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Mine finally shipped today! Thanks LaLaLaEmployee3! Now it should arrive before the holidays and will instantly take me back to X-mas '94 when I got the original soundtrack CD. I even snuck it out from under the tree on X-mas eve, carefully unwrapped it and listened to it on my crappy bookshelf stereo in my room as a fell asleep. Then the next morning re-wrapping it and slyly slipping it back under the tree while others were concerned with stockings and coffee. Best. Christmas. Ever!

Journey To The Island is simply one of the best film score tracks of all time.

My one teeny tiny complaint is actually more a complaint about specialty label expansions in general. In my opinion, the liner notes for these releases generally spend too much space on the background/history of the movie overall when personally I'd rather have as much of the booklet as possible devoted to score discussion. I can read a detailed production history of Jurassic Park in a thousand different places, I wanna read about the score. I think that a brief summary of the production at the beginning just as context is all that's needed. Just my preference.

Bring on the samples

Blume Score: 92% To understand the world that Medal of Honor and Michael Giacchino burst into, you have to turn the clock back 17 years. You need to unravel 17 years of everything you know, love, and hate and go back to a time where Hans Zimmer hadn’t scored Gladiator yet, Jerry Goldsmith was alive and kicking, and John Williams had just unleashed Star Wars The Phantom Menace on the world. James Horner was a big deal, and the latest cyclical renaissance of film scores that began in the early 90s was still chugging along. To be fair to other time periods though, it’s tough not to have a renaissance when you’ve got the likes of Zimmer, Poledouris, Horner, Williams, Goldsmith, Bernstein, Kamen, Silvestri, and more all at work. So, the world of established film music was pretty damn great. But if you looked hard enough you could start to see its edges. You knew that the old greats weren’t long for the world, and there wasn’t as much fresh talent as you’d like to replace the old guys. Even Zimmer by then had a solid ten years of fame to his name. This was the backdrop against which Michael Giacchino made his first serious scoring debut. Except he didn’t score a film. He scored a video game, a genre which at the time had the musical reputation and gravitas worthy of some toddlers beating on pots and pans in the kitchen while mommy cooks dinner. Now here is the part that you have to really wrap your head around: against this competitive backdrop, at a time when you would ask who are the greatest composers, and you’d hear back answers that few people would dispute, when the concept of video game music was a joke, and when the newest of the best had dozens of scores to their name, Michael Giacchino released his first serious score: Medal of Honor. And people noticed. Not only did they notice, they loved it. No one else had entered the world of musical scores like this. And to this day, I would argue that no other composer has. Of course, eventually someone will, but who knows, we may not be around for that. Medal of Honor is a pure musical distillation of what World War II was to the vast majority of people who lived it: a life and death struggle between good and evil. This is a score for a population who witnessed the last romantic war. Before the cameras showed the world what war really was like, what you hear in Medal of Honor was war in people’s heads. The score is an astounding feat, it is energetic, it is bold, it’s bombastic, it has heart, it has soul, and yet Giacchino infuses the score through clever writing, orchestration, and mixing with a cold grayness that is synonymous with how people think of World War II. The music despite it’s frenetic momentum feels like a cloudy day. Or at least as though the chaos is splattered against a cloudy backdrop. After the disappointingly (though appropriate for picture) reserved and modern interpretation of the horror and tragedy of war that John Williams gave Saving Private Ryan a year earlier, this is what fans of musical scores had been craving out of a World War II score. The maestro, who had at that time quite a reputation for bombast (Schindler’s List was the exception) made music to make you weep, while a nobody writing for a video game no-less managed to deliver World War II music that made you want to enlist. He delivered what people expected John Williams would have and didn’t. Almost immediately the comparisons between Williams and the nobody began. After all, if someone came on the scene with a score like Medal of Honor, surely their trajectory into the future would exceed everything we have known to be good music up to that point in time! Surely! Sadly, we’ve all learned that starting on a high note doesn’t guarantee an equally steep trajectory upwards. Some of us would even say that the trajectory of one’s career doesn’t always point upwards. In the world of science it’s referred to as regression to the mean. Regardless of where you think Michael Giacchino has landed today, though without question he has failed to exceed Williams, Medal of Honor is a score that you must listen to. It’s one of the finest war scores ever written, and 17 years on remains one of the best scores Giacchino has written. Some highlights from the score: “Taking Out the Railgun” a deliciously sneaky string-driven track. “Panzer Attack” if you ever wanted to hear what a Panzer Tank would sound like as music. “Rjuken Sabotage” for one of the best thematic passages Giacchino has ever written (1:36-2:02). “Attack on Fort Schmerzen” for some of Giacchino’s weightier bombastic writing (2:17-end in particular). On that note, this is probably the “heaviest” bombastic blockbuster score we’ve gotten from Giacchino. Everything else feels lighter and pluckier by comparison. Alas, this is a fucking great score, and each track has something memorable to it. So get it and listen to it. If you haven’t listened to it in a while, listen to it again.

