Quantum Leap fans - somebody lept the music out of the soundtrack

[Deja Q]

From an e-mail I got:


As head of the Project Quantum Leap, Dr. Sam Beckett decides to test it
out
before it's ready, and steps into the accelerator. Sam leaps into the
body
of Tom Stratton, an air force test pilot, and finds his memory has been
Swiss cheesed. He can remember bits and pieces, but can't figure it all
out.
Al, someone who worked with Sam on the project, appears to him as a
hologram
and explains that the project has gone awry. With the help of the
computer,
Ziggy, they calculate the probability of events Sam has to change to
leap,
with the hope that he'll leap back home. Sam never knows who he'll be,
or
where he'll leap next.

The second season of Quantum Leap aired 22 episodes in the '89-'90
season,
making it the first full season for the series (season 1 consisted of 8
episodes, including the double-length pilot). Universal has released
this in
a 3 disc set (double-sided discs). The packaging looks the same as
season 1.

Video


I think Universal does a fairly nice job with their TV transfers, and
Quantum Leap looks really nice. The episodes contain some specs of dust
here
and there; some scenes being worse than others, but they look good for
the
most part. Some episodes feature stock footage which is noticeably
poorer
quality and stands out like a sore thumb. The special effects shots look
a
bit dirty, probably because the film was run though a few times to get
the
shot. The discs contain a "play all" feature, but there aren't chapters
set
right after the opening.

Audio


Season 2 of the series contains a Dolby Surround audio track, just like
season 1. It sounds great, especially for a series that's 15 years old.
There are some great panning effects, and nice use of the rear speakers
to
achieve their desired effect. Subtitles are provided in English, French
and
Spanich.

Season 1 contained all the original music used in the series (at least
according to fans), so some were shocked to discover some of the songs
were
substituted in season 2. I didn't make an episode by episode
substitution
list, but focused on a few episodes. The episode "Good Morning, Peoria"
had
Sam leaping into the body of a radio DJ, and a lot of period music was
used
in the episode. Thirteen songs were used in the original episode, but
only 6
made it o the DVDs. Some of the licensed songs (such as "The Twist")
were
reused in other scenes, replacing original music by the Isley Brothers
(Shout), while other "muzak" was used instead of songs by Elvis Presley
and
other artists. Some fans received their copies early and were extremely
upset that "Georgia On My Mind" was removed from the emotional finale of

season 2. One fan who wrote me described the scene as a defining moment
in
the series that has been destroyed for the DVD release. I sympathize
with
the fans of the series, and this is yet another example of a series
that's
affected by music licensing issues. I feel Universal should have
included a
line referencing the music substitutions on the back of the box as many
other studios have done.

Extras - How we rate extras


The packaging mentions that there are bonus features on Disc 3 side B,
but
there aren't any.

Summary


I knew Universal would price this set (22 episode) the same as season 1
(8
episodes), so I wasn't surprised when it was finally announced. I hate
to
say this, but I wasn't expecting all the music to be included in the
set,
though I'm saddened by the replacement of such a key song in the series
("Georgia On My Mind"). We all hear about how music licensing affects
various shows, but some changes can sting more than others. It can be
extremely difficult for studios to license older music, especially when
some
episodes use so many songs, but I feel the studio has to be upfront with

consumers by including replacement information on the outside of the
packaging. Consumers can be more forgiving when they're tipped off to
these
changes, and I expect to hear from some very upset Quantum Leap fans
over
the next few days as they experience the changes for themselves.

Music changes aside, Quantum Leap season 2 is some outstanding
television. I
enjoyed watching Sam leap from person to person, and watching him change
the
future.