Film music / collecting
The Soundtrack Collector’s Trinity: Batman, Batman & E.T.
Nine collecting recommendations across three films and three levels of investment.
Written under a pen name, with generative AI assisting in exploration, drafting and editing. Not all factual claims have been independently verified. The decision to publish, and responsibility for the result, are mine.
Cross-publication note: Primarily written for VinylCue, but owing to the thematic content of recent essays, felt relevant for choonfish.org also.
These are particularly interesting soundtracks to collect because their definitive editions aren’t necessarily their most valuable editions.
With Danny Elfman’s Batman (1989), you’re collecting one of cinema’s great orchestral superhero scores. With Prince’s Batman (1989), you’re collecting a pop album that exists in dialogue with the film rather than merely accompanying it. And with John Williams’ E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), you’re collecting music whose original album and complete film score offer substantially different listening experiences.
Three levels of collecting
The recommendations that follow balance musical completeness, physical presentation, historical value and realistic affordability.
Historically significant, exceptionally presented, scarce, or genuinely definitive editions worthy of becoming collection centrepieces.
The sweet spot: excellent musical content, attractive physical presentation and meaningful collectibility at a more reasonable price.
Affordable, enjoyable listening copies that do not demand a premium for scarcity, provenance or elaborate packaging.
One important distinction: God Tier doesn’t automatically mean most expensive. A genuinely comprehensive CD edition can be more musically important than an eye-catching limited vinyl pressing.
1. Danny Elfman — Batman: Original Motion Picture Score
God Tier · My definitive CD choice
La-La Land Records — The Danny Elfman Batman Collection (2014)
This is my strongest recommendation for serious appreciation of Elfman’s music, especially because it brings together Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992).
The set contains the expanded film-score presentation, the original soundtrack album, alternate cues, additional material and substantial liner notes. The Batman score was newly remastered for this collection from rediscovered elements.
The result is particularly valuable for exploring how Elfman’s music functions in the actual film, beyond the familiar soundtrack album.
Why God Tier? Musical completeness, scholarship, improved mastering, a coherent presentation of Burton’s two Batman films, and a documented 3,000-copy limitation.
The publisher confirms it is sold out.
Vinyl alternative: A pristine, verified 1989 first pressing of the original Warner Bros. score LP. This would be my historical-artifact choice rather than the most complete listening edition.
Mid Tier — La-La Land expanded Batman (1989) 2CD
The earlier standalone expanded 2CD edition is an excellent alternative if you specifically want the first film without paying for Batman Returns.
It provides the expanded score and original album material that make the larger collection so desirable, although the later four-disc collection benefits from its updated Batman mastering.
For vinyl, I’d look for a clean original 1989 pressing, complete with its original inner sleeve, and avoid paying an excessive premium merely for a seller’s description of it as rare.
Basic Tier — Original Warner Bros. soundtrack album (1989)
CD or LP · Original 21-track score album
The standard album is still magnificent: the Batman theme, “Descent Into Mystery”, “Attack of the Batwing”, “Waltz to the Death” and other highlights make it a beautifully sequenced introduction.
The CD is the sensible budget purchase. The LP is more appealing if you want a physical connection to the film’s original release.
My buying priority: Expanded La-La Land CD first, then an original 1989 LP for the artwork and period authenticity.
2. Prince — Batman
God Tier
1989 limited-edition picture disc with die-cut frame sleeve
Warner Bros. · 1989 · Collectible picture-disc variant
This is the edition I’d be most interested in acquiring for its visual and historical collectibility.
Prince’s Batman is a fascinating hybrid: a Prince album, a film tie-in, a marketing phenomenon, and an extension of Gotham’s theatricality.
A visually distinctive original-period edition makes that relationship tangible. The picture-disc presentation feels particularly appropriate to an album associated with the Joker’s obsession with spectacle.
Why God Tier? Its distinctive packaging, 1989 provenance and scarcity relative to ordinary pressings. The picture-disc/die-cut edition is a documented collector variant.
But I would not buy it primarily for sound quality. Picture discs can have more surface noise than conventional black vinyl, and condition of the surrounding packaging matters enormously.
A genuine 1989 promotional or test pressing could be an even rarer archival acquisition, but only with convincing provenance.
Mid Tier — Original 1989 UK/European black vinyl
Best balance for VinylCue
Warner Bros. · WX 281 / 925 936-1 family
This would probably be my actual purchase.
A near-mint original offers the entire Prince album in its intended LP form, period artwork and collectibility without the compromises of a picture disc.
It also has an interesting editorial advantage: the original record belongs to the very moment when Batman was simultaneously a cinematic blockbuster and a pop-cultural event.
The original UK/European pressing family is documented, although precise variants should be checked against the labels and runouts.
If you can acquire a genuinely near-mint, complete copy at a sensible price, I would generally favour it over a much more expensive decorative variant.
Basic Tier — Standard CD or modern black-vinyl reissue
Prince’s original album is already a satisfying nine-track listening experience. “The Future”, “Electric Chair”, “Partyman”, “Batdance” and “Scandalous” give you the album’s essential musical identity without needing a special edition.
The standard CD is the cheapest practical entry point in most circumstances. A modern LP is a sensible alternative if condition and playback reliability matter more than first-press provenance.