Geezes, the search engine of this place is so dreadful. How come no relevant hits when searching for 'montage' or even 'gloria cheng'? I know there was a previous thread on this, so feel free to "merge", Jay. In any case, the Montage discussion panel is now finally online for all to see! Check it out: https://vimeo.com/190646677/524fb0af33

Hatching Baby Raptor - still one of Williams' most sublime moments.

I wish I was more excited for this score, but Giacchino's had kind of a disappointing 2016 for me so far with just a few standout tracks. I'm certainly going in with as open a mind as I can manage and want to like it though!

Can't listen now. Does it have a big thematic statement? Can't see the film until the Saturday. I'll almost certainly listen to the OST beforehand -- I don't think I'll have the patience to wait, and if the score isn't immediately likeable then it'll end up being a bad experience if I watch the film first.

They have some great recordings up there (Purcell and so on). Thanks, Pilgrim.

No, she's never said anything one way or another about Grindelwald's sexual preferences. She might change it, who knows, but she's always portrayed it as an unrequited love story. I remember there was an interview where she referred to DD as "possibly the 150 year old virgin." Also the "Life and Lies of Dumbledore" chapter in Deathly Hallows said they never met again after their teenage years until their duel (but since that info was from Rita Skeeter, I think there would be room there for some kind of secret meeting.) But it could make the Dumbledore stuff rather interesting going forward, especially since the Rita Skeeter excerpt says that he hesitated to go after Grindelwald for a long time. There's probably stuff in that chapter and Aberforth's story that she'll draw from and elaborate on.

Journey to the Island particularly from 6:15 to 7:30 is just blowing me away by sheer awesomeness. I feel like this track should be blasted out of loudspeakers in all public places Particularly, I keep hearing distant dinosaur voices in my head at 7:00. Generally though, I'm listening to TLW far more. So much to discover.

Nope. Thanks for checking for this score though! Now that I think about it, these suites aren't really that short at all. Consider: Both TFA and RO have three concert/album arrangements on the OST (Rogue One could in theory have more, but there are just three obvious ones). "Imperial Suite" is 2:30; "March of the Resistance" is 2:33. "Jyn and Hope Suite" is 5:52; "Rey's Theme" is 3:11. "Whills Suite" is 2:53; "Scherzo for X-Wings" is 2:30. Now, of course, TFA also has an extra suite that was written for the film itself (the end credits), which is rather long (6:37).

Oh oh...

More news on TT's release of Stanley & Iris (emphasis added): "... Featuring a marvelously understated and moodily engaging score by John Williams and with a strong supporting ensemble populated by Swoosie Kurtz, Martha Plimpton, Harley Cross, Jamey Sheridan, Feodor Chaliapin and Zohra Lampert, Stanley & Iris is wholly, charmingly and movingly in keeping with that assessment. Twilight Time’s hi-def Blu-ray comes with the Williams score on an Isolated Track and an enlightening Audio Commentary by resident and quite literate TT scholars Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman when it arrives January 17. Preorders open January 4. ..." Link: http://www.twilighttimemovies.com/news/the-ritt-stuff/

