James Horner's Avatar

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Guys: Quint has informed me that he's received a month long ban for criticising the censoring rule and wants everyone else to be careful because this thread is already dangerously close to the tipping point again.

That's why I stop posting in these kinds of threads after they get out of hand.

Some people have a different definition of 'out of hand' Koray.

My definition is when people post like crazy and it's too much for me too catch up, a la the classic Indiana Jones and Star Wars threads.

The original thread blew up towards the end of that listing, this one is more tame.

[publicist 4,643]

Since I haven't heard a note of The Four Feathers could you give me some example of which theme in Avatar is it? Just curious.

Karol

You may try this SUITE.

At roughly 10 minutes you get an idea which theme it is, sadly the suite lacks the louder moments where it really is 1:1 with the heroic theme form AVATAR.

[DaHaK 0]

it only partially works(makes the page partially blacked out but still loads). PartyPoker.com is one nasty pop up

Are you sure you didn't get addware on your computer?

I'm going to check .

So far this has been working wonders for me

Ad Muncher

See if that works for ya

[crocodile 8,017]

You may try this SUITE.

At roughly 10 minutes you get an idea which theme it is, sadly the suite lacks the louder moments where it really is 1:1 with the heroic theme form AVATAR.

Now I can hear it. Thanks. Anyway, the score sounds nice. I might even consider to buy this.

Karol

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Guys: Quint has informed me that he's received a month long ban for criticising the censoring rule and wants everyone else to be careful because this thread is already dangerously close to the tipping point again.

I don't like the rule.

[publicist 4,643]

You may try this SUITE.

At roughly 10 minutes you get an idea which theme it is, sadly the suite lacks the louder moments where it really is 1:1 with the heroic theme form AVATAR.

Now I can hear it. Thanks. Anyway, the score sounds nice. I might even consider to buy this.

Karol

As you should. It's almost universally despised for its clash of typical Horner schmaltz with Hindu throat singing, but there are some astonishing highlights on it (THE MAHDI, ESCAPE and parts of the finale).

Horner really has a knack for ethnic percussion and voice experiments and here it really shows. Sadly, the 80-minute album is drowned in his usual meandering underscore, meaning you sometimes listen to minute-long nondescript 'reflective' piano stuff and similar timebeaters - but there is a spectacular 40 minute suite waiting to burst out.

[King Mark 3,631]

Can someone make a comparison of OST vs Promo tracks?

[Incanus 5,715]

Here is a tentative Promo VS OST comparison. OST seems to contain a good number alternates or earlier versions, some of which are nearly identical to the film versions but with minor variance in orchestration or development or just containing music editing. Promo tracks often have longer silence at the beginning and at the end of the track which accounts the sometimes longer track length of the film versions and sometimes they are actually longer pieces.

Promo CD 1:Film version 01-''You don't dream in Cryo'' (6:27)

OST version 01-''You don't dream in Cryo'' (6:09)

The film version has longer rhythmic passages repeated and some different if minute orchestrational changes (e.g. first blast of the danger motif is omitted).

Promo CD 1:Film version 05-Jake enters his avatar world (5:48)

OST version02-Jake enters his avatar world (5:24)

Major difference is in the middle with the ethnic percussion and flutes which is a bit longer in the film version.

Promo CD 1:Film version 06-Into the Na'Vi world (0:54)

Version from the soundtrack site Into the Na'Vi world (1:35)

The piece which could be heard on the soundtrack site prior to the films release and that made its way to the internet versions of the OST is truly an alternate that is even more jubilant than the film version, containing similarly percussion, but also choir and a dazzling brass fanfare. The film version contains deeper percussion and rising majestic chords on brass. Missing of the voices is the major difference in the take on the scene but it could be that the film makers wanted to reserve them for the meeting of Na'Vi themselves.

Promo CD 1:Film version10-Jake meets the Na'Vi (10:41)

OST version 03-Pure Spirits of the Forest (8:50)

On Promo this piece is in mono. The longer film version contains some differences compared to the OST, a different passage in the middle for the arrival of the Na'Vi warriors and Tsu'tey (about a minute in length) and longer ending with more atmospherics for Jake meeting Neytiri's tribe at the Hometree.

