Thor

Most of us can remember iconic film scores from 1974 and thereabouts, so I don't see why people in 50 years won't be able to do the same for 2024 and thereabouts.

Time will tell.

Today's piano selection is a rather obscure one -- it's from the 1958 album COME SWING WITH ME by Tony Travis, reissued on CD in 2020. Travis is basically unknown today, but I think he was more famous as an actor at the time, appearing, for example, in the teensploitation film THE BEATNIKS from the same year. For this crooner-style album containing various standards by Cole Porter and the like, he is accompanied by Russell Garcia and his orchestra, with Williams on the keys. Travis' voice isn't remarkable, but there are a few bits of Williams elegance on display in the background, if you listen carefully. I love how he often drops his piano hits half a measure behind, classic jazz. There are several tracks I could play here where his piano playing is more prominent, but I wanted to play "Anything Goes" because it was used so famously in TEMPLE OF DOOM. Here you have him performing it himself, so you can picture him sitting in the Lao Che restaurant:

I have absolutely no idea who that is, and I don't believe I've seen him in anything, but hey -- let's see.

Moving on through my dad's LPs, here's another one with some evergreens on it. I'm not quite sure what's "HiFi" about it, though, but that may be the state of the LP itself. Needs a bit of cleaning. I know that Karajan's 50s DG recordings are definitely HiFi.

Harsh, but amusing.

I'm going to be the boring and irritating one now, sorry.... I don't understand this fascination for what one wishes he did, or wishes he didn't do. These alternate reality thingies. I'm more than content with what he actually did, in this world - here and now. If you think there's been enough discussion of all the STAR WARSes and INDIANA JONESes and HARRY POTTERs of this world (which I totally get -- I feel the same way!), and you want to talk about something else, there's so much else in his back catalogue. Let's talk about his flute concerto or THE PAPER CHASE or the CONVOY series or his piano gigs. There's enough existing Williams work to talk about for the remainder of our lifetimes!

One of my top 3 scores from 2022, with gorgeous use of synths and Pink Floyd-ian elements (including a shout-out to "Echoes"). You can read my review here. Gary was so kind as to send me this transparent vinyl, for which I'm very grateful. It's the best-sounding vinyl in my collection!

Continuing my journey through my father's vinyl gifts, I found this one too! Again, not as good as 52ND STREET, but still wonderful! I know many people have this as their fav. I had no idea my dad liked Billy Joel so much, but kudos to him! Hey, I love that one! Even if a friend of mine at the time played the song over and over again.

Mary Ann?!? That may very well be, yes! If so, a second 60s item. Cool!

TWO HOURS! "It's a MADHOUSE!". Oh well, I expected it to be one of those excessive things, but I feel confident it's possible to whittle this down to a solid 40 minutes or so. In addition to the hunt music (which wasn't verbatim the Goldsmith, but close), there was also some of that Goldsmith search music approximated.

Maybe, but her hair is slightly different in that film.

Wild guess -- Geena Davis in THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST? Wild guess -- the kid who played the Dalai Lama in SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET? I also think the piccolo woman must be Julia Ormond from SABRINA, as Mr. Hooper said. Shame that only the LOST IN SPACE robot made it as far as his 60s output is concerned, but more would be too obscure, I guess. Either way, great - albeit busy - piece of artwork. Congrats on getting an actual copy on your wall, Taikamochi.

Spurred by Konstantinos to play some of my Illarramendis again, this is a nice 1997 collection of various scores for the producer Elias Querejeta, including one of the first-ever scores I owned by him, EL ALIENTO DEL DIABLO. That one was on a fan-made 2CD-R set of Spanish film music, for which Jim Titus later designed a cover. Illarramendi is fantastic when he's wistful, less so when he does suspense, which is often a bit static and intense (again much like Delerue). But it's all gold.

Just another Wednesday at Boston Symphony Hall.