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Smeltington

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Everything posted by Smeltington

  1. Smeltington
    No problem, your point is a great one. It's true Williams' work for Spielberg has produced a varied body of work over the years. I think this indicates that Williams likes to challenge himself to create variety among his scores. The Book Thief doesn't seem to have been a project he took on for that type of challenge, but perhaps it was an inspiration to him in terms of emotional resonance rather than any unusual musical styles that it suggested.
  2. Smeltington
    I was referring to the film, not the score, in my post as being similar to a "typical" Spielberg film. I see Book Thief as being Spielbergian in its Nazi Germany setting, prominent child characters, and sentimental tone. My point was that the film is very familiar territory for Williams, and it wouldn't be surprising if his score reflects that. But that won't stop me from enjoying the score.
  3. Smeltington
    Hook's Madness! Regardless of whether he's innovative, I'd say Williams is good at creating a unique "feel" for each score that sets it apart. Many of his scores are in the same idiom as earlier ones, but still manage to convey a different mood that is appropriate to each film. Look at his different scores within the same franchises, even... every Star Wars score feels different, same with JP and Lost World, etc etc. Of course, some of his scores manage to catch us off guard more than others, like AI or POA. In the case of Book Thief, though, the only thing that seems likely to inspire Williams to branch out more is that it's not directed by Spielberg, but it looks to have the same tone and even the same subject matter as a typical Spielberg film. I'm sure we'd all enjoy being surprised again like we have been by a select few of JW's scores in the past decade, but this project isn't exactly conducive to that. For myself, I'm not expecting something revolutionary, but more of a spiritual successor to the existing latter-day Williams drama scores, and I hope to enjoy it on those terms.
  4. Smeltington
    They can't break up, they're brothers! They'll always have each other!
  5. Smeltington
    I'll listen to the score after seeing the film. I'd rather judge it in the film first, and react to it there, before getting used to the material on the album. It worked well with AUJ - the movie lowered my expectations for the score, then when I heard the album I was pleasantly surprised. If I had gone into the movie being familiar with the album already, I would have been enraged!
  6. Smeltington
    This is a great idea, but where's the Hot Cops song?
  7. Smeltington
    The only way I can detect sarcasm around here with 100% certainty is if it involves Angela Morley, William Ross, or Conrad Pope.
  8. Smeltington
    Lorde???? Seriously? Wow, she's talented but her music doesn't suggest Middle Earth to me at all. But it's quite possible she could surprise us. She's a lot younger and at a much earlier stage in her career than Enya, Annie Lennox, or Neil Finn, so she might shake things up a bit.
  9. Smeltington
    Ordered Cocoon based on all the recommendations here. I like Horner's scores that I've heard, but don't have many in my collection, so I'm looking forward to this one.
  10. Smeltington
    There wasn't any CG orcs in AUJ, as far as I remember (it was all prosthetics). CG goblins, yes. And they looked great. Azog was CGI, wasn't he? I thought both he and the goblins looked cartoony, and like they didn't occupy the same physical space as the actors. Right on That's what happens in the book. But in the film, Gandalf summons the Gwaihir with his magical moth of Doom! I always figured the moth went to Radagast, who sent Gwaihir. Did everyone else understand that differently? It's never really adequately explained in the film either way. I thought exactly the same thing. In LotR films the moth fetches help for Gandalf with no assistance from Radagast. It is one moment where they can show Gandalf's subtle magic and resourcefulness. At lleast that is how we are meant to understand it because in LotR films Radagast is not once mentioned and does really not exist. In the novel it is obvious that Gwaihir, who was sent by Radagast to Isengard as a messenger to Saruman (and Gandalf he thought) was there by fortuitous accident (or by fate) to carry Gandalf from his captivity. Those who have read the novel might naturally assume that it was somehow Radagast's doing that Gwaihir arrives to Isengard to rescue Gandalf but actually there is no reference to that in the films. Who knows what kind of round-about explanation they are going to device in the Hobbit films. I hope it doesn't involve moths. Interesting, I didn't remember exactly how it played out in the book, apart from Radagast having sent Gwaihir. Thanks for elaborating!
  11. Smeltington
    That's what happens in the book. But in the film, Gandalf summons the Gwaihir with his magical moth of Doom! I always figured the moth went to Radagast, who sent Gwaihir. Did everyone else understand that differently? It's never really adequately explained in the film either way.
  12. Smeltington
    Yes. It's noticeable in all the LOTR EEs as there are a number of compositional changes to accommodate them - the end of Return to Edoras and 1:45-1:47 of Grace of Undomiel for example. Compare the latter with the same spot in the OST Twilight and Shadow and the L2P performance. Odd that this seems to have been an issue for Wingnut as George Lucas really didn't care for Attack of the Clones, which has music running continuously over *every* reel change (unlike The Phantom Menace). I know the EEs have ended up being shown theatrically several times, but since their first release was on DVD, how would reels factor in?
  13. Smeltington
    But Radagast sends the eagle to go pick up Gandalf in FotR, doesn't he? Even though it happens offscreen.
