Jump to content

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


Ollie

Recommended Posts

Ending my Jerry marathon yesterday was

Alien (The OST)

Wow, hadn't listened to the OST program in a while (it was on Spotify), as I've been listening to the main program of the Intrada for a while now. Well, I didn't really like it! It's quite a jumbled mess of ideas from the score with no real flow. The main program of the whole score is a much more fluid listening experience. Such a great score, still.

You're listening to the OST with the wrong mindset. Jerry knew the chronological score would be unsuitable for an LP, so he had to get creative and reconstruct the score as a concept album, resulting in a completely different experience.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ending my Jerry marathon yesterday was

Alien (The OST)

Wow, hadn't listened to the OST program in a while (it was on Spotify), as I've been listening to the main program of the Intrada for a while now. Well, I didn't really like it! It's quite a jumbled mess of ideas from the score with no real flow. The main program of the whole score is a much more fluid listening experience. Such a great score, still.

You're listening to the OST with the wrong mindset. Jerry knew the chronological score would be unsuitable for an LP, so he had to get creative and reconstruct the score as a concept album, resulting in a completely different experience.

No no no you're doing it wrong! That's why you don't get it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I forgot another Jerry I had listened to on Monday

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (OST)

Wow! I don't think I had ever heard this score before. What a lot of fun! I had no idea it relied so extensively on the "awoooga" sound from Dante's Twilight Zone The Movie segment. How odd! I need to see this movie again, its been ages. The score is a fun blend of the Gremlins theme and zany Dante/Jerry music. Fun stuff!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Il Bandito Dagli Occhi Azzurri - Ennio Morricone

Off-kilter italian crime thriller - Franco Nero chases or indeed is a bandito in possession of outrageously blue eyes - and Morricone also quite unusually riff-jazzes along Dave Brubeck NY lines with some Thelonius Monk and Vivaldi thrown in for go(o)d measure. It's a side of EM i've never heard before but who would've doubted him? Great jazz score, though i doubt there are many takers here.

I'll take.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just want to add that Angela's Ashes is one of the last truly great John Williams scores and albums.

I agree!

I agree that it is in top5 JW scores but there have been great scores since then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just want to add that Angela's Ashes is one of the last truly great John Williams scores and albums.

I agree!

I agree that it is in top5 JW scores but there have been great scores since then.

That is why I edited that part out in my post ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Il Bandito Dagli Occhi Azzurri - Ennio Morricone

Off-kilter italian crime thriller - Franco Nero chases or indeed is a bandito in possession of outrageously blue eyes - and Morricone also quite unusually riff-jazzes along Dave Brubeck NY lines with some Thelonius Monk and Vivaldi thrown in for go(o)d measure. It's a side of EM i've never heard before but who would've doubted him? Great jazz score, though i doubt there are many takers here.

I'll take.

Take Five

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:music:Maleficent. What an unsatisfying presentation the official album is. I'm not a biggest fan of this score in general but it's much better than that 70-minute version they released. It's something missing from it and it feels fragmented.

Karol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Il Bandito Dagli Occhi Azzurri - Ennio Morricone

Off-kilter italian crime thriller - Franco Nero chases or indeed is a bandito in possession of outrageously blue eyes - and Morricone also quite unusually riff-jazzes along Dave Brubeck NY lines with some Thelonius Monk and Vivaldi thrown in for go(o)d measure. It's a side of EM i've never heard before but who would've doubted him? Great jazz score, though i doubt there are many takers here.

I'll take.

Me too

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:music:Maleficent. What an unsatisfying presentation the official album is. I'm not a biggest fan of this score in general but it's much better than that 70-minute version they released. It's something missing from it and it feels fragmented.

Karol

Does it work better in the film, if you've seen it? I have only heard the album and find it very anonymous, losing my interest aside from a few standout pieces. I don't really understand why it is so heavily praised in some circles. The Last Airbender is a much more solid fantasy effort from JNH.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The complete Alien score is a really hard listen. The OST is the way to go.

I had the old Silva album long before everyone sang yippee for the Intrada complete score.

I don't even listen to the album recreation on Disc 2 because it lacks those clumsy analogue edits that were inherent in the Silva.