OST 04 The Bioluminescence of the Night (3:37):This piece is not in the film. It could be an alternate for some scene or from a scene that did not make it to the final cut or possibly some earlier concept music. I can think several scenes it could have been used: Mated for life, Pure Spirits of the Forest (beginning half) and most likely Night Iridescence.

Promo CD 1:Film version 20-Becoming one of ''The People'' (3:15)

OST version05-Becoming one of ''The People'', Becoming One with Neytiri (0:00-3:02).

OST version combines Becoming one of ''The People'' and Becoming One with Neytiri (called Mated for Life on the Promo)

Becoming one of ''The People'' on OST contains the solo boysoprano, the film version has a flute instead and less powerful choral accompaniment. The OST version ends with a small flourish whereas the film version ends with Na'Vi choral voices.

Promo CD 1:21-Night iridescence (2:07)

It is possible that Bioluminescence of the Night from the OST is an alternate of this. They are quite different from each other though.

Promo CD 2:Film version 01-Climbing up Iknimaya (2:59)

OST version 06- Climbing up Iknimaya – The Path to Heaven (3:18)

The film version is edited here and there and contains a different ending, a short noble horn solo segueing into similar ethnic flute music as the OST version.

Promo CD 2:Film version 02-Jake's first flight (6:34)

OST version 07-Jake’s First Flight (4:50)

The film version has two distinct parts, first one for Jake taming the Ikran sequence, a percussion and synth cue with hint of the love/main theme at the end (0:00-3:17) and Jake’s First Flight (3:18-end).

OST contains the actual First Flight cue unedited and also a coda for solo voice which is not in the film. This particular vocal melody is used in the film for Funeral chant (Promo CD 2 track 17), sung by a choir instead of a solo voice.

Promo CD 2: Film version 06-Mated for life (4:35)

OST version 05-Becoming one of ''The People'', Becoming One with Neytiri (3:04-end)

OST contains an alternate version of this cue, beginning with the heroic Na’Vi theme with oboe and ethnic flute solos rising to noble brass and drum hits at the crescendo, the film version containing slower ethnic flute solo and less of a crescendo. The following piano led rendition of the love/main theme is nearly the same in both versions but in the film version the music soon turns more ethereal with synth sounding choir.

Interesting to note that the last part, the actual Becoming One with Neytiri scene is entirely different on the OST, with piano, harp flute and oboe but the feel in the orchestration is very Braveheart styled in both versions. The film version contains an ethnic flute solo skirting similarly Braveheart’s love theme as the OST version with its stuttering flute and oboe with harp accompaniment. Horner seems to develop his love themes in Braveheart fashion a lot.

Promo CD 2:Film version???07-Scorched earth (3:39)/08-Quaritch pulls the plug (3:39)

OST version08-Scorched earth (3:32)

The Promo contains two different versions of the music for this scene. The track 7 called Scorched Earth is an alternate which features a darker middle section of aggressive brass and percussion and strange wailing strings. It is more purely militaristic and action oriented.

The track 8 called Quaritch Pulls the Plug is the same as the OST version which has a more heroic middle and end sections featuring the Nature/Pandora and love/main theme and Na'Vi chanting. I think the final piece in the film is a mix of these both cues as I remember that the more prominent danger motif variation from Scorched earth is heard as we see the destruction the bulldozers have made.

Promo CD 2: Film version 11-vQuaritch (4:37)

OST version: 09-Quaritch (5:01)

The OST version has an ominous string intro of about 15 seconds before going into the action, the film version goes straight into the action. The film version is microedited and contains some small orchestrational changes here and there.

Promo CD 2: Film version 12-The destruction of home tree (7:09)

OST version10-The destruction of Hometree (6:47)

The film version has some obvious micro edits but also extra sections. First is the rhythmic strings at the beginning. There is also another new section from 4:07-4:22 a synth and synth choir passage before the fall of the Hometree absent from the OST. It has a few seconds of silence before the cue continues. The rest of the cue continues from here on as on the OST.

Promo CD 2: Film version 13-Shutting down Grace's lab (2:56)

OST version11-Shutting down Grace's lab (2:47)

Main difference is a short string overlay on top of the soloists' voices at the end of the cue in the film version.

