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Brian Tyler & Danny Elfman - The Avengers: Age of Ultron


Jay

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Just heard it and I agree. Actually, I'd go so far as to say that in his very first track, Elfman blows away Silvestri's entire score. Now I've only listened to the first five tracks mind you, but Tyler's cues don't seem half bad either. Pretty sure the album is way out of order though. Either that or the film jumps right into the action from the get go.

Oh and for anyone wondering, the "preview track" on soundcloud is Tyler's "Rise Together."

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Just heard it and I agree. Actually, I'd go so far as to say that in his very first track, Elfman blows away Silvestri's entire score. Now I've only listened to the first five tracks mind you, but Tyler's cues don't seem half bad either. Pretty sure the album is way out of order though. Either that or the film jumps right into the action from the get go.

Oh and for anyone wondering, the "preview track" on soundcloud is Tyler's "Rise Together."

Well Silvestri's score had some great cues but in general the score was boring. I have listened to 6 tracks from Age of Ultron and it sounds promising :)

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This is up on iTunes New Zealand and Australia






I've listened to all the Elfman tracks, and really liked what I heard! It's like a fun Elfman score peppered with Silvestri's themes (Captain America theme and Avengers theme appear). Good stuff!

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Tyler's material doesn't really go anywhere. It's like constant bombast. And the few times he tries to slip in a thematic fragment, it's drowned out by more drums and string ostinati. The action writing is decent enough, but unmemorable as a whole.

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This is now on Spotify US, but only 1 track is available to play

https://player.spotify.com/album/1UaUCko4qqWnT2gJKmaQLT

EDIT: Spotify screwed up, and the one track there "Uprising", is a Tyler track of the same name from Thor 2.

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Interesting. After a new logo cue featuring the Avengers theme the first 60 seconds or so are tracked with music from the first film.

The film had several short moments when Silvestri's score for the first film was tracked. Others where it featured newly recorded versions of Alan's music. His the gets a full work out after the mid credit scene. (full statements of The Avengers and Helicarrier from the first score)

Why didn't they just hire him again?

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I'm listening to it right now. Not bad, not as infectiously fun as Silvestri's score so far. I'm liking the thematic continuity Tyler and Elfman maintain... Tyler's IM3 theme, Silvestri's Captain America and Avengers theme. Not sure if I hear Tyler's Thor theme...

Maybe the score plays better in the movie itself.

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Just came home from watching this film.

Good music by both Elfman and Tyler, buit it realluy feels like they are replacing Silvestri. MNot only does the film contain tracked music from the first film. There are also instances where Silvestri's music is slightly rearranged and re-recorded. (the hellicarier cue for instance)

Silvestri also gets a lot of love during the end credits. No less then two cues from his score are used for the end title music after the credit scene (his own end credit cue and the Hellicarier music)

I wonder now if Tyler was forced upon Whedon by Marvel and he wasnt happy with the score. Silvestri wasnt able to be hired and they went to Elfman instead to fix the score.

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There are also instances where Silvestri's music is slightly rearranged and re-recorded. (the hellicarier cue for instance)

This appears on the album. I thought this was intentionally written in to reference the Hellicarrier.

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Yes, it appears late in the film. The version is a near identical arrangement to Silvestri's cue. It gets repeated for the end credits.

The film is good, but it basically has the musical voices of three composers. The scoring process must have been a nightmare on this one.

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I think if Elfman had written the whole thing, you'd have a coherent and fresh sound for the film that pays proper tribute to Silvestri while standing on its own legs.

Elfman actually builds off Silvestri's score and makes it his own. Tyler's references rarely step outside of direct quotes, as brief as they are.

But really, I'm surprised you could tell any difference at all in context (given all the fights, battles, sound effects etc). That's a concerning sign.

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Beginning of the last track, "New Avengers".

Tyler quotes it somewhere else too, but it's less recognizable. In fact, you usually only recognize the Iron Man theme in the Tyler cues.

