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


Ollie

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in the "soundtrack collection"? is that a re-recording or something?

9a46ace5-9308-4b58-be11-96e19eda715b.jpg

Raiders, ToD and Last Crusade are all expanded. The fifth disc features some extra tracks from the first three movies that didn't fit on the single-disc expanded editions. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the same as the original release.

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Conan and Conan The Destroyer.

How well would you say Destroyer holds up, as far as sequels go?

As far as the film goes, it feels like a parody of the first one. The score album is only 34 minutes and the performance is rather poor at times. The orchestra sounds much smaller than the first film and while it was probably unintentional, the score sounds like a parody of the first one at times.

The score is worth having because there are some good moments, that's why I'm anxious to hear the cue they recorded as a bonus on the yesterday's Conan release.

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God, I love this score. I may be alone, but it's probably my favorite work of Horner's. I continually revisit it and always takes something new out of it. There's some really good stuff like Destruction of the Hometree or War. Especially when certain resources were made available. ;)

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The Five Sacred Trees by John Williams: As beautiful as always. Perhaps my favourite JW concerto.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 by Alexandre Desplat: My opinion is improving but alas it is not as strong as I would have hoped.

The Fury by John Williams

Munich by John Williams

The Last Airbender by James Newton Howard

:lol: The Friendly Reptile from Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone by John Williams

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I agree on HP 7.1. It's kind of there, but not really.

How's Five Sacred Trees? I've never heard that.

Karol

Five Sacred Trees is simply a wonderful concerto for bassoon and orchestra. It is perhaps one of the most accessible of Williams' concertos. It has 5 movements that offer a wide variety of moods and place the bassoon into different roles as is per usual for JW's concert works that always offer interesting and challenging solo parts. The Sony release features the original NPO bassoonist Judith LeClair for whom the work was written and JW conducting the LSO. I heartily recommend it to everyone. A great place to start listening to JWs concert works or to continue exploring them. :lol:

The first movement is called Eo Mugna and offers a ruminating bassoon opening that grows little by little into a triumphant orchestral crescendo. There is a certain sense of Celtic influence about the music, some musical gestures suggest it rather than openly create catchy melodies. There is an earthy quality to the bassoon solo, sturdy, warm, curious, almost pondering and indeed ruminative. The whole piece has a woodsy feel but to me this first movement is the best example of this.

The second movement Tortan offers a lively jig-like melody for bassoon and solo violin with percussion snapping at the background and the music growing in intesity to a crescendo. Tortan was the tree that was associated with witchcraft so the music has a sort of wild dance. Reminds me of the Dance of the Witches from the Witches of Eastwick. Wickedly playful would be one way to describe this.

The third movement Eo Rossa, depiciting the yew tree, is a peaceful duet of solo bassoon and harp with only slight string accompaniment. My favourite movement as it has such a beautiful comtemplative quality, a haunting lament or a sorrowful story, the bassoon singing and ruminating alone.

The fourth movement Craeb Uisnig is an agitated, skittering and angry movement with strange plucking effects, a hectic bassoon line and crackling percussion. It depicts the ash tree, associated with strife.

The fifth and final movement Dathi is another high point of the piece. It begins slightly apprehensive but growns into a superb lyrical bassoon solo with orchestral accompaniment that is at the same time gentle, nostalgic, warm and mystical. It ends the piece with such a delicate feel.

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If you like "Five Sacred Trees", then try "Heartwood". It's the polar opposite, but it's no less effective.

Indeed. Another very evocative tree-related composition. :lol:

As you say it is perhaps not as accessible as the Five Sacred Trees but no less wonderful.

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I agree on HP 7.1. It's kind of there, but not really.

How's Five Sacred Trees? I've never heard that.