Promo CD 2: Film version 20-Gathering the Na'Vi clans for battle (5:01)

OST version(5:14)

The film version contains either minor differences in performance or microedits.

Promo CD 3: Film version 03-War (9:19)/07-A new beginning (3:32)

OST version 13 War (11:21)

The film version contains an extra section of heroic brass (1:14-1:19), which sound like an obvious insert. At 6:30 there is a brief edit of material which sounds like the Eywa Has Heard You/Quaritch Down into the music (6:30-6:47) after which the cue repeats a part of the earlier music in the track and then continues to an edit of ending of the Destruction of the Hometree and that goes on to the soloist section which is almost certainly taken from Shutting Down Grace's Lab.

On OST the War cue ends at about 8:00 with a flourish and goes into A New Beginning cue which seems very similar to the version on the Promo.

A few notes on the Promo:

CD1:

07-Thanator chase part 1 (2:03). THIS SHOULD BE THANATOR CHASE Pt. 2. The actual cue of the Thanator pursuing Jake.

08-Thanator chase part 2 (3:26). THIS PIECE IS ACTUALLY THANATOR CHASE Pt. 1. It contains the music from the previous scene where Grace and the team land and wander into the forest (the flute and percussion) and Jake's subsequent encounter with the Hammerheads and the appearance of Thanator.

09-Pure spirits of the forest (4:18)(Actually the cue is called Viperwolves), Neytiri's first look at Jake, Grace and team searching in vain for him and Jake fighting the Viperwolves). Mono on the Promo release.

For some reason the 3 Floating Mountains pieces are in a backwards chronological order on the Promo but luckily numbered correctly as Parts 1, 2 and 3 (should be in order 19, 18, 17).

17-End the floating mountains part 3 (2:07). Music from the scene where Jake learns of Ikrans from Neytiri and she flies off on her steed.

18-Mid 1 the floating mountains part 2 (1:09). Music from the scene where the science team settles into the lab in the Hallelujah Mountains and the action moves back to the Hometree. A majestic rendition of the Nature/Pandora theme.

19-Start the floating mountains part 1 (1:49). Music from the scene where the science team flies off to the Hallelujah Mountains.

[bondo 33]

Excellent work Icanus! I made my own edit and can concur with your assessment 100%. I'm a little bummed at the mono tracks, but we're still left with 95% of the score, which is more than we had before!

Also, did you notice that the Aliens/Star Trek 2 (Klingons) reference seems to be the Thanator motif? It pops up (obviously) in Thanator Chase, the reappears when Neytiri fights Quaritch at the end. I'm enjoying the hell out of this score! The unreleased music really fleshes it out, although there was nothing wrong with the OST. The ending is far more satisfying in this version.

[Incanus 5,715]

Excellent work Icanus! I made my own edit and can concur with your assessment 100%. I'm a little bummed at the mono tracks, but we're still left with 95% of the score, which is more than we had before!

Also, did you notice that the Aliens/Star Trek 2 (Klingons) reference seems to be the Thanator motif? It pops up (obviously) in Thanator Chase, the reappears when Neytiri fights Quaritch at the end. I'm enjoying the hell out of this score! The unreleased music really fleshes it out, although there was nothing wrong with the OST. The ending is far more satisfying in this version.

Yes I first noticed the Aliens motif reference for Thanator in the theater when I went to see the film. And I am too enjoying this score a lot more with all the unreleased music. The mono cues are somewhat disappointing, especially when they are some of the longest cues in the score but we have quite a lot of the cues on the OST in edited or alternate form. And who knows. Perhaps the recording sessions appear some day.

[publicist 4,643]

Including the INTO THE NAVI WORLD track from the website, please...

[crumbs 14,317]

You could really assemble a terrific 100 minute listening experience from this. Ditch the filler and edit some tracks together. The OST was good, but a bit lacking on action material.

[Demondm810 399]

Thanks Icanus, that was amazing.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

Great work Mikko - I wish I had the patience to sort through all this music.

The mono cues are the only element stopping me truly enjoying this set. I hope stereo versions appear soon.

[King Mark 3,631]

thanks Icanus!!!

