What Is The Last Score You Listened To? (older scores)

[crocodile 7,984]

 The Book of Henry by Michael Giacchino. Not sure if it is good score or not. But it is certainly more pleasant than many of his bigger works. Shame there is no CD. I'd actually buy it.

 

Karol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

1 minute ago, crocodile said:

 The Book of Henry by Michael Giacchino. Not sure if it is good score or not. But it is certainly more pleasant than many of his bigger works. Shame there is no CD. I'd actually buy it.

 

Karol

 

That's the most confusing and ill defined post I've read in a long time.

 

You don't know if something is good or not?

[crocodile 7,984]

I have a very poor taste in music.

 

Karol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Do you still review scores?

[Bespin 8,480]

I listen mostly to compilations these days (Ultimate Collection, Lights Camera... Music, etc.), unable to really get into a score. Ah, summer!

[crocodile 7,984]

2 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

Do you still review scores?

Not at the moment. Not much time, even less motivation.

 

Karol

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

15 hours ago, Loert said:

William Walton - Battle of Britain (rejected score)

 

 

13:49 - that's not something you hear every day...

 

I've often wondered about that sound. How was it achieved? Was it accidental? Is it an anomaly on the tape?

[Loert 2,510]

2 hours ago, Richard said:

 

I've often wondered about that sound. How was it achieved? Was it accidental? Is it an anomaly on the tape?

 

Certainly not accidental! It's called a "glissando with open harmonics":

 

 

In Battle of Britain it's played in the violas and cellos. The most famous instance of it is probably in Stravinsky's "The Firebird", where it's played by the violins and cellos:

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

Thanks for that, Loert!  I've always wondered how the sound was made, and now I know 

[Dixon Hill 4,232]

Love those harmonic glisses in here too. 

 

 

[John 2,032]

 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Special Edition]

 

My personal favorite of Shore's Hobbit scores; it is also perhaps the "darkest" Middle-earth soundtrack, which fits the tone of the film well. All the new themes are sophisticated and memorable; Tauriel's theme is fast-paced and gorgeous, Thranduil's theme is echoing and mysterious, and Smaug's sharp motif is as menacing as the scaly antagonist himself. While the score for An Unexpected Journey felt very much like it was from the same vein as the music from LOTR, if somewhat on a less grand scale, the music from this film has a much different feel to it, with Shore experimenting with new, exotic instruments and such that give this soundtrack a very unique tone, when compared to the other Middle-earth scores. Overall, it's a highly entertaining and memorable score, and one that I enjoy listening to many times over.

[Incanus 5,713]

On the Waterfront by Leonard Bernstein: Just got the Intrada CD today. While the sound is very archival there is no denying the excellence of Bernstein's writing. Beautiful.

 

Hellraiser by Christopher Young: Another first listen. Not bad Chris, not bad at all.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

15 minutes ago, Incanus said:

On the Waterfront by Leonard Bernstein: Just got the Intrada CD today. While the sound is very archival there is no denying the excellence of Bernstein's writing. Beautiful.

 

Wonderful music.  I'm very happy with having the 20 minute symphonic suite that Bernstein recorded with much better sound.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I'm listening to Rabbit & Rogue in 5.1 (through just a sound bar though).

 

Listening to this amazing soundtrack finally in physical form.....:

 

 

[Simon McBride 113]

Fantastic Mr. Fox: Additional Music

 

Trains is super catchy

[BloodBoal 7,538]

7 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

I'm listening to Rabbit & Rogue in 5.1 (through just a sound bar though).

 

Listening to this amazing soundtrack finally in physical form.....:

 

 

 

Makes me want to rewatch Mortal Kombat!

 

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,173]

3 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

 

Wonderful music.  I'm very happy with having the 20 minute symphonic suite that Bernstein recorded with much better sound.

 

I have the score release, but I think I've only played it once and didn't pick up anything special that wasn't in the suite. Given the length difference, there must be some relevant material in the score though. I should give it another listen.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Batman Returns

Titanic

Masters of the Universe

 

Bill Conti must have thought MOTU was better than Star Wars. He was right.
 

