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Jerry Goldsmith – the greatest action composer of all time?


Hlao-roo

"He was, and remains, the best of the very best." - Dan Hobgood  

33 members have voted

  1. 1. As a body of work, is Jerry Goldmith's action music the greatest in film music history?

    • Yes
      17
    • No
      16


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Well, it's entirely possible.

Karol

Well, it's not entirely impossible.

Mikko

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Goldsmith's action music is certainly more succinct than most other composers', including Williams. Whether or not that makes it better, I'm unsure of.

Frankly, in the hair-raisingly bombastic/raucous department, they're both outdone by others.

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Goldsmith's action music is certainly more succinct than most other composers', including Williams. Whether or not that makes it better, I'm unsure of.

Frankly, in the hair-raisingly bombastic/raucous department, they're both outdone by others.

Indeed. Though there are times when I feel the succinct nature of Goldsmith's action is what undoes it when compared to some of Williams' greatest hits.

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publicist just repeated his statement. That must mean it's true.

Close the thread folks, it's all just been settled.

And i don't want to to repeat it a third time.

Goldsmith's action music is certainly more succinct than most other composers', including Williams. Whether or not that makes it better, I'm unsure of.

Frankly, in the hair-raisingly bombastic/raucous department, they're both outdone by others.

Indeed. Though there are times when I feel the succinct nature of Goldsmith's action is what undoes it when compared to some of Williams' greatest hits.

Which all are creaking from old age by now.

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Goldsmith's action music is certainly more succinct than most other composers', including Williams. Whether or not that makes it better, I'm unsure of.

Indeed. Though there are times when I feel the succinct nature of Goldsmith's action is what undoes it when compared to some of Williams' greatest hits.

Goldsmith's action music : Williams's action music :: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address : The Other Gettysburg Address

When it came time to deliver the Gettysburg Address, Everett gave a brilliant performance, as all knew he would. That he was able to speak for two hours, without notes, was all the more impressive for a kidney ailment that often required him to urinate (a small tent had been placed discreetly nearby, and what he called a “pot-de-chambre” placed inside).
A diarist, Benjamin French, wrote, “Mr. Everett was listened to with breathless silence by all that immense crowd, and he had his audience in tears many times during his masterly effort.” He described the battle in detail, leaving listeners rapt, and in effect telling its history for the first time. Near the end of his remarks, he spoke movingly of reconciliation between North and South, a thought that the victory at Gettysburg made more palatable.
Greece was in the air from the moment he started, and his opening paragraphs went into numbing detail of funerary rites in Athens. A reporter, John Russell Young, wrote, of his “antique courtly ways, fine keen eyes, the voice of singular charm.” But he added, ominously, “I felt as I looked at the orator, as if he was some antique Greek statue, so … beautiful … but so cold!”
Still, Everett’s triumph seemed complete. In his diary, Everett recorded, “After I had done the President pressed my hand with great fervor, and said “I am more than gratified. I am grateful to you.”
Then Lincoln stood up, spoke his 272 words, and sat down.
The rest, as they say, is history.
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These days I'll go to Emily Howell for some true musical greatness in the action department. Before that it was Angela Morley.

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http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/09/field_hockey_players_to_watch_3.html

Jr. Emily Howell,
Bangor

Junior forward is small in stature but played a big role last season in Bangor's run to the Colonial League title and the District 11 Class AAA semifinals. Howell had 19 goals and 11 assists last fall and was a first team Colonial League and second team Express-Times all-star. "She's a really fast and quick player," coach Carol Alfred said. "She reads plays. She's a natural athlete. She is small but she's mighty. She's probably one of my most physical players. There's nothing timid about Emily Howell."

9982800-large.jpg

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I own a lot of Jerry Goldsmith scores, many of them because they are considered by many to be classics, but I can't say I've really enjoyed them too much (with some exceptions - The Mummy, bits and pieces of Star Trek: TMP, Gremlins, The Sum of All Fears). So I'm going to vote no, because most of the other "action" scores I have, I like better than the handful of Goldsmith "action" scores I have

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Basil Poledouris wrote the ultimate action score, so intense that Jerry copied it for one of his. A pity Basil never came close to his masterpiece again.

I don't see Conan as an action score. There's hardly any action in it! It's a big fantasy epic, heavy with Poledouris' trademark of conjuring up the most lyrical themes amid darker/more action heavy stuff (that refers more to Starship Troopers, which is more of an action score than Conan, but I still wouldn't classify it as one).

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I recall a YouTube video showing the 'Clever Girl' sequence with everything stripped from the soundtrack but the music -- anyone have a link or a copy? Really drives home how masterful Goldsmith's treatment of the scene is.

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It's pure kenetic energy mixed with adrenaline and testosterone!

And directed by a dutch dude with a clear vision!

As for the poll I would have to say YES

Many of Jerry's 80s and 90s scores are among the most exciting ever written. Rambo III, Total Recall, The Mummy, the Star Trek scores (select cues), King Solomon's Mines, and much more.

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