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It was good, but the Silvestri stuff stood out more then anything else, probably because im more familiar with it.

The credits mention two London based orchestras for Tyler. Didn't catch an orchestra name for Elfman's portion. Orchestrations by Steven Bartek

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Why didn't they just hire him again?

Maybe he didn't want to return? Think about that...

Someone on FSM mentioned Kevin Feige didn't like Silvestri's score.

That might be why Tyler got it initially.

Beginning of the last track, "New Avengers".

Tyler quotes it somewhere else too, but it's less recognizable. In fact, you usually only recognize the Iron Man theme in the Tyler cues.

The Captain America theme was tracked in the film at least once.

Has there ever been an instance where a composer works on a score for quite a while. Then a second, bigger name is brought in and the first composer stays with the project and the two coordinate with each other?

The fact that Tyler wasn't actually replaced after Elfman was hired and that he's actively doing promo work on this score suggests that he will probably continue scoring Marvel films.

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When you say that they use Silvestri's end credit music do you mean that literally?

Does this appear in the end credits then (Elfman/Silvestri hybrid theme)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muKGH74ps6s

This is my favourite cue, by the way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-A0mntR140

Karol

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After the mid credits scene they reuse the Silvestri track called the Avengers.

The film closes with a new arrangement of A Promise, followed by the Elfman/Silvestri hybrid, then mid credits scene. Silvestri's The Avengers, music from either Elfman or Tyler, the new arrangement of Helicarier and then some more Tyler or Elfman music

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Just curious - I'm not at all familiar with the scores for the previous installments (or the films themselves, for that matter) - is the theme that opens Elfman's HEROES (track 2) written for this film, or is it one of Silvestri's?

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Hmm, to me, it sounds more familiar to the CAPTAIN AMERICA march (the only Silvestri cue for CA I've listened to) - both themes share the same rhythmic figure in their opening bars.

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I think that's more coincidental.

There are some statements of the Captain America theme though. Elfman extrapolates Silvestri's "progression + hook" idea into a full fledged melody and some ideas of his own.

Silvestri's theme for comparison, mainly the part at 1:04:


This is my favourite cue, by the way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-A0mntR140

Karol

Lots of Elfman-isms in that cue.

I think it's my favourite cue as well. I like the badass statement of the main theme in the first half.

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wow, nice. Loving the musical continuity. I was afraid that Elfman would overshadow Tyler and we'd have a pick and choose score of mostly Elfman tracks, but this is actually all round enjoyable. I'm liking Tyler's stuff almost equally to Elfman's.

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wow, nice. Loving the musical continuity. I was afraid that Elfman would overshadow Tyler and we'd have a pick and choose score of mostly Elfman tracks, but this is actually all round enjoyable. I'm liking Tyler's stuff almost equally to Elfman's.

I mostly agree. There a few Tyler tracks that I'd drop, but at least as many that I'd call essential.

The score is underwhelming for me. Parts of it are fun, but Marvel should've brought back Silvestri for this.

I've heard this from a few people and I find it very interesting because there were only 2-3 parts of Silvestri's score that even caught my attention. I liked both of his attempts at scoring the Hellicarrier scene (see the sessions) and I liked the End Credits, but found the rest of the score completely boring, with a main theme that's never quite as good as it could be. I find Elfman's reworking much more exciting.

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Although Tyler's action pieces tend to be wall to wall sound of string ostinato and brass hits, I do like hearing some of his influences in his scores. It reminds me of JNH's Hunger Games chase ideas at 0:32, and some David Arnold preferred high brass shakes at 1:35

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uft_fYsCJ8I&index=15&list=PLKYq1YUeKWf0ESJEcDtZHIXEJXHBr-qcB

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I'm sure his music will gradually become more refined - give him some more years to develop. I actually liked some of his action cues (although I do prefer his quieter underscore), but I definitely need to listen to this score again.

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