One currently surfaced retail option is Prince LP - Batman at £25.34 from The Record Hub + others, although its exact pressing should be confirmed before purchase.
My buying priority: Near-mint 1989 black vinyl, followed by the limited picture disc only if the price and condition justify it.
3. John Williams — E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
God Tier · Best musical edition
La-La Land Records 40th Anniversary Edition (2022)
This is perhaps the most compelling of all three soundtracks to acquire in an expanded edition.
The 2022 release preserves the restored complete film-score presentation alongside the original 1982 soundtrack album, alternate cues and additional music. It was produced with John Williams’ approval.
The significance is enormous: the 1982 album was not simply a shortened presentation of the film’s music. Williams specially adapted and recorded some material for the album.
Consequently, the La-La Land edition allows you to hear two related but distinct musical experiences: how E.T. unfolds on screen, and how Williams wanted its music to work independently as an album.
Its 156-plus minutes of material include “The Rescue and Bike Chase”, “The Departure”, “Flying”, “Adventure on Earth”, and fascinating alternate performances.
The 2022 edition is a reissue of the 2017 35th-anniversary presentation, rather than an entirely new recording or radically expanded programme. The publisher currently lists it as out of stock.
My God Tier vinyl counterpart: The 2022 Mondo 40th-anniversary 2LP. Its artwork and expanded presentation make it a strong display-and-listening choice, though it is not as comprehensive as the two CDs.
Mid Tier — 2018 La-La Land 35th Anniversary 2LP
2LP · LLLLP 2004
This is an especially appealing edition for someone interested in the intersection of film, music and physical presentation.
The 2018 double-LP draws on the expanded 35th-anniversary restoration, offering a more substantial vinyl experience than the original single LP.
Its appeal is that it makes the music feel like a cinematic journey rather than simply a selection of memorable themes.
I would compare this directly with the 2022 Mondo edition based on artwork, pressing condition, completeness and asking price. Neither should automatically command a premium just because it is older.
Basic Tier — Original 1982 MCA soundtrack album
MCA Records · Original 8-track album · LP or CD
This is the one basic-tier record I would actively encourage you to acquire even if you eventually own the definitive CD.
The original album is a carefully constructed listening experience. It does not merely reproduce the chronology of the film; it reshapes its emotional journey.
“Flying” captures the wonder of movement, “E.T. and Me” the growth of friendship, and the extended “Adventure on Earth” the emotional culmination.
An original 1982 LP is therefore not just an inferior, shorter version of a modern expanded release. It is an important historical album in its own right.
My buying priority: La-La Land 2CD for musical depth, followed by a clean 1982 MCA LP for historical and editorial significance.
4. Three additional editions worth knowing about
These are particularly relevant if your priorities lean towards distinctive packaging and collectibility.
Elfman’s Batman — Mondo SDCC LP & Graphic Novel Box Set
2024 · Limited to 1,000 · God Tier vinyl
This arguably surpasses an ordinary 1989 LP as a display collectible. It combines the score with a Batman ’89 graphic novel in a bespoke clamshell box, featuring an SDCC-exclusive Batstripe vinyl variant. The original retail price was $55; Mondo lists it as sold out.
Prince’s Batman — 1989 Limited Edition Metal Can CD
Warner Bros. · 925 978-2 · God Tier CD packaging
A circular metal tin containing a picture CD and matching booklet. It is one of the most visually memorable period editions and, for your collecting sensibilities, potentially more desirable than the ordinary LP. Check for dents, corrosion and complete contents.
E.T. — Mondo 40th Anniversary Heartlight 2LP
2022 · MOND-279 family · God Tier presentation
My preferred visually distinctive E.T. vinyl. Dan McCarthy’s artwork and the themed coloured discs complement the film’s emotional atmosphere. It is an attractive alternative to the Full Moon variant, although neither is automatically a better-sounding pressing.
5. The final collector’s shortlist
The nine principal recommendations, gathered in one place for quick comparison.
| Soundtrack | God Tier | Mid Tier | Basic Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Elfman Batman | La-La Land 4CD collection or Mondo SDCC box | La-La Land expanded 2CD or clean original 1989 LP | Original 1989 Warner Bros. CD or LP |
| Prince Batman | 1989 picture disc or metal-can CD | Original 1989 UK/European black vinyl | Standard CD or modern black-vinyl reissue |
| John Williams E.T. | La-La Land 2017/2022 2CD or Mondo Heartlight 2LP | La-La Land 2018 35th Anniversary 2LP | Original 1982 MCA LP or CD |
6. What I would actually acquire first
Given your interest in physical soundtracks as objects of cultural, musical and editorial significance—not merely as commodities—this would be my order:
E.T. — La-La Land 40th Anniversary
2CD · The richest listening and research editionMy first choice, particularly as a companion to the essay on how E.T. makes us feel time.
Prince — Batman
1989 Metal Can CD · The most distinctive physical objectA wonderfully theatrical period collectible that embodies the spectacle explored in the Batman dual-authorship essay.
Elfman — The Danny Elfman Batman Collection
La-La Land 4CD · The definitive research companionIdeal for studying the differences between music as recorded, as released and as ultimately used in the films.
There is also an appealing editorial possibility here: three records associated with just two films, illustrating three entirely different philosophies of film music—music as mythology, music as performance, and music as emotional memory. Together, they could make an excellent companion piece to the individual essays.