[Incanus 5,713]

11 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

 

Wonderful music.  I'm very happy with having the 20 minute symphonic suite that Bernstein recorded with much better sound.

I do own a BBC orchestra and Leonard Slatkin recording of the suite and it is indeed a great distillation of many of the central pieces from the score in suite form. I actually waited a good while before deciding to buy the Intrada release although I love the score to bits. Now that it was on discount I decided to get the disc even though it has admittedly archival mono sound quality if for nothing else than the historical value but even on the old tapes the quality of the score comes through.

 

7 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

I have the score release, but I think I've only played it once and didn't pick up anything special that wasn't in the suite. Given the length difference, there must be some relevant material in the score though. I should give it another listen.

The liner notes specifically mention that at least the lengthy cue Cab and Bedroom which underscores the climactic dialogue between the conflicted brothers toward the end of the film was left out of the suite for some reason, which is a shame as it is a powerful piece.

 

Judge Dredd (Intrada) by Alan Silvestri: I was surprised that for an action score Silvestri holds back quite a bit but the action highlights are quite muscular and energetic and as he describes in the liner notes the Judge theme has really an almost gladiatorial air to its relentless marching step. Looking forward to exploring more of the alternate material on disc 2.

[KK 3,307]

Frost/Nixon by Hans Zimmer

 

There was a time when you could get somewhat excited for any score with Zimmer's name on the cover. Nowadays, you can only be bothered to feign interest when Nolan is in the mix, or a special Howard film is involved (even that's not so reliable anymore). Frost/Nixon is the product of a more inspired Zimmer, one who scored this small-scale drama with such earnestness, that the result is incredibly infectious. When was the last time Zimmer pulled out all the stops for a film without a 150+ million dollar budget? This score boasts a colourful instrumental palette, some great suspense writing, and flamboyant manipulation of some clever constructs. Love it.

 

 

 

Panic Room [Complete Score] by Howard Shore

 

An underrated gem. Most of the darker material in TTT and ROTK (ex. Shelob stuff) has its roots here, and its an impressive product for it. One of his finest thriller scores, in fact, and it makes you long for the Shore that used to score dramas/thrillers like this over the lightweight underscore for the likes of Spotlight. The complete score boasts some fantastic aleatoric passages, but the OST does its job well. Great stuff.

 

 

 

Angels and Demons [Sessions] by Hans Zimmer

 

Jeez, I forgot just how audacious this whole thing is. Whatever the Z-man was having when he was working on this; I want it! It's over-the-top, ridiculously fun with just the right dose of The Da Vinci Code's elegance to balance things out. All of Zimmer's tools, tricks and techniques developed over the years are brought to full effect here, and what you've got is one of his most stylistically comprehensive works. 2006-2010 must have been a great time to be a Zimmer fan. The only real shame is how little of Joshua Bell's talent is used here.

 

 

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[KK 3,307]

I still prefer the seminal Da Vinci Code, but boy is Angels and Demons quite the beast.

 

17 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

 Shame Zimmer had to fuck up the trilogy with Inferno...

 

Let's not taint this thread with mention of that half-assed trash.

[Bilbo 3,709]

31 minutes ago, KK said:

Frost/Nixon by Hans Zimmer

 

There was a time when you could get somewhat excited for any score with Zimmer's name on the cover. Nowadays, you can only be bothered to feign interest when Nolan is in the mix, or a special Howard film is involved (even that's not so reliable anymore). Frost/Nixon is the product of a more inspired Zimmer, one who scored this small-scale drama with such earnestness, that the result is incredibly infectious. When was the last time Zimmer pulled out all the stops for a film without a 150+ million dollar budget? This score boasts a colourful instrumental palette, some great suspense writing, and flamboyant manipulation of some clever constructs. Love it.

