Rank your top 10 film composers and top 10 film scores

[indy4 155]

I know, really hard decision. After much grief and pain, here it is:

Film composers:

1. John Williams

2. Danny Elfman

3. Hans Zimmer

4. James Newton Howard

5. Alan Silvestri

5. Howard Shore

6. John Debney

7. Jerry Goldsmith

8. Bernard Herrmann

9. Nicholas Hooper (I know he's only done one score, but it was so good!!)

10. Harry-Gregson Williams

Honorable Mention goes to:

Michael Giacchino and James Horner

Film Scores:

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (John Williams)

2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (John Williams)

3. Superman: The Movie (John Williams)

4. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Howard Shore)

5. Nightmare Before Christmas (Danny Elfman)

6. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (John Williams)

7. The Lion King (Hans Zimmer)

8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Nicholas Hooper)

9. Jaws 2 (John Williams)

10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (John Williams)

Honorable Mentions to: Hook (John Williams), Jurassic Park(John Williams), and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End(Hans Zimmer)

[Hlao-roo 389]

It's high time someone posted a thread like this -- I'm sure the veterans here will be absolutely delighted with this unprecedented opportunity to rattle off their favorites.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

You stole my Top 5!

Composers:

1. John Williams

2. Ennio Morricone

3. James Newton Howard

4. Danny Elfman

5. Michael Giacchino

6. Hans Zimmer

7. John Powell

8. Harry Gregson-Williams

9. Thomas Newman

10. Alan Silvestri

Honorable Memtion: Howard Shore, James Horner, Henry Mancini

Scores:

1. Schindler's List (John Williams)

2. Once Upon A Time In The West (Ennio Morricone)

3. Signs (James Newton Howard)

4. Beetlejuice (Danny Elfman)

5. Medal Of Honor (Michael Giacchino)

6. The Thin Red Line (Hans Zimmer)

7. United 93 (John Powell)

8. Man On Fire (Harry Gregson-Williams)

9. Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events (Thomas Newman)

10. Back To The Future (Alan Silvestri)

Honorable Mention: Munich (John Williams), The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (Ennio Morricone), The Village (James Newton Howard)

It's high time someone posted a thread like this -- I'm sure the veterans here will be absolutely delighted with this unprecedented opportunity to rattle off their favorites.

This was my planned vote for the finale in the Top 5 series.

[indy4 155]

Sorry, didn't mean to! I was going to suggest this to you, but then I figured it would be impossible to put down all the nominees. And I won't be tally up the results of these, like you do, I'm just prompting heated debates. But true, the idea of making a list an stuff, that is 100% koraysavas90's idea.

It's high time someone posted a thread like this -- I'm sure the veterans here will be absolutely delighted with this unprecedented opportunity to rattle off their favorites.

This was my planned vote for the finale in the Top 5 series.

Oh god, now I feel like a complete doofus!!

Sorry koraysavas90, I honestly didn't mean anything. I guess Marc could lock this thread.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

That's quite alright indy4, there isn't anybody else I would rather have beat me to it. In fact, we can split them up if you like, like you do some Top 5's I do some, whatever strikes our mood.

[indy4 155]

Thanks!

[John Crichton 4]

It's high time someone posted a thread like this -- I'm sure the veterans here will be absolutely delighted with this unprecedented opportunity to rattle off their favorites.

I certainly know I've never made a top 10 score list before.

But I'll go ahead and do a composers list:

1. John Williams

2. Jerry Goldsmith

3. Nobou Uematsu

4. David Arnold

...OK, maybe four. Those are the only guys I really consider myself an overall fan of their works. There are lots of guys who have works I enjoy (Giacchino, some Elfman and Silvestri, a little Horner, the very underrated Dennis McCarthy) but those are the only ones I consider myself devoted to.

[Red 75]

I'm too lazy to do a top ten.

1) John Williams

2) Danny Elfman

3) James Newton Howard

4) Howard Shore

5) James Horner

I'm not really qualified to make this though, because I haven't heard enough Goldsmith or Herrmann.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

1. The Beatles

2. The Rolling Stones

3. The Byrds

4. ABBA

5. The Beegees

6. Queen

7. Simon and Garfunkle

8. Wild Cherry

9. The Who

10. The Seekers

[Hlao-roo 389]

7. Simon and Garfunkle

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you mean Simno and Garfunkle?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Actually it was meant to be Garfunkel. My mistake. Simno is his twin.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Hahaha, nice catch! I think Pink Floyd ought to be on that list of yours, as well as The Doors. Don't forget the obvious Bob Dylan.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I'll adopt those as my honourable mentions.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

1.) John Williams

2.) James Newton Howard

3.) Danny Elfman

4.) Jerry Goldsmith

5.) James Horner

6.) Joel McNeely

7.) Alan Silvestri

8.) Elmer Bernstein

9.) Harry Gregson-Williams

10.) Hans Zimmer

I need to get more familiar with David Arnold; I have a feeling he'd be up there.