Karol

Five Sacred Trees is simply a wonderful concerto for bassoon and orchestra. It is perhaps one of the most accessible of Williams' concertos. It has 5 movements that offer a wide variety of moods and place the bassoon into different roles as is per usual for JW's concert works that always offer interesting and challenging solo parts. The Sony release features the original NPO bassoonist Judith LeClair for whom the work was written and JW conducting the LSO. I heartily recommend it to everyone. A great place to start listening to JWs concert works or to continue exploring them. :lol:

The first movement is called Eo Mugna and offers a ruminating bassoon opening that grows little by little into a triumphant orchestral crescendo. There is a certain sense of Celtic influence about the music, some musical gestures suggest it rather than openly create catchy melodies. There is an earthy quality to the bassoon solo, sturdy, warm, curious, almost pondering and indeed ruminative. The whole piece has a woodsy feel but to me this first movement is the best example of this.

The second movement Tortan offers a lively jig-like melody for bassoon and solo violin with percussion snapping at the background and the music growing in intesity to a crescendo. Tortan was the tree that was associated with witchcraft so the music has a sort of wild dance. Reminds me of the Dance of the Witches from the Witches of Eastwick. Wickedly playful would be one way to describe this.

The third movement Eo Rossa, depiciting the yew tree, is a peaceful duet of solo bassoon and harp with only slight string accompaniment. My favourite movement as it has such a beautiful comtemplative quality, a haunting lament or a sorrowful story, the bassoon singing and ruminating alone.

The fourth movement Craeb Uisnig is an agitated, skittering and angry movement with strange plucking effects, a hectic bassoon line and crackling percussion. It depicts the ash tree, associated with strife.

The fifth and final movement Dathi is another high point of the piece. It begins slightly apprehensive but growns into a superb lyrical bassoon solo with orchestral accompaniment that is at the same time gentle, nostalgic, warm and mystical. It ends the piece with such a delicate feel.

You should do liner notes sometime, you know that? :)

Anyway, I need to get that disc, but so far I couldn't find it anywhere.

Of all the Williams' pieces that I own, I think I like Treesong the most. It's very impressionistic and quite hipnotic.

Karol - who also needs to hear the horn concerto.

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Now listening to Superman. Y'know, it's a big, bold late-70s Williams score for an adventurous sci-fi-ish film...you'd think I would like it more. It's good, certainly, but it drags a bit at times, and the action music isn't quite on par with some of his other work from the period, IMO. Still a great listen, though.

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Yeah, I'm definitely being reminded of how much I like in the early parts of the score. The stuff with the Fortress of Solitude contains some really wonderfully mysterious moments, for instance.

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Let Me In by Michael Giacchino

After much reluctance I decided to finally buy this album. The samples did nothing to me. It's quite good actually. Very restrained, which is rare for a Hollywood film scoring. There is purpose to all the dissonance this time and the writing itself seems more precise and careful. Far from the artificial and bland sounding game scores and Star Treks. Not that it's a masterpiece or anything, but Giacchino certainly impresses with this one. Simple score, but, at the same time, not simple at all. The album could use some trimming though.

Who knows? I might actually go and see the film after hearing this.

Karol

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Anyway, I need to get that disc, but so far I couldn't find it anywhere.

The bassoon concerto is also included on one of the CDs in the recent Sony John Williams: Music of America collection, which has dropped considerably in price since it was first released. Amazon UK has it for about 15 notes.

Order soon, more on the way! :)

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I'm looking forward to getting Let Me In so much, but that as well as the other new scores I want to get (new Potters and Narnia) will probably have to wait until after Christmas. Gotta wait and see what the labels are going to have first.

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There is something almost Desplat-ian about it. ;)

Green Zone by John Powell

It's the kind of Powell I'm not very fond of. But after some time (6 months it was?) it starts to grow on me. Weird.

Anyway, I need to get that disc, but so far I couldn't find it anywhere.

The bassoon concerto is also included on one of the CDs in the recent Sony John Williams: Music of America collection, which has dropped considerably in price since it was first released. Amazon UK has it for about 15 notes.

Order soon, more on the way! :P

I will consider this option. Thanks! :D

Karol

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Heidi (Williams)

Very cool to hear the Williams sound developing in fine form in this early score. The Main Theme is a bit too... lederhosen, but there are some delightful passages nonetheless. Pleasant.