 

 

 

Panic Room [Complete Score] by Howard Shore

 

An underrated gem. Most of the darker material in TTT and ROTK (ex. Shelob stuff) has its roots here, and its an impressive product for it. One of his finest thriller scores, in fact, and it makes you long for the Shore that used to score dramas/thrillers like this over the lightweight underscore for the likes of Spotlight. The complete score boasts some fantastic aleatoric passages, but the OST does its job well. Great stuff.

 

 

 

Angels and Demons [Sessions] by Hans Zimmer

 

Jeez, I forgot just how audacious this whole thing is. Whatever the Z-man was having when he was working on this; I want it! It's over-the-top, ridiculously fun with just the right dose of The Da Vinci Code's elegance to balance things out. All of Zimmer's tools, tricks and techniques developed over the years are brought to full effect here, and what you've got is one of his most stylistically comprehensive works. 2006-2010 must have been a great time to be a Zimmer fan. The only real shame is how little of Joshua Bell's talent is used here.

 

 

 

Harsh on Spotlight 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I love the Spotlight score. I actually just listened to the whole thing yesterday on my commute home.

[Fancyarcher 350]

Slipstream by Elmer Bernstein 

[KK 3,307]

30 minutes ago, Bilbo Skywalker said:

 

Harsh on Spotlight 

 

It's solid and serviceable. Perfect for the film.

 

But I miss Shore's crazy side.

[Bilbo 3,709]

50 minutes ago, KK said:

 

It's solid and serviceable. Perfect for the film.

 

But I miss Shore's crazy side.

 

I think it's an excellent score. It's a bit subtle but I find it very enjoyable to listen to, even away from the film. 

[crocodile 7,984]

 

Karol

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Return of the Jedi OST

 

Just when it seems I'm over the whole Star Wars thing and go x amount of weeks or months without listening to any of them...well, except the prequels, especially Revenge of the Sith. Okay, the classic trilogy. Anyway, I come back to this fantastic album and remember what it's all about.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

4 hours ago, Bilbo Skywalker said:

 

I think it's an excellent score. It's a bit subtle but I find it very enjoyable to listen to, even away from the film. 

 

[Bespin 8,480]

John Williams -  War horse

John Williams --The BFG ( wow it's rare for me!)

[publicist 4,643]

15 hours ago, KK said:

Angels and Demons [Sessions] by Hans Zimmer

 

Whatever qualities these two scores have, you won't find them in the complete sessions.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The Ghost and the Darkness OST

 

 

[crocodile 7,984]

Bit of Kilar concert work this morning:

 

 

Karol

[Bespin 8,480]

11 hours ago, Bespin said:

John Williams - The BFG ( wow it's rare for me!)

 

... and some parts of it still really annoys me.

 

Near the end in some tracks... the themes come and go, they come and go (I think of the Royal fanfare, by example, I don't know in which track)... It comes and go, it comes and go, all the score is like this.  It's not coherent for me, there's always some parts where I stop doing what I do (reading by example) and watch my speakers and thinks: what's this?  Of course, I don't know the number of edits that are involved in the tracks of the album, it could accentuate the problem, I don't know.

 

Anyway, I think we can't really blame John Williams or maybe he was just a little bit "lazy" scoring this strange movie, because the real problem IS indeed the movie. Because the movie is not coherent, musically, it can't be really different. Many ideas,... but do they go well togheter? Perhaps not every one of them. About the darkest parts, by example, I think they are not coherent to the rest of the score.

 

Well, I really think the Suite is the best thing John Williams could do with this score!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

You cunt! Listening to a score you dislike so you can diss Williams! I oughta slap you. French bastard!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

But he's right. It's not a very good score.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

You're on my shit-list, man!

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now.

[Fancyarcher 350]

I didn't super-care for the music (it was fine, which given JW's age is great), but the BFG is pretty coherent to listen to, score and film IMO. 

[Bespin 8,480]

John Williams - Lincoln

 

[Incanus 5,713]

Judge Dredd by Alan Silvestri: Getting better with each listen but you could create a tight 45 minute album out of this material (which Silvestri initially actually did). I am loving the sheer no-nonsense attitude Silvestri's main theme generates in its staunch triumphant progression.

