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Music is another big part of my life. I love seeing how much impact the music can have on a film. So, I have a question. What are your favourite film scores?
Here's one of mine...
Haven't even seen the film, but the score's amazing!
Rather than go with a 'soundtrack' that sounds like the 80s, I listen to stuff from the 80s. But I don't really do soundtracks. Mainly, I do scores. Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, John Barry, Bernard Herrmann, James Horner, Henry Mancini, Michael Kamen, Alan Silvestri.
Goldsmith kinda scored a lot of movies that I loved as a kid, then once I started listening to his music, I found more movies to love as an older kid. The thing I love about his work is that he was versatile. He could come up with a really beautiful theme or something really creepy or just something that sounded strange.
Williams is just the best. His form of scoring is a lost art. I mean, what happened to the days of walking out of a theater, being able to whistle a theme or two for the main characters?
I've always been a Barry fan because of his work on the Bond franchise, but his other work's pretty amazing, too. For a while, I thought most of his scores were really stringy and boring, but in the 60s and 70s, he was all over the place. "The Lion in Winter" is one of the coolest, creepiest scores for a not-creepy film of all time and probably the best score to a medieval/Middle Ages movie ever.
Bernard Herrmann was the best before Williams. While he's best known for Psycho, I can't get enough of North by Northwest.
Horner's had a lot of bland scores--especially recently, but the work he did in the earlier part of his career were phenomenal. Star Trek II & III, Aliens, Willow, Glory, The Rocketeer. Occasionally, he does scores that sound like his early days, but I'm not sure if he's just not on his A-game anymore or if directors/producers just don't utilize him well. He's been known to be pretty repetitive, but I don't have too much of a problem with it.
Mancini wrote some of the most memorable themes in cinema, but I REALLY love his horror scores. Two that I've listened to a lot in the past few years have been Lifeforce and Nightwing.
Kamen was good in the 80s. Dead Zone, Brazil, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Baron Munchausen...all amazing scores. In the 90s, he started slipping a little and I don't think he ever reached that kind of greatness again.
I'll say the same for Silvestri. In the 80s, his stuff was really interesting for Back to the Future and Predator and even The Abyss, but toward the end of the 90s, he wasn't that interesting. Then he did The Mummy Returns, which was pretty good, and now he's like the Marvel guy. His Marvel scores were okay, but they weren't Predator or BTTF.
As for Zimmer, I officially don't like him. Some of his music's good and fits with the movies he's scored, but he's just been responsible for film scores going to crap. He created a production house back in the 90s called Media Ventures (now Remote Control Productions), and it employs a lot of common composers: Ramin Djawadi, Klaus Badelt, John Powell, Harry Gregson-Williams, and a bunch of other composers. Some of them just think all drums and no melody make a score. Others get a bit more melodic, but they stay generic. Sometimes that's okay, but considering where we were 20-30 years ago, with the likes of Williams and Goldsmith...we've fallen from grace.
"I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called 'Max'."
Hellraiser, Copycat, Excorism Of Emily Rose, Ghost Rider.
I also enjoyed Harry Gregson-Williams, Howard Shore and Ry Cooder. yes, Ry Cooder. His slide guitar scores for some of those Walter Hill films are terrific to this day, specifically Johnny Handsome and The Long Riders.
A couple of composers I'm fond of that have not already been mentioned are Danny Elfman and Murray Gold.
Danny Elfman is best known for his constant collaboration with Tim Burton since Elfman appears to be Burton's go-to music guy. Check his IMDB profile and you'll find an impressive resume of not only the dark scores he is known for, but TV themes and movies like Charlotte's Web that aren't exactly dark. He does have a distinctive style that can be largely attributed to his lifelong collaboration with orchestrator Steve Bartek, who is the other half of the team responsible for Elfman's particular sound. He even wrote the songs and performed the singing voice of Jack Skellington for The Nightmare Before Christmas, but of course, by then, he'd been the lead singer/songwriter for Oingo Boingo for over a decade.