Hey I've got my eye on a copy of the 1983 Japanese release of Dark Side of the Moon. They reckon it has the best sound of any release of that album.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:music:Maleficent. What an unsatisfying presentation the official album is. I'm not a biggest fan of this score in general but it's much better than that 70-minute version they released. It's something missing from it and it feels fragmented.

Karol

Does it work better in the film, if you've seen it? I have only heard the album and find it very anonymous, losing my interest aside from a few standout pieces. I don't really understand why it is so heavily praised in some circles. The Last Airbender is a much more solid fantasy effort from JNH.

I was never terribly fond of The Last Airbender, outside of the opening suite.

As for Maleficent, the film score is not terribly long there are just about 14-15 minutes of additional material that doesn't appear on album. But it makes more sense once you see the film (which, by the way, is not very good). From the album it's terribly difficult to tell what is really the principal theme. It lacks the first first opening cue which gives you a pretty good idea. I like the suite track but it's also terribly misleading. Plus, the actual film order helps as well.

Karol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lost in Space: The Reluctant Stowaway original recording, in absolutely horrendous sound quality from the LLL box set.

I do have a playlist for this in addition to all the other versions of these scores (GNP Crescendo, LLL 40th Anniversary and 50th Anniversary sets), as they are all necessary in my opinion. However, I've only listened to the original version of The Reluctant Stowaway twice now and I suppose I only retain it for archival purposes, as I can't really see myself ever listening to it again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:music:Maleficent. What an unsatisfying presentation the official album is. I'm not a biggest fan of this score in general but it's much better than that 70-minute version they released. It's something missing from it and it feels fragmented.

Karol

Does it work better in the film, if you've seen it? I have only heard the album and find it very anonymous, losing my interest aside from a few standout pieces. I don't really understand why it is so heavily praised in some circles. The Last Airbender is a much more solid fantasy effort from JNH.

Both are infinitely better in their complete forms.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Incredibles.

That was a lot of fun. I never listened to it before. Parts of it sound like Bond but a bit more flamboyant. I've never seen the film. Need to fix that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:music:Maleficent. What an unsatisfying presentation the official album is. I'm not a biggest fan of this score in general but it's much better than that 70-minute version they released. It's something missing from it and it feels fragmented.

Karol

Does it work better in the film, if you've seen it? I have only heard the album and find it very anonymous, losing my interest aside from a few standout pieces. I don't really understand why it is so heavily praised in some circles. The Last Airbender is a much more solid fantasy effort from JNH.

Both are infinitely better in their complete forms.

Too bad The Last Airbender sessions are so lossy :( That said, I am really satisfied with the album for it, aside from the missing choral elements. I haven't heard a complete Maleficent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Empire of the Sun complete score (see, Koray, this is why I need to establish which version I'm listening to)

An occasionally hard listen in complete chronological presentation. The OST is perfect. Sure, there are some nice moments that aren't on the album, but they aren't necessary.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jaws 2 (Intrada) by John Williams: Best of both worlds. The film score in chronological order (which is a terrific presentation in my opinion) and the OST (one JWs most succesful album assemblies). What is there not to like?

After reading in the liner notes about all the hassle the Jaws 2 production contained I am surprised they got it up and floating in the way they did. Johnny's score is in some way more aggressive than the original and as usual he approached this sequel as a chance to write something different while still forging a new part in the same musical continuity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BTTF part II - Silvestri (Intrada)

Really liking this new release... The hugely improved sound quality and added material really do it for me, I would even dare call it fun & memorable, even the darker middle part.

Back in the day this was called an uninspired effort from Silvestri. But nowadays it shows more creativity than most of his recent output.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Batman (1989) complete score from the Danny Elfman Batman Collection

Well, even I can't deny that this version sounds pretty awesome. I always had serious issues with the 2-disc version La-La Land released. That presentation was quite dubious and it was another case of a presumably definitive release being replaced just a few years later, this time exclusive to an expensive set that includes another set you already bought. But I'm not insinuating anything.