Bring on the Deluxe Edition / session leak

Oh hey, that link has all the individual track times too 01 He's Here For Us 3:20 02 A Long Ride Ahead 3:56 03 Wobani Imperial Labor Camp 0:55 04 Trust Goes Both Ways 2:45 05 When Has Become Now 1:59 06 Jedha Arrival 2:48 07 Jedha City Ambush 2:19 08 Star-Dust 3:47 09 Confrontation on Eadu 8:06 10 Krennic's Aspirations 4:16 11 Rebellions Are Built on Hope 2:56 12 Rogue One 2:05 13 Cargo Shuttle SW-0608 4:00 14 Scrambling the Rebel Fleet 1:33 15 AT-ACT Assault 2:55 16 The Master Switch 4:03 17 Your Father Would Be Proud 4:52 18 Hope 1:38 19 Jyn Erso & Hope Suite 5:52 20 The Imperial Suite 2:30 21 Guardians of the Whills Suite 2:53 TOTAL TIME - 69:28

The OST lasts 69:28 (source: https://www.dodax.com/music-cds-dvds-vinyl/soundtracks-songs/michael-giacchino-rogue-one-a-star-wars-story-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-pn0cpp73/)

It would be incredibly costly for them to replace the booklet for anyone who asks and I have to imagine they don't think they're going to lose very many customers' future business over it. At this point, it's just a funny quirk for me.

One of the finest performances of that piece which I've heard. While on the subject, do check out some of their other albums. This one is perfect for the season.

I've never heard of this Argentinian composer, Alberto Ginastera, before today but this very short piece from his "12 American Preludes" for solo piano has me mesmerized: If I knew more about music I'd be able to explain why I find these chords so beautiful.

I like my CDs raw and wriggling. Packing material is for sissies.

If you like them, you're welcome. If you don't like them, blame Conrad Pope.

Yes yes yes! Exactly! This was my favorite thing about the Star Trek score expansions especially.

There's been a spoiler going out for awhile about the Whills being involved in jedha so at least it's inline with that. Tracktitles also seem to fit with what has been rumoured about the plot.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Journal_of_the_Whills And here too: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Journal_of_the_Whills,_Part_I

"The Men of Yorktown" is surely extended compared to the piece as heard in the film and the Varèse release. I don't know if it's new though, it could very well be an arrangement prepared by JW years ago for the Pops and performed maybe just once. "Night Journeys" is instead the same piece as heard in the OST.

Congrats!

I never liked Wes Anderson (there, that should please Alex!). I have issues with 'semi-quirk', as I call it, i.e. universes that are drawn up with realism (albeit stylized), yet where things are always a bit "off". All-out quirk in the style of Tim Burton I can enjoy, but not the Anderson kind. I have a number of things that 'grate' and that may cause a negative value judgement of a movie (for me) -- if it's too "hipster", if it's very centered on information-heavy dialogue, if it's ripe with apathy etc.

Saw the film yesterday. Loved it and such an immersive experience. I found the score stood out, especially the main theme. Each time it appeared, it gave me chills.

If you are noticing the person you are with is dull, then you haven't drank enough!

We the scintillating minds that we are think alike: Quite. Pure magic and all the more chilling as the Maestro brilliantly disguises the 4-note dinosaur/raptor motif into something so alluring, innocent and beautiful.

I can't believe he didn't get an instrumental composition nomination for Rey's theme or End credits.

It is the cue that introduced me to film music.

1 - Interstellar 2 - The Tree of Life 3 - Her 4 - Birdman 5 - The Dark Knight Rises 6 - The Grand Budapest Hotel 7 - Inception 8 - The Avengers 9 - How To Train Your Dragon 10 - How To Train Your Dragon 2 11 - Moonrise Kingdom 12 - The Hateful Eight 13 - Gone Girl 14 - Whiplash 15 - Mad Max: Fury Road

then the soundtrack gods have saved us

The bridge sequence at the end of Bridge of Spies was 10x more gripping than almost any Marvel ending set piece and that's from 70something Spielberg. I actually thought Doctor Strange's climax was better than most.

Here's my prediction: This score will get a deluxe 2 c.d expanded release long before JW's prequel scores and TFA.

Please keep that type of discussion to the Tolkien subforum!

Health issues, he needed a pacemaker. It was an exceptional circumstance.

I hope The Kidnapping of Eduardo still happens. Even if it's just a by the numbers courtroom drama, it still provides some interesting mostly unexplored territory culturally for Williams.

Yes.

Ummmm....it's a Spielberg film, gast!

Nah, but its assumed.

I can't wait to find out if he revisits the Jedi Steps theme or not!

I think 2017 is going to have a lot of Williams releases, for sure!