I made a custom play list

[Jay 37,368]

Another ebay auction for the 18track FYC promo

http://cgi.ebay.com/Avatar-Best-Original-Score-James-Horner-FYC-CD_W0QQitemZ150423994412QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_CDs?hash=item2305f8002c

[TheDarkOrb 0]

King Mark: Post your custom play list, exalted one. I'd like to see what you did.

[King Mark 3,631]

King Mark: Post your custom play list, exalted one. I'd like to see what you did.

01-''You don't dream in cryo (OST)

05-Jake Enters His Avatar World 5:49

06-Into the Na'Vi World 0:54

Into The Na'vi World (Bonus) 1:35

07-Thanator Chase Pt. 1 2:03

03-Pure spirits of the forest 8:50 (OST)

04-The bioluminescence of the night 3:37 (OST)

14-The Plan 1:16

16-The Village - Jake's First Ride 2:11

19-Start The Floating Mountains Pt. 1 1:50

18-Mid 1 The Floating Mountains Pt. 2 1:09

17-End The Floating Mountains Pt. 3 2:07

20-Becoming One of ''The People'' 3:16

21-Night Iridescence 2:08

01-Climbing Up Iknimaya 3:00

07-Jake's first flight 4:50 (OST)

03-Intro 0:37

05-A Man of My Word 1:11

06-Mated For Life 4:36

07-Scorched Earth 3:39

08-Quaritch Pulls The Plug

09-Quaritch 5:01 (OST)

10-The destruction of Hometree 6:47 (OST)

14-Escape from Hellgate 3:19

15-Help for Grace 2:26

16-Bonding With Leonoptryx 1:39

18-Prayers for Grace 2:55

19-Grace's Death 2:21

12-Gathering all the Na'vi clans for battle (OST)

02-Jake Prays to Eywa 1:52

13-War 11:22 (OST)

04-The Battle Continues 1:26

05-Quaritch Down 5:10

06-Fight to the Death 4:58

07-A New Beginning 3:33

[Trent B 337]

I've never understood why people must insist on putting long silences before and after tracks sometimes on a score like this. I mean seriously what's the point?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Mark, don't forget "I See You".

[TheDarkOrb 0]

I dig the OST version of "YDDIC...." too. I do have Quaritch Speech in mine though. I love the little synthies.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

While having this expanded set is great, I'm sort of holding out including it properly to see if those stereo cues surface.

And I'm still laughing at whoever paid $3000 for it.

[Incanus 5,715]

While having this expanded set is great, I'm sort of holding out including it properly to see if those stereo cues surface.

And I'm still laughing at whoever paid $3000 for it.

I did my own edit but am waiting for those stereo cues as well so it can be a bit more complete. Curse my film music fan obsession about film versions as they were recorded!

And truly, the person who paid 3000$ for the Promo must feel a teeny tiny bit betrayed and hoaxed. I almost feel sorry for him.

[Trent B 337]

I've kept everything in my edit, included some of the alternate bits from the OST and such. I also tinkered with the mono cues to make them sound at least more stereo by doing a delay for it. It sounds okay by my ears but may not be great for others.

BTW I've also confirmed the finale part when Jake becomes one with his Avatar at the end and his human body dies, is definitely tracked. It's mostly tracked from "Climbing Up Iknimaya".

[TownerFan 4,983]

BTW I've also confirmed the finale part when Jake becomes one with his Avatar at the end and his human body dies, is definitely tracked. It's mostly tracked from "Climbing Up Iknimaya".

Just like Titanic final sequence was tracked with a cue from earlier in the movie and the terrific action climax in Aliens was replaced with "Bishop's Countdown". Maybe it's a Cameron thing.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

I've never understood why people must insist on putting long silences before and after tracks sometimes on a score like this. I mean seriously what's the point?

isnt it a kind of iso score? those silences are surelly a poorly cut iso score...

[Wojo 2,453]

Maybe all those long silence parts are why I hated it the first time I heard it. I should've given it a second chance. Oh well.

[Trent B 337]

Maybe all those long silence parts are why I hated it the first time I heard it. I should've given it a second chance. Oh well.

I went through and took out all the unnecessary silence...leaving about a second of silence before and after each cue ends.

isnt it a kind of iso score? those silences are surelly a poorly cut iso score...

Ya it's essentially an isolated score. The silence are definitely unncessary.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

I used to remove excessive silence, but it's happening far too often to fix nowadays.

