Greg1138

I'm not a heavy-metal fan by any means (though I like a good head bang now and again)...but at University I was introduced to a Guitar-player by the name of Steve Vai (he's the guy that crops up at the end of the movie "Crossroads" with that Karate Kid bloke and Joe Seneca)....it's more heavy rock than metal, although he does tend to fit into the Metal mould (or certainly used to - less so these days....his album "Passion and Warfare" has been a constant companion ever since.... Video with him and a couple of others gods from 1992: "For The Love Of God" From the G3 Concert in 1996 (this performance is - frankly - incredible) And another, slightly more recent, live one - The Audience Is Listening...

More of the same would be.....just fine....!! But if I were to make one request - if you get a chance, a quick tour of one of the scoring stages....

Wouldn't miss it....

All the ones above. Plus, with Intrada's relationship with Disney apparently flourishing, I'd love them to dig Henry Mancini's "Condorman" out and give that a release finally. And though I don't think it will happen (Varese hold the rights again), I'd dearly love one of these labels to have a bash with Marc Shaiman's "City Slickers"

Altruism is alive and well...

I don't think it's a reflection on a composer's experience as to whether or not a temp-track is used? I feel it is more the case that it is the simplest way for a director to convey their "vision" (in an auditory sense) to said composer. it's either that, or many, many long dark nights going through minute by minute explaining exactly what they want....and I don't think they got time for that given how busy they are and how tight deadlines are for "event" movies such as this one. Let's not forget - it's a Spielberg Film....Williams is not writing the score for "War Horse", he is writing the score for Spielberg's interpretation of it.

Listen to the final 10 minutes of Star Wars, or the final reel of The Empire Strikes Back.....or any of the action cues from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom....or The Desert Chase, or innumerable other pieces.....if it doesn't have "Oomph" for you, doesn't get your blood pumping, doesn't get your feet shifting....well, there's medication for it but I'd say you're too far gone....

Admittedly, I had read this poll after a very long and tiring nightshift....of course it meant "So Far"......me being dense

I add another option to the poll....."The best action cue of the 2010's SO FAR..."...easily gets my vote....but to vote it the best action cue of a decade that we are only 13 months (out of, of course, 120) into? Impossible question.

Jeez - they couldn't be arsed even to put a different cover on it? Crap.

Indeed....but I think the difference is purely down to the almost infallibility of the LSO....on any day of the week, and twice on sundays, they are probably the best orchestra in the world.

Should have gone to Specsavers...

Nice one - and at least 3 decent scores in there to mix things up (I'm not familiar with "Drive"). Thanks for the heads up. Greg

Not noticed this....played that section of track 15 over and over again and I must admit I can't hear anything wrong....all I can hear is the brass opening their throats a bit during what is obviously marked as a crescendo (since they are all doing it)....Brass players - when playing louder - tend to have to open our throats physically so that the sound does not get forced or too edgy....I think what is happening on this track is that the timbre of the note is changing as the crescendo happens, but nicely in control - that's all. You wouldn't have heard such a thing in Hymn to the Fallen because there is no passage where there is such a crescendo in such a short space of time - the timbre does change, but over 4 bars or so (especially in the brass "choir" section) - here it happens over one note.

John Gardner's books are just fine, though they are more The Movie Bond rather than The Fleming Bond.

1) ET - The Extra Terrestrial 2) Star Wars 3) Close Encounters of the Third Kind 4) Superman 5) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 6) Munich 7) Jurassic Park 8) Jaws 9) Raiders of the Lost Ark 10) HP+Philosopher's Stone 11) The Empire Strikes Back 12) Fuck, this is hard 12) Dracula 13) Raiders of the Lost Ark 14) Revenge of the Sith 15) Hook

No. But it's one of those kind of poll's where it's just so damn close to call for me personally. I'm sticking with BotH for now....and I really have to admit that a major reason for doing so right at this moment is that here, in 2011, I get a bigger f***in' kick out of playing Battle of the Heroes live than I do with Duel of the Fates, Duel of the Fates makes me smile like a bastard....especially that fanfare at the start, but Battle of the Heroes makes me reach for the kleenex.

Much as though I like Nixon, both movie and score, my voting went JFK, JFK and Yes......and I'd be interested to know why you voted "No" for the third question, since the 2 collaborations so far have produced some of Williams' and Stone's best work....(or maybe I have just answered my own question!).

Very tough call.....I'm going for Battle of the Heroes.....but I might change my mind in a few hours....

If you heard the difference in sound between the Blue Box and the Rhino 2CD set, you wouldn't be hesiatating. That, plus the excellent presentations of the other scores, the stunning packaging, the accompanying book that goes in to every detail possible in such a format....this set it indispensable. Even if you just buy it for the first score alone, it's worth every penny. As I've said elsewhere, it's not so much a CD - more of an experience.

Paging Dr Andrade...

The "Alien" one is pure class....love it!! My LOL of the day....

Bristol one is in the diary!!!

I had to study that solo for an entire year as part of my degree.....ripped apart every note, every inflection, every millisecond of timing, every idea.....a fascinating task, but it ruined the magic for me. As a trumpet player I have many favourites from film and outside.....but Dances With Wolves, Summon The Heroes, Apollo 13 (previously mentioned - though it's in a stupid key for normal Bb trumpet....better played on a C Trumpet by a mile....), are all standouts....favourite piece for an entitre section would quite easily be Shostakovich's Festive Overture, closely followed by - yep - Star Wars main Title.