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

[publicist 4,643]

 

Another contender for this year's best. While i thought this was genuine Shostakovich re-arranged when i saw the movie, it turns out that young composer Christopher Willis wrote a great homage to the russian master, ca. 1940-1950's (his arguably greatest era). Lots of pulsating, anguished fugal strings and defeated-yet-heroic brass and oh-so many film musical germs, from Williams to Horner - and it's also hardly 30 minutes so no wading through hours of stuff no one needs on record. Sample it!

[Jurassic Shark 12,012]

1 hour ago, Stefancos said:

 

That looks funny!

 

It's a reissue licenced to TER. The Korngold scores to Robin Hood and The Sea Hawk with the same conductor got the same treatment. I don't remember if it has the original booklet notes.

[publicist 4,643]

 

The Haunting - Jerry Goldsmith (redux review for Deluxe Edition)

 

Idiomatically an engaging departure from the uniform bold horn writing of the mid- to late 90's, this Dreamworks picture is still another entry in the eternal Goldsmith curse of horrible pictures begging for musical mercy. Outrageous foreground scoring á la 'Poltergeist' was long passé in 1999, so we have to settle for a more economical version that chills and scares in hushed tones but still features all the indelible JG fingerprints.

 

Set in a more lyrical Basic Instinct-climate with a measured descending string waltz and an array of synth effects impersonating the spooky noises you may expect in a haunted house, the score is part fearful watching-and-waiting (a Goldsmith speciality, anyway), part elegant spookiness (with 'The Curtains' still being the best example) and a sometimes poignant lyrical comment on the sad story of Lily Taylor. It's closest to the early JNH/Shymalayan scores in style though the noisy blockbuster moments, i. e. 'Terror in Bed' and the finale, are a dead giveaway what kind of 'entertainment' is on the menu here.

 

There are on this new release some delicious moments missing from Varése's old 35-minute job, though half of them are under or barely above a minute. Still, they merit mention and while the composer would have rolled his eyes at 80 minutes of his music - not to mention an obvious quickie replacement of the big finale which is patently not his preferred version - the old version would have still much better at above 50 minutes to let the mood sink in.

Btw, whatever happened in the original cut of the big confrontation at the end could not have been worse than Eleanor being finally taken upwards to the heavens by cgi angels. Goldsmith must have had painful memories of a similarly embarrassing glowing Jesus at the end of 'The Final Conflict' though at least the replacement score ends on a more romantic note. There is one major flaw which is a bad edit of the 2-minute theme album version that is for inexplicable reasons spliced together with the last film cue, 'Home Safe'. Why so many short cues were left alone and those two unrelated and ill-fitting cues now bleed into another remains a secret, but hey, we still have the old version. Sound may be a bit more spatial, though the old release already had a remarkable sound design with deep cavernous reverb.

 

Tracks you could easily lose are 9, 11, 20 and 21, some of the others may require some editing together though the score is still very repetitive this way but as a fan of Goldsmith's icy strings versus accompanying woodwinds you will not want t miss any of those.

[crocodile 7,979]

3 hours ago, publicist said:

 

Another contender for this year's best. While i thought this was genuine Shostakovich re-arranged when i saw the movie, it turns out that young composer Christopher Willis wrote a great homage to the russian master, ca. 1940-1950's (his arguably greatest era). Lots of pulsating, anguished fugal strings and defeated-yet-heroic brass and oh-so many film musical germs, from Williams to Horner - and it's also hardly 30 minutes so no wading through hours of stuff no one needs on record. Sample it!

It DOES sound like Shostakovich.

 

Karol

[Incanus 5,713]

19 hours ago, Bespin said:

Mine looks like this:

 

4 hours ago, Stefancos said:

 

That looks funny!

I think Varese has repackaged that particular CD countless times over the years. I even have black and white cardboard sleeve over the CD from 2000's saying "Limited Edition" on it.

 

A classic and excellent re-recording.

[Bespin 8,472]

It's the Christmas version.

[crocodile 7,979]

 Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park by John T(urtleneck) Williams

 

Karol

[Incanus 5,713]

Star Wars The Force Awakens by John Williams: I still love this one. Has such wonderful dare I say youthful energy to much of it.

 

Seven Years in Tibet by John Williams: This one also has aged like fine wine and my appreciation for it grows continually. Definitely in the upper echelons of John Williams' dramatic scores.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,490]

WITLSILT?

George Martin's original sketches for THE MISSION (yes, that THE MISSION!).

Not bad.

