Composer Threads The Alan Silvestri Thread

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Funny how the music sounds so different than what one would expect, based on the tone of the trailers/clips. I like (most of) what I'm hearing!

[crocodile 7,973]

It sounds ok to me.

Karol

[crocodile 7,973]

My review of The Walk.

Karol

[Muad'Dib 1,800]

Pretty much agreed. It's a fine score, all it's missing really is a consitent theme and it would be excellent.

[crocodile 7,973]

My angle is basically that it makes for a really pleasant album. It's not original, fresh or even particularly coherent. But certainly 56 minutes that I enjoyed.

Karol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

My angle is basically that it makes for a really pleasant album. It's not original, fresh or even particularly coherent.

Like almost every Silvestri score then?

[crocodile 7,973]

My angle is basically that it makes for a really pleasant album. It's not original, fresh or even particularly coherent.

Like almost every Silvestri score then?

Yeah. This one has one advantage over many of them, though. It's got a bit of comedy, bit of 1970's jazz, bit of action, bit of James Horner-like wonder. It might not be the most unified, true, but a dull album it ain't. If that makes sense.

Karol

[Muad'Dib 1,800]

It may be ridiculous and outdated as fuck, but I'd love to hear more of this side of Silvestri

[Thor 7,451]

Me too, Michael. I got to talk a little bit about Silvestri's early synth side in my interview with him a couple of weeks ago, but alas I didn't have the time to go into all of them. He mentioned ROMANCING THE STONE himself, but I'd rather talk about SUMMER RENTAL, CRITICAL CONDITION, DELTA FORCE, FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR etc.

[Muad'Dib 1,800]

[Disco Stu 15,495]

A weird random Wiki troll???

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dazed_and_Confused_(film)

 

They even added it to his filmography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Silvestri#1990s

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

On 2/27/2020 at 11:01 AM, Brundlefly said:

Silvestri's recent output is awful, such as Allied. He's stuck in the 80s and his sugary string writing gives diabetes to every scene that could have been emotional.

 

On 2/20/2020 at 10:11 PM, Brundlefly said:

Silvestri's notorious feature is to tread water. The themes in Allied is nothing more than 80s SIlvestri love theme clichées.

 

On 12/29/2019 at 9:45 PM, Brundlefly said:

Allied - Zemeckis' directing style became more mature within the last two decades, but Silvestri's music is ad gooey and childish as ever.

 

Anybody else like Silvestri's score to Allied? At first I wrote it off. Then I revisited it several times and wrote it off again. Now I've given it yet another chance, after a small part of it had gotten stuck in my brain, and I'm appreciating it to the point of considering purchasing the CD. The big band rerecordings at the end of the album are very well done and just add to the listening experience.

[Thor 7,451]

I haven't even sampled ALLIED yet.

[Jay 37,249]

I like Zemeckis's recent films and their Silvestri scores >shrug<

The Walk is up there with Silvestri's best.  I can't remember specifics about Allied, but now I want to check it out again!

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

Now I want to check out The Walk again!

 

21 minutes ago, Thor said:

I haven't even sampled ALLIED yet.

 

It should be right up your alley! Even with five big band numbers at the end, the OST is only 42 minutes long!

[Jay 37,249]

 

 

 

 

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

 

I like it when the sound quality becomes shitty at 1.48! I don't know why it does that, haven't seen the film yet.

[Jay 37,249]

We watched the film when it came out and it was fine at the time, but boy have I forgotten every possible detail I could about it

[Thor 7,451]

THE WALK didn't do much for me either, although I was kinda "obliged" to talk a little it about it in my interview with Silvestri a few years ago, because it was his latest project at the time. I had to put on a professional "happy face" and all that.

 

Silvestri has been very hit and miss ever since THE MUMMY RETURNS, really, but there are definite highlights through recent efforts such as READY PLAYER ONE and COSMOS.

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

Dammit, ol' Alan is a master of beautiful (although generic) love themes!

 

 

3 minutes ago, Jay said:

We watched the film when it came out and it was fine at the time, but boy have I forgotten every possible detail I could about it

 

It's got a high re-watch value then.

 

I recently bought the film on blu. I'm a sucker for WW2 spy flicks, so I'm sure I'll at least like it.

[Richard Penna 3,662]

Saw The Walk in the BD rental days. The film was good, but I remembered nothing whatsoever about the music.

 

The love theme from Allied is the definition of 'meh'.

[Bespin 8,472]

Slowly but surely I start to build an Al Silvestri CD collection.

 

I started with the usual suspects: Forrest Gump and Back to the Future trilogy, The Abyss.

 

I just bought Father of the Bride and Contact too.

