Climbing The Salzburg Soundscape: Vinyl Adventures With The Sound Of Music

Take a step into the Alpine air with this 2021 vinyl reissue of The Sound Of Music soundtrack. This single LP brings Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 1965 score front and center, featuring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. It’s a chance to enjoy the movie’s iconic songs like “My Favorite Things” and “Do-Re-Mi” on wax, but fair warning: it’s not a flawless pressing.

The album holds its place as one of the most popular movie musicals ever, boasting a timeless cast and celebrated soundtrack. This vinyl version aims to stay true to the original master tapes more closely than some CD versions. However, the sound sometimes feels a bit clinical, stripping away some of the character that older pressings might offer through their slight imperfections.

Regarding audio quality, the highs generally come through clearly, with the orchestral details and vocal lines well defined. The woodwinds and strings present a notable warmth, while trumpets carry with decent presence. That said, the bass can be oddly restrained, especially on tracks like “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” where the low end lacks the oomph expected from a big musical score, leaving the bottom octave feeling somewhat confined.

The vinyl sits in a standard paper inner sleeve, not a protective one suited to minimize surface noise. Consequently, listeners might notice light crackling or pops during quieter moments—especially in the spoken sections between songs. The record itself is mostly free from warping, but swapping to a higher-quality inner sleeve is advisable for serious users to reduce hiss and preserve the grooves.

On the visual side, the jacket art doesn’t quite match the original vibrancy. The cover appears faded, with colors lighter than the 1965 artwork and some slight misalignment of borders. This might be a sticking point for collectors seeking high-fidelity packaging. The back cover is simpler and clearer but shows some softness in print quality around the text, reducing the impact expected from such an iconic soundtrack.

Listening through the tracks shows a solid lineup with no real weak spots, but certain details stand out: the opening songs possess energy though carry minor surface hiss, “My Favorite Things” balances bright strings with occasional background rumble, and “Do-Re-Mi” has grainy spoken snippets. The romantic duet “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” sometimes feels a bit thin in the midrange, while the latter side keeps dynamics lively despite that persistent bass drop-off.

In sum, this pressing suits those who want an accessible, reasonably faithful vinyl edition of the Sound Of Music soundtrack and who can overlook some surface noise and modest packaging. It works best with a mid- to high-end analog setup that doesn’t demand thunderous bass or pristine artwork.

Avoid it if you’re after flawless visual presentation or deep, punchy low frequencies, or if you’re bothered by inner sleeve hiss and minor surface sounds. Overall, this album is a doorway to one of musical cinema’s classics, but with rougher edges that might push serious collectors to hold out for a more deluxe, better-preserved edition.