Luka

I went for a walk the other day and put on Call of the Wild. This score gets better every time I listen to it. It's very coherent and has a massive soaring heart. It's almost like a HTTYD but with banjos. I didn't exactly love it when it first came out but that has certainly changed.
 
Karol

Was just listening to Mancina's second Planes score (which are both great btw)
He wrote a comedic march for some characters and it's very familiar to the start of a very famous theme from another animated film.
 
Those tubas are crazily alike!
 
 
 
 
 
 

I just want to continue the discussion that Anthony started;
 
Lately I’ve been truly obsessed with the Mars Needs Moms Recording Session album, as it contains a lot of unreleased gems that it’s mind boggle Powell didn’t put it in the official OST
 
I think I remember reading that Powell came very very late into this project. This is a similar case with Pan when he replaced Dario Marianelli at the last minute. And also just like Pan, what he delivered under the time constraints is truly commendable, and in fact, we are here aware that many people have ranked Pan high among Powell’s works, just like Mars Needs Moms
 
The Mars Needs Moms score, for many general listeners, was popular as being HTTYD-ripoff, as one of the theme (at least some section of the theme) is a direct lift from Test Drive theme. But considering the time, I can forgive. Especially as the other themes are really strong and among the best Powell has ever written.
 
Here I want to share some of tracks from the recording sessions that were unreleased in the official OST that really needs to be appreciated.
 
“Bed Remorse”:
03 Bed Remorse.mp3  
The sad statement of the main theme here is really lovely, and really plays well with the scene ( I remember I shed a bit of tears during that scene)
 
”No Time”:
13 No Time.mp3  
I always adore how Powell can play around with his already great theme to make it even greater, as heard here ^^

“Capture-Fall”
17 Capture - Fall.mp3  
A nice action piece
 
”Time Running Out”
24 Time Running Out.mp3  
The best out of the unreleased. Such such mindboggle Powell didn’t put this track in the OST. Listen to that statement of the theme in the beginning and tell me if that isn’t a glorious Powell moment!
 
 
 

That's where I turn the volume up and bang my head 

Some nice discussion going on in the HTTYD3 topic, though it's not stricly Dragon related, so I didn't want to distract further.
 
My (some editing required) Powell playlist for the car:
 
20th Century Fox Fanfare (Samba Version) from Rio 2
  Bola Viva from Rio 2 - you'll need the song album for this
  The Colony from Antz
  Chasing The Bull from Endurance
  Save El Dorado from The Road To El Dorado - get the Wonders Of The New World track, which is 3 cues split with a short silence, and just take the middle cue
  Building The Crate from Chicken Run
  Ride The Dragon from Shrek
  The Fire Truck from Evolution
  Main Titles from The Bourne Identity
  Rhythm Of Drums from Drumline - Drummer On The Sidelines seems to be the cue that people mention, but RoT is better
  Main Title from The Adventures Of Pluto Nash
  End Credits from Agent Cody Banks - I splice on the start of Cody To Duty so it has the full opening, rather than fading in midway through that cue
  The New Plan from The Italian Job
  Nice Weather from Gigli
  Hog Chase Parts 1 & 2 from Paycheck - use ripping software to join them together
  Morning Run from The Bourne Supremacy - a version with a clean opening is available...
  To The Roof (Album Version) from The Bourne Supremacy
  Cool Chili from Be Cool
  Escape from Robots - a version with a clean ending is available...
  Tango de Los Asesinos from Mr. & Mrs. Smith - a version with a clean ending is available...
  Suite from Ice Age The Meltdown - from the Film Suites Vol. 1 album. It's a shame this arrangement wasn't on the OST/can't be replicated with editing as the performance isn't as tight.
  Finale from X-Men: The Last Stand - see if you can get the unedited version with full choir. Personally, I've merged it with the main title cue, so it ends after the main theme, rather than going into the Dark Phoenix theme.
  Suite from Happy Feet - I re-created a custom version of The Story Of Mumble Happy Feet from the song album. There's a whole lot of micro editing going on in that track which isn't great. You do need it however. I took The Birth Of Mumble, merged it into the TSOMHF version of Adelieland (where the micro edits are good), then merged that into the full version of Bob's LED.
  Tangiers from The Bourne Ultimatum
  The Meeting from P.S. I Love You
  A Jump Off from Jumper
  Mountain Chase from Horton Hears A Who! - a version with a clean opening is available...
  End Titles (Film Version) from Horton Hears A Who! - yes, a pain, you'll need to rip it, but it's better (even though shorter) than the album version
  The Base/Leaving Town from Stop-Loss - use ripping software to combine them
  Hero from Kung Fu Panda - a version with a clean ending is available, allowing you to remove the Po Wakes Up cue
  The Moon And The Superhero from Hancock - a version with a clean opening is available...
  Scooter Chase from Bolt - get the proper version off the promo, rather than the horribly micro edited album version
  End Credits from Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs
  Coming Back Around from How To Train Your Dragon
  Bull Run / Going To Cape Horn? Take A Jacket from Knight And Day - use ripping software to combine them
  Credits Suite from Mars Needs Moms
  Morning Routine from Rio
  Dragon Racing (Album Version) from How To Train Your Dragon 2
  Flying With Mother from How To Train Your Dragon 2
  Mine Escape from Pan
  Flower Festival / From Train Station To Arena from Ferdinand - you can make a really nice transition between the two at the 3:00 minute mark
  Suite from Solo: A Star Wars Story - you'll need the deluxe version. Start with the clean opening of Lando's Closet, merging it into Super Extra Deluxe End Credits Suite, merging out into the full version Corellia Chase, then back into Super Extra Deluxe End Credits Suite for the shortened Flying With Chewie.
  Third Date from How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
  Joining The Team from The Call Of The Wild
  Buck Takes The Lead from The Call Of The Wild
  Life At The Beach from Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
  Migration End Titles
  The Hidden World Suite from How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World A fantastic 3 hours or so of Powell goodness.