[Jay 37,271]

Hmm, have you picked up the new Close Encounters release, Richard?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,490]

Afraid not, unfortunately  but thanks for asking.

I'll buy it as soon as I can.

[Jay 37,271]

I think you'll really liked it.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,490]

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll get it, eventually.

[crocodile 7,979]

 Titanic by James "Vienna's great son" Horner. I'm rather enjoying the new set. Haven't actually watched the film since the late 1990's (other than some segments) so a lot of the material feels brand new. The second 10-minute underwater track is a surprising highlight. Some bits still slightly get on my nerves (not as many as I remember) but there's more than enough solid stuff on this release to entertain. Good buy.

 

Karol - who is going to pick up his Damnation Alley copy from the post office tomorrow afternoon. 

[bollemanneke 3,334]

TFA. Definitely my favourite SW score now. Loved the brass this time, espcially in the opening titles. Farewell and the Trip is amazing.

[crocodile 7,979]

 Damnation Alley by Jerry Goldsmith

 

Karol

[Incanus 5,713]

16 hours ago, crocodile said:

 Damnation Alley by Jerry Goldsmith

 

Karol

And?

 

Lincoln (OST + FYC expanded edit) by John Williams

 

Abzû by Austin Wintory

[crocodile 7,979]

1 hour ago, Incanus said:

And?

I think as a fan of stuff like Capricorn One or Planet of the Apes you'll be happy. Has the same sort of brutal rawness but is probably more listenable than either of those. Not really theme-driven though. But because the complete score is only about 30 minutes long it can't possibly ever outstay its welcome. The integration of modern synth recording soumds seamless to me but then I didn't know this score beforehand. @publicist will probably know more.

 

Karol

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Justice League by Danny Elfman

I like "The Tunnel Fight," but that's about it.

 

Coco by Michael Giacchino

Bland and boring.

 

The Shape Of Water by Alexandre Desplat

Just the opening track and it's just Benjamin Button. Pass.

 

What happened to film scoring?

[Jay 37,271]

Nobuo Uematsu & Various - Distant Worlds IV: More Music from Final Fantasy

 

I liked this a lot, probably more than Distant Worlds II and III.  Battle With the Four Fiends from FFIV was especially good, though I really appreciated the whole album.  I'd have to listen again to remember other highlights for me.  Thanks @BloodBoal for reminding me this exists

[KK 3,307]

Star Wars: The Last Jedi by John Williams

 

On my first listen, Williams has delivered a functional SW score, but not much more. While it has some interesting bits, it largely serves as a lesser companion work to its predecessor, TFA. Gone are the days when you can expect the maestro to push himself creatively with these big franchise films (and if The Post is any indication, this might as well apply to all his film music output). And perhaps it would be unreasonable to expect him to do so at this stage of his career. I felt somewhat similarly when I first heard TFA, but it boasted stronger core ideas and set-pieces.

 

Ultimately, TLJ is a collection of decent to well-executed thematic reprisals, serviceable, familiar underscore and a solid new theme to add to the established SW lexicon. That is the SW formula now, and I don't expect that to change for the final film either. I guess I really shouldn't. That Williams is still writing in this caliber, for projects of this scale at his age is a feat in itself that should be applauded. But it may be a sign that even if Williams was fit enough to consider the idea of scoring the next trilogy, I think SW is ready to be handed to a new voice.

 

Solid stuff, regardless. Just don't expect my eyes to stop rolling when the fanboys rave about this being the "best SW score", or the inevitable "Rose's Theme - Williams' Best Theme Yet?" threads start popping up!

[Jay 37,271]

I'm already surprised that some people like Rose's Theme more than Rey's Theme.  I dunno what they're hearing that I'm not

[KK 3,307]

Rey's Theme is without a doubt the stronger theme. Rose's theme is just a nice tune to add to the collection.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

5 minutes ago, KK said:

Star Wars: The Last Jedi by John Williams

 

On my first listen, Williams has delivered a functional SW score, but not much more. While it has some interesting bits, it largely serves as a lesser companion work to its predecessor, TFA. Gone are the days when you can expect the maestro to push himself creatively with these big franchise films (and if The Post is any indication, this might as well apply to all his film music output). And perhaps it would be unreasonable to expect him to do so at this stage of his career. I felt somewhat similarly when I first heard TFA, but that was a much stronger stand-alone score, with a batch of great set-pieces to boot.

 

Ultimately, TLJ is a collection of decent to well-executed thematic reprisals, serviceable, familiar underscore and a solid new theme to add to the established SW lexicon. That is the SW formula now, and I don't expect that to change for the final film either. I guess I really shouldn't. That Williams is still writing in this caliber, for projects of this scale at his age is a feat in itself that should be applauded.

