339 replies to this topic

[king mark]

Also, does anyone listen to this and realize that a Michael Giacchino score will never sound so tingly and monumental in scale because of that damned Dan Wallin?

It that a permanent unfixable thing? Like if you go back the the master tapes could a proper mix make Giacchino scores sound better

[Jason LeBlanc]

Nope. Luckily, Wallin hasnt recorded EVERYTHING Giacchino has done (for example, he didnt record the Medal Of Honors)

[KK.]

The mixing in MoH is absolutely fantastic. If only all his scores were mixed to such a level of satisfaction.

[Miles Prower]

Also, does anyone listen to this and realize that a Michael Giacchino score will never sound so tingly and monumental in scale because of that damned Dan Wallin?

It that a permanent unfixable thing? Like if you go back the the master tapes could a proper mix make Giacchino scores sound better

This looks like a job for Matessino!

[Delorean90]

I've always said it's a crying shame that they didn't get Botnick to record Super 8.

As to the Spidey tracks, I've only listened to the first track and am now on "Lizard at School!", but I'm liking it. I won't listen to it all, as I'd like some surprise when I see the film. I am liking the action writing, and the positive tone seems to fly in the face of early fears that the film would be trying to do "dark/gritty/emo" Spidey. So far so good!

[Chaac]

Also, does anyone listen to this and realize that a Michael Giacchino score will never sound so tingly and monumental in scale because of that damned Dan Wallin?

It that a permanent unfixable thing? Like if you go back the the master tapes could a proper mix make Giacchino scores sound better

The man is old. He can die. And Gia can go on write more stuff.

[Jason LeBlanc]

In case anyone prefers listening chronologically, here is the chronological order of the OST:


01 Main Title / Young Peter (4:54)
05 The Briefcase (3:14)
07 Secrets (2:30)
06 The Spider Room / Rumble In The Subway (3:20)
04 Hunting For Information (2:07)
08 The Equation (4:22)
03 Playing Basketball (1:22)
09 The Ganali Device (2:28)
10 Ben's Death (5:41)
02 Becoming Spider-man (4:16)
11 Metamorphosis (3:04)
12 Rooftop Kiss (2:34)
13 The Bridge (5:15)
14 Peter's Suspicions (3:01)
15 Making a Silk Trap (2:52)
16 Lizard At School! (2:57)
17 Saving New York (7:52)
18 Oscorp Tower (3:22)
19 "I Can't See You Anymore" (6:50)
20 Promises / Spiderman End Titles (4:52)

[Incanus]

After first listen I have to say I like this score a lot. Familiar Horner style but luckily not so heavy on the trademarks or self borrowings, meaning that there are not outright quotes of his old themes or danger motif here although at times some passages borderline on his older melodies.

[Chaac]

It hasn't clicked on me much so far.

[crocodile]

Listening to it right now. It's really good. Say what you want, but Horner has class. Especially these days, where all blockbusters sound alike, this score is a surprisingly fresh sounding. Youthful, light, warm-hearted and exciting - everything this character should be. And while not all that terrific, the main theme is well used through out. Even the modern elements add to the whole, rather than overwhelm. Surely, already a highlight of 2012 (Black Gold is up there too). Well done, James!

Karol

[Blumenkohl]

Listening to it right now. It's really good. Say what you want, but Horner has class. Especially these days, where all blockbusters sound alike, this score is a surprisingly fresh sounding. Youthful, light, warm-hearted and exciting - everything this character should be. And while not all that terrific, the main theme is well used through out. Even the modern elements add to the whole, rather than overwhelm. Surely, already a highlight of 2012 (Black Gold is up there too). Well done, James!

Karol

I agree completely. Color me impressed and genuinely shocked at how refreshing this score is.

What I love most is all the parts where I haven't been able to estimate what happens next music. In this era of common chord progressions that you can predict with innate human instincts, this is genuinely a "That bit didn't take a turn I predicted" score. Which is really nice.

[Incanus]

Listening to it right now. It's really good. Say what you want, but Horner has class. Especially these days, where all blockbusters sound alike, this score is a surprisingly fresh sounding. Youthful, light, warm-hearted and exciting - everything this character should be. And while not all that terrific, the main theme is well used through out. Even the modern elements add to the whole, rather than overwhelm. Surely, already a highlight of 2012 (Black Gold is up there too). Well done, James!

Karol

I agree completely. Color me impressed and genuinely shocked at how refreshing this score is.

Ditto on both accounts for me as well. There is some of that good old Horner's film score magic in there.

[Jason LeBlanc]

For me, its better than anything he's put out since the 90s, but not better than his best scores from the 90s, if that makes any sense.

