Michael Giacchino's Star Trek

[Maxxie 1]

This score is "alright to listen to" . I hardly see the point of a complete cue list and analysis

Yet you'd be deep-throating it if Williams had written it.

There isn't

Pity.

Not that the film needs it, I just like the theme!

[airmanjerm 78]

I'm a little behind on this thread (the whole board in fact...my pennance for trying to get into the house-buying "market" in California...).

Anyway, I seem to have gotten a couple of stories mixed up in my head...the recordings of the Giacchino score to the ST film, and the re-recording of the original theme for the remastered versions of the original series.

[in case this hasn't been posted, here's an article about the re-recording of the remastered version of TOS:

http://trekmovie.com/2006/10/13/new-theme-...-in-good-hands/ ]

ANYWAY, the point of my post is just to ask...did anybody else just find it "strange" to hear the TOS theme in the theater during the credits? I mean, not the melody, and not just the fanfare, but the WHOLE thing. (Well, even though it's developed to include the theme from this movie.)

I'm not saying it was "bad" to hear in the theater...in fact, I liked it. I guess it's just that I've been hearing that theme for 30 years, and now it was just a little bizarre to hear it in the theater.

[John Crichton 4]

It was wonderful!

John- who finds new reasons to like this score every time he listens to it

[Laserschwert 475]

I didn't think there was any Goldsmith tunes involved?

Nah, stupid me, it was the Courage-fanfare that Goldsmith used for his main theme (the one that also starts TNG). Nevertheless, those parts were closer together in the film version of the end credits.

[Delorean90 42]

Those instructions were very helpful. Thanks, Jason!

Just for kicks, here's my edited sequence/track titles in the spirit of previous short Trek releases:

01. Star Trek

02. Evacuating the Kelvin/The Birth of Kirk

03. Kirk's Decision

04. Enterprising Young Men

05. Nero Sighted

06. Mind Meld

07. Run and Shoot Offense

08. Spock's Ship

09. Destruction of the Narada

10. Finale

11. To Boldly Go/End Credits

[Datameister 2,041]

Gar, I can't wait for my copy to arrive! Supposed to get here on Monday...but then I may have to wait a couple of days for the package to get processed. (Long story.)

[Jay 37,336]

Saw the movie again tonight...

I have no idea what "Nice To Meld You" is. I mean, based on the title and track placement it has to be the original cue for the Spock Prime / Kirk mind meld sequence.... but the music just REALLY doesn't fit the scene at all! They must have completely rejiggered the scene around after Giacchino recorded that cue (its a minute shorter for one thing)...

Also, I really don't like the tracked main title in the film. It sounds awkward, just badly edited in. And its silly so have such a big fanfaric peice at that point in the movie.... Nero has just destroyed a ship and killed most of its crew and the surivors are limping away.... lets put a big fanfare in over the main titles here. No. I want to hear Giacchino's original Main Title!

[Crimson Nagus 43]

Anyone know what edits need to be made to piece together the main titles? It sounds like it is all in the "Enterprising Young Men" track but I can't figure out where the edits where made.

[Richard Penna 3,679]

No. I want to hear Giacchino's original Main Title!

Someone I know worked on the film, and told me that Giacchino didn't write anything for the main title as he wasn't available. And I think the editing is perfectly good.

Anyone know what edits need to be made to piece together the main titles? It sounds like it is all in the "Enterprising Young Men" track but I can't figure out where the edits where made.

Check your PMs.

[Jay 37,336]

No. I want to hear Giacchino's original Main Title!

Someone I know worked on the film, and told me that Giacchino didn't write anything for the main title as he wasn't available. And I think the editing is perfectly good.

Chris Tilton posted to the FSM message boards that Giachhino recorded two different original main titles. For whatever reason, the producers went with tracked music in the final cut

The Star Trek score was written/recorded last November, when Giacchino was far less busy than he is now

[Richard Penna 3,679]

You may be right... I dunno. This guy wasn't there the entire time so re-editing of the film probably had a part to play, although he says he knows about some 'Labour of Love' alternates.

[Luke Skywalker 1,794]

Mmmm in 'That new car smell' there isnt Ilia's theme at 2:37? or is it part of the Courage fanfare too?

I liked the film and score, though as jason mentioned the main titles music seems uot of place because of the preceding scenes.

In the start i thought the Main giacchino theme was an original ST piece, so i think Giacchino wrote something decent

The romulans music reminds me of the alien motif from WOTW (i suppose its just the brass)

I dont like the end credits very much, its not giacchino 'Composer and variations' things he has done in the past. I mean the structure of Courage theme-new theme-courage theme again starting from a near silence-new music-finale (i like the finale variation) seems odd.

The real fun is, that, if it were by Williams, you would rate it as a meh score

[Jay 37,336]

Mmmm in 'That new car smell' there isnt Ilia's theme at 2:37?

