The Official Alan Menken Thread

[chuck 155]

[chuck 155]

Here's a brand new interview of Alan Menken, featuring a sneak peek at his upcoming film score assginment "Mirror Mirror"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ8tKmTRrJs

[indy4 160]

Interesting interview. I hope there's more to his score to Mirror, Mirror than that video suggests, it sounds a little generic to me (of course that's only a few seconds of the score). The only score I've heard from Menken that suggests he could write a really good score without songs is Hunchback. As odd as it sounds, maybe the Disney songwriter can only write good non-score music if the film requires something macho and intense? I hope not, because the fact that he's scoring this movie that looks awful suggests that he's probably been typecast as the lighthearted fairytale guy.

[Jay 46,241]

Alan Menken's Mirror Mirror will be released April 10th by Relativity Music Group

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007HHSFBK/

[Jonesy 55]

Alan Menken's Mirror Mirror will be released April 10th by Relativity Music Group

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007HHSFBK/

‘Mirror Mirror’ Soundtrack Details (Tracklist and cover art)

[Kendal_Ozzel 36]

That's what I'm talking about. Ordered!

[indy4 160]

Finally!

[KK 3,313]

Awesome as that is, that album cover is terrible!

[Jay 46,241]

Mirror, Mirror track list and samples:

http://www.cinemamusica.de/1728/alan-menken-im-maerchenland-exklusive-soundclips-zu-mirror-mirror

[indy4 160]

Interesting, thanks for the link. These sound decent, I may have to buy Mirror, Mirror. There's a melody in "Love Potion" that sounds suspiciously similar to the "Scoundrel, street rat, I don't buy that" lyric from "One Jump Ahead" from Aladdin.

"I Believe" sounds absolutely awful, in every respect. Did they even both hiring a lyricist?

[Matt C 605]

Exclusive soundtrack clips from Mirror Mirror:

http://www.cinemamusica.de/1728/alan-menken-im-maerchenland-exklusive-soundclips-zu-mirror-mirror

Sounds good... would feel at home in a Disney film. Interesting that Menken recorded this score in Seattle, rather than with L.A. or UK session musicians.

[ShowUStheHOOK 8]

I'd like to jump on board the side that's defending Mr. Menken. I grew up listening to his work from The Little Mermaid onto Hunchback. I find his scores and songs to be good together. ( unlike Lion King and Mulan which had great scores, but didn't really contain the song themes so the continuity wasn't there as much) I agree Hunchback was his best work for Disney. Regarding the Little Mermaid, that was pretty good for it being his first film score ever. Wish my first attempt at writing was that good.

[Wojo 2,458]

At least in This Land from The Lion King, the main melody ends with "the circle of life / love is where they are." Other than that, no, there were two different creative teams doing their own thing.

[InTheCity 169]

I orchestrated on Mirror Mirror its a great score! I hope you guys all get it!

[PIANOMUSICIAN1991 0]

I just love Alan Menken, he is the best!

[hornist 1,261]

Never mind

[ShowUStheHOOK 8]

I orchestrated on Mirror Mirror its a great score! I hope you guys all get it!

I actually saw Mirror Mirror over the weekend. Nice score by Mr. Menken. The fight scene music during the film reminds me of " wolf chase" from Beauty and the Beast. Very nice.

[ShowUStheHOOK 8]

Menken writes good songs but his underscores, minus the songs, are nowhere near the quality of Goldsmith's Mulan.

Take away Menken's songs from those Disney films and let him just compose a regular score and I'll bet he has no Oscars to his credit. The songs were responsible.

Well, that's like saying: Raiders of the Lost Ark is a good score, but get rid of the adventurous music, and it is nowhere near the quality of The Mummy. The songs of Menken scores, like the adventurous music of Indy scores, are the main reason why the scores are so damn good. Take away a highlight, and duh it won't be as good as before.

Oh, and any of you who think Menken can't write good purley instrumental cues should listen to "Farewell" from Pocahontas.

^^^^This . For those who don't like Menken, and those who do, I have news regarding the oscars. According to Mr. Menken, it seems the rules at the oscars have been changed again. Now, composers that are primarily known as songwriters ( ie, Menken, Randy Newman ) will only be nominated for BEST SONG and thats it. No longer will either of them be able to be nominated for best score.

