Jump to content

Great scores that just seem to end without warning?


Panthera

Recommended Posts

I know many exist. You think it is great music and then it just ends without a satisfying conclusion.

Normally a soundtrack is composed in a way that everything is summed up at the end and it either ends in a great finale or a reprise of some theme. It just makes the listen seem complete. Other times, like what I'm asking about, the soundtrack just ends without seeming complete. This could be the way the album was arranged, or it could just be the way the music was composed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 57
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

If you're referring to album presentations, there are two that come to mind: JNH's The Village is not only horribly out of chronological order, but also ends on a very dissonant track and just kinda fades away...

The other would be The Day After Tomorrow, the last cue of which is 'Burning Books'. Why the heck couldn't 'The President's Speech' go at the end, and finish the album with the main theme?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you're referring to album presentations, there are two that come to mind: JNH's The Village is not only horribly out of chronological order, but also ends on a very dissonant track and just kinda fades away...

Indeed...JNH's albums always seem to be out of order, but The Village is one the worst in this regard. The album would have concluded so much better with the end credits, and that great, almost startling reprise of Lucuis' (I think) theme from "Those We Don't Speak Of."

Ray Barnsbury - who really needs to listen to that score again, as it's brilliant

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you're referring to album presentations, there are two that come to mind: JNH's The Village is not only horribly out of chronological order, but also ends on a very dissonant track and just kinda fades away...

Indeed...JNH's albums always seem to be out of order, but The Village is one the worst in this regard. The album would have concluded so much better with the end credits, and that great, almost startling reprise of Lucuis' (I think) theme from "Those We Don't Speak Of."

Ray Barnsbury - who really needs to listen to that score again, as it's brilliant

If you're referring to the theme on violins, it's actually Ivy's theme.

The worst is actually "The Untouchables." Fantastic score, but I wish the first track was the last one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FYEO. When in non-sequenced order, it ends with The Climb. When sequenced, it ends on something of an anticlimax, even though I do like the End Credits track. Sadly, it's the same in the film.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Drop Zone's OST ends with a terrible fade-out at a point that doesn't even feel like the end of a cue, much less a whole album.

On the topic of abrupt endings--the original Shrek has a few cues that purposely end strangely. "Tournament Speech" comes to mind. Goodness, I'd love to see how that was originally notated. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know exactly what you mean Panthera. Many albums need a final knockout track that brings it full circle.

For me, the finale of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is underwhelming. Fantastic start. Great secondary love theme. While the finale is just, meh.

I'll have to listen to it again. First time I listened all the way through that album I remember being really disappointed with the last track.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

King Mark, I've said this before, the End Credits of Robocop are just edited from different pieces from the Score. You could actually edit one yourself.

are you shure?i don't recall the huge fanfare that opens the End Credits beeing in the score.

K.M.who could be wrong,having not listened to it that often

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know exactly what you mean Panthera. Many albums need a final knockout track that brings it full circle.

For me, the finale of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is underwhelming. Fantastic start. Great secondary love theme. While the finale is just, meh.

I'll have to listen to it again. First time I listened all the way through that album I remember being really disappointed with the last track.

Too light? The ending is a bit Disney-like. I think it's great, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Conan could really use a end credits suite.

I think it ends fine as it is.

There are a couple of soundtrack CDs out there which use the end credits as the first track, e.g. Morricone's The Untouchables and Du Prez's A Fish Called Wanda. The latter at least has a suite as the last track, which repeats the relevant stuff (including the end credits bit), so it works fine as an album.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I absolutely hate how the last cue on the Batman Forever score disc is Batterdammerung. There is nothing remotely satisfying about it. Is it really so hard to include at least a finale cue, if not the end credits? Dang.

It would appear that a lot of Poledouris's scores don't have end credits suites. Robocop was mentioned, and The Jungle Book also has an edited end credits suite.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From 2:23 to the end of "Up is Down" (POTC: At World's End) could have been more evaluated. I really wish it kept that that three note pattern...that would have made a magnificent piece of music even better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find that any and all Pirates of the Caribbean scores don't have a truly satisfying end. Neither in the films nor on the soundtracks. It seems that Hans Zimmer has great trouble writing proper finales like in Cutthroat Island, Star Wars or Indiana Jones in any case.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find that any and all Pirates of the Caribbean scores don't have a truly satisfying end. Neither in the films nor on the soundtracks. It seems that Hans Zimmer has great trouble writing proper finales like in Cutthroat Island, Star Wars or Indiana Jones in any case.

Really? CotBP has the "He's a Pirate" which has gone on to become the most recognizable piece from the scores. Minus the dance song, DMC has that triumphant rendition of the Jack theme at the end, and AWE has a perfectly fine End Credits suite. They may not all be big booms at the end, but I think they're all satisfiable endings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Satisfyablish perhaps. But the scores all sort-of end in a low rumble, which is not impressive to me. This mainly applies to He's a Pirate, which really doesn't end in an impressive way. I like truly impressive finales to tracks, such as in the examples provided in my previous posts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kendal beat me to it, LTK's album ends with the suspense strings as Bond enters Felix's office to get the disc (after he escapes the WaveKrest), which is half-way (or earlier) through the movie, and there's about 10 minutes of music from the 50 or so from the second half of the movie (all in previous tracks on the album too).

