What Is The Last Score You Listened To? (older scores)

[Jay 37,306]

Danny Elfman - Dick Tracy (OST)
Been listening to this in anticipation of the Intrada expansion, which I still haven't had a chance to dig into.  It's a fun, jazzy score!  The OST is so short and feels it; Just when you're really getting into things the whole disc is over!

 

Basil Poledouris - Starship Troopers (Complete)
I JUST LOVE THIS SCORE!  Great action score that maintains your interest for all 80 minutes.  So thankful to finally have this complete!

 

Danny Elfman - Mission: Impossible

My favorite non-Burton Elfman.  Just super fun and inventive all the way through, which great use of choir and percussion.

 

Jerry Goldsmith - Alien (OST)

Love the experimental nature of this one!

 

Joe Kraemer - Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

Simply one of the very best scores of the 2010s, no question.  I love the way he plays with Schifrin's MI theme and The Plot, and all the original music, the action material, this is a 5 star score that I never get tired of.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

1 minute ago, Jay said:

Danny Elfman - Mission: Impossible

My favorite non-Burton Elfman.  Just super fun and inventive all the way through, which great use of choir and percussion.

 

Incredibly effective and intelligent score. And this was a quick replacement for Silvestri's?

[Jay 37,306]

I think he had to do it fairly quickly, yea.  I just love the way it turned out.  The inventive percussion like the cuckoo clock and gongs and stuff is so fun to listen to

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I reminds me of Aliens in that way. Also a score done very quickly and you can actually feel the hurried testosterone in the music.

[Jay 37,306]

Sort of, though MI has a lot more suspense building tracks than action tracks.  I hope Paramount lets a label do a complete release soon

[Incanus 5,713]

Star Wars The Force Awakens by John Williams

 

The Thief of Bagdad by Miklos Rozsa

 

SUN - Soul of the Ultimate Nation by Howard Shore

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

Poledouris' Red October, Goldsmith's Air Force One, Hans' Gladiator

[publicist 4,643]

Fans of pastoral, cantilena-rich music with lots of warm melodies might give this one a listen:

 

 

[Lewya 360]

The boldest and perhaps least pretty score of the year, it is not for the faint-hearted, a good listen if you want to listen to one of the most challenging scores of the year:

 

 

[KK 3,307]

Sounds a little over-the-top.

[Jay 37,306]

John Williams - The Lost World (Complete)

 

No, I don't have the LLL CD already, it was a fan edit combining OST with DVD rips and mockups, etc.  This is one damn fine score!  The best part is the amazing final 1-2-3-4 punch of action tracks A Neighborhood Visitor / Streets Of San Diego / Ludlow’s End / The Saving Dart.  It will be so great to finally have those appear in full in that order on the new set instead of the odd order he chose to end the OST album with (basically 3, 1, 2, 4).  Well, there's lots of other highlights too - man, what a great score.  "The Lost World", "The Hunt" and "Rescuing Sarah" are among the best film score tracks of all time!

[Damien F 1,742]

^

It is a fantastically enjoyable score, and it seems to be one of JW's scores that is often overlooked and underappreciated. I mean, just look at the last section from Filmtrack's review

 

Quote

Overall, The Lost World would be satisfying as a stand-alone score. But as part of a franchise, it fails extend the musical narrative in an intelligent fashion. It was long rumored that either John Williams or James Horner would score the belated Jurassic Park III, but Don Davis would earn the job and he, more so than Williams, would return to the original film's material. Until then, The Lost World would leave a sour aftertaste for many fans.

 

I completely disagree with his opinion that it fails to extend the musical narrative as part of a franchise, and he seems to misunderstand the score. I mean, the island fanfare from the first movie is used sparingly during a few key shots, but this makes its appearance even more interesting and welcome. We get a great cameo from the carnivore motif (albeit not on the OST). The only theme that doesn't return until the very end is the main theme from the first movie, but given the much darker tone of the sequel which omits much of the awe and wonder of the first one, I can't really imagine any scene where it would fit. Maybe when the Stegosaurus first appears, but I think it would have overwhelmed the scene.

