HornerIsTheMan

Generic?! Those 3 are the next John Williams you fool!

boys

Its impossible to see who said what at those quote monsters.

ATTENTION MODERATORS: The board has developed some kind of glitch that now seems to be replicating posts from the thread about Prometheus and putting them here, in a post about the top ten scores composed by James Horner (who didn't write the score for Prometheus and has never worked with Ridley Scott). We need to get tech support on this right away. . . .
Since the conversation's here 'n' all, though . . . for the record, and speaking as a lifelong Alien fan, Prometheus was a terrible movie.
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Now that that's out of the way, if we can back on topic again: I'm writing up my own list at the moment, and hope to post it in a little while here. I'm thinking that I'm going to publish the final results of the poll next Monday at exactly 9:30 PDT (the four-week mark). That gives everyone another week to finalize their ideas and post them—or revise their previous lists, if they choose.

Braveheart

Wow. Wow wow wow. I had not listened to this in ages, and I have no idea why. This was FANTASTIC. What an album! The love theme is great, the action music is great, everything is great. Yes the love theme is used A LOT, but it never gets tiring, to me. That track "Revenge" is an awesome Horner action/suspense cue! "For The Love of a Princess" is easily a top 10 Horner piece as well. And then, the final 3 tracks of the album make a super strong ending. Horner excels and ending his scores and this is one of the best. "End Credits" is just beautiful!
Damn, I've been missing out by now including this in my rotation over the years! Won't make that mistake again! This score instantly earned a place in my top 10 list!

Goldsmith's is good, of course. But Horner's, man...I could listen to that one all day.

I had it recorded on cassette with my Talkboy from Home Alone 2, from the beginning of the Back to the Future Part III VHS.

Love how that scene starts with a few people playing scrabble and turns into something very ominous.
"There isn't a government on this planet that wouldn't kill us all for that thing."

Le Dernier Loup (Wolf Totem)
This is really outstanding!
Very solid theme and Horner's usual flair for dramatic writing. Track 4 has a few Hornerisms (Sneakers/Apollo 13, Aliens, TWOK) and the 4 note danger motif turns up a few times, surprisingly sudued.
Not a single dull or uninteresting track on this release. And that closing 10 minute cue really is ace! Horner knew how to finish up a score
Can't wait to see the film!

Our review of the Southpaw album.
Karol

THE PAGEMASTER: Long time no see...at one time in the early 90's it seemed that there was an inexhaustible well of colourful Horner animation scores, and while he sadly never got much recognition out of it he obviously so craved it really was his most magnificent forte: bold thematic writing, master class orchestration, clever eclectic nods to classic and jazz, long and sustained pieces that are doubly amazing if you consider the sketchy nature of what he was scoring - and despite the sometimes poor quality of the movies at hand (like indeed THE PAGEMASTER), Horner saw that obviously as even greater challenge to lift the whole affair.
The transparent sham of the movie - in classic Hollywood tradition it fakes its ode to the magic of classic literature by weaseling through Melville's MOBY DICK or Stevenson's TREASURE ISLAND with no loftier aspirations than a second-rate funfair ride with dimwitted sailors and blustery har-har pirates out there just as pastime for Macauley Culkin stranded in Cartoonland - means no defeat for Horner.
In his most broad and painterly style he gets from sweet sugar (the main theme, a bow to a secondary theme in GLORY) to russian saber-rattling (some of Williams' POTTER music makes its first appearance in THE LIBRARY) and bright english swashbuckling channeling Farnon (CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER) and Rózsa.
Probably a hard sell today - it is, after all, no TITANIC, BRAVEHEART or whatever heavy drama score people usually prefer - but in light of Horner's passing it's more than worth a discovery for the sheer fun of the orchestral writing that has all but vanished because what would/could you attach it to?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkBj3Rg3Ixg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRdkSpXq2tA

I've never understood the hate for the synths in Titanic. I love them since day 1.
Somebody should release that Titanic performed live to the film one day, I'd buy it.

What the hell man... it took you for the man to die to start listening to his greatest music. I'm disappointed.

The Perfect Storm is the Perfect Horner (or at least one of many).
It presents his musical ideas at his very best, emotionally satisfying and extremely exciting in places, some of his best action music where I'm concerned.
A killer theme which gets a tremendous workout.
Long tracks where he developed all these ideas. I just love long developed cues, especially from him.
79 minute length feels just right. I've never ever felt it was too long, not even a minute.
The song is the icing on the cake.

To choose just 10 is downright cruel, can we at least do 20? At any rate, here are my choices:
"For the Love of a Princess" - Braveheart
"The Ludlows" - Legends of the Fall
"Rose" - Titanic
"Rescue & Discovery of the Great Valley" - The Land Before Time
"Coming Home from the Sea" - The Perfect Storm
"Samuel's Death" - Legends of the Fall
“Freedom” / The Execution / Bannockburn" - Braveheart
"Heritage of the Wolf" - Balto
"Whispering Winds" - The Land Before Time
"The Sinking" - Titanic

Here is a brief tribute to James Horner from the London Symphony Orchestra website:
http://lso.co.uk/more/news/452-a-tribute-to-james-horner
He recorded sixteen of his scores with them, as well as a couple of soundtrack albums.

