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Howard Shore's The Desolation Of Smaug (Hobbit Part 2)


gkgyver

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Really boring chord progressions and milquetoast lyrics (as I've discovered Crowded House/Neil Finn in the last couple of weeks thanks to Barnald, SOTMM has really grown on me), but as Lewya says I'm sure it'll help the score's sale figures/exposure. Much like how Adele's equally bland song helped Newman's rousing score for SKYFALL become the best selling Bond album since Barry's AVTAK (which in turn benefitted from the huge popularity of Duran Duran).

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Really boring chord progressions and milquetoast lyrics (as I've discovered Crowded House/Neil Finn in the last couple of weeks thanks to Barnald, SOTMM has really grown on me), but as Lewya says I'm sure it'll help the score's sale figures/exposure. Much like how Adele equally bland song helped Newman's rousing score for SKYFALL become the best selling Bond album since Barry's AVTAK (which in turn benefitted from the huge popularity of Duran Duran).#1950 Lewya

Glad you're liking Crowded House!

Being as this song isn't getting a release elsewhere it will definitely shift more albums. I'd be somewhat amused if it ended up getting an Oscar nomination, but if it's a lean year you never know.

According to TORN, they've done a video for the song, as it was played at cinemas last night before the 20 minutes of film footage. Do we think it's got film clips in or not? Sheeran riding on top of Smaug whilst playing his guitar?

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Just listening to the song.

I may be a snobby film music fan, a Rings fanboy, Shore fanboy on top of that, and spoiled by the songs Shore wrote for Rings films. But trying to put all of this aside, I have to say, boy Jesus is this song awful for Middle-Earth. When I imagine this over the credits, my GOD how far have these Tolkien songs come. At least Finn's song had a good thematic hook, while this Sheeran thing, guitars and lyrics, sounds like something out of Brokeback Mountain.

Btw, track list now on amazon as well (http://www.amazon.com/Hobbit-Desolation-Original-Picture-Soundtrack/dp/B00FFT1BJ0/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1383649804&sr=1-1&keywords=hobbit)

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I'm a sheeran fan and I'm definitely liking the song on its own quite a lot. does it feel middle-earthy? no. did I expect otherwise? no. am I gonna play this on repeat today? yes!

It's instantly my favorite of the 5 LOTR/TH songs so far!

wow! seriously?

Its no In Dreams!

:thumbup:

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The song does nothing for me. The problem is this - while some of the lyrics suggest otherwise, it doesn't feel like it's about a band of Dwarves in the way that Song of the Lonely Mountain did. It feels more like a ballad some guy is singing to his loved one on the eve of some apocalyptic event - dare I say it, a love song. I suspect many teenage girls will love it as a result.

This pretty much sums up how I feel too. It's kind of nice if you ignore the lyrics.

It feels like it would be more at home at the end of a Percy Jackson film than a Middle-Earth* film.

*Or should I have said Peter Jackson. :P

Song of the Lonely Mountain at least sounded like it had something to do with the score. I can't imagine this having anything to do with Shore's music (or even Plan 9s). I do like the sound of the track but the lyrics and the vocal harmony make me wince.

I dunno, I expect to enjoy both the film and the score very much. A bad end credits song will ruin nothing for me. It would have been nice to have someone like Nick Cave sing it but whatever. It's a tacked on pop song that I just won't listen to. It's not like it's plays over Thorin's "If this should end in fire..." speech. :lol:

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The song's alright, nothing impressive, and certainly not what you'd expect of Middle-Earth. As a song on its own, I like it better than Neil Finn's song, but at least Neil Finn tried to do something to make the song sound like what he'd hear in a Middle-Earth film (even if that idea may have been misguided) and as GK said, it has a strong melodic hook going for it. Ed Sheeran's song doesn't sound any different from the average teenage pop song.

This is your favourite LotR/Hobbit song Jason? All 3 LotR songs were way better than this.

I'd rank it above AUJ's song, but below the LotR ones. Not bad, but not that good either.

