Vinyl Vault Entry #4: Storybook & Prog Rock Adventures with The Hobbit Complete Original Soundtrack (1977)

There's something special about listening to a storybook on vinyl, and The Hobbit (1977) soundtrack is no exception. The record features the entire audio from the film, including the killer folk-infused prog rock musical score. For the 4th vinyl vault entry, T&E founder and wizard Parisa Eshrati discusses her nostalgic love for this soundtrack, the incredible inserts included in this pressing, as well as her appreciation for working at a local record store. 

Album: The Hobbit: The Complete Original Soundtrack (1977)
Composer: Maury Laws
Label: Buena Vista Records
Genres: Soundtrack, Folk, Fantasy, Prog Rock
Favorite song: “Old Fat Spider” ​

 
Why did you choose this record? 
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This is the most prized record in my collection because it’s equal parts sentimental and collectable. It’s not to say that I’m concerned about how much it’s worth, but all the inserts in this record (which I’ll elaborate on in the questions below) are just as whimsical as the characters and the songs themselves! Every time I open this record, I feel like I’m opening a special treasure set or something. Is that really cheesy to say? Well, whatever, I just enjoy getting wrapped up in the nostalgia of one of my favorite movies from when I was a kid. Plus, it’s really rad to have a tangible artifact that represents one of my favorite movies and film soundtracks. 
 
Where did you get the record? What’s the story behind the purchase? 

I had the most stereotypical record store experience with this purchase, which is also what makes me love this album even more. There was this record store in Tucson called PDQ Records. It had been around for about forty years, closed in 2010, and then re-opened back up in 2014. There was all this hype when they re-opened, and I thought I’d check it out on opening weekend since I had never been and wanted to experience this part of Tucson record store history. 
 
I’m not trying to talk shit, but man. You know when you walk into a record store and the people behind the desk look bothered that you’re even there? Like you’re just trying to support their business but you feel like a nuisance for browsing? Anyway, I found this record in the Soundtracks section and let out an audible “WOW!”. The guy behind the desk looks at me glaringly and I go, “Oh...sorry. I just thought it was cool that you guys had this.” He doesn’t say anything and looks away. It was so tense.
 
Now every time I think about the story behind this record, I think of my first visit to PDQ. Again, not trying to talk shit, but that’s just the most quintessential snobby record store exchange. That type of interaction is a rite of passage when you’re a record collector. I literally had to apologize for being excited…classic.
 
What does it sound like? 

It’s funny, actually, because I bought this record assuming it was a compilation of songs in the film. The cover says “THE COMPLETE OFFICIAL SOUNDTRACK: including dialogue, music and songs”, so I assumed that meant it includes all the songs with little bonus snippets of dialogue from the film. To my surprise, I put the record on when I got home to find that it’s actually the entire audio of the film from start to finish. So yes, the songs are on there, but just the same way it’s embedded in the movie. 
 
The easy answer to the question then is that it sounds like The Hobbit (1977) full feature film, haha. However, I’d still like to mention how killer the songs are - both the originals and the adaptations of Tolkein’s poems in the The Hobbit book. This soundtrack is Middle Earth meets 70s prog and folk, and it rules so fucking hard. The song adaptations were primarily done by one of the two producers, Jules Bass (of Rankin/Bass Productions). I don’t think he could’ve done a better job with the vocal casting. The goblin songs, for example, have just the right menacing tone but they’re not like...oogey-boogey scary sounding monsters suited for a kids movie. I always appreciate when a movie or soundtrack is suitable for children, but it’s not pandering in that way.
 
The adaptations are not word-for-word from the poems in the book, but still utilize many of the same lines. Maybe a purist Tolkein nerd might disagree with me, but I actually really love the creative liberties they took to bring these poems to life. The songs still carry the same themes and are backed by KILLER compositions that further emphasize the suspense of the various adventures. Let’s take “Down, Down to Goblin Town” for example, which is based off of the “Clap! Snap! The Black Crack!” poem. The poem relays how the goblins kept time by flapping their flat feet upon the stone floors. The song’s composition mimics these details by featuring a galloping drum beat that mirrors the clapping of the goblin’s feet, as well as the sinister descent down into the Goblin Town as the dwarves are being kidnapped. Also unrelated, but the bass line is so fat.
 
My favorite adaptation and overall song on this soundtrack is “Old Fat Spider”, which is based on “Old fat spider spinning in a tree!” poem sung by Bilbo to distract the spiders and save Thorin. I’ve already said this about the last song, but damn does this have a F A T T Y bassline. It’s such a shame that this scene got cut in the movie. I actually bought this record specifically because I thought “Old Fat Spider” would be on there, since it appears on the official soundtrack tracklist, but unfortunately it doesn’t appear on this version. (I also frequently sing this song to my pet tarantula. She loves it.)
 