Ray Barnsbury

[QMM 4]

1. John Williams

2. Michael Giacchino

3. Michael Kamen

4. Danny Elfman

5. Jon Brion

6. Jerry Goldsmith (I still haven't listened to enough of his stuff)

7. Harry Gregson-Williams

8. John Powell

9. Howard Shore

10. James Newton-Howard

[indy4 155]

In fact, we can split them up if you like, like you do some Top 5's I do some, whatever strikes our mood.

Oh no, I could never steal your thunder to that extent. If I have suggestions I'll give them, but I think I'll leave your trademark series to you. That "inspired by indy4..." was enough recognition for me :cool:

[indy4 155]

I'm glad Koray and Ray had Zimmer - he seems unfairly bashed around here.

[Romão 2,274]

1 - John Williams

2 - Bernard Herrmann

3 - Miklos Rozsa

4 - Jerry Goldsmith

5 - Erich Wolfgang Korngold

6 - Basil Poledouris

7 - Ennio Morricone

8 - Elliot Goldenthal

9 - Alex North

10 - Danny Elfman

[Neimoidian 14]

COMPOSERS:

- John Williams - THE BEST, THE FAVOURITE

[2-10 in no particular order]

- Michal Lorenc

- Jerry Goldsmith

- Ennio Morricone

- David Arnold

- Hans Zimmer

- Danny Elfman

- Nobuo Uematsu

- Basil Poledouris

- John Barry

SPECIAL MENTIONS - Bernard Herrmann, Elmer Bernstein, Howard Shore

SCORES

If I were to name my favourite scores, most of them would be by John Williams. For the sake of diversity, I will pick only one great score per composer.

- Empire Strickes Back - John Williams

[the rest in no particular order, again]

- Braveheart - James Horner

- On Her Majesty's Secret Service - John Barry

- Stargate - David Arnold

- Chinatown - Jerry Goldsmith

- Conan the Barbarian - Basil Poledouris

- Psy 2 - Michal Lorenc

- Final Fantasy VII - Nobuo Uematsu

- Batman - Danny Elfman

- The Mission - Ennio Morricone

- Thin Red Line - Hans Zimmer

- Blade Runner - Vangelis

- Fellowship of the Ring - Howard Shore

- Atonement - Dario Marianelli (my current crush - I mean the music, not the composer!)

- The Village - James N. Howard

- L'Expedition Jules Verne - John Scott

.... that's more than 10+3, but I couldn't resist (besides the list still isn't finished )

[Carnifex 5]

1. Bill Conti

2. John Williams

3. Vangelis

4. Randy Newman

5. Jerry Goldsmith

6. John Barry

7. James Horner

8. Harry Gregson-Williams

9. Thomas Newman

10. Michael Kamen

1. Masters of the Universe (Bill Conti)

2. Blade Runner (Vangelis)

3. Jurassic Park (John Williams)

4. Independence Day (David Arnold)

5. Krull (James Horner)

6. The Natural (Randy Newman)

7. Dances with Wolves (John Barry)

8. The Right Stuff (Bill Conti)

9. Rocketeer (James Horner)

10. Amistad (John Williams)

John Williams not the number one?? Let the bashing begin!

[robthehand 3]

Composers:

1=. John Williams

1=. Jerry Goldsmith

1=. Bernard Herrmann

4. Ennio Morricone

5. Alex North

6. Miklos Rozsa

7. Elliot Goldenthal

8. Basil Poledouris

9. John Barry

10. Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Honourable mentions to Franz Waxman, Elmer Bernstein and Danny Elfman.

Scores:

No way I can pick out and rank ten. I'll pick one each of my top 10 composers.

John Williams - Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Jerry Goldsmith - Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Bernard Herrmann - Vertigo

Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Alex North - Spartacus

Miklos Rozsa - The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

Elliot Goldenthal - Batman Forever

Basil Poledouris - Conan the Barbarian

John Barry - You Only Live Twice

Erich Wolfgang Korngold - The Adventures of Robin Hood

And the honourable mentions go to Sunset Boulevard for Waxman, The Great Escape for Bernstein, and Batman for Elfman.

