42 replies to this topic

[Johnmusic]

Hey all,
I am in need of some really powerful movie music. I am going to play a piece every day for my band...it calms them down and gets them focused.
Now...unfortunately...the music can't be anything like Jaws Indiana Jones or Star Wars...because too many people know it...and it will get them talking even more.
Can anyone help me by listing the titles to some really powerful, bombastic...exciting film themes...other than John Williams'? Thanks!

[CharlieSherry]

What about?

Cutthroat Island (all the score)
Batman Forever (the action tracks)
Back to the Future (the theme, however is very know)
The Time Machine
1941 (the march)
Planet of the Apes (2001) (main titles)
[/b]

[Hector J. Guzman]

Raiders--- tha action tracks

[Gamecube]

Totall Recall

[Hector J. Guzman]

Ah, yes! That one too.


Action music from First Knight!!!!

[Stefancos]

Rambo: First Blood part II
Independance Day
Tomorrow Never Dies
The World Is Not Enough

Stefancos- who can't think of more right now.

[Hector J. Guzman]

The Jerry Goldsmith one... that really kicks major keister

[Stefancos]

I thought it was already mentioned.

Stefancos- trying not to be repetitive.

[Justin]

It was not.

Justin -Wondering why he wasn't logged in.

[Ren]

what a great idea. I think I may play some music like that for my students.

[Rogue_Leader]

Like EVERY Johny Williams action score!

[Wickenstein]

Just looking for Main Themes or actual cues? I'll list some of both really quick.

Adagio & Transformation from Goldenthal's Final Fantasy is quite powerful. Goldenthal is great in that respect.

How about something from one of Horner's Star Trek scores? Stealing the Enterprised from S4S is Horner when he was at his best. Riding the Firemares from Krull is great and not well known.

Herrmann has some powerful music, but some of it may bore the kids. How about the Psycho Prelude? North By Northwest Main Title?

I would suggest something from the Matrix, but almost every young person in America has seen that a hundred times (hence they might recognize it)

Finally, may I suggest Wagner? No one knows orchestral power like him. If you're looking for a bombastic non-singing/non-recognizable piece, I'd suggest Siegfried's Funeral March from Gotterdammerung. It was used in Excalibur many times. The Magic Fire music from Die Walkure and Finale from Gotterdammerung are quite powerful as well but I can't think of any films they were in.

There's just a ton of stuff out there! Happy hunting.

[Marian Schedenig]

Adagio & Transformation from Goldenthal's Final Fantasy is quite powerful.  Goldenthal is great in that respect.

Oh good, I was already afraid noone was going to mention that score.

Regarding Matrix...you could play some John Adams, too....but people would probably mistake it for The Matrix.

Marian - who'd like to get Karajan's complete Ring box set, but can't afford it.

[Ray Barnsbury]

Summon the Heroes, Olympic Spirit, and Call of the Champions are Williams works that aren't particularly well known or recognized. Not as much as Olympic Fanfare and Theme, anyway.

Ray Barnsbury

[RomanticStrings]

The Rocketeer is pretty good, I think. The End Credits is bombastic, at least. Maybe an action track from The Lost World, if someone hasn't mentioned it. Evolution has bambasticy(?). Ooh, ooh, how about Masada? That's a good, sort of bombastic piece fom Goldsmith. Then there's always How the West was Won.

~Conor

[Wickenstein]

Marian - who'd like to get Karajan's complete Ring box set, but can't afford it.

That one's on my Xmas list!

[Morn]

spartacus Spartacus SPARTACUS!

[Jamesyboy]

Wasn't there supposed to be a re-recording or a release of that score (Spartacus).? I remember reading that somewhere quite a while ago.
That's another great score by Mr. North. Hopefully Spartacus will the 'Cleopatra' treatment with 2 CDs etc.

Jamesyboy - who thinks the current MCA disc is just way to damn short

[Morn]

Goldsmith was going to do it, but he said he wouldn't have enough time for rehearsal and he wants the re-recording of such a great score to be perfect.

[Jamesyboy]

Here's another Kick A** score to mention:

Jurassic Park III - Davis did a great job IMO. Wicked orchestrations and very, very fast paced.

Nothing will beat the first 2 though

Jamesyboy- listening to JPIII right....NOW!

[Rogue_Leader]

Jurassic Park III - Davis did a great job IMO. Wicked orchestrations and very, very fast paced.

I dunno that was OK, but it kind of lacked in its organization.

[Morn]

Explain?

[ChrisAfonso]

AIR

FORCE

ONE

!

[Marian Schedenig]

The Final Conflict

[Rogue_Leader]

Explain?

Thats a bit complicated. I dunno the score just felt very disjointed and ... how shall I put this ..... not well put together. I'm not saying its a bad score. Its good, I just felt it could've been done better if Davis had spent more time developing each trach with more craft.

-Rogue LEader who sucks at putting his thoughts to words.

[Ren]

you're welcome

[QuintBrody]

I've always loved First Blood. Goldsmith really stepped up to the plate with that score. Also, from that same year, Goldsmith had some knock out action music for the Challenge. Definitely Raiders has great actiom nusic, as well as the other two Indiana Jones films. Back to the Future, and I love the opening theme for the Great Train Robbery. It is a fast paced Goldsmith gem.

[Rogue_Leader]

Ahh yeah that main Rambo theme is a kick ass theme. Nearly made those movies watchable ........ NEARLY!

[David Coscina]

The Crusaders in Pskov- Alexander Nevsky (Prokofiev)

Candles in the Wind/Wreckage and Rape-Alien 3 (GOldenthal)

Reno Ho- Cobb (goldenthal again)

Interview with the Vampire- Goldenthal..again

Nixon Main Theme- Williams

Dragonslayer- main titles (North)

The Sea Hawk- Korngold

1st mvmnt Symphony #3- Prokofiev

uh, there's tons more....

[Beowulf]

How about theme's from:

The Cowboys - Overture
Stargate
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Or the "Ultimate Battle" from Hook

But the real question here is will your "band" be able to play any of these pieces? Unless this is a professional concert-band or wind-ensemble we're talking about here (didn't sound like it was from your post), I really don't see you guys being able to perform most of these pieces. Heck...I was in a moderately good University wind ensemble, and it was tough for us!

[Morn]

Wow, Dragonslayer main titles. Are you sure it's wise for them to play something so chromatic? It's deliberately designed to be inaccessible to make the dragon seem ugly and alien to most viewers. Hmm, I suggest for North, Gladiator Fight To The Dead from Spartacus, nothing is more bombastic than that

[Rogue_Leader]

Oh yeah I forgot about The Cowboys!

Another largely forgotten JW classic.

[bruckhorn]

If you want a single piece that will serve as a kick in the butt, try "The Creation" from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by Patrick Doyle.

At 2:00 it packs a lot of pop.

bruckhorn

[Lurker]

"Ripley's Rescue" from Aliens.

Neil

[king mark]

The Patriot.

K.m.

[Morn]

The Hunt, Planet of the Apes, Goldsmith.

[David Coscina]

Wow, Dragonslayer main titles. Are you sure it's wise for them to play something so chromatic?   It's deliberately designed to be inaccessible to make the dragon seem ugly and alien to most viewers. Hmm, I suggest for North, Gladiator Fight To The Dead from Spartacus, nothing is more bombastic than that

Hmmm. That sounds like a quote from an article I wrote for Film Score Monthly on Dragonslayer a few years back.