Your favorite John Williams score of the 80's? CONCLUDED

[publicist 4,643]

I like the 10-minute jungle chase from the recording sessions.The last minute is full of great Korngold fanfares...it is OF COURSE is no match for TOD.

[indy4 155]

Grave Robbers is pretty lackluster, and the warehouse stuff is just good, but the rest of the KotCS action music is really Williams at his best. Ants! is probably the highlight, but Jungle Chase, Whirl Through Academe and Secret Revealed are really fantastic. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the highlights of KotCS action music are better than the highlights of ToD action music. Their average quality is pretty similar.

I really like ToD action music but it's a bit too scattered for my tastes. The best of KotCS is a better progression IMO...holds up better when separated from the visuals. ToD action music can also go on a bit long.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

No

[publicist 4,643]

There's really no precedent for TOD's looney tunes action, whereas KOTCS just sounds like the same old Williams action of the 2000's with some old style fanfares dropped like caramel syrup over two day old potato wedges.

[indy4 155]

Hmmm...I'd agree that ToD is more 'different' for JW, but I've grown quite fond of his modern style and I like to hear him develop it in interesting ways and take it in new directions (which I do think he does in KOtCS).

[publicist 4,643]

To each his own!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

There's really no precedent for TOD's looney tunes action, whereas KOTCS just sounds like the same old Williams action of the 2000's with some old style fanfares dropped like caramel syrup over two day old potato wedges.

Some of the action parts of 1941 are the closest thing I guess. In their exuberance.

[Jay 37,352]

I love the kotcs score and it's action music, but TOD is something really special.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Ofcourse you do, love.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

The action music in KOTCS is pretty standard fare. The real strength of the score is the more ominous and wondrous stuff in tracks like "Temple Ruins and the Secret Revealed" and "The Departure".

[crocodile 8,006]

I actually really like the percussive action cues Williams has been doing in the 00's. Coruscant chase, Ants!, General Grievous. These are really cool.

Karol

[The Dark Trilogy 39]

I find it very interesting that The Witches of Eastwick doesn't get one vote.

[crocodile 8,006]

It's a fantastic score, no doubt. But it has a disadvantage of being composed in the same decade as many of the biggest guns in Williams' career.

Karol

[The Dark Trilogy 39]

Agreed, but Heartbeeps, Monsignor, Empire of the Sun and Born on the Fourth of July got at least one vote or more.

The Witches of Eastwick is better than Empire of the Sun or Born on the Fourth of July and far better than Heartbeeps or Monsignor.

[crocodile 8,006]

In all honesty, mate, John Williams' career is so diverse and broad that it's almost impossible to compare works so apart from each other in terms of style. As you know, people on here come from different backgrounds, some are trained musically, and it's actually a good thing that they prefer different things. It actually makes me realise just how rich is this man's work. And that's a good thing.

You see, I myself never heard neither Monsignor, nor Hearbeeps (not in full, anyway), so can't comment on those. But Witches are about the same level for me as the two other scores you mentioned. But that's my opinion.

Besides, this is just a poll. It usually reflects nothing more besides' people's opinion at one particular point in time. If they were to vote again, things could have looked very different. It's very deceiving, this poll business.

Karol

[The Dark Trilogy 39]

Heartbeeps is IMO totally forgettable score. It's pop music with orchestra and synth. And it sounds terribly like an immitation of Rondo Veneziano, especially Crimebuster (I know a track from Rondo Veneziano that has even the same melody, if I recall). I sold that CD and I would never listen to it again.

I read somewhere that Williams did that job because he knew the director personally and did him a favor.

[crocodile 8,006]

I remember reading somewhere that the Crimebuster theme you mentioned is very close to his Nuclear Man's theme. Is that true?

Karol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

This is why we have Youtube!

[The Dark Trilogy 39]

I'm not familiar with the other Superman scores except Superman the Movie, so I don't know.

[crocodile 8,006]

Oh, so it was just similar in that synth line that Williams used in the concert piece. Insignificant, if you ask me.

Speaking of which, if those concert arrangement for Superman IV were indeed composed fully by Williams, they are some of the worst he's ever done. The themes as used in the score are actually so much better. Courage made it sound much cooler.

Karol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

They are very run-of-the-mill presentations of the new themes.

[Marian Schedenig 8,192]

KotCS is great. The action music is superior to the ToD action music.

What action music?