I was going to post something about that too... its VERY similar!

[Luke Skywalker 1,794]

Maybe its somekind of homage.

For me it really sounds exactly like it... (with new theme intertwined)

[Jeshopk 8]

The real fun is, that, if it were by Williams, you would rate it as a meh score

So true

[Incanus 5,714]

The real fun is, that, if it were by Williams, you would rate it as a meh score

So true

Indeed. Good point.

[Ollie 1,059]

If Williams composed something this original and interesting I would sing his praises to the point Joey would call me an idiot.

But then I'm begining to wonder if half you can seperate quality from blind fanboy worship.

[Luke Skywalker 1,794]

With this particular score i think you are getting your share of fanboysih praise.

No one is inmune.

I'm a fan of giacchino as the next man but i dont think this score, while fitting for the movie and good music after all is the next thing since sliced bread, or in other words, i dont think it deserves as much praise as it is getting. (it deserves some though)

And no, in this score i hear action music too reminiscent of other works (more than the usual composer -isms) so if Williams had written this he would be the one sliced since that seems to be his fault of late. And least to say that he would be crucifixed compared to 'The enterprise', 'Ilia's theme' and the whole TMP score.

[Ollie 1,059]

I never said it was the greatest thing composed. I said it was very good and entertaining. I also said it wasn't as good as Goldsmith's or Horner's Trek score.

[Maxxie 1]

I picked up a 'hard' copy of the score at HMV yesterday for £9.99.

I really like it. I LOVE the fanfare in "Enterprising Young Men". Just need to see the film now!

[Luke Skywalker 1,794]

I never said it was the greatest thing composed. I said it was very good and entertaining. I also said it wasn't as good as Goldsmith's or Horner's Trek score.

You also said it was original and interesting.

technically, i did not say you said the score was like that.

Neither i'm saying it's not good enough to praise, but i think its being overrated here.

[Ollie 1,059]

It is original and interesting.

I have pretty much all of Giacchino's works, there are a few game scores and the unreleased Disney movie he did that I don't have, and I don't hear any rip-offs.

I hear Giacchino's style come thru in the cues, the same way I hear similarities between Superman & Star Wars in Williams' style.

[John Crichton 4]

I'd like someone to point me to a place where they think this score is getting overpriased, because I don't see it. There's been a very measured and fair response to it.

[Datameister 2,041]

I have pretty much all of Giacchino's works, there are a few game scores and the unreleased Disney movie he did that I don't have, and I don't hear any rip-offs.

Juliet's theme from Lost = the Vulcan theme. Sorta. There are uncomfortably strong similarities there. Both are lovely themes, to be sure, in the same way that Leia's theme and Marion's theme and "Han Solo and the Princess" and "Luke and Leia" are all lovely themes. But a few more differences would be welcome.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

And the intense amount of Speed Racer in Nero Death Experience.

[ChrisAfonso 186]

For those that are interested, I transcribed "Enterprising Young Men" for piano:

Enterprising Young Men (Piano sheet music)

Enterprising Young Men (Demo mp3)

Enjoy!

(I think it's easier to play than the "Undiscovered Country" suite )

[Datameister 2,041]

Knew someone would beat me to it. I've arranged the most important parts already, but I don't know the whole thing well enough yet, and I haven't written any of it down thus far.

[ChrisAfonso 186]

I'm certainly interested to see your arrangement when you're done There's no definitive way to transcribe a piece.

Also you can play much better and thus offer real recordings of your transciptions, where I'm confined to MIDI and samples, unless I want to torture the listener with my poor piano technique

[Datameister 2,041]

For sure! It's always fun to compare different interpretations of a piece. Thank you for posting yours. =) It's really a fun cue to play. I gotta listen to it more so I can pick up the parts I don't know.

[King Mark 3,630]

the end of track 1=Lost

[Datameister 2,041]

the end of track 1=Lost

Except Lost almost NEVER uses horns.

[Delorean90 42]

Haha! That piano arrangement is terrific, Chris! Love it.

I just got back from my second viewing and I have some observations.

The end of "Labor of Love" seems to be longer in film. Either it is an alternate take, or the OST is faded out, or this is actually "Labor of Love" seguing into the original main title (seguing in a similar way that "Nailin' the Kelvin" segues into "Labor of Love.").

"Nice to Meld You" is indeed the cue for the Spock Prime/Kirk mind meld scene in some form or the other. They may have changed the scene after the first pass, but I believe part of the cue actually made it to the film. I believe it comes in at 2:28 of the OST track. Either an alternate segment was written for the film, or the film version is an alternate cue (highly possible--it don't seem to remember the statement of the meld theme that begins the section I mentioned getting that loud dynamically). It does seem like it should work in some form, though. I think it would start as Spock Prime is preparing to meld with Kirk, with the first outburst occurring as it goes to the vision--the music there seems like it would be quite appropriate for the space shots at the very least. Tonally, it seems like it fits the scene, at least from a conceptual perspective. I just couldn't say how it fits the exact picture.