The soundtrack contains one original song, “The Greatest Adventure”, which was composed by Maury Laws (the in-house composer for Rankin/Bass Productions) and sung by folk singer Glenn Yarbrough. It’s safe to say that this song is the heart of the entire movie. Glenn Yarbrough’s voice in this theme song reminds me so much of Bilbo -- sweet, innocent, whimsical, yet so brave. 
 
Also: If you look up the official soundtrack online, it features many of the adaptation songs of the film sung by Glenn Yarbrough instead of the actors. There are many versions of the soundtrack and it starts to get a bit convoluted if you look into it too much…

Tell us about the album art featured on this record.

The cover is an illustration featuring characters and scenes from the movie by film artist Lester Abrams. Fun fact: The film was animated by a Japanese studio called TopCraft, which turned into Studio Ghibli in 1985. I’ve heard people say that Gollum could look like a Ghibli character and honestly, it’s not that far off! ​

Are there any interesting features on this album?
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Glenn Yarbrough does vocals for the theme song (and on the adaptation songs, but not on the version that I own). It wasn’t until about five years ago when I rewatched this movie for the first time as an adult that I decided to look into his music. I’m so grateful that this soundtrack introduced me (and I imagine so many other people) to his work, because he’s become one of my favorite folk singers. His voice is just so distinctive. My favorite songs of his include “Tailor and the Mouse” and “It’s Raining”. And you better believe every time it starts to rain I put on the latter song and cry my goddamn eyes out! It’s so tender and sweet my heart just can't handle it. 
 
What does this album pair well with?

A nice warm tea in the Shire, adventures in Middle-earth, chipping glasses and cracking plates, etc.
 
RIYL: Glenn Yarbrough, The Limelighters, Vashti Bunyan, 70s folk music, 70s prog music, fantasy-themed music, film soundtracks, audiobooks. Also, if you like fantasy music, check out T&E’s collab blog where we talked about our favorite fantasy/mythology bands.  
 
What is the packaging like for this release? Are there any inserts or gatefold images?

As I mentioned before, the inserts are really what make this record one of my favorites in my collection. It contains a full-colored story book with illustrations, a poster, and iron-on patches! The patches are definitely unusable at this point (and it even states on the instructions that it would only stick on to polyester clothes...so 70s lol), but the artwork is just phenomenal. I’ve always wanted to hang up the poster, but there’s something about opening up the box and seeing all the inserts together in a set.
 

Tell us more about your record collection in general.
 
I should just come out and say that I’m actually the world’s biggest poser when it comes to record collecting. It’s unfortunate but true! I work at a record store here in Tucson, AZ, and people often remark, “I can only imagine how crazy your record collection is!” Truth is, I only have two bins worth of records. I’ve sold a large chunk of my collection, so now it has come down to the records that have a special story behind them. That includes records I’ve purchased while traveling, records that have been passed down from my father, albums with special memories attached to them, etc. My collection may not be large, but each record means a lot to me. 
 
What does record collecting mean to you? 
 
That’s changed a lot for me throughout the years. I used to be a pretty avid collector in college and would take trips to Tucson staples like Toxic Ranch Records every week. After Toxic Ranch closed, there was quite a lull in the vinyl community out here. It was mostly local bookstore chains that happened to have a row or two of used records (i.e. Zia, Bookmans), which are still really rad, but it just didn’t hold my attention like a specialty record store would. Plus, it’s tough being broke and being a collector of anything! 
 
Five years ago, however, I was lucky enough to get a job at  Wooden Tooth Records right before they opened. This job has made me fall in love with vinyl, and the vinyl community, all over again. I can’t say how much it means to be on the other side of the counter and provide a friendly, judgement-free environment for people to purchase records (especially for womxn who usually can’t enter a record store without getting music mansplained to them). It’s a real dream to be able to talk to strangers about music and listen to records all day.
 
And I just wanna give a big 'ol shout out to Wooden Tooth Records before I end my rambling. Maybe I’m biased, but I think the curation at that shop is some of the best I’ve ever seen. The owners, Jake and Kellen, do a phenomenal job with the stock and furthermore, have made the store into an asset for the Tucson/southern AZ music community. It’s amazing when a record store can be more than just a consumer shop, but also a place for music lovers to gather, see live music, and find refuge in an ever-gentrifying city. (I should mention that I also enjoy record collecting because it brought me closer to WTR co-owner Kellen and now he’s the love of my life...so that’s pretty rad ;) )