 

Just don't expect my eyes to stop rolling when the fanboys rave about this being the "best SW score", or the inevitable "Rose's Theme - Williams' Best Theme Yet?" threads start popping up!

 

Hater who likes to hate just for the sake of hating!

 

Why did you join a John Williams forum if it is only to trash John Williams? Don't have anything better to do with your days?

 

Ignored!

[crocodile 7,979]

Would be nice if you guys kept this discussion in the spoiler threads. I was trying to stay away from any info about the score. Not even a track list.

 

Karol

[Jay 37,271]

8 minutes ago, KK said:

Rey's Theme is without a doubt the stronger theme. Rose's theme is just a nice tune to add to the collection.

 

That's how I feel

 

 

Just now, crocodile said:

Would be nice if you guys kept this discussion in the spoiler threads. I was trying to stay away from any info about the score. Not even a track list.

 

Karol

 

I see no track titles in KK's post.

[crocodile 7,979]

Any info Jay. Any info.

 

Karol

[Jay 37,271]

People are allowed to talk about albums they've heard in this thread, including new John Williams albums.  No reason to have a special policy for it.  You can just not read those posts.

[crocodile 7,979]

I thought we had a thread for those. Several, even. And the album is not even out officially. 

 

Time to stay away altogether then. Shame...

 

Karol

[KK 3,307]

14 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

 

Hater who likes to hate just for the sake of hating!

 

Why did you join a John Williams forum if it is only to trash John Williams? Don't have anything better to do with your days?

 

Ignored!

 

Sigh.

 

4 minutes ago, crocodile said:

I thought we had a thread for those. Several, even. And the album is not even out officially. 

 

Karol

 

Apologies croc. Just posted general thoughts. Might have been premature on my part.

[Jay 37,271]

John Powell - Ferdinand

 

Alexandre Desplat - The Shape of Water

 

Wow, two very good scores to end the year with, before we even get the two Williams scores to really end the year.  I liked both of these a lot, and they are certainly two of the best scores of 2017!

 

Ferdinand is fun, upbeat, and full of pep!  I loved the spanish influence.

The Shape of Water really draws you in, though also features some weird whistling I'm not sure what to make of.  

 

I wish I had more time to listen to these before the Williams releases take over

[Lewya 360]

57 minutes ago, KK said:

Star Wars: The Last Jedi by John Williams

 

On my first listen, Williams has delivered a functional SW score, but not much more. While it has some interesting bits, it largely serves as a lesser companion work to its predecessor, TFA. Gone are the days when you can expect the maestro to push himself creatively with these big franchise films (and if The Post is any indication, this might as well apply to all his film music output). And perhaps it would be unreasonable to expect him to do so at this stage of his career. I felt somewhat similarly when I first heard TFA, but that was a much stronger stand-alone score, with a batch of great set-pieces to boot.

 

Ultimately, TLJ is a collection of decent to well-executed thematic reprisals, serviceable, familiar underscore and a solid new theme to add to the established SW lexicon. That is the SW formula now, and I don't expect that to change for the final film either. I guess I really shouldn't. That Williams is still writing in this caliber, for projects of this scale at his age is a feat in itself that should be applauded. But it may be a sign that even if Williams was fit enough to consider the idea of scoring the next trilogy, I think SW is ready to be handed to a new voice.

 

Solid stuff, regardless. Just don't expect my eyes to stop rolling when the fanboys rave about this being the "best SW score", or the inevitable "Rose's Theme - Williams' Best Theme Yet?" threads start popping up!

I agree with your take on this. I'd rate it 3/5 for Williams, 4/5 compared to all other scores out there. Overall it is a disappointment.

[Jay 37,271]

Joe Kraemer - Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation

 

My first listen in quite some time - listening to the LLL JP collection over and over again for a year has left little room for other scores to sneak in

I was once again blown away by this score, how fun and inspired it is.  This is one of those albums where every single track is good, I just love the whole thing.  Can't wait for the sequel score - my most anticipated score of 2018 by a long mile!

 

 

John Williams - The Force Awakens

 

I wanted to dig this out again, after a long time away from it.  I listened to both the OST album on Spotify a few times, and I listened to my physical copy of the FYC CD, which it turns out I hadn't even opened yet.  I honestly was underwhelmed by both presentations.  I think the highlights of this score (most every iteration of Rey's theme) are AMAZING, completely top notch Williams.  But I don't like all of the underscore, some of it just kind of sits there not doing much.  Right after listening to Rogue Nation, where I loved every bit of everything, it cemented for me that Rogue Nation is my favorite score of 2015, ahead of TFA.  Sorry Johnny!