 

Instead we get a fantastic main theme, a great 4 note motif, an outstanding array of jungle percussion and some truly exceptional and complex action music.

[Faleel 5,340]

I can't wait to hear the BWAHM cue when the T-Rex escapes clean.

 

And the percussion for Ajay finding the bullets have been removed from his gun of course.

[crocodile 7,986]

19 hours ago, KK said:

 

And?

I'm quite ambivalent towards it, if that makes sense. It is certainly well written and intelligent. But I'm not sure whether we need all that material on the album. Some of it is very non-descript. Nothing to do with the music as written, which is well conceived, but I'm having hard time enjoying some portions of this disc.

 

Speaking of which, I've decided that I like this film. Might need to watch it again in order to have it all sink in. It's one of those that isn't that obvious. But I do appreciate it's very optimistic message, even if it feels quite downbeat tone-wise. It's a type of film we need more of even if I didn't exactly love it from top to bottom.

 

Karol

[KK 3,307]

I agree, album could use trimming. But I still find it a fascinating listen, if only for its craftsmanship. One of the year's finest, imo.

 

27 minutes ago, crocodile said:

Speaking of which, I've decided that I like this film. Might need to watch it again in order to have it all sink in. It's one of those that isn't that obvious. But I do appreciate it's very optimistic message, even if it feels quite downbeat tone-wise. It's a type of film we need more of even if I didn't exactly love it from top to bottom.

 

Goood, goooooood. I consider it a grower as well. I'd certainly welcome more efforts like this.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I consider it a shrinker. The more I think about it the more I don't like it. 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

3 hours ago, Fennel Ka said:

And the percussion for Ajay finding the bullets have been removed from his gun of course.

 

He didn't make it. Ajay. You mean Roland.

 

The Rocketeer OST
The Pagemaster complete score

Star Trek: Nemesis complete score

Live binaural ASMR recordings of The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland

Batman OST (Prince)
Batman Returns complete score

[Faleel 5,340]

You are right. It was Roland Tembo.

[Incanus 5,713]

9 hours ago, publicist said:

Fans of pastoral, cantilena-rich music with lots of warm melodies might give this one a listen:

 

 

Aaltio's music is actually very nice. A bit of old fashioned orchestra and a bit of modern sensibilities and mixing them together into an entertaining package. Check out Tale of a Forest from him if you already haven't.

[Gnome in Plaid 219]

8 hours ago, Lewya said:

The boldest and perhaps least pretty score of the year, it is not for the faint-hearted, a good listen if you want to listen to one of the most challenging scores of the year:

 

 

I've been working on a review of this and a few others for a while now.  How awesome is that "Finale" cue?

8 hours ago, KK said:

Sounds a little over-the-top.

Well, it is music by a guy who once added a rotting pig carcass to a percussion section.

[KK 3,307]

I'm not really familiar with his works, to be honest. I'll check out the score. 

[Incanus 5,713]

26 minutes ago, Gnome in Plaid said:

Well, it is music by a guy who once added a rotting pig carcass to a percussion section.

I'll avoid this composer at all costs then. Smacks more than a little pretentious in an artsy way.

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

8 hours ago, KK said:

Sounds a little over-the-top.

 

Agreed.  Seems like he's reaching for the early Shore psychotic realm, but it's not doing it for me.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

The Matrix - Don Davis. An old favorite.

 

Miracle on 34th Street - Bruce Broughton. One of the best Christmas movie scores ever (minus the awful Kenny G style love theme).

