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

[publicist 4,643]

Movie-wise is always my angle.

You mean if you listen to action music playlists?

[Quintus 5,399]

Yes. It's very unusual for me to be interested in movie soundtracks without prior knowledge and experience of a given movie beforehand. My recollections of cue orchestration and structure tends to be already very well developed by the time I actually go out and buy the cd.

I never blind-buy a score just because I like the composer. Basically, I'm nowhere near as hardcore as you guys.

[publicist 4,643]

Given my habit of buying a lot of Morricone and Goldsmith, i'm eternally grateful that my enjoyment of the music isn't spoiled by actually knowing the movies attached (in a lot of cases). It kind of kills the imagination, too.

[Wojo 2,453]

There are scores that I fell in love with long before seeing a frame of the films. Star Trek V, Conan, and Cutthroat Island come to mind. I should do a study on the ratio of soundtracks I have where I have seen the film to those I have not. I bet the ratio would astound me.

[Quintus 5,399]

Yeah I always regret that I almost certainly miss out on a lot of great releases as a result of my not seeing a particular movie. All those Goldsmith greats I keep hearing about which I've never listened to because their accompanying movies are said to be terrible.

[publicist 4,643]

Well, you are actually better off just listening to POLTERGEIST II instead of memorizing the lame plot machinations the music accompanies. That also goes for a lot of supposedly higher class entertainment, i. e. MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA and similar (or, shudder, HOOK)

I remember some portions of LEGEND where i actually felt that Scotts images improved what i had imagined, sadly the movie is still a mess.

[Quintus 5,399]

Poltergeist 2 was a bit too smaltzy a score anyway. I'm more than content with the single first score, which is my favourite Goldsmith.

instead of memorizing the lame plot machinations the music accompanies..

Huh? I don't do that.

[publicist 4,643]

It's not very essential, right. On the other hand, till 1986 there is hardly a Goldsmith i find wholly disposable, short stuff like LONELY GUY excepted.

Now it is time for some relaxed savoir vivre, french style.

[crocodile 7,984]

Finally, after weeks of waiting, custom fees paid, my Star Trek albums arrived

The complete Star Trek: Generations is probably one of the least interesting Trek scores (if not THE least), there is some decent stuff in there - certainly stronger than most writing these days. The thematic material is somewhat elusive, the overall feel rather muted and introspective. Maybe further visits will reveal more, but for now the choral stuff, Kirk's death and the overture seem to be the only thing really standing out.

On the other side of the pond, Insurrection is quite an intriguing piece of work. The original album was my first ever Jerry Goldsmith. At first somewhat discarded - it had those strange electronics and no gravitas of big space opera I yearned for back then. Truth be told, that album wasn't very good to start with, too repetitive for my liking. The new edition reveals a much more impressive score. Not as cerebral as the first score, not as full-bodied and adventurous as The Final Frontier, doesn't have as memorable main theme as First Contact, and certainly far from sheer brutality and bitterness of Nemesis - it's easy to overlook. But that may be exactly the reason it strikes the right chord with me now. The gentle and intimate nature of it makes it quite unique entry in the film series and the full score flows very well. There is is this sense Goldsmith saw something in this film that must have appealed to him. Soothing.

Karol

[wanner251 17]

Fairytale: A True Story by Zbigniew Preisner.

This is a simple score that really gets the point across. There isn't much there, but there certainly is. Beautiful and simple, the latter of which, is difficult to accomplish with such precision.

[Brónach 1,301]

[Marian Schedenig 8,174]

One of my favourite Poledouris scores.

[KK 3,307]

Not my cup of tea...

[Brónach 1,301]

I figured.

What about this?

I am a complete sucker for this kind of thing.

I've been listening to Free Willy too. It sounds SO Poledouris it's funny.

[KK 3,307]

Much better I'd take that over stuff like Hoosiers any day! I hate it when those synths are so in-your-face. They sound better as a complimentary device.

Never heard or watched Free Willy. Seems like something that would get a cheesy Randy Edelman score.

[Matt C 452]

Fairytale: A True Story by Zbigniew Preisner.

This is a simple score that really gets the point across. There isn't much there, but there certainly is. Beautiful and simple, the latter of which, is difficult to accomplish with such precision.

The movie isn't bad either. I saw a year ago, and was surprised at how good it was.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,499]

Much better I'd take that over stuff like Hoosiers any day! I hate it when those synths are so in-your-face. They sound better as a complimentary device.

Never heard or watched Free Willy. Seems like something that would get a cheesy Randy Edelman score.

Wa'chew talkin' about, K.K? "Hoosiers" is brilliant!

[KK 3,307]

Yeah...not a fan.

Goldsmith fans, I await my death penalty.

[Marian Schedenig 8,174]

Much better I'd take that over stuff like Hoosiers any day! I hate it when those synths are so in-your-face. They sound better as a complimentary device.

I found the joyful synth rhythm in Chaac's first clip somewhat off-putting the first few times I've heard it (and even now that I really like the cue, I can't take it quite seriously), but it's the only track in the entire score that had this problem for me, even though the rest is, appropriately, synth heavy as well.

Never heard or watched Free Willy. Seems like something that would get a cheesy Randy Edelman score.

I only know the CD. It's quite nice, indeed very Poledouris-ish, and not unlike Wind, but not nearly in the same league.

...and Hoosiers is great.

[Brónach 1,301]

Never heard or watched Free Willy. Seems like something that would get a cheesy Randy Edelman score.

It's one of the movies of my childhood. Haven't seen it in ages. But I never noticed the score until I got into Poledouris.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Superman II

A decent adaptation of Williams' work on the original, but it never manages to rise beyond anything other than that: an adaptation.

[crocodile 7,984]

But it's a still an enjoyable disc.