[Bespin 8,472]

A new Christmas playlist... classical, but not old.

 

With a little bit of John Williams, of course!
 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

20 minutes ago, Jay said:

Right after listening to Rogue Nation, where I loved every bit of everything, it cemented for me that Rogue Nation is my favorite score of 2015, ahead of TFA.  Sorry Johnny!

 

Incorrect!

[publicist 4,643]

1 hour ago, Koray Savas said:

Coco by Michael Giacchino

Bland and boring.

 

The end credits suite is a really warm and nice cue i wouldn't want to miss. The Desplat isn't half shabby either (and has got nothing to do with Button, a few superficial similarities aside).

[Jay 37,271]

John Williams - The Last Jedi

 

The most FUN John Williams album in a while.  The entire CD is brimming with exuberant energy.  It's much more of a celebration of the OT & TFA bed of themes than it is trying to do much new - there's only one major new theme.  That new theme is nice, but not groundbreaking.  The action material early in the album is a bit choppy and seemingly unorganized (perhaps due to rewrites or just editing down of longer cues), but the action music later in the album is fantastic stuff.  The end credits medley isn't as elegantly organized as TFA's all-time classic one, but it features some really fantastic sections that I can't wait to hear live in Boston in the spring.  

Fun album!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,271]

I'm afraid I don't remember any specifics now (I actually listened a while ago, but forgot to write about it until now), but I agree - the music in the later (say post-9) FF games is fairly "anonymous" for lack of a better word, and this album made me notice good things in their scores more than any of compilation type album has.

 

Woah, an orchestral FF VIII album would be aces!

[Dixon Hill 4,232]

I've had a big listening day.  Two which I've been anticipating, Powell's Ferdinand and Desplat's The Shape of Water (second listening), fell somewhat flat for me, despite being highly competent.  The subject matter and overall aesthetics simply don't jive with me, not immediately at least.

 

Digging a bit more into The Last Jedi reveals some very satisfying work.  TFA showed Williams, at the height of his powers, easing into a new iteration of old territory.  This new score shows an even more potent side of the master as he lets loose his thematic arsenal, old and new.  While not as streamlined and "no note wasted" as TFA, this one does have more of a relentless momentum.  The recording's slightly wetter quality is welcome.

 

I began the listening, though, with a revisit to Dunkirk.  Spinning this score and TLJ in one day seems to paint the year 2017 in a very positive light, even if I were to only go by these two entries - perhaps more so in that case.  How wonderful to have such seminal showcases of Zimmer and Williams, each doing their thing with laser precision, delivered in the same year.  Fantastic.

[publicist 4,643]

18 hours ago, crocodile said:

I think as a fan of stuff like Capricorn One or Planet of the Apes you'll be happy. Has the same sort of brutal rawness but is probably more listenable than either of those. Not really theme-driven though. But because the complete score is only about 30 minutes long it can't possibly ever outstay its welcome. The integration of modern synth recording soumds seamless to me but then I didn't know this score beforehand. @publicist will probably know more.

 

Karol

 

There is hands-down no Goldsmith from 1977-1978 that is not a masterpiece in at least one or two respects and thus 'Damnation Alley' is formally remarkable and in a genre where Goldsmith had few misses. There is no Star Trek-sing along theme but a typically flexible 4-note core motif manipulated to hell and back. The 7-minute suite below is a good condensation of the aesthetic (synthies included).

 

 

[Fancyarcher 350]

Star Wars: The Last Jedi by John Williams - Very good. Rose's theme is already growing on me. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Will me and Jason be the only ones not that in love with Rose's Theme?

 

 

[Jay 37,271]

Seems like a lot of people sure do like it!

 

I like Luke's new theme better.

[publicist 4,643]

[Jurassic Shark 12,012]

TLJ

 

 

[BloodBoal 7,538]

1 hour ago, Stefancos said:

Will me and Jason be the only ones not that in love with Rose's Theme?

 

Add KK and filmmusic to the list.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

And Justin, when he gets back. He will not be able to accept any the for Rose save Rose Dawson's,

[Jay 37,271]

It's not a bad theme, it's just not in the upper echelon of all themes Williams has ever composed, not by a mile.  I'm surprised someone like KM likes it so much.

[crocodile 7,979]

 The Last Jedi. First listen.

 

Karol