Murray Gold is actually best known for his cinematic scoring of the new Doctor Who series. TV shows aren't exactly renowned for their musical scores, but Murray Gold set the bar at an unrealistic level when it comes to scoring for TV. The revived 2005 series of Doctor Who possesses some of the best music I've heard on anything, and Gold keeps cranking them out for each episode. Some themes are recycled because characters have themes, but each week isn't just another round of stock music. Each show had its own share of original music, which is probably a testament to how seriously the BBC is taking the series this time around, since a lot of shows probably don't spring for much of a music budget. The piece of music that scored the tenth to eleventh doctor regeneration sequence, called Vale Decem, is one of the best pieces of music I've ever heard, ranking right up there with the masters of classical music. I can listen to it a million times, and I don't get tired of it. When married to the scene it was written for, it is magical. He has the knack, for sure.
I knew I was forgetting someone! Danny Elfman, yes! Although I'm a much bigger fan of his earlier stuff than his recent outings. He's like Horner and Silvestri: mind-blowing in the 80s, then meh afterwards. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is one of my favorites, along with Batman. I kinda like Back to School, but probably just because it's such a zany movie.
"I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called 'Max'."
D'oh! You said Morricone, another one I've been digging a lot lately. I was REALLY hoping he'd do an original score for Django Unchained, since he almost did for Inglourious Basterds. And Vangelis...but I really only like Blade Runner. And "Opera Sauvage", as heard in Weir's The Year of Living Dangerously.
Speaking of Weir, that dude has some strange musical tastes. His movies in the 80s were saturated with synthesizer. Upon first viewing, it was a little distracting, but it kinda works. Jarre's score for Witness is almost hypnotic and certainly addictive over time. One of the first vinyl scores I bought.
Currently [and repeatedly] listening to "The Last of Ida" from Goldsmith's Chinatown. That opening 30 seconds is some of the best music Jerry ever wrote. Right up there with "The Enterprise." The rest of the track's pretty uneven, though, because it's such a dissonant contrast to the beginning.
"I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called 'Max'."
Alien Inception The Grey Capricorn One The Thing (1982) The Godfather
It's funny this thread comes up right after I just got an epic score CD. Both you and Basket zeroed in on The Thing. The final scored used in the film was never available to the public.
It started with Morricone making all his own cues. Then after a meet in L.A. with Carpenter, he added the two beat electric thump. And in post production, Alan Howarth came up with some cues for Carpenter.
Fitting that this film have a hodge podge score, given the creature's nature!
And now that music is faithfully reconstructed on a CD finally! Alan Howarth went back and remade the entire thing with upgraded technology.
For the first time ever, the score of The Thing can be enjoyed as it was in cinemas! There's only 1500 copies pressed. Ever.
The real gold here is Morricone's electric realization and... The Carpenter/Howarth tracks available for the first time ever! Only Morricone's first score was released in the 80s.
So, I think perhaps a few folks here might want one of these...
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I know it's not a film, but on film, I discovered this show called Misfits. The tone of the show is juxtaposed with an epic score. The song selection is outstanding as well. There was a scene recently where the score was so riviting, only to be followed by, "I found your cock." I can't ever recall any thing I've seen like it.
The final scored used in the film was never available to the public.
You sure about that, ED? The one I have sounds an awefully lot like the one used in the movie (and a lot better than the Carpenter/Howarth version - the clicking between the base thumps are just too darn loud).
These are a few (and best) of the ones I have:
Humanity, part 1 (the Norwegian camp)
Humanity, part 2 (opening title)
Down in the hole / Jesus tries to crack a smile / Beneath another shovel load
I got the expanded edition of Star Trek: Generations for Christmas. Seems like I'm collecting all the expanded editions of the odd-numbered scores. So far, I have TMP, TSFS, TFF, and now Generations. By law, when Insurrection is released, I'll probably get that.
As for the score itself, I like it. A lot of people don't and I sorta get that, but it works with the movie. The movie's just a glorified TNG episode, so it's not too glaring that the score was composed by series regular Dennis McCarthy. It's still very melodic and interesting, if a little over-the-top in parts. But I guess my ears just like it.