[MrJosh 1,205]

The only Menken scores I have are Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and a cartoon about farm animals....forgot the title lol.

I think The Little Mermaid is a fantastic score.

[ShowUStheHOOK 8]

The only Menken scores I have are Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and a cartoon about farm animals....forgot the title lol.

I think The Little Mermaid is a fantastic score.

would that be, HOME ON THE RANGE? A very good score by Menken. Interesting hearing him writing country ish tunes for that one. And yes, Little mermaid is a fantastic score

[MrJosh 1,205]

Yeah I just found my CD, Home On the Range it is. Listening to it now lol, I forgot how fun of a score it is

[ShowUStheHOOK 8]

one of the best tracks from Hunchback of Notre Dame

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDJtKAOobZE

[chuck 155]

Looks like Alan Menken may be the next composer to complete the E.G.O.T.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/emmy-nomination-alan-menken-nears-588588

"His Grammy came just last year, won with Glenn Slater for the song “I See The Light” in Disney’sTangled. And months later, Menken and Jack Feldman collected a Tony for their original score toNewsies."

"Now, Menken’s song, “More Or Less The Kind Of Thing You May Or May Not Possibly See On Broadway,” in ABC’s sitcom The Neighbors has earned him an original music and lyrics Emmy nomination. Should he complete the E.G.O.T., he would join only 11 other artists, among them Mel Brooks, Audrey Hepburn, Mike Nichols, and three composers -- Richard Rodgers, Jonathan Tunick, and Marvin Hamlisch."

[indy4 160]

Wow, congrats to Alan Menken! This is why JW needs to score another musical

[chuck 155]

I don't think JW's interested in doing Broadway... If he is, he should've done it long time ago.

[chuck 155]

Alan Menken & Richard Sherman interview:

http://disneytravelbabble.com/blog/2013/08/06/richard-sherman-alan-menken-chat-about-their-d23-expo-concert/

[mrbellamy 8,241]

Alan Menken and Christopher Lennertz's score for Sausage Party is out now. Amazon link with samples here.

 

Opening number (NSFW):

 

 

[Pieter Boelen 1,032]

Supposedly Alan Menken will score the Aladdin remake:

http://filmmusicreporter.com/2017/07/17/alan-menken-to-collaborate-with-pasek-and-paul-on-new-songs-for-aladdin-live-action-adaptation/

 

So... We've got a director who makes movies so weird that I don't see the point of them.

They're keeping it a musical, even though the subject matter is pitch-perfect for an action adventure approach like The Jungle Book.

And Menken will do reworking of his previous music again.

My interest in this movie has dropped to zero as per right now.

[BloodBoal 8,711]

I wonder if Menken gets a kick at revisiting his old works...

[Disco Stu 15,517]

After his songs/score for Tangled were received with a collective "meh" he's happy to relive old glories I suppose.

[Thor 9,362]

I was not thrilled with GALAVANT. No score on it. Album too long. But several of the songs were OK.

 

Anyways, I hope -- like I've always hoped -- that Menken will break out of the Disney/musical theatre mold and compose something for, say, an action movie or thriller or straightforward live action drama at some point. Not just the same old, or reworkings of his old material, as much as I adore it.

[mrbellamy 8,241]

On July 17, 2017 at 4:16 PM, Disco Stu said:

After his songs/score for Tangled were received with a collective "meh" he's happy to relive old glories I suppose.

 

An Oscar nomination for a hit movie is a collective meh?

[Disco Stu 15,517]

It's certainly not the opposite.  You certainly can't argue the songs have become a part of the culture like the songs of Little Mermiad or Aladdin.  Also I personally think they were bad  

[mrbellamy 8,241]

I don't really care about them either way, I'm just doubting the correlation.

[Disco Stu 15,517]

Oh sure, I was just making an easy dig at Menken 

[Sharkissimo 1,978]

9 hours ago, Thor said:

Anyways, I hope -- like I've always hoped -- that Menken will break out of the Disney/musical theatre mold and compose something for, say, an action movie or thriller or straightforward live action drama at some point.

