Gnome in Plaid 219 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 So, a friend gave me a copy of an old Intrada CD "Hider in the House" for my birthday... and it's breathtaking. After listening to it and doing a little forum-digging, I came to the realization that Young isn't really discussed much here. Anyway, without further ado, I'll do what I can to alleviate this deficiency. A clip from Hider in the House:"Birth of Sandman" from Spider-Man 3:"Concerto to Hell" from Drag Me to Hell: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KK 3,307 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 One of my favourite Young scores: Incanus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent B 337 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Christopher Young is a good composer. I love his scores for The Core and Spider-Man 3, especially the latter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,715 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Christopher Young is indeed a rather unsung composer although he has a very extensive and diverse body of work. He has been typecast as a horror movie composer for a long time thanks to his early successes with the films like Hellraiser but he has done so much more than mere horror music (at which he is a master not only of orchestra but also music concrete sounds as well). And of course he is a swell guy all around supporting new young composers, speaking on behalf of film music and participating in events and meeting fans with open arms.His music for dramas is often nothing short of beautiful, insightful and affecting.Three good examples that pop to mind areCreation:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l63T29QwjwEThe Shipping News: The Gift:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1-A-p-aYS4Sadly both Creation and The Gift are either unavailable or rather pricey at the moment, going for more than 30 $ at e.g. Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scallenger 483 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Drag Me To Hell was what got me into this composer. I'll never forget watching the film for the first time (which I also enjoyed, for the goofiness that it is) and being just blown away by how great and effective the music was in the film. The album didn't quite have the same effect (doesn't it use alternates anyway?), but it's still a fantastic album to have just for the "Concerto To Hell" alone. And the fact that I was able to get one of the limited signed copies from BSX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmmusic 1,829 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 I haven't listened to that many Christopher Young scores, but the Best I've ever heard which i consider a masterpiece, and haven't seen mentioned often (probably because few have seen the film) is Murder in the First. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Hard Rain and Haunted Summer are two good ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,198 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 This is probably my favourite Young cue: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karelm 2,914 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Don't forget his gothic horrors scores: he also excels in the "birth of the monster" cues.plus his underrated scores too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post crocodile 8,017 Posted May 18, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted May 18, 2014 I really like this composer. He seems to be one of the few musicians in Hollywood that has some kind of sense of structure. Even when working on shit things like Ghost Rider, the music has purpose, architecture and there's a tendency to create a lot of self-contained setpieces in his work. It's like you could just take them out of film and perform in concert. They not only feel orchestral, but also symphonic. I mean listen to this - you do not hear a this kind of spacious and sprawling music to s-f very often: And not only that, he's usually actually HEARD in film as well. I know this cue from Spider-Man 3 has been already posted, but it is cool to actually see it in context. It does contain a couple of themes from the score, but the scene itself has its own theme. Karol Kasey Kockroach, Incanus and Sharkissimo 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,715 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I agree heartily. His modern stuff like Priest show that he can use the conventions and demands of the times without resorting entirely to aping temp tracks or surrendering his own style to the ostinati-driven drivel that seems to be in vogue these days. And there is that sense of architecture you mentioned. His music can be uncompromising to the ears at times as he can generate a lot of ruckus but usually you find a very strong logic and foundation even in these furious parts of his music.Hard Rain and Haunted Summer are two good ones.Indeed they are. Also I would add The Tower to the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I'm not very familiar with Young. Listening to what's posted here, it's well composed, well orchestrated, with a good sense of architecture as Karol says. But his harmonies leave me pretty disinterested. The selection from Creation is my favorite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 This cue might, just might change your mind about his harmony. Or thishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp4ysv0Q_14#t=21m20s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karelm 2,914 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 This cue might, just might change your mind about his harmony. That sounded great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 That's certainly a step up. But there's still some of that standing on functional minor chords for too long without any interesting enough gestures to justify it. Maybe it's just that that has been aped so much lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 That's certainly a step up. But there's still some of that standing on functional minor chords for too long without any interesting enough gestures to justify it.Timestamps please. Most of the chords there are major/minor, polytonal, quartal/quintal or mixed, not simple triads - which is why I chose the cue. There's even that Neptune chord you were raving about in the other thread at 2:12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 0:19-0:45 is pretty standard tonal vamping, though some of those nice flourishes weren't coming through on my phone speaker. It's a very satisfying cue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 That sounds quartal to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 It is. My iPhone speaker is deceptive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt C 454 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I really like Young's output. It's not just his tendency to stay structured for every score he does, but there's a pleasing command of the orchestra and weaving in neat textures. Those eerie flutes in Species' main title, or the glass harmonica and female voices here: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I've acquired The Core and Creation for further investigating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 PS. If you want the sheet music for THE CORE (it's incomplete, so it's everything up until Brazz's death), just PM me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Sweet. I haven't seen the movie in ages though; is Brazz the guy cousin Stanley played?And wow, check out that CONDUCTED BY credit for Pete Anthony on the front cover of the Intrada release! