Artwork & Tracklist Revealed for ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’

With an upcoming December release there’s a lot going down in Middle Earth. Today Peter Jackson and co. released the official artwork and full tracklist for the first soundtrack of The Hobbit Trilogy. The OST has a lot of promise behind it as composer Howard Shore leads the music department once again through “An Unexpected Journey.”

Before we dive into the tracklist lets first take a look at the film’s budget; it’s estimated that each Hobbit film will cost anywhere between $200 – $300 million to make. That estimate includes the cost for pre-prodution, production, distribution, promotion, etc. I’m sure that left members of the music and promotion department with a larger budget than many on the team have dealt with in the past.

The Special Edition Vs. The Standard Edition

What does this mean for fans? Along with the artwork, it’s been announced that we’ll receive two different editions of the soundtrack.

Basically, the Standard Edition will come with 26 tracks on two separate discs, while the Special Edition will include the same tracks plus four exclusive bonus tracks. Not to mention, seven of the tracks that appear on the Standard Edition will receive extended versions on the Special Edition. If you’re fan of The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings or a fan of soundtracks in general go with the Special Edition.

There’s no word on the price difference between the two, but the cover art for both are kind of bland. Hopefully, there’s enough money to encase the Special Edition discs in a some sort of material besides plastic and thin paper. Otherwise, I plan on purchasing the Special Edition and switching the cover art.

The soundtrack for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will hit stores December 11th, just days before the film’s worldwide release on December 14th. Check out the artwork and tracklist below:

The Hobbit Special Edition Tracklist

Disc 1:

1. My Dear Frodo
2. Old Friends (Extended Version)
3. An Unexpected Party (Extended Version)
4. Blunt the Knives performed by The Dwarf Cast
5. Axe or Sword?
6. Misty Mountains performed by Richard Armitage and The Dwarf Cast
7. The Adventure Begins
8. The World is Ahead
9. An Ancient Enemy
10. Radagast the Brown (Extended Version)
11. The Trollshaws
12. Roast Mutton (Extended Version)
13. A Troll-hoard
14. The Hill of Sorcery
15. Warg-scouts

Disc 2:

1. The Hidden Valley
2. Moon Runes (Extended Version)
3. The Defiler
4. The White Council (Extended Version)
5. Over Hill
6. A Thunder Battle
7. Under Hill
8. Riddles in the Dark
9. Brass Buttons
10. Out of the Frying-Pan
11. A Good Omen
12. Song of the Lonely Mountain (Extended Version) performed by Neil Finn
13. Dreaming of Bag End

Exclusive Bonus Tracks

1. A Very Respectable Hobbit
2. Erebor
3. The Dwarf Lords
4. The Edge of the Wild

The Hobbit Standard Edition Tracklist

Disc 1:

1. My Dear Frodo
2. Old Friends
3. An Unexpected Party
4. Axe or Sword?
5. Misty Mountains performed by Richard Armitage and The Dwarf Cast
6. The Adventure Begins
7. The World is Ahead
8. An Ancient Enemy
9. Radagast the Brown
10. Roast Mutton
11. A Troll-hoard
12. The Hill of Sorcery
13. Warg-scouts

Disc 2:

1. The Hidden Valley
2. Moon Runes
3. The Defiler
4. The White Council
5. Over Hill
6. A Thunder Battle
7. Under Hill
8. Riddles in the Dark
9. Brass Buttons
10. Out of the Frying-Pan
11. A Good Omen
12. Song of the Lonely Mountain performed by Neil Finn
13. Dreaming of Bag End