The Fury

Wow. This is some over the top stuff. I think Incanus used the word "operatic", which is the perfect description. Williams + theremin = Gold. Is it OK if I like the film version better than the LSO recording? It's got a raw urgency to it. And of course, the theremin on "Gillian's Power" is chilling. So pleased to have this in my collection at last.

Heartbeeps

What a nice surprise! I really liked this. Sure it's a bit dated and the subject is certainly silly (although it reads a little like A.I. on paper), but there are just some wonderful moments in (I guess what you'd call the "B' section of) the main theme where the notes simply descend as if from Heaven, and fall in the perfect tonal spot to please the ear. Honestly, I don't know how he does it. The first few bars of the Main Title sound an awful lot like a John Carpenter score, don't they? The ethereal, new age textures are interesting as well. It kinda calls back to the dreamlike tones of Blade Runner in spots. Oh, and Phil's Theme is a joy. I don't think I want to see the film, because the animated movie that's playing in my head is probably better. Of Williams' catalog of hits from 1977-1982, Heartbeeps sticks out like a sore thumb. But it's just to pleasant and fun to altogether dismiss.

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Phil's music is basically a bastardized Star Wars theme. Overall, the score is fun, if somewhat juvenile? It's a movie about robots, so let's have a bunch of silly electronic sounds. Lol, whatevs Johnny. Our hearts beep for you.

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First time I heard Phil's theme, I couldn't separate it from Star Wars. A couple listens through, and understanding it's own structure now gives it its own identity for my ears. If anything, it's a closer relative to the Kevin McAllister "Scammed by a Kindergartner" theme.

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I always thought this Paramount Logo ripped off the first few notes of Luke's Theme. I know it's coincidence, but my brain refuses to remove the connection.

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Heartbeeps

What a nice surprise! I really liked this. Sure it's a bit dated and the subject is certainly silly (although it reads a little like A.I. on paper), but there are just some wonderful moments in (I guess what you'd call the "B' section of) the main theme where the notes simply descend as if from Heaven, and fall in the perfect tonal spot to please the ear. Honestly, I don't know how he does it. The first few bars of the Main Title sound an awful lot like a John Carpenter score, don't they? The ethereal, new age textures are interesting as well. It kinda calls back to the dreamlike tones of Blade Runner in spots. Oh, and Phil's Theme is a joy. I don't think I want to see the film, because the animated movie that's playing in my head is probably better. Of Williams' catalog of hits from 1977-1982, Heartbeeps sticks out like a sore thumb. But it's just to pleasant and fun to altogether dismiss.

The score is one of my favorites. Don't see the movie.

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"Going to Sleep" is surprisingly beautiful. I love those awe/wonder themes. The Mountain's theme from CE3K is another great one.

Yep. :) That track alone is why it's one of my favorite Williams scores.

Princess Mononoke

The soundtrack is a bit choppier than I would like (32 tracks across 59 minutes), but just playing the album through, it's quite an amazing listen. Really excellent themes, particularly the one the climaxes the opening track and dominates the final track.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

This is much less successful. It lacks the choppiness of the previous but has that weird '80's sound that I can't really tolerate(except in Heartbeeps! ;)). It's still pretty cool in places and has great themes. However, there's this creepy child lala-ing frequently, and it doesn't really work.

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There is something almost Desplat-ian about it. :)

Green Zone by John Powell

It's the kind of Powell I'm not very fond of. But after some time (6 months it was?) it starts to grow on me. Weird.

Do you recommend it? I just saw Fair Game and was actually driven to buy the score (great credits piece) even though the sound clips didn't wow me.

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Princess Mononoke

The soundtrack is a bit choppier than I would like (32 tracks across 59 minutes), but just playing the album through, it's quite an amazing listen. Really excellent themes, particularly the one the climaxes the opening track and dominates the final track.