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Brazz was played by Delroy Lindo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Ohhh that guy, I remember now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karelm 2,914 Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 I have Brazz's Death (or my transcription of it with me conducting an orchestra) let me know if anyone wants it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 I appreciate him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romão 2,274 Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 I've been re-discovering The Shipping News, such a beautiful score.Apart from the fantastic main theme, one track that has really stayed with me is track 5, Deep Water Down , heard mostly in the film's very melancholic beggining. It's sublime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Penna 3,694 Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 I'm rather a fan of Young's intimate, chamber style. The Tower, A Child's Game, Hush. I'm certainly interested in any new dramatic/character-based films he does.The Core is interesting in that it's more a collection of concert pieces than a score. That's good in that most of it is interesting, but it also means that it doesn't quite gel as a work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,017 Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 The Core is interesting in that it's more a collection of concert pieces than a score. That's good in that most of it is interesting, but it also means that it doesn't quite gel as a work.Repeated listens do wonder to this one, trust me.Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 The Core is interesting in that it's more a collection of concert pieces than a score. That's good in that most of it is interesting, but it also means that it doesn't quite gel as a work.That's a good point that I never really considered before. It's entirely down to the way the album is arranged though, almost entirely out of cues from non-adjacent scenes. In that sense it's a Williams-approved soundtrack on roids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Penna 3,694 Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 It helps in this case I think. It's only moving cues around, rather than removing material. He does that with all his albums I believe (Hush definitely). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 There is quite a bit of missing material, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Penna 3,694 Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Can't say I've noticed. But outside Spidey 3 I've never noticed the smaller, typically unreleased sections. Maybe Young's just good at selecting what not to include. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 There's some good material left out. Trafalgar Square pigeon attack, helicopter to Utah Salt Flats, helicopter to Mariana Trench launch site etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,715 Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 The Core is interesting in that it's more a collection of concert pieces than a score. That's good in that most of it is interesting, but it also means that it doesn't quite gel as a work.That's a good point that I never really considered before. It's entirely down to the way the album is arranged though, almost entirely out of cues from non-adjacent scenes. In that sense it's a Williams-approved soundtrack on roids.Young does arrange his album listening experiences quite a bit. E.g. in the case of Creation the music is all over the place chronologically but it still works as a fine album with its own dramatic outline.I've been re-discovering The Shipping News, such a beautiful score.Apart from the fantastic main theme, one track that has really stayed with me is track 5, Deep Water Down , heard mostly in the film's very melancholic beggining. It's sublimeI think Shipping News was the first Christopher Young score that made me really take notice of him. It is indeed a beautiful score and shows very well his ability in creating singular musical world and architecture for a film that is both intelligent and emotional. You are immediately struck by the strong "colour" of the music which really defines the whole work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt C 454 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 I think the first score that got me interested in Young's music was his work for Hush, but what really made me take notice was the re-scored runaway train scene in Spider-Man 2. He nailed the pacing and excitement of the scene perfectly, even if it was lifted from the temp-track. It would also get me interested in his Hellraiser scores too. Magnificent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,368 Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Intrada is working on a release of a "recent" Christopher Young scoreWe still love the guy's music. And, in fact, we're wrapping up production on one of his recent scores as I type! But be aware... Chris really digs into his "head" and creates his albums literally from scratch. He even bleeds over the track titles. As such, some of his recent scores will eventually be on a CD near you - just as soon as he sorts out what he wants them to include, how the tracks should be assembled and whatnot. You really need to be patient with some of these artists! --Doug http://www.intrada.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=69199#p69199 Could it be The Monkey King? karelm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerateWohl 4,370 Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 Jurassic Shark asked me to post some highlights of Chris Young's oevre. Here they are. I guess he is mainly known for writing remarkable scores for B-movies like Species or Hellraiser. He die also some Blockbuster stuff, but not always that interesting. Even though some of his pieces have often been used in trailers. My favorite score of his is Murder in the First. Additions? Oppinions? Jurassic Shark and Yavar Moradi 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce marshall 1,315 Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 " SHARK can't even pronounce " oeuvre". 