One thing I'll say is that I don't think there's ever been a bad Star Trek score. But Nemesis, even though it's a Goldsmith score, kinda comes close. It's generic action music, but it has some extremely redemptive parts, too. Namely, the several times it quotes little nuances from TMP. Like "The Enterprise" at the end. "To Romulus" seems to quote "Leaving Drydock" in the opening bars too. But the rest of it's as dull as the movie. Insurrection, while not the most engaging Trek film, had a good score.
As for my all-time favorite Trek scores, I'd say TMP, TFF, and TSFS round out the top 3. TMP introduces the main theme and I really dig the music Jerry wrote for V'Ger.
The Final Frontier is goofy as hell, but The Shat got the music for his movie right by re-hiring Jerry. The TMP quotes are beautiful and that version of the end title is my favorite because it sounds so graceful and it's given time to breathe. Also noteworthy, the return of the Klingon theme and the beginning of "A Busy Man."
The Search for Spock is an incredible score because it has both the majestic, swashbuckling feel from Wrath of Khan, but also the darkness of the rest of the movie. Makes for a very interesting experience. Also, it seems like the score Horner's repeated least over the years.
"I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called 'Max'."
The one I have sounds an awefully lot like the one used in the movie (and a lot better than the Carpenter/Howarth version - the clicking between the base thumps are just too darn loud).
Hey Sniper,
The Humanity tracks are recreations by Howarth that were created by Morricone. So, it comes down to a matter of opinion on the previously released tracks.
But there are four new tracks on this CD that are not available elsewhere. They are newly recorded cues and ambient drones used in the film Those are tracks originally created by Carpenter and Howarth in post production. They were cut into the film, but NEVER on any LP/CD release.
You may not like Howarth's new recordings of Morricone's work. BUT, you'll never get Carpenter and Howarth's tracks (4 of them)... Unless you buy this CD.
Alan Howarth told me this story himself at the screening. I asked him, "Why the new release?" when he autographed the CD for me. And that's the story he told me.
Regards, E.D.
LATEST NEWS CineVita Films is producing a short based on my new feature!
Music is another big part of my life. I love seeing how much impact the music can have on a film. So, I have a question. What are your favourite film scores?
Here's one of mine...
Haven't even seen the film, but the score's amazing!
Whoa! Thanks for posting this, Dan - hadn't heard it before, but wow. Absolutely awesome.
As for bodies of work, my two favorite scorers are Williams and Morricone. The breath of their combined works is staggering. Williams obviously has so many iconic scores that so added to the legendary movies he worked on from horror (Jaws) to the many action/adventures. He had a knack for creating great complements to both high octane chases and subtle moments. Kudos also to Morricone whose work on endless Spaghetti Westerns is also iconic and for their time ground-breaking. But Enio also did masterful work in some of my favorite Italian movies including my favorite foreign film Cinema Paradiso. He had a way of creating the perfect melancholic riffs that just lifted sad or poignant scenes.
As to individual movie scores, Godfather and Halloween are obvious favorites. Can't picture either of those movies without those particular scores. Fatal Attraction is another favorite. Can't think of too many current ones, though I can say a lot of the foreign films I've seen the past five years (mostly Euro and Asian) have slamming scores that really accentuate the moods of their films.
Can't think of too many current ones, though I can say a lot of the foreign films I've seen the past five years (mostly Euro and Asian) have slamming scores that really accentuate the moods of their films.
Most scores suck nowadays. If I were given the money to make a movie and could hire any composer I wanted, I wouldn't know who to pick. Obviously, I'd go for Williams if he were up for it (these days I think he's just sticking to STAR WARS and Spielberg movies in his semi-retirement from films). After that, I'd pick Horner or Silvestri. However, their recent works haven't been as fun as the scores they did throughout the 80s or early 90s. I know Horner could bring that 80s sound back, but I'm not sure about Silvestri. I don't know if they're just not being challenged by directors or if they're worn out. But the composers that could still be alive that I'd want to hire are all dead...namely, Kamen and Poledouris. (Goldsmith too, even though he'd be in his early 80s, like Williams and Morricone.)