[Romão 2,274]

Nice list, Rob, it's the only I might agree with so far.

[Pieter Boelen 740]

With all my choices, I posted a short piece on why I chose what I chose. I would be very interested to see WHY you all like the composers and scores that you like.

For the film scores I decided to only choose one score for any series. Also the "unhonourable mentions" for the composers and scores are not because they are bad per se, but because I find them tremendously frustrating.

Film composers:

1. John Williams

Simply the best beyond a shadow of a doubt.

2. Jerry Goldsmith

Very different from John Williams, but very good indeed. Very good action music and amazing themes. Shame that there's sometimes annoying electronics and uninteresting tracks between the standout ones.

3. Basil Poledouris

All historic, fantasy, action and adventure scores of his are great. Just about all tracks are enjoyable and there's some really good themes and action music and gorgeous music.

4. Alan Silvestri

The good stuff is really good. He needs more big jobs.

5. James Newton Howard

Amazingly good at writing scores that are very consistent in quality. Good themes and action music and beautiful music, but not much truly standout work. Everything is just about equally good.

6. John Debney

When given big jobs, he can respond incredibly well. Unfortunately he isn't given many such jobs. His comedy scores are enjoyable, but ultimately forgettable.

7. David Arnold

He simply isn't given enough to do. Independence Day, Stargate and Godzilla are all very good scores. The Musketeer is enjoyable as well.

8. Harry Gregson-Williams

Can write good music, occasionally great music, but usually OK music. Shrek is fun, Sinbad and Kingdom of Heaven are brilliant, Chronicles of Narnia: The Witch the Lion and the Wardrobe is average.

9. James Horner

He can write music that sounds pretty good, but the annoying things are really annoying: The "danger theme", the reuse of his own and other people's music and the too long tracks on the CDs.

10. Howard Shore

The Lord of the Rings scores are a tremendous acchievement, though I have no interest in any of his other works.

Honorable Mentions to:

Brian Tyler

Children of Dune has pretty good parts. I also like Timeline, though it becomes a bit repetitive and doesn't have the grandeur of Jerry Goldsmith's version.

John Powell

His themes are very good indeed.

Edward Shearmur

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a very enjoyable adventure score.

Unhonourable Mentions to:

Patrick Doyle

Nothing of his that I have heard does the job for me. It's enjoyable and better than what most composers could come up with, but somehow it seems to me he keeps missing the ball.

Hans Zimmer

He CAN do it right. He JUST - WON'T - DO - IT! VERY frustrating. Even more frustrating than a composer who can't do it right, but tries, like Patrick Doyle.

Klaus Badelt

There's The Time Machine, which has an awesome first half. There is Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which is wholly unoriginally, but a whole lot of fun. But now he just writes generic filler music.

Film Scores:

1. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark(John Williams)

I just chose the first one here, because all of them are equally good and my preference varies from moment to moment.

2. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (John Williams)

I like it's thematic development better than A New Hope's. The Phantom Menace is also very good indeed. The others are somewhat less good, but still awesome.

3. Cutthroat Island (John Debney)

Just plain awesome. Great from start till finish, each track being better than the one before it. Also it is what I like to call "seaworthy" music, which can only be a good thing.

4. The Mummy Returns (Alan Silvestri)

Great music. I like it better than Back to the Future, which has a great main theme and good music for the rest.

5. Independence Day (David Arnold)

Good themes (though not as good as Stargate), nice thematic devlopment and lots of great action music, beautiful music and patriottic music.

6. First Knight (Jerry Goldsmith)

I like the thematic development, the use of choir and the action music. Especially some of the officially unreleased tracks are brilliant. Most other Jerry Goldsmith scores have got a few amazing tracks surrounded by many good ones.

7. Starship Troopers (Basil Poledouris)

Just to say something different than Conan the Barbarian. The action music here is great. I also really like the Flesh & Blood action music, main title and end title.

8. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (James Newton Howard)

Hard to choose here, because all scores I have of his are just about equally good. Excellent themes, great action music, beautiful music. I chose this one because it has a nice sense of adventure and the beautiful Atlantis music.

9. Mutiny on the Bounty (Bronislau Kaper)

The first three tracks are sheer brilliance. The rest of it is also very good. Good dramatic music, beautiful romantic music and greatly incorporated Tahitian music.

10. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (Harry Gregson-Williams)

Very good thematic development, very dramatic music at the end and a lot of swashbuckling fun.

