X Files - Truth And The Light

[exit75]

Having watched Millennium again after a long time, I fell in love again with the craft of Mark Snow - It's the start of a 1013 rewatch - currently on Harsh Realm. I then got the idea to try and create an expanded version of The Truth And The Light without dialogue, but soon found it's such a patchwork piece it's not really faithfully possible. There are also cues that are still unreleased in original form.

However I want to document my cross referencing of the tracks on The Truth And The Light with tracks available on the LaLaLand X Files score volumes.

1    Introitus: Praeceps Transito Spatium
Music from XF EP: 2X19 Død Kalm
[Specially made for TATL by Jeff Charbonneau - contains elements from Død Kalm otherwise unreleased]

2    Materia Primoris: The X-Files Theme (Main Title)
Vol1 Disc 4: 24 The X Files Main Title (Remix)

3    Raptus
Music from XF EP: 1X79 Pilot
Vol4 Disc1: 01 Night Forest
Vol1 Disc1: 03 The Close Encounter

4    Adflatus
Music from XF EP: 2X08 One Breath
Vol1 Disc1: 21 Uniforms
[Version on TATL has the addition of a Cello playing over the piece. Either from a different unreleased cue or new version for TATL]
Vol1 Disc1: 24 Reanimation

5    Deverbero
Music from XF EP: 2X22 F. Emasculata
[Cue otherwise unreleased]*

6    Cantus Excio
Music from XF EP: 2X21 The Calusari
[Cue otherwise unreleased]*

7    Mercutura
Music from XF EP: 1X13 Genderbender
[Cue otherwise unreleased]*

8    Lamenta
Music from XF EP: 1X22 Roland
Vol1 Disc1: 10 Sweeper
Piano intro is longer on TATL

9    Insequi
Music from XF EP: 3X08 Oubliette
Vol4 Disc3: 01 West Of Easton
[2nd part with chaotic piano otherwise unreleased]*

10    Otium
Music from XF EP: 1X03 Conduit
Vol3 Disc1: 13 Another X-File

11    Dubitatio
Music from XF EP: 2x22 F. Emasculata , 1x07 Ghost in the Machine
[Cue otherwise unreleased]*

12    Iter
Music from XF EP: 3X09 Nisei
Vol1 Disc2: 03 Rail Song

13    Progigno De Axis
Music from XF EP: 3X09 Nisei
Vol1 Disc2: 03 Rail Song
[Piano part at beginning otherwise unreleased]

14    Carmen Amatorium Ex Arcanum
Music from XF EP: 2X07 3
Vol3 Disc1: 30 Bloody Jacuzzi

15    Facetus Malum
Music from XF EP: 2X20 Humbug
[Cue otherwise unreleased]

16    Memoria
Music from XF EP: 1X18 Shapes
[Cue otherwise unreleased]*

17    Mitis Lumen
Music from XF EP: 2X23 Soft Light
Vol2 Disc2: 02 Eaten by Light

18    Fides Fragilis
Music from XF EP: 1X23 The Erlenmeyer Flask
[Cue otherwise unreleased]

19    Exoptare Ex Veritas
Music from XF EP: 3X08 Oubliette
Vol4 Disc3: 02 Only Way to Escape

20    Kyrie
Music from XF EP: 3X14 Grotesque
Vol2 Disc2: 13 Disarmed
[First part specially made for TATL by Jeff Charbonneau]

*...though Shortened version without dialogue is available as part of the Mark Snow - Snow Files 'Suite From The X-Files' (also on the XF 20th Anniversary release)

Do let me know if I've made any mistakes or omissions.
I really do like The Truth and the Light, for a long time it was the only official X-Files score release available, I may even get the recent glow in the dark Vinyl, but I sure would like all cues in original form without dialogue.

It seems to have gone quiet for X Files score releases for now. Hope it's not the end of the line.

Edited April 5, 2024 by exit75

[Gotham Gal]

Let's hope it's not the end. Mark Snow is tops. I totally agree without dialog is much preferred!

[SadEyes]

Well, unfortunately there are certain factors that lead to the conclusion that there won't be more X-Files music releases in the near future. When this project was launched by La-La Land Records, they stated that they pre-selected music that would fill up to 18 CDs. They released four sets with four CDs each, which makes a total of 16 CDs. So there seems to be not much left they wanted to release in the first place.

Secondly, the sales dropped from set to set. Which is the reason they limited the fourth set to only 2.000 copies, not 3.000 copies like the ones before. And even that didn't help that much either it seems. According to MV Gerhard from LLL, the sales for the fourth set kinda dropped off around 1.000 copies.

And lastly, LLL fulfilled their contract with 20th Century Fox. The sets that were released were part of the deal LLL made with Fox. That's why they could still release the fourth set after Fox was sold to Disney. To release more music from The X-Files LLL would have to make a new deal with Disney. But that seems to be out of the question because on one hand Disney doesn't really licence its property to third parties anymore (if it's not a million dollar deal) and on the other hand, if they did, it would be too expensive for a small boutique label like LLL to pay the licensing fees.

MV also had other plans of releasing more X-Files music. He once talked about releasing sets containing two CDs each that focused on certain episodes. And he also wanted to release the score from the second movie remastered and expanded, like they did with the score for the first movie. But all this came to a hold it seems. MV stated that they released everything they wanted from The X-Files and that this was it.

Disney doesn't even bother to release the music on streaming platforms. That is also something people kept asking LLL, why their sets aren't available for streaming. The reason is that LLL only gained the licence to release the music in physical form. The digital rights are a completely different animal and need to be negotiated on its own. On top of that the studios normally keep the digital rights to themselves. Which means that only the studio can put the music on streaming platforms, not LLL.

The first and second set are officially sold out on LLL's website. The third set is temporarily out of stock. The first set already did sell out once, but LLL brought it back. This was possible because normally the label negotiates an option to release more copies if the first run sells out. If I'm not mistaken 5.000 copies is the upper limit for a smaller amount of licensing fees. If you want to release more than 5.000 copies you have to pay a higher fee. That's why the label negotiates for 5.000 copies in the first place. They released the first set limited to 3.000 copies. Those 3.000 copies were sold and so they re-released it, now limited to 2.000 copies, matching the 5.000 copies limit. They did the same with the first MillenniuM set. The first release was limited to 3.000 copies, the second one to 2.000. 

So at one point they could re-release the second X-Files set also. This of course depends on the market. It took a decade after the release of the second set in 2013, before it sold out. So there doesn't seem to be a real demand for it anymore. The third set is not yet declared sold out, just temporarily out of stock. Logically the label doesn't produce all 3.000 copies at once. Because if they don't sell, you've got thousands of CDs laying around. So they produce a first run, depending on the title, let's say 1.000 or 1.500 copies. And if these units sold well they will produce the next run and so on, until the 3.000 copies are reached. Sometimes a title doesn't sell that well and it goes out of stock. That just means that all the copies, that the label produced, were sold, but they are not repressing it, because there is no demand for it. With the third set being temporarily out of stock, it means, that all the up to now produced copies are sold and that they are repressing the title at some point.

 

[Gotham Gal]

This licensing becomes complicated in the digital age. Too bad, really.