I've been listening to the expanded X2: X-Men United which arrived through my letterbox this morning. And while a great music it ain't, there is something admirable about Ottman's efforts that make impossible for me not to like it. There is a sense of temp track love, working on a moment-to-moment basis, as opposed to creating a longer structures, but he inserts so many quirky and funny details and motifs as well. And I also think he's better at this kind of film, as opposed to Superman, his low-budget roots and tendencies suit this particular cinematic X-Men world quite well. And the thematic material, while sometimes quite crude, served the film very well. A guilty pleasure for me.

Karol - who is happy about the sound quality upgrade

[Incanus 5,713]

Fellowship of the Ring by Howard Shore

Lincoln by John Williams

Agatha Christie's Poirot by Christopher Gunning

El Cid by Miklós Rózsa

[Naïve Old Fart 9,499]

Yeah...not a fan.

Goldsmith fans, I await my death penalty.

There will be no executions, here! I love "Hoosiers", "Link", and "Extreme Prejudice", but "Legend", "Gremlins", and "Supergirl" leave me rather lukewarm. It's horses for courses, K.K.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Both of you must die.

[Faleel 5,340]

I love Supergirl, never heard any of the others, have seen Hoosiers though I do not remember the score.

[Ollie 1,059]

The adaption for Superman II features some excellent work by Thorne. He took Williams material and didn't just paste, he rearranged it, even using some of the alternate Krypton material. It's certainly miles ahead of the last two Superman scores.

[Faleel 5,340]

It's certainly miles ahead of the last two Superman scores.

Which two?

Superman IV is much, much, much, much much.....

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Of the Reeve films, the first and fourth are all I need.

[Faleel 5,340]

.....much, much, much, much better.

[Ollie 1,059]

The last 2 Superman scores for the last 2 films.

SR and MOS.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I dont need those either.

[Ollie 1,059]

I bought SR when it came out. I won't waste a dime on MOS.

[lonzoe 18]

Yeah...not a fan.

Goldsmith fans, I await my death penalty.

There will be no executions, here! I love "Hoosiers", "Link", and "Extreme Prejudice", but "Legend", "Gremlins", and "Supergirl" leave me rather lukewarm. It's horses for courses, K.K.

Eventhough I don't own Supergirl. I enjoy all those scores you mentioned as well excluding Legend (never seen that film or heard both scores attached to it). I was just rewatching Extreme Prejudice last night and enjoying Goldsmith's score. Both the film and score are underrated, imho.

[chuck 154]

Lionheart is my favorite in that JG time period. Should have been nominated for an Oscar imho.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,499]

Ooh, yes, I forgot about "Lionheart", an good score from an underrated film (any FJS film is worth seeing).

Is there any love for "King Solomon's Mines", or "Rent-A-Cop", out there?

[Faleel 5,340]

I like King solomon's mines!

[chuck 154]

KSM is a fun adventure romp of a score.

Any fans of Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend here?

[Matt C 452]

The adaption for Superman II features some excellent work by Thorne. He took Williams material and didn't just paste, he rearranged it, even using some of the alternate Krypton material. It's certainly miles ahead of the last two Superman scores.

I don't understand the apathy for Ottman's Superman Returns score. It doesn't hold a candle to Williams' original score, but Ottman's original material complemented it. It doesn't get enough love, frankly.

But Man of Steel -- yeesh. Kept picturing scenes of that movie playing with Ottman's SR score instead... was a much better fit.

[Quintus 5,399]

Supergirl is splendid score, one of my earliest memories of score acknowledgement.<br />

[crocodile 7,984]

Really cheesy but great. I love The Monster Tractor action cue, even if the scene itself is quite silly.

Karol

[Quintus 5,399]

As for Ottman vs Zimmer's efforts, well apart from the standout airplane rescue of SR and the admirable attempt to incorporate Williams' original themes, I consider the score pretty much orchestral wallpaper. Half the character and boldness of Zimmer's reinvention and just nowhere near as successful.

Really cheesy but great. I love The Monster Tractor action cue, even if the scene itself is quite silly.

Karol

The movie is a guilty pleasure but this for me was one of those occasions where my experience of the movie introduced a score before growing to appreciate the score entirely on its own merit and leaving the movie behind. It is cheesy, but technically rather brilliant - and way too good for the movie it was written for.

[crocodile 7,984]

You mean "Ottman vs. Zimmer/Kawczycki/Mazzaro/Orvarsson/Holkenborg/Wesson" efforts". right?

I'll leave orchestrators out of it.

Karol

[Quintus 5,399]

Couldn't give a shit about any of that, sorry.

[crocodile 7,984]

I just thought you should give credit where it's due.

After all these gentlemen are officially listed as composers. And you respect their efforts.That's all.

Karol

[Quintus 5,399]

Nah, you thought wrong. When their name is emblazoned across the front of the cd case I'll start giving a shit.

If you do want to go down that road then don't forget to mention all the 2nd unit directors, camera operators and lighting engineers next time you post your thoughts on a movie you like. Credit were it's due.

[crocodile 7,984]

Nah they would be the equivalent of orchestrators.

Why so serious, Quinto?

Karol

[Quintus 5,399]

It's not seriousness at all. You're just seeing my controversial anti-BS defense system in action

S.C.O.R.E (Special Combative Online Retard Elimination)

Nah they would be the equivalent of orchestrators.

B-B-B-BULLSHIT INTERCEPTED

[Incanus 5,713]

When the Whales Came by Christopher Gunning

Firelight by Christopher Gunning

After listening to these two gorgeous scores I am rather baffled why hasn't this marvellous composer worked on bigger films or more extensively outside the British Isles.

[Marian Schedenig 8,174]

Any fans of Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend here?

The second half is up there with the best action scores of all time.