I remember reading somewhere that the Crimebuster theme you mentioned is very close to his Nuclear Man's theme. Is that true?

They're slightly similar. And both are awesome.

[Faleel 5,346]

Jungle Chase!

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Heartbeeps is brilliant!

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

The Witches of Eastwick is better than Empire of the Sun or Born on the Fourth of July

BullSHIT.

The action music in KOTCS is pretty standard fare. The real strength of the score is the more ominous and wondrous stuff in tracks like "Temple Ruins and the Secret Revealed" and "The Departure".

Agreed. While nowhere near as good as The Ark Theme, the Spell of the Crystal and all of its variations are the best of what the score has to offer. Not tired old tripe like A Whirl Through Academe.

[Faleel 5,346]

Not tired old tripe like A Whirl Through Academe.

Its sad that the good part of that track is not Williams.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Not tired old tripe like A Whirl Through Academe.

Its sad that the good part of that track is not Williams.

Who is it?

[Faleel 5,346]

Brahms I think.

[Andy 4,123]

Heartbeeps is too often dismissed. It has some gorgeous melodies in it that make it worthwhile. Skip to 12:45 for my favorite example. Beautiful.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

This poll will run until next Tuesday, after that I will log the results and any vote made after that will not be counted.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

You left space dock without a tractor beam??

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

It won't be installed until Tuesday.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Agreed, but Heartbeeps, Monsignor, Empire of the Sun and Born on the Fourth of July got at least one vote or more.

The Witches of Eastwick is better than Empire of the Sun or Born on the Fourth of July and far better than Heartbeeps or Monsignor.

Omg

Better than Empire of the Sun.

Oh you're joking. Yes that's it you're joking.

[TNOTG 0]

This is the hardest one.

E.T. would be too easy and I don't want to pick any Star Wars scores in this on either...

I want to pick all three Indiana Jones -movies, but I can't...so I choose the first Indiana Jones movie then.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Reminder. The votes in this poll will be logged tomorrow, so if you want your vote to be relevant, please vote today.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

This poll is now concluded. The officially logged results are displayed above.

Like the 70's, the Force was strong in the 80's. with TESB gathering the most votes by far.

It's franchise sister really lags ahead with only 4 votes though.

A distant second is E.T.

While in the 70's poll there was a strong bias towards the second part of that decade, here it's the opposite. And there is a definite tendency for members to consider a big, popular franchise score from the Spielberg or Lucas collaborations Williams had as their favorite.

The 3 votes that EOTS got are possibly thanks to the high profile (and love) this relatively obscure Williams score got in recent months thanks to the LLL release. Though voter AlexCremers has always declared it as his favorite.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Great analysis, Mr Cosman.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Not really. This poll didnt throw up anything radically different from the previous ones. The eventual outcome of the Favorite JW score poll will NOT be a surprise, again.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

My money's on Heartbeeps.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Thank God the Aussie Dollar is value-less.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force of Australians. We work to better ourselves.

[Bilbo 3,709]

This poll is now concluded. The officially logged results are displayed above.

Like the 70's, the Force was strong in the 80's. with TESB gathering the most votes by far.

It's franchise sister really lags ahead with only 4 votes though.

A distant second is E.T.

While in the 70's poll there was a strong bias towards the second part of that decade, here it's the opposite. And there is a definite tendency for members to consider a big, popular franchise score from the Spielberg or Lucas collaborations Williams had as their favorite.

The 3 votes that EOTS got are possibly thanks to the high profile (and love) this relatively obscure Williams score got in recent months thanks to the LLL release. Though voter AlexCremers has always declared it as his favorite.

I wonder if that's reflective of the average age of posters here?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Doubtfull.

Previous polls throughout the years have yielded similar results.

Its simply a fact that his bigger, more adventure oriented scores for the likes of Spielberg, Lucas etc has always gotten more votes in polls like this.

[Bilbo 3,709]

Fair enough!

(voted for A New Hope and Empire myself and I don't fit into that age bracket, I was just curious).

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

A New Hope is not a real film!

[Faleel 5,346]

A New Hope does not exist!

[Wojo 2,453]

It's a 1997 film. Star Wars was the 1977 film.

[Faleel 5,346]

It's a 1997 film.

A New Hope was added in the 80's, so its an 80's film.

[Bilbo 3,709]

I don't care what it was called back in 1977 it was Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope every time I've seen it.