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The Untouchables (limited Edition)

 

Great to finally hear the complete score, though the OST certainly had all the best tracks

 

 

[Taikomochi 1,136]

17 hours ago, dfenton85 said:

The only theme that doesn't return until the very end is the main theme from the first movie, but given the much darker tone of the sequel which omits much of the awe and wonder of the first one, I can't really imagine any scene where it would fit. Maybe when the Stegosaurus first appears, but I think it would have overwhelmed the score.

 

If I am remembering correctly, doesn't a somewhat warped version of this theme appear at the beginning of "Hammond's Plan"?  I think that's the only appearance, at least going by the album. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The Journey To The Island fanfare appears in Hammonds Plan and the film version of the end credits. The CD version also has the Jurassic Park main theme.

[Incanus 5,713]

8 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

The Journey To The Island fanfare appears in Hammonds Plan and the film version of the end credits. The CD version also has the Jurassic Park main theme.

The JP Fanfare theme also appears in Finding Camp Jurassic when Nick reaches the visitor centre and stumbles upon the T-Rex poster on the wall. And the Trek.

[Taikomochi 1,136]

Yes I think both of the main themes appear in "Hammond's Plan," the softer theme in the opening bars and the fanfare later for the moment when Hammond counts on his fingers. I was referring to the former, which I think is the main theme dfenton85 was referring to.

[Incanus 5,713]

6 minutes ago, Taikomochi said:

Yes I think both of the main themes appear in "Hammond's Plan," the softer theme in the opening bars and the fanfare later for the moment when Hammond counts on his fingers. I was referring to the former, which I think is the main theme dfenton85 was referring to.

The main "hymn" theme doesn't appear in Hammond's Plan, only the Fanfare after Malcolm announces that it is going to be a rescue operation. The hymn theme features only in the scene preceding the end credits and in the credits.

[Damien F 1,742]

7 minutes ago, Incanus said:

The main "hymn" theme doesn't appear in Hammond's Plan, only the Fanfare after Malcolm announces that it is going to be a rescue operation. The hymn theme features only in the scene preceding the end credits and in the credits.

 

Yes, that is my understanding too.

[Taikomochi 1,136]

I could swear those opening notes were at least related. Oh well, guess I will just have to whip the album out after work and examine. 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

At the most I'd categorize the opening notes of "Hammond's Plan" as an allusion to the hymn theme, not an actual occurrence of it.  But really I just think it's a coincidence.

[Incanus 5,713]

3 minutes ago, Taikomochi said:

I could swear those opening notes were at least related. Oh well, guess I will just have to whip the album out after work and examine. 

The Island Fanfare quote resembles the Jurassic Park Gate track from JP down to the way it ends, which doesn't contain the hymn theme at all.

[Jay 37,306]

Eric Serra - The Fifth Element (Complete score)

 

Via the DVD isolated score track.  Love this one!  I wonder if a specialty label will ever tackle it?

 

 

Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra - Game Music Concert (1991)

 

Holy cow!  I randomly found this on my HD and gave it a listen and was blown away!  It features really good orchestral versions of some of my favorite VG tunes (Mario, Zelda, and Final Fantasy IV), plus music to series I was unfamiliar with (Wizardry, Dragon Quest, Populous, and Romance of the 3 Kingdoms) and it was ALL good!

 

The Super Mario Brothers track really through me for a loop because after the familiar theme, it started playing what to my mind sounded like Waltz to the Death from Batman!  I realized on second listen it was supposed to be the music for underwater levels, but it really threw me for a loop at first!  The Zelda tracks are especially great (especially since they are from LTTP), and of course Final Fantast IV is amazing.  And like I said, while I wasn't familiar with the Wizardly, Dragon Quest, Populous, or Romance of the 3 Kingdoms music, I was impressed by how much I liked it.  Basically, they made really good selections of what to record for this album!

 

I did some googling and found out its just the first entry in a whole series:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestral_Game_Music_Concerts

 

I am going to try to track them all down!

 

[Faleel 5,340]

I agree with Taikomachi.