That's where I turn the volume up and bang my head 

That's where I turn the volume up and bang my head 

That's where I turn the volume up and bang my head 

That's where I turn the volume up and bang my head 

That's where I turn the volume up and bang my head 

I definitely hold Williams’ scores in higher regard, but I also play individual cues from HTTYD more often than anything from Star Wars.

One of the main reasons why I love John Powell’s work is because his music has the same raw energy that the music of Williams and Goldsmith has. His melodies are great, but the sheer force he utilizes the orchestra with, that blows the world’s head off, is what truly captivates me. It’s this kind of music that makes me fall in love with film music and symphonic music in general over and over again.

I think that the HTTYD Soundtrack Trilogy is the second best of all time right behind the LOTR Trilogy and before anything Star Wars.
 
I think that Powell is the best composer of the 2010's thanks to the HTTYD Trilogy, MNM, Pan, Ferdinand, Solo.
 
So you're damn right, this thread has been a great read for a Powell fan!!

This describes very well what I love about his music! 

The part across all 3 scores that always made me anticipate greatness is the openings, and This Is Berk set the standard, but I love how all 3 movies start slightly differently, with #2 starting more dramatic, leading into a reminder suite that is Dragon Racing. Then Busy Berk is one of my favourite openings ever with that build-up at 4:03 going into the full orchestral Berk theme in a 'one last time' sort of way - the detail in the brass and woodwinds as the Berk theme starts - that's a composer having fun.
 
#2 takes an honourable second place due to the extensive Alpha and Valka theme usage, but the mature sound of #3, and the fact that he's using all his themes together - with the long-lined and choral statements of the new themes. That and The Hidden World is so unusual that it caused someone who isn't into soundtracks to comment that it was a beautiful piece in the car just after it came out.
 
My main issue is I have to be careful not to overlisten. I got a bit saturated with Romance In The Clouds on the OST (even had the main buildup as my ringtone for a bit) so I still have to step back a bit sometimes and pay more attention to some of the less prominent tracks now and again.

This describes very well what I love about his music! 

This is actually how I feel about Powell in general, and why I pretty much regard him as the modern Goldsmith. He's ALWAYS doing something interesting even in "throwaway cues" (i.e. those really just don't exist, for him). There's no tiresome repetition. He's always varying something.
 
Yavar

I'd say each score has their "hits".
 
1.
This Is Berk
Forbidden Friendship
See You Tomorrow
Test Drive
Romantic Flight
Where's Hiccup
Coming Back Around
 
2.
Dragon Racing
Flying With Mother
Battle Of The Bewliderbeasts
Hiccup Confronts Drago
Stoick's Ship
Toothless Found
Two New Alphas
 
3.
Legend Has It
Exodus!
Third Date
Furies In Love
The Hidden World
Armada Battle
Once There Were Dragons
 
But honestly. What I feel is so cool and strong about these score is that Powell makes sure that something interesting is happening all the time.
Be it big brass statements, sweeping strings, dancing woodwinds, percussion going nuts, choir singing for if their lives depended on it or even the quieter pizzicato or percussion or the solo harp or pianos.
 
I could listen to all 3 scores in a row (OST or deluxe) and not be distracted by anything else. Powell grabs your fullest attention and doesn't let you go until he means to.

And it ain't Powell.

Kris Bowers announced as composer for The Wild Robot

So 2008 Powell could do six movies in a year but 2024 Powell barely can do two? Sigh...
 
It's pretty much this:
 

Powell already said that Thelma The Unicorn and That Christmas are his only two scores this year, right?

If you ask me, they're some of the best scores ever. But it depends on what style you tend to appreciate. I love high energy complex stuff. That's why Powell is one of my favourites (and not so much Hans, for example).

I love the aesthetic unity of all three looking like they were made in MS paint. What a choice!