And, as noted elsewhere, the ID3 tags in those mp3s reveal that there are other tracks which have not been released -- X of 23, they all say, when this "digital EP" only has 17 tracks.

(The FOX Music website continues to not work outside of Windows, reportedly, but at least this switch to mp3 is a step in the right direction.)

The One True b!X | September 23, 07:33 CET

I just downloaded them on my Mac using Safari. The only problem I had was that the main title theme was missing.
-Joe Kavanagh

cyberjoek | September 23, 07:36 CET

I just downloaded them on my Mac using Safari.

Ah, interesting. I hadn't tried yet, was waiting to hear reports.

The One True b!X | September 23, 08:21 CET

And CD covers are starting to sprout at FireflyFans.net. Including (ahem) mine.

C. A. Bridges | September 23, 08:28 CET

In the interview he gave to TrackSounds awhile back, the CD that Edmondson sent to FOX is described like this:

"The proposed soundtrack for Firefly is still in development, and is likely to change before it is finished. As it stands, it is 54 minutes long, with 22 tracks ranging from 2 to 3.5 minutes each. Each track is a suite comprised of two or three cues strung together from two or three different episodes."

"The Hero of Canton" isn't Edmondson's and FOX may not have tried to get the rights to use it, and at least two of the other popular pieces (the music during River's dance in "Safe" and the music played at the party in "Shindig") were stock music pieces that Edmondson overlaid with Chinese instruments, so they don't have the rights to offer those.

But there's still the Serenity Valley piece, the Landing at Persephone music, and plenty more. C'mon, FOX, give us the whole thing!

C. A. Bridges | September 23, 08:51 CET

Sounds like these were ripped from that CD at least, then. The ID3 tags show the mp3s were made in iTunes. They're actually in a pretty different order than the tracks on the digital EP list too, and the CD track order is much more organic-feeling than the EP's. It makes a big difference.

Oddly, the theme doesn't have any ID3 tags, and it's also at a higher bitrate than the rest of the mp3s (it's at 256, the rest are at 192). They also misspelled Inara's name on the tag for her track.

If you've already bought the WMAs and want it in mp3, you can just log back in at the website and redownload it. It still claims they're in WMA and it's 37 MB and you can't use it on Mac and so on, but they're lying. The zip file now comes out to 53 MB, and it's full of nice non-DRMed mp3s.
A bigger picture of the official cover is up too now.

seasleepy | September 23, 09:37 CET

I just downloaded them on my Mac using Safari. The only problem I had was that the main title theme was missing.

If you're opening the songs in iTunes, I thought the same thing at first, too. Oddly enough, the main title theme doesn't have any artist or album information, so it ended up at the bottom of my list in iTunes, not grouped with the other stuff from the album. You may want to check around for it.

ithilien | September 23, 09:39 CET

Well, I personally emailed FoxMusic and thanked them for offering the score, and making the tracks nice, 192 kbps MP3s. Then I asked if they were going to release the other 6 tracks at some point. See if I get a response.

I'd be happy to pay a couple extra bucks, and as much as I'd like an official CD, as long as I have the full range of intended music, I'd be satisfied. I would've liked the music playing where Mal and Nandi have sex in HoG, and the cue that plays the next morning, but Greg didn't put it in the montage.

I do really want the Serenity Valley, Persephone, Kaylee's "Dead," the Strawberry, and the little "Hero of Canton" reprise pieces. I love "The Hero of Canton" song, but it isn't score. Oh, and let's not forget, "Naked in the Desert." ;-) Hopefully they're all inthe 6 tracks somewhere.

Yeah, I know the main title is there, but every show soundtrack has to have the main title.

ETA: In what's supposed to be the last track, 23, can anybody tell me what "Book" cue that's supposed to be? It sounds like an "Oh God!" dark cue, so my guess would be that's when he was shot in "Safe," but I can't place it for sure.

[ edited by pat32082 on 2005-09-23 15:18 ]

pat32082 | September 23, 16:59 CET