[crocodile]

It is his best in a long while. But I also like almost everything he's done since 2003. Even with all the self-references.

What I love most is all the parts where I haven't been able to estimate what happens next music. In this era of common chord progressions that you can predict with innate human instincts, this is genuinely a "That bit didn't take a turn I predicted" score. Which is really nice.

Exactly. I hear his style and mannerisms, but not direct quotes. Which confirms that Horner can do it, if he cares.

And I'd also like to point out that I like that there is so much warm piano writing in there. Not something you'd expect from a 200+ million budget CGI-driven action film. It looks like it's all about the character, which is very nice indeed. And I even like all these vocals.

Karol

[Blumenkohl]

For me, its better than anything he's put out since the 90s, but not better than anything he put out in the 90s, if that makes any sense.

I think I'm going to have to hear it in full quality and give it a few more listens before I make that kind of judgement.

I do diverge with most people who hate James Horner's 2000s, but just in two scores: I've also thought his Zorro score and The Missing in the 2000s were up there with the 90s, and this is at least on par with those.

[Chaac]

I do diverge with most people who hate James Horner's 2000s, but just in two scores: I've also thought his Zorro score and The Missing in the 2000s were up there with the 90s, and this is at least on par with those.

I love Apocalypto and some of these small scores I haven't heard must also be good. Incanus might know.

[Incanus]

It is his best in a long while. But I also like almost everything he's done since 2003. Even with all the self-references.

What I love most is all the parts where I haven't been able to estimate what happens next music. In this era of common chord progressions that you can predict with innate human instincts, this is genuinely a "That bit didn't take a turn I predicted" score. Which is really nice.

Exactly. I hear his style and mannerisms, but not direct quotes. Which confirms that Horner can do it, if he cares.

And I'd also like to point out that I like that there is so much warm piano writing in there. Not something you'd expect from a 200+ million budget CGI-driven action film. It looks like it's all about the character, which is very nice.

Karol

I think the director Webb said he wanted very much both a larger than life but also a very intimate score and Horner really responded to such direction with a nice balancing of the elements, the music having the super heroic brassy, bold, fun and sparkling and then a genuinely emotional subtler side to it.

And as Bluhmenkohl mentioned the certain "unpredictability" in this music I have to say even the main theme is an example of a progression I didn't quite expect which makes it sound fresh and it works quite brilliantly.

[Jason LeBlanc]

For me, its better than anything he's put out since the 90s, but not better than anything he put out in the 90s, if that makes any sense.

I think I'm going to have to hear it in full quality and give it a few more listens before I make that kind of judgement.

I do diverge with most people who hate James Horner's 2000s, but just in two scores: I've also thought his Zorro score and The Missing in the 2000s were up there with the 90s, and this is at least on par with those.

I'll have to check out The Missing. I like the first Zorro score (which was from 1998) but I've never listened to the second Zorro score

[crocodile]

Jason, his second Zorro score is even better. Very much the same thing in terms of themes and style, but much more detailed and less derivative. You should definitely check it out.

Karol

[Incanus]

Jason, his second Zorro score is even better. Very much the same thing in terms of themes and style, but much more detailed and less derivative. You should definitely check it out.

Karol

Ah glad to know that. The first score didn't quite click with me, be it the Spanish stylings or the fact that Horner has a knack of writing melodies that sound like old Finnish slagers/pop songs. I'll try the second one and see if it can dispel the awful familiarity that his previous melodies had.

[crocodile]

Well, themes are all the same, but their execution is much better.



Karol

[KK.]

For me, its better than anything he's put out since the 90s, but not better than anything he put out in the 90s, if that makes any sense.

I think I'm going to have to hear it in full quality and give it a few more listens before I make that kind of judgement.

I do diverge with most people who hate James Horner's 2000s, but just in two scores: I've also thought his Zorro score and The Missing in the 2000s were up there with the 90s, and this is at least on par with those.

I'll have to check out The Missing. I like the first Zorro score (which was from 1998) but I've never listened to the second Zorro score

The Missing is a fantastic score,one of my favourite (if not my favourite) Horner score of the decade. And the second Zorro is even better than the first. Both are great scores!

And Horner has had some great entries in the 2000s too (A Beautiful Mind, The Four Feathers, The New World, etc)

[Chaac]

Apocalypto!!

[Incanus]

I think both Zorro scores have too much Mariachi spirit for me, almost an overdose. On top of that the conincidental melodic connection of the themes to old Finnish pop songs doesn't help either.

[Chaac]

Nah, not really. They're quite fun.

[crocodile]

Flightplan is also good (built almost entirely on the development of his pan flutes,crashing pianos, chair percussion etc), and The Boy in Striped Pyjamas. The Spiderwick Chronicles, Karate Kid All the King's Men.