8 hours ago, Incanus said:

The Island Fanfare quote resembles the Jurassic Park Gate track from JP down to the way it ends, which doesn't contain the hymn theme at all.

Just in case it is not clear, Taiko is referring to 0:00-0:05

[Taikomochi 1,136]

I'm not the only one!

 

I did listen to the track after work, and I still believe it to be a reference, though very small and indirect.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Batman (1989) complete score and Prince songs

Return of the Jedi OST

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan complete score
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Soundtracks Collection)

Jaws complete score

Godzilla (1998) complete score

 

[Incanus 5,713]

Assassin's Creed Syndicate by Austin Wintory: It keeps pulling me back. The small ensemble used here is phenomenal and at times the sheer dexterity of the playing these wickedly fast parts takes your breath away. Oh and those murder ballads are hilariously vicious and contain very witty lyrics.

 

The River by John Williams: A small often unsung JW gem from the 1980's. I don't know how the Maestro got inspiration to write this one as the film certainly isn't much help but he seems to have captured the spirit of contemporary rural Americana with great empathy in his music, which feels more akin to his music for The Reivers and The Missouri Breaks or later Rosewood than his grander Copland-esque efforts.

[Jay 37,306]

Is there a lot of extra music in the film that isn't on the CD? 

[Incanus 5,713]

12 minutes ago, Jay said:

Is there a lot of extra music in the film that isn't on the CD? 

@Omen II mentioned in the discussion in the Review section of the MB that The River OST is a re-recording. I had no idea. But there really isn't all that much material that didn't make it to the album anyway, just small snippets. And some things like the Young Friends Farewell isn't in the film.

[Jay 37,306]

Cool, thanks.

 

And I listened to Hammond's Plan this morning, and I do NOT believe that 0:00-0:05 is a deliberate reference to the Theme From Jurassic Park.  Just sounds coincidentally kinda simliar (but not really, though)

[Faleel 5,340]

Of course it doesn't sound like TFJP, because you listened to the wrong track!

[Incanus 5,713]

13 hours ago, Fennel Ka said:

I agree with Taikomachi.

Just in case it is not clear, Taiko is referring to 0:00-0:05

Oh yes. That might actually be a subtle hint which I think I mentioned in my analysis. I thought Taikomochi meant the ending which is why I vehemently objected.

[Jay 37,306]

I really think its just a coincidence

[Faleel 5,340]

3 minutes ago, Jay said:

I really think its just a coincidence

Well the whole track is already full of JP1 references with the Carnivore Motif and Island Fanfare (I think I remember GoodMusician saying you can even hear it in reverse?)

[Incanus 5,713]

6 minutes ago, Jay said:

I really think its just a coincidence

Perchance, mayhaps. Who knows but probably JW himself. He managed to sneak the Carnivore motif under my nose into that piece which I noticed only after Sharky mentioned it a good while back.

[Jay 37,306]

BTW: Am I the only one who doesn't like calling that theme "The Carnivore Motif"?  Certainly that's not a name Williams would EVER use.

I personally think that he thinks of it as a theme for the Raptors, but used it in a few other spots where it fit the scene, despite Raptors not being present (as Williams is known to do all the time)

[Incanus 5,713]

2 minutes ago, Jay said:

BTW: Am I the only one who doesn't like calling that theme "The Carnivore Motif"?  Certainly that's not a name Williams would EVER use.

I personally think that he thinks of it as a theme for the Raptors, but used it in a few other spots where it fit the scene, despite Raptors not being present (as Williams is known to do all the time)

Yeah Raptors seems to be a good name for it as that is what the motif mostly represents although it has that general sense of dread to it which makes it multipurpose for these scores. Dinosaur Bad Guy Theme.

 

I am intrigued to read what kind of names Matessino will give these themes in the liner notes.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Just now, Incanus said:

 I am intrigued to read what kind of names Matessino will give these themes in the liner notes.

 

We need to know what Doug Adams would have called it had he written a book about the scores!