[Richard Penna 3,662]

Contact is my favourite, followed by BTTF. Not a huge amount else of Silvestri that excites me really. The suite from Forrest is really good, but the main body of the score gets so repetitive.

[Jay 37,249]

Contact is one of his best! 

[Thor 7,451]

That, it is.

[bruce marshall 1,314]

My collection:

[Thor 7,451]

Here's mine (I probably have half of these on CD as well, but I'm too lazy to take a pic):

 

 

[Brundlefly 2,385]

9 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Anybody else like Silvestri's score to Allied? At first I wrote it off. Then I revisited it several times and wrote it off again. Now I've given it yet another chance, after a small part of it had gotten stuck in my brain, and I'm appreciating it to the point of considering purchasing the CD. The big band rerecordings at the end of the album are very well done and just add to the listening experience.

It is terrible in the context of the film. Zemeckis and his style have matured, while Silvestri is pasting the same sugary notes onto every glimpse of serious emotion.

[bruce marshall 1,314]

2 hours ago, Thor said:

Here's mine (I probably have half of these on CD as well, but I'm too lazy to take a pic):

 

 

I'm a ' connoisseur' not a collector ( or critic who gets free stuff)😁

[Bespin 8,472]

3 hours ago, bruce marshall said:

My collection:

 

This collection don't make sense, so it's pretty up to the character!

[bruce marshall 1,314]

" Don't make sense"?

??????😗

 Custom covers:

[Bespin 8,472]

Which algorithm did you use?

 

[Drew 590]

Captain America March is finally available to buy in lossless. https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/a-musical-tour-treasures-of-the-walt-disney-archives-at-the-reagan-library-various-artists/qcwunfljeqdda

[Disco Stu 15,495]

(0:28 - 0:48)

 

 

 

[Anthony 572]

I like to think I know Silvestri's music pretty well, but I've gone through the list of scores I haven't heard and it's surprisingly big.

 

Is there anything in this list (score or cues) you'd consider "essential" to have? (Note: I am not a fan of his synth work.)

 

Critical Condition

Summer Rental

Mac And Me

The Perez Family

Red 2

Young Guns II

Identity

Lilo & Stitch

Serendipity

The Mexican

What Women Want

Pratical Magic

The Odd Couple II

The Long Kiss Goodnight

Grumpier Old Men

Richie Rich

Blown Away

Judgement Night

The Bodyguard

FernGully: The Last Rainforest

Ricochet

Shattered

Dutch

Soapdish

My Stepmother Is An Alien

No Mercy

Overboard

Flight Of The Navigator

American Anthem

The Delta Force

The Clan Of The Cave Bear

Cat’s Eye

Fandango

Romancing The Stone

CHiPs

[Thor 7,451]

1 hour ago, Anthony said:

Is there anything in this list (score or cues) you'd consider "essential" to have? (Note: I am not a fan of his synth work.)

 

Sorry to hear that. I absolutely adore his synth scores myself. But in that case, you can probably steer clear of these:

 

Quote

Critical Condition

Summer Rental

FernGully: The Last Rainforest

No Mercy

Overboard

American Anthem

The Delta Force

The Clan Of The Cave Bear

Cat’s Eye

Flight Of The Navigator

Mac And Me

 

Also, CHIPS is all about 70s funk. Don't know if that's your cup of tea.

 

These, I would consider essentials:

 

Quote

Romancing The Stone

Ricochet

Fandango

 

ROMANCING is both synths and orchestra, but is an iconic score nonetheless. A couple of synth cues in FANDANGO too, but mostly bold orchestral music. RICOCHET has a Bernard Herrmann-like propulsion.

 

There are bits and pieces of great music in the other titles on your list too, but nothing that I would necessarily label 'essential'. I'm glad that THE BODYGUARD eventually got a score-only release, but it's much too long. Needs to be whittled down, then it could be a contender for a must-have.

 

YOUNG GUNS II is a nice western/action score, but he's done better in both THE QUICK AND THE DEAD and BTTF3.

 

I recommend giving the compilation VOYAGES a whirl. Back in the mid 90s when I was exploring Silvestri, post-THE ABYSS, this was a great gateway into lesser known titles (including several on your list).

[Tom Guernsey 2,277]

2 hours ago, Anthony said:

I like to think I know Silvestri's music pretty well, but I've gone through the list of scores I haven't heard and it's surprisingly big.

 

Is there anything in this list (score or cues) you'd consider "essential" to have? (Note: I am not a fan of his synth work.)

