Best Score Poll on TrackSounds

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

No it's just intelligent and cultured to have varied taste...rather than tying yourself to one man and equating him to a god, claiming he can do no wrong and none can surpass him, claiming all others write music for retards.

I completely agree. But someone happening to prefer a Williams score to another composer's doesn't equate with that. At times it seems like someone can't say something like "I want John Williams to come back to the Harry Potter series because I enjoy his scores more than the others" without someone screaming "FANBOY!!!! BLIND DEVOTISM!!!! DOYLE'S THEMES WERE SO GREAT AND YOU REFUSE TO SEE THAT BECAUSE YOU THINK WILLIAMS IS A GOD!!!" Or implying something along those lines. Some people's fervent fanboyism around here isn't any worse than the extreme opposite expressed by others. And both attitudes tend to frustratingly stifle intelligent discussion.

Ray Barnsbury

[Hlao-roo 388]

John Williams is a god. He can do no wrong. All others write music for retards. I am a fundamentalist in the real world.

[indy4 152]

No it's just intelligent and cultured to have varied taste...rather than tying yourself to one man and equating him to a god, claiming he can do no wrong and none can surpass him, claiming all others write music for retards.

I completely agree. But someone happening to prefer a Williams score to another composer's doesn't equate with that. At times it seems like someone can't say something like "I want John Williams to come back to the Harry Potter series because I enjoy his scores more than the others" without someone screaming "FANBOY!!!! BLIND DEVOTISM!!!! DOYLE'S THEMES WERE SO GREAT AND YOU REFUSE TO SEE THAT BECAUSE YOU THINK WILLIAMS IS A GOD!!!" Or implying something along those lines.

Ray Barnsbury

You want JW back for HP?? FANBOY!!!! BLIND DEVOTISM!!!! DOYLE'S THEMES WERE SO GREAT AND YOU REFUSE TO SEE THAT BECAUSE YOU THINK WILLIAMS IS A GOD!!! (just kidding--I want him back too)

[John Crichton 4]

I completely agree. But someone happening to prefer a Williams score to another composer's doesn't equate with that. At times it seems like someone can't say something like "I want John Williams to come back to the Harry Potter series because I enjoy his scores more than the others" without someone screaming "FANBOY!!!! BLIND DEVOTISM!!!! DOYLE'S THEMES WERE SO GREAT AND YOU REFUSE TO SEE THAT BECAUSE YOU THINK WILLIAMS IS A GOD!!!" Or implying something along those lines. Some people's fervent fanboyism around here isn't any worse than the extreme opposite expressed by others. And both attitudes tend to frustratingly stifle intelligent discussion.

Once again you express my thoughts on the subject perfectly. The extremes in this discussion are mystifying. I think KM has some good and correct criticisms of the LotR scores, his complaints about the themes are similar to my criticisms of a lot of generic underscore that all sounds the same (especially in TTT), but I still really like 2 out of the 3. But putting any of them on a greatest scores ever shortlist is giving them way too much credit.

[King Mark 2,924]

I'm perfectly able to tell when themes are great.There are no great themes in LotR,only a few good ones.And there are only below average themes in Goblet of fire except for Hedwig's Theme.OotP has no real themes.

[indy4 152]

I'm perfectly able to tell when themes are great.There are no great themes in LotR,only a few good ones.

SHAME ON YOU!

OotP has no real themes.

SHAME ON YOU!

[King Mark 2,924]

I'm sure some will agree here.

As you notice I'm not completely trashing the LotR scores.I do listen to the OST's from time to time.But I do believe they are vastly overrated by people who tend to be really into Tolkien stuff and LotR(like if your browser still has a bookmark to Onering.net)

[indy4 152]

I'm sure some will agree here.

As you notice I'm not completely trashing the LotR scores.I do listen to the OST's from time to time.But I do believe they are vastly overrated by people who tend to be really into Tolkien stuff and LotR

I cannot deny (and I don't want to) that JW is much, much, much better than Shore.

You cannot deny that LOTR scores are great, and go excellently w/ the films.

Furthermore, I belive that LOTR are better than several JW scores, but worse than a lot, too.

