Daria...
I picked up the Daria Complete Series box set recently...
To be honest, I didn't really notice the changes in the background music, so, I wasn't really, really offended by the changes. Certainly, I would have preferred having an unaltered release, but, I understand that some compromises had to be made to enable this release. That being said, if I had the good sense to have preserved the series when it originally aired, then I would be less likely to want an altered release.
The only annoyance that I have with the release, was the commercial for the Maxx which says that the series is "available", but fails to note that it's only available as a DVD-R on-demand service from an online store. I believe that the Maxx deserves the same release treatment as some of MTV's other series, like say... Beavis and Butthead.
There were some spots where the background music had been changed, but, I don't believe that the changes to the background music affected the quality of the storytelling in the series. Diehard Daria fans may be somewhat disappointed with the fact that some changes were necessary, but, I believe that the end result is a reasonable compromise. I would rather have this version of Daria, than no Daria at all.
That being said, I DO object to the changes in the background music in the DVD release of the WKRP TV series. I didn't purchase the release of WKRP on DVD and I don't intend to anytime soon. I have a handful of episodes preserved in the archive. I feel that changes to the background music, in this case, have more of an impact on the storytelling in the series, because the core of the series revolves around music.
Although the Stingray TV series didn't revolve around music, music was an important aspect of the series. I had several episodes of the series preserved in the archive and was pleasantly surprised to find that my favorite episodes in the series remain intact on the official DVD release. In the case of Stingray, I purchased the DVD set and repackaged the series in my own DVD cases and included my own DVDs in the set.
Glenn Eichler, Show Creator, wrote in an insert in the DVD bot set...The people of Lawndale just don't get Daria Morgendorffer. She's cool with that. See, Daria was born alienated, and now she's just trying to make it through high school with as little human contact as possible. Popularity, friends, activities... whatever. Daria lacks enthusiasm, but she makes up for it with sarcasm.
DEAR BELOVED CONSUMER,I've seen the first season already and even though, as indicated by the show's creator, it isn't the "original" version from the late-90's, I still enjoyed the series.
Finally, the complete DARIA in an officially sanctioned box set. It's the answer to every diehard fan's dreams. Which, given the makeup of diehard DARIA fandom, means it's an opportunity for them to kick off a raging, decades-long debate over the collection's merits and, by extension, each other's validity as human beings.
So let's answer the big question right away 99 percent of the music has been changed, because the cost of licensing the many music bites we used would have made it impossible to release the collection (and for many years did). So no, these aren't the shows as aired, but more like one of those astronauts in a TWILIGHT ZONE episode who returns from space and his wife can't figure out what's changed about him, until it slowly dawns on her that instead of a cool song from 1991 playing when he walks into the room, it's some tune she's never heard. Yeah, it’s just like that.
To put it bluntly, replacing the music had to be done. Does that mean this box set is compromised? Season I Daria would have said, "Yes." Season V Daria would have said, "Shut up and pass the remote." Let the raging begin.
What this collection does have is all the episodes, in the highest-quality, most complete versions that could be found; the two movies; extras like the "Sealed With a Kick" animatic, the "Freakin' Friends" video and the Daria Day intros; interviews with some (but by no means all) of the people who contributed to making the show so moth fun to create and watch; and a bunch of other things of interest to the uber-fan. Casual fans and DARIA first-timers can ignore the extras. There will be no quiz
Finally, many thanks to the people at MTV Home Entertainment, who worked long and hard to dig up and assemble the elements necessary to make this package possible. I'm looking forward to watching these shows again, and I hope you are too.
To be honest, I didn't really notice the changes in the background music, so, I wasn't really, really offended by the changes. Certainly, I would have preferred having an unaltered release, but, I understand that some compromises had to be made to enable this release. That being said, if I had the good sense to have preserved the series when it originally aired, then I would be less likely to want an altered release.
The only annoyance that I have with the release, was the commercial for the Maxx which says that the series is "available", but fails to note that it's only available as a DVD-R on-demand service from an online store. I believe that the Maxx deserves the same release treatment as some of MTV's other series, like say... Beavis and Butthead.
Update
I have, since my previous post, seen the entire Daria TV series, both movies and all of the extras in the Daria DVD box set.There were some spots where the background music had been changed, but, I don't believe that the changes to the background music affected the quality of the storytelling in the series. Diehard Daria fans may be somewhat disappointed with the fact that some changes were necessary, but, I believe that the end result is a reasonable compromise. I would rather have this version of Daria, than no Daria at all.
That being said, I DO object to the changes in the background music in the DVD release of the WKRP TV series. I didn't purchase the release of WKRP on DVD and I don't intend to anytime soon. I have a handful of episodes preserved in the archive. I feel that changes to the background music, in this case, have more of an impact on the storytelling in the series, because the core of the series revolves around music.
Although the Stingray TV series didn't revolve around music, music was an important aspect of the series. I had several episodes of the series preserved in the archive and was pleasantly surprised to find that my favorite episodes in the series remain intact on the official DVD release. In the case of Stingray, I purchased the DVD set and repackaged the series in my own DVD cases and included my own DVDs in the set.
