The Top Three of the Top Three

[Quintus 5,399]

Could be exciting. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Would you even notice?

[Quintus 5,399]

I'd just think the site wasn't loading as usual

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

[Koray Savas 2,251]

8 hours ago, Stefancos said:

You did five!

 

Are you really admitting that you prefer Gia over Horner and Goldsmith?

I thought it was widely known?

[mstrox 6,649]

I also preferred Gia.

 

For both Horner and Goldsmith, I find it hard to think of three scores apiece that really excite me, let alone enough to make the ranking fun for me.  Never been a huge fan of either, and the scores I do love from them are usually more tied into nostalgia for good movies, not the scores themselves.

 

I considered Zimmer and Silvestri.  I have a lot of Zimmer and like an awful lot of his stuff, but there are also a lot of his scores that I actively dislike.  I like Silvestri a lot, but my interest in his new stuff has really waned over the past ten years or so, and expanded versions of scores like BTTF didn't do those scores any favors in my books.

 

So it was more fun for me to order Giacchino, who also has a lot of scores I really like, and his "worst' scores are just kind of "middle of the road" (even though there are a lot that end up just middle of the road).

[Naïve Old Fart 9,511]

Steef, what makes JW, JG, and JH, top three? What are they top three of (apart from being the top three composers whose initials begin with "J")?

[Disco Stu 15,495]

He just means they're his Top 3 favorite composers personally.

 

The exercise is for you to pick your personal favorite 3 composers and then pick your three favorite scores from each.  You don't have to use the same three.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,511]

Ah! In that case, my list is...er...exactly the same! 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

For a lot of people the top 3 means Williams, Goldsmith, Horner. Certainly if you are of a certain age.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Horner will always be edged out of the trio by Herrmann for me.

[Quintus 5,399]

Won't argue with that. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

That's perfectly fine. I havent been exposed to Herrmann as much as some. Certainly not while I was a wee lad. Horner was far more prominent.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I got turned on to Hitchcock as a pre-teen so Herrmann was able to imprint on me while my brain was still mushy

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Turned on, eh?

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I mean....

 

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

North > Herrmann!

[KK 3,307]

Both were masters of the craft.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

My appreciation for North's music didn't blossom as early as it should have in my life.  I envy people I know who are more familiar with it than I yet am.  I'm constantly astounded.  For example....

 

 

[publicist 4,643]

 

I prefer this one.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,511]

Utterly brilliant. Utterly North.

[Romão 2,274]

I'm really, really fond of A Streetcard Named Desire. Specially this track:

 

 

[Uni 306]

JOHN WILLIAMS:

Superman: The Movie

E.T. The Extrateresstrial

Hook

 

JERRY GOLDSMITH:

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Poltergeist

Alien

 

JAMES HORNER:

Apollo 13

Star Trek II

Glory

 

 

And while we're on the subject . . . seeing people's lists here like this, it got me thinking. We oughta do some kind of Top 10 List for each composer, y'know? Have everyone list them in order from favorite on down, and post them as some kinda "JWFan" listing for all of them. Whatdya think. . . ?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,511]

OK. 

JW:

CE3K

SUPERMAN

THE TOWERING INFERNO

1941

JFK

WITCHES OF EASTWICK

EMPIRE OF THE SUN

THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST

MINORITY REPORT

POA

 

JG, and JH to follow.

 

[Brundlefly 2,385]

1. JOHN WILLIAMS

     1. The Lost World: Jurassic Park

     2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

     3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

 

2. JERRY GOLDSMITH

     1. Alien

     2. Legend

     3. Total Recall

 

3. ENNIO MORRICONE

     1. The Mission

     2. Once Upon a Time in America

     3. The Great Silence

 

 

 

I was never aware of the fact that Jerry Goldsmith is THAT popular on this forum! And I was never aware of the fact that "Twilight Zone: The Movie" is THAT recognized among his fans!

 

I have to admit I have never been too amazed of the most popular John Williams scores "E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial", "Superman: The Movie" and "Jaws".

[Mephariel 451]

Hans Zimmer:

1. Interstellar

2. Gladiator

3. The Lion King

 

James Horner:

1. Titanic

2. Legends of the Fall

3. A Land Before Time

 

John Williams:

1. Memoirs of a Geisha

2. Jurassic Park

3. Saving Private Ryan

 

 

[Kasey Kockroach 2,344]

Jerry Goldsmith:

1. Poltergeist

2. Gremlins and Gremlins 2 (don't ask me to choose between them!!!)

3. Rudy!...no wait, Legend!...or maybe Rambo. Total Recall?...damn it, this is hard. Uh...Final Conflict?

 

John Powell:

1. Horton Hears a Who

2. How to Train Your Dragon 2

3. Chicken Run

 

John Williams:

1. Jurassic Park and The Lost World (yeah, I'm cheatin' again, whaddya gonna do about it? I love these two on pretty much the same level)

2. Jaws

3. E.T

 

Chr-

Hey, cut that out, you can only pick three!