All in all, JW is easily the better composer by far, but Shore's efforts on LOTR cannot go unnoticed by AFI.

[Sergeant 1,093]

I'm sure some will agree here.

[King Mark 2,924]

Furthermore, I belive that LOTR are better than several JW scores, but worse than a lot, too.

I'll agree to

Furthermore, I belive that LOTR are better than some JW scores, but worse than a lot, too.

[indy4 152]

Furthermore, I belive that LOTR are better than several JW scores, but worse than a lot, too.

I'll agree to

Furthermore, I belive that LOTR are better than some JW scores, but worse than a lot, too.

Okay...fair enough. We both think JW is better than Shore. We've made peace.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,064]

There is nothing inherently wrong with wanting John Williams back for Harry Potter. I want him back too, as I've stated before.

It's when you're obviously blinded by your own pro-Williams bias that you earn the title blind. It's not wanting John Williams that makes people idiots, it's the reasoning they give, which are so ridiculous, that makes people like me who want John Williams back, disgusted with being associated with such a group.

I mean seriously, have you read the replies in some of the HP threads?

- Blumenkohl, who considers Prisoner of Azkaban above RotK...and his #2 favorite score behind "The Motion Picture"

[indy4 152]

- Blumenkohl, who considers Prisoner of Azkaban above RotK

I agree--PoA is my favorite score.

[artyjeffrey 20]

At least Santoallalllallallalla didn't win.

[gkgyver 1,638]

Some of the themes weaknesses sound much more evident, namely the Fellowship theme.

And what would these "weaknesses" be, other than you not liking it?

I'm perfectly able to tell when themes are great.There are no great themes in LotR,only a few good ones

Well, next time I'm thinking about buying a score, I'll ask you, since you're amongst the extremely rare people who can decide which themes are great, and which are not.

And since when are great film scores defined by great themes, anyway? A theme doesn't need to become a worldwide success like Star Wars Main Theme or My Heart Will Go On to be bloody brilliant.

And while the themes (all 40+) are perfect and unseparable from the films, the brilliance in LotR doesn't come from the themes themselves, but from the way they're all connected and interwoven with each other.

That's a level of fascinating and meticulous storytelling JW hasn't reached to this day.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

A score is more then it's themes.

And while the scores for LOTR have some very good themes, they are not the reason why these scores are so incredible good.

[gkgyver 1,638]

That's what I'm saying.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

You beat me too it.

[Richard Penna 2,082]

I'm sure some will agree here.

As you notice I'm not completely trashing the LotR scores.I do listen to the OST's from time to time.But I do believe they are vastly overrated by people who tend to be really into Tolkien stuff and LotR(like if your browser still has a bookmark to Onering.net)

I haven't read any of the books yet (I have them - just getting round to it) and I haven't seen any of the films for a long while. Yet I still consider Shore's music fantastic, plus I've been rather underwhelmed by all of his subsequent output.

Hardly constitutes a fanboy does it.

I also echo gkgyer's comments - there are many ways I think for a theme to be good. I was listening to Return to Edoras from the RotK boot the other day, and I must have played it over and over about 10 times because I adore that fast, beautiful rendition of theme at the beginning.

And you can't deny that many people on the street, when played the fellowship theme, would probably recognise it.

[Goldsmithfan 3]

Man, the Goldsmith selection sucked. I figured Star Trek: The Motion Picture would be up there. It was. Then Alien popped up. Big surprise. I have nothing against these scores, but there are others that I like a hell of a lot more. Legend comes to mind. But for god knows what reason they had the Tangerine Dream score listed. It's okay. That's about it. Basic Instinct also comes to mind. Nowhere to be found. Probably because that was the year the Academy gave Jerry the biggest slap in the face ever... by voting for Aladdin.

It seems like the people who compile these "Best film score EVER" poll selections are film music versions of all those people who claim they like Pink Floyd, yet only know material from Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall.

- Goldsmithfan, who voted for The Final Conflict (At least they got one Goldsmith selection right)

[Marian Schedenig 5,520]

- Goldsmithfan, who voted for The Final Conflict (At least they got one Goldsmith selection right)

A good choice.