 

Even then you'd just be hearing Menken propped up by a dedicated team of ghostwriters masquerading as arrangers.

 

 

 

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,517]

13 minutes ago, Sharky said:

 

Even then you'd just be hearing Menken propped up by a dedicated team of ghostwriters masquerading as arrangers.

 

 

Mr. Horner? Is it you?

[BloodBoal 8,711]

[Disco Stu 15,517]

2 hours ago, BloodBoal said:

 

The Tangled songs have become part of the culture? Feels like the movie went mostly unnoticed (at least over here)/didn't make much of a lasting impression. At least, I don't see kids going as crazy over it as something like Frozen. Mind you, I dont' pay that much attention to what's trendy with kids these days...

 

This was my point.

 

Also, WHERE IS "HERE"?!

[Groovygoth666 1,207]

So I'm currently watching the second workprint of Aladdin (1992), it's weird seeing it with the temp tracks being mostly Last Crusade so far, with a Prince of Thieves and a Hook cue thrown in. Sometimes it's easy to hear when a composer copies a temp track, but Menken did a really good job of taking the idea the directors wanted and making his score completely different but working perfectly for the film. Last Crusade and Aladdin are two scores that I wouldn't have considered having any similarities but will have to listen closely next time I revisit Aladdin.

[Jay 46,241]

Any unreleased Last Crusade stuff, or just OST tracks? 

[Groovygoth666 1,207]

Seems to be OST, I'll go through it again and double check with a list of what's used, but if there are any unreleased tracks the quality would be terrible as it's a VHS rip plus dialogue and some sfx. Also there was a Horner cue (possibly Aliens?) used for the final battle and some others that I didn't recognize throughout.

[Groovygoth666 1,207]

Yeah looks like it's just OST -

 

Jafar meets Gazeem and follow scarab to Cave of Wonders - (LC Ah Rats!!!)
Aladdin saves Jasmine in the market (seems to be an edit of a couple different tracks, with only a few seconds of what sounds like TOD Nocturnal Activities)
Aladdin shows Jasmine his home (RHPOT Maid Marian)
Guards find Aladdin and Jasmine (LC Indys First Adeventure)
Aladdin in jail, Jafar in disguise tells him about the golden rule (opening of LC Finale for Jafar intro followed by what I think is Indys First Adventure)
Aladdin and Jafar on sand dunes heading to Cave of Wonders (possibly Horner?)
Carpet follows Aladdin and Abu (LC No Ticket)
Escaping the Cave of Wonders (LC Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra)
Jafars betrayal, Cave of Wonders close (possibly TOD, very hard to tell)
Sultan rides Carpet (Hook Arrival of Tink)
Aladdin and Jasmine on balcony (sounds familiar but not sure)
Guards drop Aladdin into the sea (LC Ah Rats!!!)
Jafar escapes palace guards, Jasmine chooses Prince Ali (LC The Keeper of the Grail)
Aladdin thinks about becoming Sultan (LC The Canyon of the Crescent Moon)
Aladdin deciding not to free Genie (LC The Keeper of the Grail maybe)
Iago impersonates Jasmine and steals the lamp (LC Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra)

Aladdin tricks Jafar into becoming a genie (definetly Horner, possibly Aliens)

 

Although it is incredibly hissy, so I'm not completely sure on some of them, and there's much more I don't recognize, if you'd like I can post some clips?

[Not Mr. Big 5,011]

I wish they would bring him back to write original musicals.  The Disney songs now are so consistently meh.  

Even something considered a lesser work like Tangled wipes the floor with the new Disney stuff.  

[Groovygoth666 1,207]

1 hour ago, Not Mr. Big said:

I wish they would bring him back to write original musicals.  The Disney songs now are so consistently meh.  

Even something considered a lesser work like Tangled wipes the floor with the new Disney stuff.  

Agreed, give him and Stephen Schwartz another go, Frozen and Moana were good, but not on the same level as Menkens Disney Renaissance work.

[GerateWohl 6,492]

1 hour ago, Groovygoth666 said:

Agreed, give him and Stephen Schwartz another go, Frozen and Moana were good, but not on the same level as Menkens Disney Renaissance work.

Menken's own recent work was not on the same level as his Disney Renaissance work.