 

Hellraiser by Christopher Young: I heard some good things about this score and took a chance and bought the BSX label's double release of this and its sequel, both composed by Young. I am actually surprised how melodic the composer keeps this music throughout with ominous malevolently dancing cues of mystery, seduction and mayhem although there are some fierce forays into his beloved music concrete that are sure to test the patience and ears of some people. Sure the horror tropes are here with keening strings and disturbing sound experiments and creepy music box musics but what strikes me is the very clear direction most of this music has as it never devolves into a series of horror stingers and each cue seems to be building to something, whether a specific mood or a dramatic statement.

 

Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 by Christopher Young: This is in essence a bigger version of its predecessor with chorus to top it all. Very entertaining for the reasons stated above, a creepy musical narrative with hefty Gothic and melodic sturm-und-drang, deceptively gentle thematic interludes, sharp violent action rhythms and aggressive buzzing brass and some really effective if ear-challenging music concrete sound manipulations (Leviathan, Chemical Entertainment) that might not be the easiest to get through.

 

This time the music box thematics receive a close cousin, a madcap circus carousel waltz of sinister quality in Hall of Mirrors that naturally goes off the rails and is distorted and manipulated so that it becomes something nightmarish. For some odd reason this whole oompahpah circus organ instrumentation has come to represent horror, of something inherently fun that is turned into macabre (perhaps it is the same with clowns) and Young makes most of this in his music. It is a clear precursor to so many of Young's later scores in this vein  (a somewhat recent Drag Me to Hell comes quickly to mind) and I think he really finely walks the tightrope of eminently melodic and harshly modern to deliver a still unified whole that in my ears stands above your run-of-the mill horror flick soundtrack by a wide margin.

 

P.S. Hellbound-Second Sight Seance is one heck of an opener for the second score. Oh that magnificent Gothic melodrama!

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Black Rain by Hans Zimmer

 

KK's post earlier got me in the mood for some classic Zimmer, so I decided to give the La-La Land expansion a spin. Heavy, atmospheric, yet comparatively subtle in terms of his action writing of the era. Good stuff. It's too bad those 90s expansions dried up and haven't continued since, what, The Peacemaker?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

That's pretty good.

[Alex 2,833]

Revisited Giacchino's Doctor Strange. I really enjoy it.

[Fancyarcher 350]

5 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

Black Rain by Hans Zimmer

 

KK's post earlier got me in the mood for some classic Zimmer, so I decided to give the La-La Land expansion a spin. Heavy, atmospheric, yet comparatively subtle in terms of his action writing of the era. Good stuff. It's too bad those 90s expansions dried up and haven't continued since, what, The Peacemaker?

 

Good early Zimmer music. You can hear the origin of his Batman theme in it, among other scores.

 

5 hours ago, Incanus said:

Judge Dredd by Alan Silvestri: Getting better with each listen but you could create a tight 45 minute album out of this material (which Silvestri initially actually did). I am loving the sheer no-nonsense attitude Silvestri's main theme generates in its staunch triumphant progression.

 

I also love the Rico / villain theme. As Silvestri himself put it in the liner notes, it's very "epic" in nature. 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

James Horner - "Flight"

 

[Loert 2,510]

Ernest Gold - On the Beach (1959)

 

 

Saw the film yesterday, and I especially liked the dramatic music which played during the shots taken above water near the desolate city of San Francisco (track 3). Those incessant high notes towards the beginning almost seem to resemble the random, "whizzing" motion of radioactive particles in the atmosphere (I think it might even be a 12-tone row, as it sounds like a series of 12 notes on a loop).

[Incanus 5,713]

Total Recall by Jerry Goldsmith

 

The Fury by John Williams

 

Star Trek: Nemesis by Jerry Goldsmith

 

 

[Bilbo 3,709]

Pearl Harbour.

 

Hansu's score is munch better than the film. He does tend to overuse the main theme though. I imagine it doesn't show up anywhere in a list of career highlights but I find it an enjoyable listen. Some of the more mournful pieces reminded me of the Lion King.