 

Critical Condition

Summer Rental

Mac And Me

The Perez Family

Red 2

Young Guns II

Identity

Lilo & Stitch

Serendipity

The Mexican

What Women Want

Pratical Magic

The Odd Couple II

The Long Kiss Goodnight

Grumpier Old Men

Richie Rich

Blown Away

Judgement Night

The Bodyguard

FernGully: The Last Rainforest

Ricochet

Shattered

Dutch

Soapdish

My Stepmother Is An Alien

No Mercy

Overboard

Flight Of The Navigator

American Anthem

The Delta Force

The Clan Of The Cave Bear

Cat’s Eye

Fandango

Romancing The Stone

CHiPs

Of those, my favourites would be Young Guns II, Lilo & Stitch (although the album is a bit stingy with the amount of score), The Mexican (if you like his western stuff, this is great), Richie Rich (kinda repetitive but charmingly infectious) and Soapdish (so catchy, he doesn't write stuff like that any more). I'm not super keen on his synth stuff either... I so wanted Ferngully to the Silvestri equivalent of Horner's Once Upon a Forest, which perhaps informs my opinion of it too much.

 

I'm sure there's a few others I like but don't know as well... certainly plenty to explore (and that comes from someone who feels his recent stuff is a bit meh at times).

[Jay 37,249]

Looking at that list I don't consider any of those to be essential Silvestri, personally

[Edmilson 7,367]

Question for the Silvestri fans in the forum: what kind of Alan Silvestri score do you prefer?

1. His action/adventure scores, like Predator 1 and 2, Judge Dredd, Eraser, The Mummy Returns, G.I. Joe, The Avengers, etc;
2. His more soft and warm scores for rom-coms, dramas and kid movies, like Father of the Bride, Forrest Gump, Stuart Little, Mouse Hunt, Contact, Cast Away, etc;
3. Or somewhere in between these two extremes?

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

Back to the Future

[Bespin 8,472]

2 & 3.

 

 

On my wishlist:

• Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Expanded)
• Death Becomes Her (??? so $$$)
• Ready Player One (just ordered)
• Predator (Expanded, but I have to listen first...)

[mxsch 115]

9 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Question for the Silvestri fans in the forum: what kind of Alan Silvestri score do you prefer?

1. His action/adventure scores, like Predator 1 and 2, Judge Dredd, Eraser, The Mummy Returns, G.I. Joe, The Avengers, etc;
2. His more soft and warm scores for rom-coms, dramas and kid movies, like Father of the Bride, Forrest Gump, Stuart Little, Mouse Hunt, Contact, Cast Away, etc;
3. Or somewhere in between these two extremes?

Action-adventure, can't get enough of his writing style. Esp. those snares

[Richard Penna 3,662]

19 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Question for the Silvestri fans in the forum: what kind of Alan Silvestri score do you prefer?

1. His action/adventure scores, like Predator 1 and 2, Judge Dredd, Eraser, The Mummy Returns, G.I. Joe, The Avengers, etc;
2. His more soft and warm scores for rom-coms, dramas and kid movies, like Father of the Bride, Forrest Gump, Stuart Little, Mouse Hunt, Contact, Cast Away, etc;
3. Or somewhere in between these two extremes?

 

I find it's difficult to put SIlvestri's best work into genres actually. I've heard examples from all of them that I rather like, and some that I don't. Although I'm generally not into his bigger action scores (most of (1)).

 

The Mummy Returns is a great effort, but Ready Player One does nothing for me. Cast Away is nice and Contact is awesome, some of his other Zemeckis dramas bypass me completely. Then more romantic stuff like Fools Rush In which is surprisingly attractive, whereas I find Forrest Gump an incoherent overload of mush, with a few highlights (although to his credit, the film doesn't allow for a more traditional, cohesive score, with all the songs IMO).

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I generally prefer his drama/comedy style, I actually don’t think he’s particularly strong on action music, but certainly not bad or anything.  Silvestri’s strength is definitely emotion and sentiment.  Of course what makes the BTTF trilogy so killer is that it’s a great dramedy score with action elements.  Anyway I love Gump and Father of the Bride and Contact, Silvestri is just great at treacle and I lap it up.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

2 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

I actually don’t think he’s particularly strong on action music

 

Bish srsly??

[Disco Stu 15,495]

2 minutes ago, The Big Man said:

 

Bish srsly??

Gump >>>>>>>>>>>>> Predator.  I like the Coplandesque theme in Predator but in general it’s a bit of a slog.  As are most of his action scores.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Film scores only matter when they're in the film anyway, so the bloke excels at building suspense and excitement in action sequences more than most other composers.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Yeah he’s better than most film composers at most things, that’s true.

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

He's a better wine maker than most composers.

[Jay 37,249]

Action/adventure AINEC