[Jay 46,241]

Nice job with that list, @Groovygoth666, pretty cool info

[Thor 9,362]

Menken is this year's guest of honour at Hollywood in Vienna in the fall. I really want to go, as Menken is one of the few remaining "top" composers on my list (and among my favourites) that I haven't yet interviewed, but as always it's a matter of money.

[tomsmoviemadness 4,843]

Is he the person who gets the Max Steiner award?

[4te 28]

Thanks for this comprehensive list, Groovygoth666! I really enjoyed watching the workprint as well and figuring out what all the temp tracks were. Here are a few that I caught to help fill in your list

 

Intro Aladdin (before One Jump Ahead): William Tell Overture from Caveman by Lalo Schifrin

Abu and the Needy Children: David Newman – Larry Looks For Ellen (from Mr. Destiny)

Jasmine in the Menagerie: Sad Goodbyes from Cocoon (James Horner)

Jafar Hypnotizes the Sultan: T'pring by Gerald Fried

Jasmine in the Menagerie: Farenheit 451 – Finale

Marketplace: Bagdad from The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad by Bernard Hermann

Jasmine Gets in Trouble in the Market: Scherhezade Suite: The Kalendar Prince (Rimsky-Korsakov)

Jasmine’s Sorrow: First Tears from Cocoon (James Horner)

Aladdin Imprisoned: The Miracle of the Ark by John Williams (Indiana Jones ROLK)

Aladdin Meets a Fellow Prisoner: Finale and End Credits from Indiana Jones LC by John Williams

Jafar in Disguise in the Prison: Mysterious Island – Prelude by Bernard Hermann

Aladdin Enters the Cave: Night Magic by Bernard Hermann

Cave of Wonders (Discovering the Lamp): Mountain Top from Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Bernard Hermann

Aladdin Apprehended by Jafar's Guards: Atlantis the Lost Continent (Overture) by Russell Garcia

Princess Jasmine In Love: T'pring by Gerald Fried

Genie's New Master / Jafar Takes Over: Larry Meets Jerry by David Newman (from Mr. Destiny)

Aladdin and Abu: Canyon of Mazes by James Horner (from Willow)

Jasmine Tricks Jafar: Transformation by Bernard Hermann (Seventh Voyage of Sinbad)

The Battle: Futile Escape by James Horner (Aliens)

Victory: Theme Medley from Memoirs of an Invisible Man by Shirley Walker

Aladdin Frees the Genie: Cocoon (The Ascension) by James Horner

 

15 hours ago, Groovygoth666 said:

Yeah looks like it's just OST -

 

Jafar meets Gazeem and follow scarab to Cave of Wonders - (LC Ah Rats!!!)
Aladdin saves Jasmine in the market (seems to be an edit of a couple different tracks, with only a few seconds of what sounds like TOD Nocturnal Activities)
Aladdin shows Jasmine his home (RHPOT Maid Marian)
Guards find Aladdin and Jasmine (LC Indys First Adeventure)
Aladdin in jail, Jafar in disguise tells him about the golden rule (opening of LC Finale for Jafar intro followed by what I think is Indys First Adventure)
Aladdin and Jafar on sand dunes heading to Cave of Wonders (possibly Horner?)
Carpet follows Aladdin and Abu (LC No Ticket)
Escaping the Cave of Wonders (LC Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra)
Jafars betrayal, Cave of Wonders close (possibly TOD, very hard to tell)
Sultan rides Carpet (Hook Arrival of Tink)
Aladdin and Jasmine on balcony (sounds familiar but not sure)
Guards drop Aladdin into the sea (LC Ah Rats!!!)
Jafar escapes palace guards, Jasmine chooses Prince Ali (LC The Keeper of the Grail)
Aladdin thinks about becoming Sultan (LC The Canyon of the Crescent Moon)
Aladdin deciding not to free Genie (LC The Keeper of the Grail maybe)
Iago impersonates Jasmine and steals the lamp (LC Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra)

Aladdin tricks Jafar into becoming a genie (definetly Horner, possibly Aliens)

 

Although it is incredibly hissy, so I'm not completely sure on some of them, and there's much more I don't recognize, if you'd like I can post some clips?