I'm kind of digging Abel Korzeniowski, though. He's got a very unique sound that channels Herrmann, Williams, and Barry. Very good with strings. I haven't seen the movie, but A SINGLE MAN (not the Coens' A SERIOUS MAN) was a phenomenal score. There was a track based on Herrmann's VERTIGO and it fit perfectly with the rest of Korz's stuff. I'm on the fence about Desplat, though. He's versatile for sure and he can be good, but a lot of his work seems generic. The orchestration and the textures aren't, but there's not enough melody or thematic content to elevate the rest.
"I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called 'Max'."
First off, I think Hans Zimmer is a God. Love everything he's ever done. Had to look him up after I watched Thelma and Louise. Yeah, that long ago. The soundtrack just evoked the right emotion for the story and that's what I love about Hans. He does it again and again.
Hans was a bit ripped for his Man of Steel soundtrack. They said it didn't stand out, had no distinction. I loved it. I heard he couldn't write for months. How do you follow Williams? Altough I love Zimmer, Williams still rules Superman.
Please excuse cartoonish S logo. The soundtrack resonates with any of us born in the 70s. It was the best copy I could find.
Always been a music nut...and a baseball fan. So, Randy Newman's score for The Natural, for me, is a standout. It's one of only two soundtracks I've ever purchased. The other being...
Lennie Niehaus' Unforgiven. Everything about that movie resonated deeply with me, and the one basic musical theme was just beautiful, sad and lonely. Kinda like how I felt at the time.
Another great piece, I think, is the score for the Disney/Pixar film Up. I can't remember who scored it, but I thought it added so much to that movie. Especially the first ten minutes of the film. Brought me to tears. Steve
Always been a music nut...and a baseball fan. So, Randy Newman's score for The Natural, for me, is a standout. It's one of only two soundtracks I've ever purchased. The other being...
Lennie Niehaus' Unforgiven. Everything about that movie resonated deeply with me, and the one basic musical theme was just beautiful, sad and lonely. Kinda like how I felt at the time.
Another great piece, I think, is the score for the Disney/Pixar film Up. I can't remember who scored it, but I thought it added so much to that movie. Especially the first ten minutes of the film. Brought me to tears. Steve
I like these. The Natural is a classic.
"I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called 'Max'."
I usually have a film soundtrack on rotation in the car. While not an OST, the soundtrack for 28 Days Later is pretty kick ass IMO - In Da House In A Heartbeat and An Ending(ascent) are pretty cool.
Always been a fan of Craig Armstrong (Escape and Ruthless Gravity are 2 of my favs) - check out the soundtrack to Plunkett & Macleane
The soundtracks to Gladiator and The Kingdom are also pretty good.
The Elevator Most Belonging To Alice - Semi Final Bluecat, Runner Up Nashville Inner Journey - Page Awards Finalist - Bluecat semi final Grieving Spell - winner - London Film Awards. Third - Honolulu Ultimate Weapon - Fresh Voices - second place IMDb link... http://www.imdb.com/name/nm7062725/?ref_=tt_ov_wr
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was an awesome score.
I also loved the Social Network soundtrack as well as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Both feel so cold and mechanical...love it. Trent Reznor is an amazing musician.
Found Goldsmith's THE WIND AND THE LION last night on vinyl at a used bookstore. It felt like Christmas.
TW&TL, since it's not a very popular movie, stars Sean Connery who plays a Moroccan chieftain in the 1900s and kidnaps an American woman (Candice Bergen) and her two kids, in order to rattle Teddy Roosevelt's imperialistic cage. It's directed by John Milius and feels similar in tone to his best-known film: CONAN THE BARBARIAN. I would argue that this one of Connery's best. Goldsmith's score is every bit as epic as Poledouris' CONAN. In fact, it's like a perfect cross between Poledouris' CONAN scores and Jarre's LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. I highly recommend both the film and the score.
"I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called 'Max'."
Let's see Christoper Young- Drag me to Hell, Hellraiser Pino Donaggio- Carrie Ennio Morricone- Exorcist 2: The Heretic, For a Few Dollars More Wojciech Kilar- Dracula, Ninth Gate As for TV, Frans Bak who scores both the American and Danish versions of The Killing. Eric Neveux- Borgia: Faith and Fear (European version) Very memorable.
As for soundtracks, Graeme Revell is excellent with Strange Days, Daredevil, etc.
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