By all means, get the symphonic suite, it is a much more rewarding listening experience, and it is brilliantly performed and recorded. All the major themes and ideas are arranged in movements, it totally corrects the somewhat choppy flow of the OST, as you put it. I can't recommend it enough

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There is something almost Desplat-ian about it. :)

Green Zone by John Powell

It's the kind of Powell I'm not very fond of. But after some time (6 months it was?) it starts to grow on me. Weird.

Do you recommend it? I just saw Fair Game and was actually driven to buy the score (great credits piece) even though the sound clips didn't wow me.

Green Zone is what could be called Powell on autopilot. There are a few really good action cues, but as a whole it's very lacking thematically. Fair Game is Powell's worst score since Jumper. Like you said, the end credits are pretty good (and the White House theme), but I was left completely cold by the rest. Seems like Doug Liman can't inspire him.

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The Fury

Wow. This is some over the top stuff. I think Incanus used the word "operatic", which is the perfect description. Williams + theremin = Gold. Is it OK if I like the film version better than the LSO recording? It's got a raw urgency to it. And of course, the theremin on "Gillian's Power" is chilling. So pleased to have this in my collection at last.

I do like the film version of the score very much because of the "raw urgency" you mention but the LSO performance and espcially the remastered version on the Varese double disc is stunning performance of a masterful reconceptualization of the score in pure album format. It is perhaps the best along with the original Jaws LP of JWs score rerecordings. In the way of pure dynamics the Main Title by LSO reaches awe-inspiring heights of what could only be described as frighfully majestic and the new Epilogue is just about as heartrendingly beautiful as JW has ever gotten with his gorgeous string adagios and this guy has written quite a few of them. Gillian's Escape will simply rock the room with those fatal bursts of orchestral might towards the end of the track.

The film version's theremin is an awesome bonus and your formula of Williams + theremin is indeed Gold. :) The film version also offers the full development of the musical ideas from point A to point B to point C which the album version does not provide as it goes for a listening experience of its own right, in which it succeeds extremely well. So it is great to have both as they offer not only a different performance but also a different way of looking at the score.

The Fury is a very odd score because it has a sense of horror that reaches to you either subliminally with those uneasy high string dramatics or directly with those pounding tortured passages but Williams couples this with so powerul and attractive orchestrations and thematic ideas that it becomes, as I said purely operatic and primal. The music retains a sense of Herrmannesque mystery and psychological sensitivity but goes way over the top with it. Williams pays homage but his own voice is doing the talking. The main theme is a perfect example of this.

And in the end what makes this score so attractive is the unabashed fury of the music, which is allowed to reign so freely.

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There is something almost Desplat-ian about it. :)

Green Zone by John Powell

It's the kind of Powell I'm not very fond of. But after some time (6 months it was?) it starts to grow on me. Weird.

Do you recommend it? I just saw Fair Game and was actually driven to buy the score (great credits piece) even though the sound clips didn't wow me.

Green Zone is what could be called Powell on autopilot. There are a few really good action cues, but as a whole it's very lacking thematically. Fair Game is Powell's worst score since Jumper. Like you said, the end credits are pretty good (and the White House theme), but I was left completely cold by the rest. Seems like Doug Liman can't inspire him.

Yes, Green Zone is kind of like Bourne, but less acuoustic and with no themes. I guess this a big no-no for most fans.

The Last Mimzy by Howard Shore

It's better than I remember.

Black Sunday by John Williams

My most listened album of 2010. Or at least "one of".

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by John Williams

I love two things he's doing here: how he throws away the big orchestra for much of the running time and how the music is dark but still magical (unlike the newest entries). I don't care for how the collaboration between the director and the composer went. If it fuels his creativity then I say: more people like Cuaron and less Spielberg.

Karol

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Elfman's Planet of the Apes . Meh, its ok, nothing special.

Giacchino's Star Trek Deluxe Edition. The expanded edition really balances the score better. The OST was almost too much in your face, while the Deluxe Edition has some time to breathe.

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Princess Mononoke

The soundtrack is a bit choppier than I would like (32 tracks across 59 minutes), but just playing the album through, it's quite an amazing listen. Really excellent themes, particularly the one the climaxes the opening track and dominates the final track.

