it 'jolly' among other stupid remarks) his dependency on other people to do the work for him...I could go on, but I'll say that this particular score worked well in the film and makes for a decent listen if you want to remind yourself of the film. Therefore if you can't get The Dark Knight out of your mind (and I can't or won't because I love the film so much) this keeps it fresh.

Nick, thanks so much for the info.

There is a specific part at the conclusion of The Dark Knight that I really liked and walked out of theater with it echoing in my head. I have not recognized it on the original soundtrack but it is in your DK ending sample. Did I miss it in the soundtrack? It's not in Aggressive Expansion and I didn't hear it in A Dark Knight either. The part I'm referring to begins at approx. 1:02 in your DK Ending Sample.

That is a looped part of the ending to "I'm Not a Hero", which is heard the same in the film as I edited it in the clip.

The full track 'I'm Not a Hero' plays in two parts: First couple of minutes is immediately after the Joker's bank robbery, followed by music written for Wayne's trip on the yacht (where he swims to the cargo plane), all the way through the entire Hong Kong sequence where Batman captures Lau - that end piece is from when the cargo plane picks them up and flies away.

so maybe the new material is rearranged stuff? that is all the "same" music already on CD1 but looped together.

how did you make that ending track? I hear the part in I'm not a Hero but it still isn't exactly the same as in your track.

What I did was simply loop the opening of it, because that's how it is in the film as the credits begin.

Every different section of the end credits is on the album. Like "Batman Begins", there was no specific end credit music, just pieces edited together.


Probably, but then it could be music not used in the film at all.

Nick are you going to buy the Special Edition 2 CD? I noticed if you preorder it's only $39.95 at the score website.

http://warnerbrosrecordsstore.com/st...s=WBR&msgCode=

Tax is $3.40 and standard shipping is $4.00, so it's cheaper from Amazon.

No, because I'd rather spend the money on both the DVD and Blu-ray versions of the film. I want to get steelbooks of both. I love the film far more than the score.

If anyone knows of or learns of a website that allows you to listen to the 2CD special edition version of the DK soundtrack, please post it here. If possible, I'd like to listen to disc 2 before purchasing the 2cd special edition. Thanks.

Regular release had the track I was hoping for: "Agent of Chaos". Nothing else beats that one in my opinion. If the extended release or whatever it's called wasn't 3x the price of the first I'd consider upgrading.