Batman Forever complete score

An utterly unnecessary complete chronological score and Goldenthal knew it. The OST is fine, but then there was the whole thing and my willingness to listen to it...so here we are! The orchestration is a dead ringer for Interview with the Vampire. The Batman theme is eerily similar to that descending Vampire theme. In my opinion, the musical representation of the character here is just as good as Elfman's or whoever's, but it seems like Goldenthal's scores are almost forgotten nowadays. He frequently goes over the top (especially with those wailing horns), to the point where it's just fucking obnoxious. But it's a good score, especially when you edit it down. You know, like the OST.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

THE DANISH GIRL - Alexandre Desplat

 

It's The Score TGP Is Going To Hate. Whimsy and inoffensive remake of GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING (well, it's close, geographically) it's Desplat you will, at this point in his career, yawn yourself through but i may add a different perspective: when John Barry entered his 90's phase i often rolled my eyes at the static, languid pace and the often catatonic cross-bleedings of stylistic similarities between scores. Now, 20 years later, i listen to something like INDECENT PROPOSAL that was just another lame Barry back then and find a lot of weight and meaning in even his smallest musical gestures.

 

I'm not yet sure if the same will be said about Desplat's wafting, airy style at some time in the future - but chances are. This notwithstanding we may conclude that 2015 hasn't been a very eventful year for AD and it probably takes a new STAR WARS score to shake his mojo up to 2014-heights.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Batman Forever complete score

An utterly unnecessary complete chronological score and Goldenthal knew it. The OST is fine, but then there was the whole thing and my willingness to listen to it...so here we are! The orchestration is a dead ringer for Interview with the Vampire. The Batman theme is eerily similar to that descending Vampire theme. In my opinion, the musical representation of the character here is just as good as Elfman's or whoever's, but it seems like Goldenthal's scores are almost forgotten nowadays. He frequently goes over the top (especially with those wailing horns), to the point where it's just fucking obnoxious. But it's a good score, especially when you edit it down. You know, like the OST.

I love this one... I actually prefer the complete score. Just the right amount of gothic excellence and batshit-crazy shenanigans.

The way LLL organized that made me appreciate the OST more as well. Because I wasn't that big a fan of it 15-20 years ago.

But with age comes wisdom and appreciation. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both are welcome and enjoyed quite regularly!

I've had a bit of a David Shire day:

EDIT: I also listened to Don Davis' Warriors of Virtue. Original it certainly ain't.James Horner's spirit is looming over the entire thing. And Stravinsky's too, for that matter. But he can sure understand how orchestra works, this fella.

Karol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hehe, that's a good point. It's neither complete nor chronological. Goldenthal rearranged the order of tracks and deleted a few cues from the presentation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1990 album.

Probably one of the defining albums of my early childhood - mainly because of my unhealthy obsession with all things heroes in a half-shell as an infant.

The film had a surprisingly good score by the underrated John Du Prez, whose music reflected the pulpy 80s/90s MTV quality of the film.

The album might only have three score related tracks, and two of those are full of dialogue and sound effects, but right now it's the best we have.

And the songs.

Holy shit the album makers defied the laws of good taste and amassed an array of groups I'd otherwise never heard of and the film inspired the very best from them. Spunkadelic's 9.95 is a stunning highlight, and Partners in Kryme's Turtle Power is a pop culture icon even today.

The sound quality of this album is still one of the finest I've ever heard in the pop soundtrack genre. Both the LP and CD have outstanding dynamic range that really gets you tapping your feet. The DR database confirmed my suspicion that this was a well mastered album. Please spare it the dreaded remaster machine. Just repress the original CD and be done with it.

Finally every time I spin this album (Spin That Wheel!) I get the hankerin for some pizza. Must be something subliminal if I play it backwards. Like Michaelangelo is shilling for Domino's Pizza.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Fountain (Mansell) - Man, I don't know if I'd call this one of the greatest film scores of all time since it's not really a true orchestral score, but it's definitely one of my favorites. If I had to choose one piece of film music that would be the only one I'd get to listen to again, there's a pretty decent chance it would be "Death Is the Road to Awe."

The Land Before Time (Horner) - Why don't I listen to this more?

a bunch of Sunn O))) recordings, because I can.

I'd say more on all three, but I've been awake for like 50 hours straight now. I think everybody else just chills during reading week, but, noooo, not me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.