  14. Smeltington
    In theory, yes, but assuming everything plays out as it did with the LotR scores, the OSTs will end up being the best source for alternates. Anyway, in the case of AUJ I couldn't be happier with the deluxe album. It's just a great listen, regardless of what else gets released in the future. Of course, if/when we get more music the completist in me will be very happy, but at the moment I'm really enjoying the album as it is and I would welcome the same approach for the DOS album. As mentioned earlier (by Incanus, I think), the OSTs for these films are generally locked before the sessions are over, meaning that final versions can't always make the OST anyway.
  15. Smeltington
    The deluxe cover looks very nice, and HOORAY for two discs again! Just listened to AUJ again yesterday, and it's still growing on me even more than ever. Can't wait for the DOS album
  16. Smeltington
    I'm going to skip the samples and wait for the CD in a few weeks, but I'm glad to hear people are enjoying the music!
  17. Smeltington
    LOL those are just begging to be avatars...
  18. Smeltington
    Here in the US, Don't Dream It's Over was a big hit and has been heard in cover versions, etc. since its first release. I think the first time I heard it was when Sixpence None the Richer had a version on the radio some years back. The band's name isn't so well known here as the song, though. Crowded House had very pop-oriented sensibilities, which I love about them, though it may not endear them to all film music fans equally. I liked Neil Finn's song in AUJ, even though I would have been curious to hear a new melody from him rather than the Plan 9 music again. I've never been much of an Enya fan, and didn't like Gollum's Song much (apart from the tune, which was very cool), so the AUJ song actually has more appeal for me than some of the LotR ones. When all is said and done, though, I think the scores could get along just fine without any end credits songs. I'd be happy to hear a nice end credits suite from Shore with robust readings of some of the main themes. Those short theme arrangements at the end of the AUJ album were really nice.
  19. Smeltington
    Any box set would probably be based on his role as a composer. It's what we all love him for. I seriously doubt any piece would be left out just because Williams did not conduct it himself.
  20. Smeltington
    Yeah, I guess the main consideration I'd suggest is to come up with a consistent scheme for the information you're including and how you're laying it out, and make it readily apparent to the reader. I think a lot of people here have responded the way we have because the aim of the article is not entirely clear to us. I'm sure we're all interested in seeing a new perspective on Williams' discography, once the article gets to the point that it becomes a bit more self-explanatory, and we can understand the reasons for the various choices you've made. Just to name one example, you might break down the page into Williams' discographies as a conductor, as a performer (on piano), as a composer, etc. and then there would be a clear delineation between the different sections of your article. Treating him as a "recording artist" is tricky as he does not technically "perform" on any of his releases, except those where he made contributions as a pianist. So you need to make sure the rules you are going by for what to include and where are clear to the reader, and that you strictly follow your own rules.
  21. Smeltington
    Well you're wrong. Miguel beat you to it over a decade ago Too bad his site's no longer active. You still remember Romão and I have been toying with the idea of getting a Williams related site up, and that discography, updated with all the new info I collected since would be something that would go into that. Scorepedia would be a great place for all this info!
  22. Smeltington
    Walrus! ART ART ART ^--- for the uninformed, this is what walruses say
  23. Smeltington
    My hat is off to you. You did a fantastic job. I especially love the detailed info on all the releases, and the cue list, plus the info on the scoring sessions. All I can say in the way of constructive criticism is that I think the colors on the cue list could be improved. Also, given your generous use of images in the article, it might be nice to have one of Goldsmith. I assume there must not have been any photos of the scoring sessions available, though, or you probably would have used them. All in all, a very inspiring entry and a definitive resource for this score Great work Uni!
  24. Smeltington
    Well, that's what they are if the major part of their content have already been released. Look the example for E.T. : Studio Albums 1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial MCA Records Reissued in 1986 & 1990, MCA Records 1996 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial MCA Records Previously unreleased original score. Compilations 2002 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Concord Records The 20th Anniversary, includes previously unreleased material; MCA. I would also see this as being inconsistent. 1996 was well after the release of the film and the OST, and I would not consider it to be a work released "by" John Williams as an "artist," if you do not consider the 2002 release as such. Under the system as you describe it, it seems that the 1996 and 2002 releases would both belong under Compilations. You could argue that the 1996 release contained material that had not been previously released, but so did the 2002.
  25. Smeltington
    JW is a big part of why I own ET on DVD and Jaws on Blu-Ray. I have the ET set that came with a soundtrack, but still don't own the Jaws soundtrack, simply because I had the impression from reading discussions here that people are hoping for an improved release sometime down the road. I also own Munich on DVD and not on CD, but have never watched my DVD copy. Of course, with some of my favorite Williams scores, like Star Wars, Indy, and Harry Potter, the score is a huge part of why I love the films as much as I do in the first place, so if not the only reason for buying them, you could still consider it one of the main reasons. Then there are films I've seen in the theater solely because of Williams - based on the trailer, I thought Tintin looked awful, but went to see it anyway. I also would definitely not be planning on seeing Book Thief on the basis of the trailer alone.
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