😆😝 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Thor 7,508 Posted September 13, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted September 13, 2020 You can't go wrong with Chris. Although some of the pure horror scores don't do much for me. My personal favourites include HELLRAISER, HIDER IN THE HOUSE, THE DARK HALF, MURDER IN THE FIRST (his best; it's got Ralph Vaughan Williams written all over it), HARD RAIN, BLESS THE CHILD, THE SHIPPING NEWS, THE TOWER, THE CORE, SOMETHING THE LORD MADE, AN UNFINISHED LIFE and THE MONKEY KING. Be sure, also, to check out his CINEMA SEPTET 2CD set for a great selection of his early scores. One of my big regrets in life, was when I had to decline a party at Chris' house in 2012, when I had already booked a trip to Catalina island outside LA. That house seems to be an experience in itself. GerateWohl, damthor, Kasey Kockroach and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce marshall 1,315 Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 BAT - 21 is the only one I have. Good stuff! One of the very few scores I own where I haven't seen the film! GerateWohl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,198 Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 GerateWohl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post karelm 2,914 Posted September 14, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted September 14, 2020 I dig this thread. He loves Herrmann, Goldsmith, and worships JW in a Zimmer way. This is a quote from Zimmer and Chris would echo it: "He's the greatest film composer out there, without a doubt, and it happens to be one of his iconic pieces of music, so I spent three months just procrastinating and not even getting a start on the thing, because I was so intimidated: 'Oh my God, I'm following in John Williams' footsteps.'" (Zimmer was talking about Superman). Chris said the same which I'll paraphrase "My god, any composer's dream is to create that one theme people just can't get out of their head and he did it over and over". Yavar Moradi, GerateWohl and Pieter Boelen 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,079 Posted September 14, 2020 Share Posted September 14, 2020 11 hours ago, bruce marshall said: " SHARK can't even pronounce " oeuvre". 😆😝 That's because it's French. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted September 14, 2020 Share Posted September 14, 2020 Oh-vehhhrrrr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerateWohl 4,370 Posted September 14, 2020 Share Posted September 14, 2020 14 hours ago, karelm said: I dig this thread. He loves Herrmann, Goldsmith, and worships JW in a Zimmer way. This is a quote from Zimmer and Chris would echo it: "He's the greatest film composer out there, without a doubt, and it happens to be one of his iconic pieces of music, so I spent three months just procrastinating and not even getting a start on the thing, because I was so intimidated: 'Oh my God, I'm following in John Williams' footsteps.'" (Zimmer was talking about Superman). Chris said the same which I'll paraphrase "My god, any composer's dream is to create that one theme people just can't get out of their head and he did it over and over". Yes, since you mention it, there are really big similarities in the music of Chris Young and Hans Zimmer, even though Chris Young at least from time to time has themes. I don'T want to start bashing Zimmer here. I am sure that Zimmer mostly dispenses on themes on purpose. So, no issue with that. But a quote from John Powel on John Williams brought after their collaboration on Solo brought it really to the point (if I remember it correctly): "He really writes polyphonic music. Nobody does that anymore. Composers today rather work like songwriters." And in my simple words I understand it this way, that today film composers mostly start with a sequence of chords and put a melody on it. John Williams actually starts with the melody and afterwards put dozens of chords under it what ever might be required for the current scene mood or whatever. And everyone admires that. So, why does hardly anyone work like that anymore then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,079 Posted September 14, 2020 Share Posted September 14, 2020 Laziness and lack of talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuerAzaelis 3 Posted September 14, 2020 Share Posted September 14, 2020 A person who starts from melody and who can sustain that for a whole piece is very rare these days. The true Golden Age of movie music. GerateWohl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karelm 2,914 Posted September 15, 2020 Share Posted September 15, 2020 22 hours ago, GerateWohl said: Yes, since you mention it, there are really big similarities in the music of Chris Young and Hans Zimmer, even though Chris Young at least from time to time has themes. I don'T want to start bashing Zimmer here. I am sure that Zimmer mostly dispenses on themes on purpose. So, no issue with that. But a quote from John Powel on John Williams brought after their collaboration on Solo brought it really to the point (if I remember it correctly): "He really writes polyphonic music. Nobody does that anymore. Composers today rather work like songwriters." And in my simple words I understand it this way, that today film composers mostly start with a sequence of chords and put a melody on it. John Williams actually starts with the melody and afterwards put dozens of chords under it what ever might be required for the current scene mood or whatever. And everyone admires that. So, why does hardly anyone work like that anymore then? The simple answer is directors don't ask for it. I once scored a project and for the opening scene gave a theme. They said it had too many notes, reduce the notes. So I simplified and they wanted it simpler still. By the end, it was just a drone and they loved it! If directors want themes, they'll get themes. One of the biggest reasons why directors don't want themes so much is they do a lot more drop ins...like the composer gives them quite a few options and they'll drop it in where it feels right to them rather than having the composer score to the scene (*cough* Chris Nolan *cough*). In effect, they're getting a more generic score that lets them have more flexibility around placement and use which they'll then edit. Second, more films are concerned with momentum (tempo and rhythm) then melody to keep you from surfing the web or flipping channels so you get faster tempos and scoring throughout (*cough* Chris Nolan *cough*) and these are what modern directors expect a good score sounds like so that's what they ask for. bruce marshall, GerateWohl and Pieter Boelen 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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