I think both Zorro scores have too much Mariachi spirit for me, almost an overdose. On top of that the conincidental melodic connection of the themes to old Finnish pop songs doesn't help either.

Well, you can't blame Zorro score for sounding too Spanish, can you? I think he nailed the character perfectly, in a same way Williams owns Superman.

Karol

[Jason LeBlanc]

I think what I'm learning from this thread is that I need to check out his post-Mask of Zorro / pre-Avatar scores. Looking at the list, I haven't listened to any of those OSTs once.

[Trent Bennett]

Most of Horner's recent output hasn't been that stellar. All though I do love the score for AVATAR.

[Blumenkohl]

I think both Zorro scores have too much Mariachi spirit for me, almost an overdose. On top of that the conincidental melodic connection of the themes to old Finnish pop songs doesn't help either.

I understand...I solve this by focusing on the swashbuckling elements rather than the Mariachi.

[Incanus]

I think both Zorro scores have too much Mariachi spirit for me, almost an overdose. On top of that the conincidental melodic connection of the themes to old Finnish pop songs doesn't help either.

I understand...I solve this by focusing on the swashbuckling elements rather than the Mariachi.

I have to try that some time and hopefully get past the Mariachi element.

Flightplan is also good (built almost entirely on the development of his pan flutes,crashing pianos, chair percussion etc), and The Boy in Striped Pyjamas. The Spiderwick Chronicles, Karate Kid All the King's Men.

Karol

Is Spiderwick Chronicles really that great? I remember trying to get into the music but it was somehow so mellow and sounded like recycled Horner's fantasy ideas but didn't have a good old solid theme or themes to tie it all together.

[Wojo]

Mask of Zorro is Willow meets Flamenco. It's fantastic. A pity I never gave Legend a fair chance.

[Chaac]

I think both Zorro scores have too much Mariachi spirit for me, almost an overdose. On top of that the conincidental melodic connection of the themes to old Finnish pop songs doesn't help either.

I understand...I solve this by focusing on the swashbuckling elements rather than the Mariachi.

The swashbucling elements are the soul of these scores. There's a fun in it that is missing in something like Avatar (although arguably the film as well, maybe Horner was simply doing his job)

[crocodile]

Flightplan is also good (built almost entirely on the development of his pan flutes,crashing pianos, chair percussion etc), and The Boy in Striped Pyjamas. The Spiderwick Chronicles, Karate Kid All the King's Men.

Karol

Is Spiderwick Chronicles really that great? I remember trying to get into the music but it was somehow so mellow and sounded like recycled Horner's fantasy ideas but didn't have a good old solid theme or themes to tie it all together.

Great? No. Good? Yeah. It has no central theme, but I wouldn't say it is that much recycled. It's worth at least checking out. At the very least it could sit alongside some of his mid-90's (and before) children scores and no one would notice.

Karol

[Incanus]

Horner's use of voices in The Amazing Spiderman is another interesting element, a bit more unorthodox than regular cooing choirs, those nearly chanting, grunting male voices, the distant almost Avatar styled cries in the main titles and child soprano are something I didn't quite expect to encounter in a Spiderman score but they work surprisingly well as another shading and colour in the palette of the score.

The more intimate moments are lovely as well with genuine emotion and warmth, the Rooftop Kiss a prime example of this.

[KK.]

I just started this album now, I'll save what I've got to say for an upcoming review. But there are some surprising things in this score that I did not expect.

[Blumenkohl]

I just started this album now, I'll save what I've got to say for an upcoming review.

Look at you being all sly businessman.

[Koray Savas]

I'm a fan of Iris and Enemy At The Gates. Then of course there's The Perfect Storm.

[Richard Penna]

Horner's use of voices in The Amazing Spiderman is another interesting element, a bit more unorthodox than regular cooing choirs, those nearly chanting, grunting male voices, the distant almost Avatar styled cries in the main titles and child soprano are something I didn't quite expect to encounter in a Spiderman score but they work surprisingly well as another shading and colour in the palette of the score.

The more intimate moments are lovely as well with genuine emotion and warmth, the Rooftop Kiss a prime example of this.

Strange... I thought this score has one of the most unmemorable love themes I've ever heard!

[KK.]

I'm a fan of Iris and Enemy At The Gates. Then of course there's The Perfect Storm.

I'm not the biggest fan of Iris or Enemy at the Gates (although it does impress at times). But I really liked The Perfect Storm (despite its lack of originality).

I just started this album now, I'll save what I've got to say for an upcoming review.

Look at you being all sly businessman.

[Jason LeBlanc]

The love theme is easily the least memorable part of the Amazing Spider-man score to me. Wait, does The Lizard even have a theme?