Everybody caught the choral alternate of "Nero Fiddles, Narada Burns," but I think there's also an (at least partly) different, longer film version of "Nero Death Experience for when the Enterprise bursts in to save Spock. In the film, it seemed like the big statement of the main theme is played straight, unlike the OST version, which plays the first ten notes in groups of quarter-tied-to-dotted-eighth, sixteenth, sixteenth, sixteenth, sixteenth. In the OST, it goes straight to suspense at 4:08, before a pause that is followed by the arpeggio section for Kirk's recovery from the "I got your gun" bit. In the film, I'm pretty sure the heroic material goes longer, utilizing the alternative rhythm of the OST in a less bold setting, if I recall correctly, as we return from the destruction of the torpedos to Kirk. Given that the heroic material is longer, it is also possible that some of "Nero Death Experience" could have been very smoothly edited out, but I don't think so. It seems TOO smooth to be able to work out just by editing, unless the orchestra was miked in such a way as to make more precise editing possible.

I think the finale was shortened slightly. It seems like there was some music missing in the film between the end of Kirk's promotion and the last scene on the Enterprise.

As much as some of the big highlights are missing (especially the midsection with Pike on the shuttle, the drill fight, and the evacuation of Vulcan), I really want the cue for the shuttle departure with Kirk and McCoy. The final brass note of the Courage chime has such a cool end of Act One feel to it that I really dig. It made more of an impact this time than it did in my first viewing.

[QMM 4]

the unreleased Disney movie he did that I don't have

?

[Luke Skywalker 1,794]

Sky High

I predict it will be a holy grail in 20 years, released by Intrada, la la land or FSM

[Jay 37,336]

I really want the cue for theshuttle departure with Kirk and McCoy. The final brass note of theCourage chime has such a cool end of Act One feel to it that I reallydig. It made more of an impact this time than it did in my firstviewing.

Yes! I too noticed how cool that cue was on my second viewing.

I'll be updating the whole cue list as soon as I get a chance, hopefully this weekend

[Trent B 337]

I noticed how loud the music was mixed in the film. Maybe that'll be a really good thing when the film hits DVD, and we could easily get some clean rear channel rips of unreleased music.

[Datameister 2,041]

Indeed. It was quite prominent in the mix. I hadn't thought about how that could bode well for the ripping process.

[Delorean90 42]

Saw it a third time today (I didn't mean to! Really!), and I think "Nero Death Experience" may be Star Trek's "The Day We Fight Back." I didn't even compute previously that the "I got your gun" bit in film actually occurs BEFORE the Enterprise warps in to blast the torpedoes, whereas the order is switched on the CD. I'm thinking the film version is actually a bit longer, so I'm suspecting that the cue in film is indeed a separately recorded film version, albeit using much of the same material as the original version.

Also, it seems like the very end of "Back From Black" in film is at least a different mix, and the transition between it and "That New Car Smell" is definitely different. In film, there is no final bass note for "Back From Black," and several of the tones that begin "That New Car Smell" are absent; I believe those tones are replaced with some kind of insert--or part of a different version of a cue--that utilizes strings (if I recall correctly).

I want a complete release. With liner notes. Or at least a complete promo and a DVD release.

And "Ejecting the Core" is a very cool cue, especially the actual moment when the core is ejected.

Oy.

[Wojo 2,453]

Did anybody else buy a crap CD, where at moments the audio becomes scratchy or gets loud distortion sound effects in it? Maybe it's just my ripper and I need to normalize.

[Ollie 1,059]

Mine sounds fine.

[King Mark 3,630]

normalise you ripper?

I think someone else complained about noises

[Datameister 2,041]

I'm not having any issues.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

normalise you ripper?

I think someone else complained about noises

I complained about crackles and pops in the last minute of Hoffs-Drawlar.

[John Crichton 4]

The CD sounds fine to me too.

[thw 0]

Can't wait for the high-necked leather foot warmer.

[Wojo 2,453]

I'll normalize it tonight. I'm hearing other anomalies in my rip, and I want to combine tracks per Jason's analysis, which is easier to do at the rip stage than post rip.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Nothing to do with CD rips, but I don't really like the way this score has been either recorded or mixed.

It's to flat. All close miking, not much reverberation.

It's done with a 100+ size orchestra and a choir of 40, and...I can't hear that.

[Diego 21]

Yeah, it sounds tiny and some instruments are so low you don't notice them half of the time, a shame since I love the music itself

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It sounds like an orchestra half its size was recording in a small room with the microhpohes stuck into the instruments.

It ruins the supposed epic feel the score was going for.

[Wojo 2,453]

Maybe they wanted to give a movie based on a TV show a soundtrack with the feel of a TV show, rather than of a movie.

Grrrr.