For example, one cue in A Serious Man is about 25 seconds long, but only about 10 seconds of that is actually music.

Back to Avatar - in a way I'm glad that this isn't a 'what he originally wrote' set. I get really annoyed to get a complete score, and find that half of it is different to what I remember from the film because it's what the composer originally wrote.

[Wojo 2,453]

Rock albums often do that. They'll include a "hidden track" either as track 13 of a seemingly 12 track album, or tack it onto the end of the last track after a long silence. When I finally put the 1997 presentations of the Star Wars albums onto my iPod, "Binary Sunset" won't be a 12 minute track anymore, and each successive take will be its own track not located in the middle of the album.

The super-long track with silence in between is a holdover from the LP and cassette days, but has no place anymore in this time of CDs and digital files, when users don't want to hold down fast-foward to get to a specific point in the piece.

[Trent B 337]

When I finally put the 1997 presentations of the Star Wars albums onto my iPod...

You mean you haven't yet?! For shame, for shame... *shakes his head*.

[Ollie 1,059]

While having this expanded set is great, I'm sort of holding out including it properly to see if those stereo cues surface.

And I'm still laughing at whoever paid $3000 for it.

I did my own edit but am waiting for those stereo cues as well so it can be a bit more complete. Curse my film music fan obsession about film versions as they were recorded!

And truly, the person who paid 3000$ for the Promo must feel a teeny tiny bit betrayed and hoaxed. I almost feel sorry for him.

Or maybe they are super rich and spending $3000.00 on a CD is like pennies to them. If people have the money to spend then cost isn't an option.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

To that, I'd argue that there are better things to spend that sort of money on.

[Wojo 2,453]

Trent, I only have 111 gigs free on my iPod. I have to be selective. Dot dot dot.

[Ollie 1,059]

To that, I'd argue that there are better things to spend that sort of money on.

Yeah but if you have that kind of money you're not going to care.

[OneBuckFilms 323]

To that, I'd argue that there are better things to spend that sort of money on.

Yeah but if you have that kind of money you're not going to care.

If I had that kind of money to burn, I'd likely have a lot more for more serious things. If I became rich, I would probably put money into more complete/expanded CD releases, so that everyone could enjoy the music legitimately.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

Yeah, that's the sort of thing I'd look towards too.

I recall reading in an archived issue of FSM that Lukas mentioned how, for certain scores, anyone who came forward and offered to pay reuse fees would be their saviour.

My preferred approach would be to tell the AFM to f*ck off and come back with a proper business model.

[OneBuckFilms 323]

Sadly, I'm not rich.

[Incanus 5,715]

I found this on the net yesterday. They are going to release a digital version of the Avatar soundtrack album in so called Deluxe treatment and add 6 bonus tracks on it. It will be made availabe on the 19th of April in Amazon.UK and on April 20th in US.

Here are links to both Amazon UK Amazon UK and Amazon.com Amazon

I think the leaking of the score materials on the Promo etc must have been one reason to release this.

[Admiral Holdo 16]

They're all synth demos.

[Henry B 50]

They're all synth demos.

The fuck, man?

[Incanus 5,715]

They're all synth demos.

Yes indeed they seem to be. I did not have time to listen to them so I had no idea that was the case. Completely worthless then. Bugger.

[Trent B 337]

They don't sound synth to me.

Edit: You guys should listen to them, they don't seem synth to me.

[Henry B 50]

High quality synths, but still synths.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

What's wrong with demos? We all have the fucking 3-disc promo, not like we need 6 lousy bonus tracks of what we already have.

[Wojo 2,453]

CD album versions of Avatar: 2

Oscar wins for Avatar: 0

CD album versions of Up!: 0

Oscar wins for Up!: 1

Something's not right...

[Ollie 1,059]

Blame Disney.

[Wojo 2,453]

This album's pointless. When I hear synth demos in my albums, it's time to switch to something else.

[TownerFan 4,983]

It's certainly cheap for the record company to release synth demos (i.e.: no re-use fees), but it's at least strange Horner is allowing his music released this way.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

It's certainly cheap for the record company to release synth demos (i.e.: no re-use fees), but it's at least strange Horner is allowing his music released this way.

$$$