By all means, get the symphonic suite, it is a much more rewarding listening experience, and it is brilliantly performed and recorded. All the major themes and ideas are arranged in movements, it totally corrects the somewhat choppy flow of the OST, as you put it. I can't recommend it enough

I'll second that recommendation.

The Fury

Wow. This is some over the top stuff. I think Incanus used the word "operatic", which is the perfect description. Williams + theremin = Gold. Is it OK if I like the film version better than the LSO recording? It's got a raw urgency to it. And of course, the theremin on "Gillian's Power" is chilling. So pleased to have this in my collection at last.

I do like the film version of the score very much because of the "raw urgency" you mention but the LSO performance and espcially the remastered version on the Varese double disc is stunning performance of a masterful reconceptualization of the score in pure album format. It is perhaps the best along with the original Jaws LP of JWs score rerecordings. In the way of pure dynamics the Main Title by LSO reaches awe-inspiring heights of what could only be described as frighfully majestic and the new Epilogue is just about as heartrendingly beautiful as JW has ever gotten with his gorgeous string adagios and this guy has written quite a few of them. Gillian's Escape will simply rock the room with those fatal bursts of orchestral might towards the end of the track.

The film version's theremin is an awesome bonus and your formula of Williams + theremin is indeed Gold. ;) The film version also offers the full development of the musical ideas from point A to point B to point C which the album version does not provide as it goes for a listening experience of its own right, in which it succeeds extremely well. So it is great to have both as they offer not only a different performance but also a different way of looking at the score.

The Fury is a very odd score because it has a sense of horror that reaches to you either subliminally with those uneasy high string dramatics or directly with those pounding tortured passages but Williams couples this with so powerul and attractive orchestrations and thematic ideas that it becomes, as I said purely operatic and primal. The music retains a sense of Herrmannesque mystery and psychological sensitivity but goes way over the top with it. Williams pays homage but his own voice is doing the talking. The main theme is a perfect example of this.

And in the end what makes this score so attractive is the unabashed fury of the music, which is allowed to reign so freely.

Yes, yes!!!

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Now listening to Superman. Y'know, it's a big, bold late-70s Williams score for an adventurous sci-fi-ish film...you'd think I would like it more. It's good, certainly, but it drags a bit at times, and the action music isn't quite on par with some of his other work from the period, IMO. Still a great listen, though.

Data, are you mad? How can "The Helicopter Rescue", "Chasing Rockets", and "Turning Back The World" not be up there with the best of the best????!!!!

Superman is a masterpiece start to finish.

Agreed. 'Nuff said.

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I'm with Joe. Superman just doesn't do it for me the way his Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, etc scores do.

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Listened to the new Conan recording, simply outstanding. Yes it's slightly different in certain area but I have yet to hear a recording that is exactly like the original. The energy coming from the orchestra is great.

I also tried to give FSM's Hawaii 5-0 a spin but couldn't stop replaying the main title. ;)

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Still waiting for Conan to arrive, but have been shuffling the iPod after Superman, including Halloween III and Star Trek Nemesis together with The Cure. But just listened to a couple of tracks from Tron: Legacy on BBC Radio, which just sound immense.

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I gotta agree with Jason and Data about Williams' Superman score. A good portion of it seems to tend to drag itself down. I mean there are definitely good moments in there IE: "Helicopter Sequence" but over all it pales in comparison to his other bigger scores.

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I gotta agree with Jason and Data about Williams' Superman score. A good portion of it seems to tend to drag itself down. I mean there are definitely good moments in there IE: "Helicopter Sequence" but over all it pales in comparison to his other bigger scores.

Sorry, Trent, I must disagree with your agreement. "Superman", like the film, has more heart and soul in it, than all 6 "Star Wars" films, and all 4 "I.J." films put together.

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I don't think I want to see the film [Heartbeeps], because the animated movie that's playing in my head is probably better.

The score is one of my favorites. Don't see the movie.

Made that mistake. :lol:

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