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And this Sheeran's song should be the bees knees? Nope. Did absolutely nothing for me and certainly doesn't feel enough Middle Earth to my ears either. A shame. I can't detect the greatness of this young man in this particular song either.

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True. I am rather particular of my Middle Earth songs. But it looks like we are getting a proper end credits suite too, judging by the track list. Or I suspect Beyond the Forest is something akin to an end credits suite. :)

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I had never heard any of his music before I heard this song, and I instantly loved it.

His album on the other hand... boring pop dreck.

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Have running times been posted yet? Credit to Calvin Scholtz on Doug's blog:

Disc 1

1.The Quest for Erebor 3:22
2 Wilderland 4:56
3 A Necromancer (Bonus Track) 2:54
4 The House of Beorn (Extended Version) 4:52
5 Mirkwood (Extended Version) 5:31
6 Flies and Spiders (Extended Version) 9:35
7 The Woodland Realm (Extended Version) 5:14
8 Feast of Starlight 2:48
9 Barrels Out of Bond 1:50
10 The Forest River (Extended Version) 5:10
11 Bard, a Man of Lake-Town (Extended Version) 3:18
12 The High Fells (Extended Version) 3:38
13 The Nature of Evil 3:20
14 Protector of the Common Folk 3:35

Total: 62:07

Disc 2

1 Thrice Welcome 3:33
2 Girion, Lord of Dale (Extended Version) 4:15
3 Durin's Folk (Extended Version) 3:04
4 In the Shadow of the Mountain 2:15
5 A Spell of Concealment (Extended Version) 3:22
6 On the Doorstep 7:46
7 The Courage of Hobbits 3:00
8 Inside Information 3:48
9 Kingsfoil 2:25
10 A Liar and a Thief 3:41
11 The Hunters (Extended Version) 9:55
12 Smaug (Extended Version) 6:29
13 My Armor Is Iron 5:16
14 I See Fire (performed by Ed Sheeran) 5:00
15 Beyond the Forest 5:25

Total: 70:14

That's a lot of music. If this is representative of the film (yes, I know, I know) then there can't be much left, considering a time of 156 minutes was bandied about recently.

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Btw, this teenie pop thing better than Shore's compositions paired with the voices of Annie Lennox and Emilliana Torrini?

Not by a long shot.

Typical "let's get a cool song for marketing" stunt. This has as much to do with the film as Puff Daddy had to do with Godzilla.

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That's a lot of music. If this is representative of the film (yes, I know, I know) then there can't be much left, considering a time of 156 minutes was bandied about recently.

I suspect it will be as wall-to-wall scored as the previous ones. So there will bound to be unreleased stuff in the film itself.

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Ah sorry about that. The Girion flashback looks intriguingly long, though I was hoping 'Quest for Erebor' would be longer (the sequence might still be in the film)

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Yea, seriously... It's great!

on its own or do you also think it's a great end credits song for this film?

On it's own, obviously. I haven't seen the film!

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I guess I forget sometimes how many people here listen to only film scores / classical music and have no interest in the pop and rock scene. I am so thankful I spent time in both worlds.

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I'm jamming out to Coheed and Cambria and Porcupine Tree at work today and loving it

And there is nothing wrong with that nor particularly right either. Celebrate all music you happen to find appealing and like. If music, any music, enriches your life then it is a fantastic thing I say. :)

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I'm jamming out to Coheed and Cambria and Porcupine Tree at work today and loving it

And there is nothing wrong with that nor particularly right either. Celebrate all music you happen to find appealing and like. If music, any music, enriches your life then it is a fantastic thing I say. :)

Rubbish! Howard Shore or death!

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I'm jamming out to Coheed and Cambria and Porcupine Tree at work today and loving it

And there is nothing wrong with that nor particularly right either. Celebrate all music you happen to find appealing and like. If music, any music, enriches your life then it is a fantastic thing I say. :)

Rubbish! Howard Shore or death!