I hope MCA does something decent with the score someday..

- Spike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know exactly what you mean Panthera. Many albums need a final knockout track that brings it full circle.

For me, the finale of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is underwhelming. Fantastic start. Great secondary love theme. While the finale is just, meh.

I'll have to listen to it again. First time I listened all the way through that album I remember being really disappointed with the last track.

Too light? The ending is a bit Disney-like. I think it's great, though.

I've listened to it again and I take back most of what I said. After having seen the movie, the cue makes sense knowing what's going on. Specifically that the last third or so is from the wedding.

I thought there was a grand battle at the end. I was expecting a magnificent action piece, something that matched or surpassed the excitement of the main title cue and in that context it was disappointing.

New rule before formulating judgment on any cue: Listen to it before seeing the movie. Watch the movie. Listen to it after seeing the movie. Rinse. Repeat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know exactly what you mean Panthera. Many albums need a final knockout track that brings it full circle.

For me, the finale of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is underwhelming. Fantastic start. Great secondary love theme. While the finale is just, meh.

I'll have to listen to it again. First time I listened all the way through that album I remember being really disappointed with the last track.

Too light? The ending is a bit Disney-like. I think it's great, though.

New rule before formulating judgment on any cue: Listen to it before seeing the movie. Watch the movie. Listen to it after seeing the movie. Rinse. Repeat.

That's actually worked several times for me. Cues that seemed completely average have become some of my favorites after seeing the movie.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very, very true.

I just watched The Lookout and have a sudden leap in respect for JNH's score. I've already done a DVD rip to get at one small morsel of music (the solo piano near the start in the car).

And while I'm at it, the film was great and has an amazing performance from Levitt and Jeff Daniels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would say Prisoner of Azkaban lacks a certain something at the end of the album.

I disagree. The finale-feel of the... "Finale" track is noticeable and the "Mischief Managed" works very well as a End Credits (especially the first unedited part of it), even though it doesn't end with a 'bang'

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Hunt for Red October just leaves you hanging.

Every. Single. Time. :rolleyes:

That's the first one I thought of too. Such a great score with such a terrible representation on album. I've only listened to the OST, completely, once. It was so disappointing.

King Mark, I've said this before, the End Credits of Robocop are just edited from different pieces from the Score. You could actually edit one yourself.

True story. I believe it starts with "Rock Shop" before it segues into "Home" and finally "The Dream". I only watched the credits all the way through once about five years ago so I could be mistaken. And I don't believe any of the cues are heard in their complete form. Personally, I couldn't care less about having a slice 'n dice end credits "suite". When Varese released their so-called deluxe edition, I was elated. Then I saw the track list. There's hardly any score missing from the OST but instead of adding those cues, they give us the music heard in the commercials! I want the material for the scene when RoboCop is first presented to that room of execs! And where's the cue that starts right at the end of the target practice scene? Hmmmmmm? IDIOTS!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The original release of Patton. It ends with George C. Scott's monologue, with the music as only accompaniment. Then, it fades out. No end titles; they sort of happened to start off the second side (back when audio formats had a side A and a side B, for all of you kiddies).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Certainly. It just doesn't seem to climax in such a logical way as many other brilliant Williams soundtracks.

I got chills when I first heard that final, subdued statement of Hedwig's Theme at the end of the PoA album. Though we didn't know it at the time, it marked the last HP score for Williams, so that final statement is all the more poignant.

It's especially nice as both the PS and CoS albums end with massive finales, so it's a great contrast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You may be right after all

k.M.

I've always been right!

You're both right. The end credits are an edit job, but the opening statement of the Robocop theme is from an unreleased cue (Go Get 'Em, Boy)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are a couple of soundtrack CDs out there which use the end credits as the first track, e.g. Morricone's The Untouchables and Du Prez's A Fish Called Wanda.

Another example, this one from John Williams himself, would be the soundtrack album for The River, where the end title track begins the CD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Williams has done that a lot...The Witches of Eastwick, Home Alone, Seven Years in Tibet, Saving Private Ryan, Stepmom, Angela's Ashes, The Patriot, Minority Report, and The Terminal all have some form of the end credits music in the first track or two of the album.

Ray Barnsbury

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of the worst album endings I can remember, which was later rectified, was the original, ridiculously short "Poltergeist II" OST. I could never stand the original film's OST either, which ended with "Rebirth" and had the children's laughter put over it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like Jurassic Park. Would've been nice to have some of the unreleased music instead repeating a chunk of the end credits.

So true - that album is almost a mess IMO. But it's still PoA that I get most annoyed about - just who was it who decided to put that huge pointless suite instead of some more original material?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Silvestri's The Mummy Returns, on the album, is suddenly cut-off by the pop-song. The score proper however, has several good finales, including a magnificent end titles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Williams has done that a lot...The Patriot, have some form of the end credits music in the first track or two of the album.

Ray Barnsbury

But in this case its more like a concert suite and end credit suite.

Diferent performances and orchestration. And I'm glad of this since i like the theme.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.