Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am reviewing this DVD set, not the series, which is one of my favorites. I pre-ordered this DVD set as soon as I possibly could, so that I could replace my not-very-high-quality, copied-from-TV episodes on bulky VHS tapes with clean copies on a few DVD's. It had been a while since I had watched the episodes, so I didn't notice anything wrong until I reached "Good Morning, Peoria." When Chick and Rachel were dancing that romantic dance, all I could think was, "Huh? What the heck happened to the music? Wasn't there a *real* song there before?" So I did some digging on the Internet, to make sure my memory wasn't playing tricks on me, and was absolutely horrified to discover that the music in various episodes had been changed. Most especially I was flabbergasted that they messed with the soundtrack of "M.I.A." That is one of the best episodes in the series, and the music felt as much a part of the story as the words. I played the final scene from the DVD, and it was awful, dreadful; the music was no longer a presence, it was just some background noise. Thank heaven I was able to retrieve my old VHS tapes. I played the same scene from them. Even with a grainy, dark picture, the original packed more of a wallop. It wasn't just "Georgia On My Mind," it was also "Unchained Melody," with its wrenchingly appropriate lyrics - "My darling, I hunger for your touch; are you still mine?" I cannot believe that Universal was unable to get permission to use the original music; so it must have been a question of money. It isn't as if this was a super-cheap set to begin with, but I would not have minded paying a few more dollars to cover the royalties for the songs, so that I could have the real show. I don't care about extras on the DVD's - I don't need interviews, or commentaries, or behind-the-scenes stories, but I do care about being able to watch the show that I loved. And for Universal to release these pitiably maimed things without warning of the changes is an outrage. What's next? To save money on royalties, dub in the voice of little Johnny Doe from the high school drama club instead of Clark Gable's as Rhett Butler? "American Graffiti" with Muzak-type songs instead of the original classics? This whole series is about time travel, and one of the most effective ways to evoke a particular time period is to play the music of that time. The unmemorable pap that replaced the classic songs on these DVD's does nothing, *nothing* to add to the show. I might keep this set, simply because of the terrible reception my TV got when I originally taped the episodes, but I'm not sure; and I will think long and hard before I order the third season.