No actually it is

post-198-0-09163700-1383670770_thumb.jpg

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I guess I forget sometimes how many people here listen to only film scores / classical music and have no interest in the pop and rock scene. I am so thankful I spent time in both worlds.

Yes, it's apparently a rare blessing to be able to say that. A shame. I'm glad to join you there.

So what, three of us don't despise the song? I'd say that's a solid win.

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I guess I forget sometimes how many people here listen to only film scores / classical music and have no interest in the pop and rock scene. I am so thankful I spent time in both worlds.

Yes, it's apparently a rare blessing to be able to say that. A shame. I'm glad to join you there.

Likewise, though I'm not a fan of Ed Sheeran, One Direction or their kind.

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I think it will be a big radio hit, probably the most popular of all the LOTR/Hobbit songs to the general public.

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I think it will be a big radio hit, probably the most popular of all the LOTR/Hobbit songs to the general public.

I predict no one here in Finland will be none the wiser after the album or the film comes out. This guy seems like a non-entity here at least. I have not heard any of his music anywhere nor seen his "hit" CD in stores.

Oh and btw I do know when I like something, all kinds of music included, pop, rock, classical, film scores etc. Sheeran's music just doesn't have that elusive something to move me.

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I guess I forget sometimes how many people here listen to only film scores / classical music and have no interest in the pop and rock scene. I am so thankful I spent time in both worlds.

Yes, it's apparently a rare blessing to be able to say that. A shame. I'm glad to join you there.

Likewise, though I'm not a fan of Ed Sheeran, One Direction or their kind.

I wouldn't say I'm a fan of Sheeran either, I just don't mind him coming into the fold here. He seems to be a genuine artist and not a "personality" kept afloat by publicists, producers, and songwriters.

I'm as picky and prone to snobbery as the next musically minded person, and there's precious little music written today in the "popular" idiom that I enjoy. But there is some, and I always enjoy finding it.

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I think it will be a big radio hit, probably the most popular of all the LOTR/Hobbit songs to the general public.

Oh and btw I do know when I like something, all kinds of music included, pop, rock, classical, film scores etc. Sheeran's music just doesn't have that elusive something to move me.

Indeed. Not liking Sheeran's song has nothing to do with the kind of music we primarily listen to. It just sounds like a bland song to me, nothing particularly interesting.

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Okay, listened to it properly.

As I said, it's not a bad song. In fact it's a pretty good... pop ballad.

Doesn't fit into the Middle-Earth soundscape. At all.

Maybe that's the studio version and there's another film mix?

Karol

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So that's what BloodBoal looks like...

Maybe that's the studio version and there's another film mix?

Wouldn't it make more sense to have the studio version in the film and the other mix on the OST?

No, what I'm saying is that maybe there's a Shored up version in the film.

But then, given that Conrad Pope had nothing to do with this, it's unlikely...

Karol

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Fix your sister Alvar!

I'll do my best to save her!

I'm jamming out to Coheed and Cambria and Porcupine Tree at work today and loving it

Porcupine Tree! Lol! What's next? Seahorse Baobab?

Porcupine Tree is an awesome band!

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I think it will be a big radio hit, probably the most popular of all the LOTR/Hobbit songs to the general public.

Oh and btw I do know when I like something, all kinds of music included, pop, rock, classical, film scores etc. Sheeran's music just doesn't have that elusive something to move me.

Indeed. Not liking Sheeran's song has nothing to do with the kind of music we primarily listen to. It just sounds like a bland song to me, nothing particularly interesting.

Same. I listen to a lot of pop/rock as well as film music. I would even say I'm more knowledgeable of Pop and Rock than I am of film music. I just don't like this song. It's the type of stuff (like Kings of Leon) that I avoid.

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I don't listen to Fear of a Blank Planet as much as I do to In Absentia, Deadwing, or The Incident, mostly because it's not on Spotify. But I love all 4 albums. And I haven't even begun to dig into their early albums yet!

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