Thank you very much filmusicfan.
I take it, this will be internationally available?
Also, I was wondering what the cover will be.
I know the music is what matters, but the Willow poster is I think my favourite film poster ever that marked my childhood.

Hi All,
Omni Music owner/editor here. Just released the third print run for Batman, and felt it wise to include in the announcement that Willow is in the works. Felt people could use some good news about Horner. It's sad he won't be able to see the finished product. All the other releases were given to the composers, sometimes personally.
It seems by the posts that some of you are curious about the music, since this will be the first Omni release that doesn't have a complete soundtrack. Here's a list of the music you can expect to be included. Keep in mind that Horner never titled his compositions. In fact, only one had an official title, so I had to make them up based on the scene:
1m1 Elora's Birth / Titles (CD Elora Danan)
-missing village festival source-
-missing High Aldwin fanfare-
2m5 Village Attack (Not on CD)
3m1 Saying Goodbye (Not on CD)
3m2 Bavmorda & Kael (Not on CD)
3m3 Search / Travel Montage (some material contained in Willow's Journey Begins)
4m2 Crossroads (some material contained in Willow's Journey Begins)
4m3 The Brownies (Not on CD)
-missing tavern source-
-dust of broken heart tracked in from 7m2-3 / 8m1-
5m2 Escape From The Tavern (same as CD)
6m0 Bavmorda Slaps Kael (Not on CD)
-missing Willow's first use of the wand (improv shakuhachi)-
-missing arrival at the island-
-missing meeting Fin Razel (Fairlight pad and pan flute)-
7m0 Sorsha Arrives (Not on CD)
7m1 The Trek (Not on CD)
7m2-3 / 8m1 Snowy Escape (Not on CD)
8m2 Canyon Of Mazes (same as CD)
9m1 Tir Asleen Battle Pt. 1
9m2 Tir Asleen Battle Pt. 2 (combined for the CD as Tir Asleen)
10m1 Spell / Razel Transforms (first half of Bavmorda's Spell Is Cast)
11m1 / 2 Nockmaar Battle Pt. 1 (second half of Bavmorda's Spell Is Cast)
(NOTE: Bavmorda's Spell Is Cast is broken in two at the 09:13 mark)
12m1 / 2 Nockmaar Battle Pt.2
12m4 End Credits
12m1-2-4 are Willow The Sorcerer on the CD. The tune lead-in to the end credits has no written music, improvised based on charts, however the orchestra starts with pizz. before the statement of the adventure theme starting at 07:33. Some of this may require takedowns, which is nothing new. I had to transcribe the cue from Edward "Picking The Lock." Same with "Picture Fades" from BTTF.
Based on time stamps of the files, I've been working since March 28th. There are 3 more left to engrave, then it's a matter of proofing to the recording, and printing. This one should be ready in a month, early August is realistic.

Doug Fake of Intrada:

http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/sc.13/category.60330/.f

How did I miss this thread?
As to why more analysis of Williams' stuff vs. Horner might be as simple as availability of material. Plenty of Williams' full orchestral scores (thank you Hal Leonard) and PDFs of handwritten material. Horner: all (what there are) of the full scores are "arranged by" and I haven't found a trove of PDFs lurking someplace on the web. (If someone has a map and compass they're willing to share, I'd be most appreciative.)
As for negativity: Horner's no Mozart. Closer to Beethoven in penmanship (like most composers).

1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (the score that started it all for me)
2. Field of Dreams
3. Krull
4. The Name of the Rose (love his "borrowing" of Vaughn-Williams "Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis" during the Epilogue/End Titles)
5. Aliens
6. The Man without a Face
7. In Country
8. To Gillian...on her 37th Birthday
9. Legends of the Fall (the score that was robbed of an Oscar nomination)
10. Class Action (very under-rated and his "Memories of Mom" track really tugs at the heart strings)
As you can see from my list, I have delved into some of the gentler scores of James Horner as I find them to be his most intimate.

1. Braveheart
2. Krull
3. Legends of the Fall
4. Willow
5. Titanic
6. The Perfect Storm
7. The Mask of Zorro
8. The Land Before Time
9. The Rocketeer
10. Honey I Shrunk the Kids
The first 5 are set in stone.
The final 5 were tough to choose from, as there are a couple of other ones I rate just as highly, however the ones I chose are be the ones I enjoy the most from start to end.

1. Titanic
2. Braveheart
3. Legends of the Fall
4. The Perfect Storm
5. Apollo 13
6. Avatar
7. Bicentennial Man
8. A Beautiful Mind
9. Willow
10. Field of Dreams

Titanic and Braveheart. These and Willow are my favourite among Horner's scores. What I particularly like in Willow is that the cues are rather long (according to the standards of film music) and so they allowed more musical development than usual.

5:06 - 6:00 of "Death of Titanic" is on the same level of 0:55-1:18 of "The Tide Turns" in my book.
The driving rhythm, the two thematic ideas playing against one another, the build up. Sublime music by two very talented gentlemen.

"The Odd Discovery Beyond the Trees" from THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS is the ultimate Horner cue for me -- the only cue that ALMOST made me tear up when I listened to it the day after the news. But by God, there are so many brilliant cues, it's hard to know where to begin.

music4film! Where did you go?