Sorry, fellas. I can't betray Christopher Young:

1. Drag Me to Hell

2. Hellbound: Hellraiser II

3. The Monkey King

[John 2,032]

On ‎8‎/‎22‎/‎2016 at 4:45 PM, Stefancos said:

John Williams 

 

1: E.T. The Extra Terrestrial 

2: Jaws

3: Jurassic Park

 

"Jurassic Park"? Really? Don't get me wrong, it's a fine soundtrack, but there's not much memorable material outside of the two main themes.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,511]

If JURASSIC PARK is Steef's third favourite JW score, then who are we, mere mortals, and stewards of his excellence, to argue?

[John 2,032]

Anyone who leaves Star Wars out of his list of Williams' best and most iconic scores is an absolute fool!

[Kasey Kockroach 2,344]

I don't remember a note of Star Wars music beyond the opening fanfare and Rey's theme. I try out the scores here and there (both original and prequel scores) and nothing's especially grabbed me yet (I mean, it's good stuff, just not my thing). 

Yet I remember the two main JP themes, the raptor motif, the Lost World theme, Giacchino's World theme, the two equally epic finishes that are "T-Rex Rescue and Finale" and "A Visitor in San Diego", those gnarly tribal drums heard throughout Lost World, etc. Don Davis' variations on the themes are at least fun to listen to now and then, and his spinosaurus motif is ai'ight.

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,511]

I like STAR WARS music, but TESB would just about scrape into my top 20.

I don't dislike, it's just that, over the years, my tastes in music have changed. I no longer get off on all that "strum und drang" stuff. Now, I usually prefer something "quieter".

 

[John 2,032]

I would say The Empire Strikes Back is William's best score. It's just an all-around great, classic soundtrack.

[Kasey Kockroach 2,344]

Star Wars music is always BIG and LOUD and EPIC and AMAZING and THE GREATEST MOST WONDERFUL FANTABULOUS THING OH MY GOODNESS GOOSEBUMPS I'M TEARING UP but Jurassic Park can take it easy once in awhile. 

It also, for my ears, has a more unique flavor to it. 

But this is purely my self-indulgence. I inherently prefer dinosaur carnage to boring old space battles. 

 

[John 2,032]

The score for Jurassic Park used quite a bit of synth in some places, and, as a result, sounds somewhat dated today. ESB is an all-orchestral score, no synth used.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Wrong. TESB employs synth.

[John 2,032]

Where?

It certainly is not nearly as noticeable as Jurassic Park.

[Kasey Kockroach 2,344]

I like syth. ^^

 

[John 2,032]

It reeks of the 80s'!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

4 minutes ago, JohnSolo said:

Where?

It certainly is not nearly as noticeable as Jurassic Park.

 

The Magic Tree has quite prominent synth. I believe the choir in the Bespin cue might also be synth.

 

Was Williams using synth embellishments at that time yet?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,511]

5 minutes ago, JohnSolo said:

Where?

 

THE MAGIC TREE.

[Kasey Kockroach 2,344]

The 80's is fun if you just stick with horror movies and Jim Henson stuff!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,511]

Just now, Stefancos said:

 

The Magic Tree has quite prominent synth. I believe the choir in the Bespin cue might also be synth.

 

Was Williams using synth embellishments at that time yet?

 

The choir in CITY IN THE CLOUDS is real.

JW also used synth in SUPERMAN.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Someone on FSM claimed Williams used synth in Star Wars too. The Sandpeople cue. But I've never picked it up.

I guess the Cantina Band cues have some synth?

[DominicCobb 194]

Williams

1. Star Wars

2. Empire Strikes Back

3. E.T.

 

Herrmann

1. Vertigo

2. Taxi Driver

3. probably a four way tie but let's just say North By Northwest for now

 

Morricone

1. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2. The Thing

3. Cinema Paradiso

 

 

Kinda surprised by all the Horner love. Not certain he'd even make my top ten.

[John 2,032]

I believe Star Wars was completely orchestral, aside from Williams' Cantina Band piece.

 

[Kasey Kockroach 2,344]

I cheated with four, but now I'll do the three runner-ups! Because!...I just want to.

Bruce Broughton:

1. Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco

2. The Monster Squad

3. Boy Who Could Fly

 

James Horner:

1. Land Before Time

2. Aliens

3. Mighty Joe Young

 

James Newton Howard:

1. Maleficent

2. Dinosaur

3. King Kong

 

 

[John 2,032]

Howard Shore:

1. The Return of The King

2. The Fellowship of The Ring

3. The Two Towers

 

 

Just... because.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

The synthesizers used in the original SW scores are far more dated than the ones heard in JP, which are classic Williams synth patches at this point.  They sound great. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Agreed!