Honorable Mentions to:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (John Williams)

I just have to mention Harry Potter. I choose film 3 today because it shows that John Williams is capable of going in a different direction while remaining true to the series and delivering something very different, though equally good to the original. Also it completely saved the film.

Lair (John Debney)

It's only very new, but it's worthy of mention because it has lots of very good themes, lots of very good action music and a completely awesome finale.

The Mask of Zorro (James Horner)

Interesting merge of Spanish flavours in the music. Catchy opening and very good action music. Though I like the finale action track from The Legend of Zorro better. I am not usually very impressed with James Horner, but it seems he had a lot of fun with this one and it shows.

Unhonourable Mentions to:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Patrick Doyle)

Really so much worse than John Williams' work. I almost fell asleep during the Voldemort cue. That is a bad sign. A very bad one.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Hans Zimmer)

Jack Sparrow's new theme is great fun. Davy Jones' theme is pretty good. But then tracks like The Kraken really ruin it for me ("biker gang"? We're doing a PIRATE movie here, for crying out loud!!!). Also the overly dramatic finale music with the low male choir is SO not piratey!

The Legend of Zorro (James Horner)

It's good fun when taken on its own. And the track The Train is very good. But there's just too much repetition of old material here. I really hate it when cues, rather than themes, are reused in scores, even when it concerns new orchestrations of those old cues. This also plagues Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and partly Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, though the latter is much more original and interesting.

[scissorhands 16]

John Williams

Jerry Goldsmith

Joe Hisaishi

Alex North

James Horner

Toshiro Mayuzumi

Miklós Rózsa

Basil Poledouris

Elliot Goldenthal

Michael Nyman

Honorable Mentions: Philip Glass, Danny Elfman, Ennio Morricone

Not sure about my Top10 scores, there are too many... Only 1 per composer:

Empire of the Sun (J. Williams)

The Talented Mr. Ripley (G. Yared)

The Lord of the Rings (L. Rosenman)

The Claim (M. Nyman)

Altered States (J. Corigliano)

Starship Troopers (B. Poledouris)

Twilight Zone: The Movie (J. Goldsmith)

Edward Scissorhands (D. Elfman)

Kids Return (J. Hisaishi)

The Agony and the Ecstasy (A. North & J. Goldsmith)

Honorable Mentions: Mishima (P. Glass), Titus (E. Goldenthal), Legend of 1900 (E. Morricone)

[gkgyver 1,645]

8. Bernard Herrmann

9. Nicholas Hooper

10. James Newton Howard

What the ... ?

[Henry B 50]

I'm going to limit this to five because my knowledge of film music isn't complete or well-rounded.

1. John Williams

2. Jerry Goldsmith

3. Bernard Hermann

4. Max Steiner

5. Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Scores:

1. Star Wars by John Williams

2. Kings Row by Erich Wolfgang Korngold

3. Home Alone by John Williams

4. Don't know!

5. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by Howard Shore

[MSM 126]

At the moment:

1) John Williams

2) Brian Tyler

3) Edward Shearmur

4) Michael Convertino

5) Erich Wolfgang Korngold

6) David Arnold

7) Jerry Goldsmith

8) Marc Shaiman

9) Tan Dun

10)Hans Zimmer

Ok, my standard question: are we talking about scores as how they work in the movie, about the album, or about brilliant cues?

Albums:

1) Jurassic Park

2) Hook

3) Sabrina

4) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

5) Independence Day (David Arnold)

6) Timeline (Brian Tyler)

7) Schindler's List

8) The Count of Monte Cristo (Edward Shearmur)

9) Raiders of the Lost Ark

10)Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

[Pieter Boelen 740]

6) Timeline

Which one? Goldsmith's or Tyler's?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I'm glad Koray and Ray had Zimmer - he seems unfairly bashed around here.

Well it is a JWfan forum. If you want to talk about Hans Zimmer freely without bashing, got to www.hans-zimmer.com and go to the forum. I tried posting there, but everyone is so damn smart and up-to-date with everything Hans Zimmer that it's impossible for me to post anything they don't already know. So I like to stick it out over here, where I have my fellow John Williams buddies and the few who appreciate Hans Zimmer.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I'm glad Koray and Ray had Zimmer - he seems unfairly bashed around here.

Well it is a JWfan forum. If you want to talk about Hans Zimmer freely without bashing, got to www.hans-zimmer.com and go to the forum. I tried posting there, but everyone is so damn smart and up-to-date with everything Hans Zimmer that it's impossible for me to post anything they don't already know. So I like to stick it out over here, where I have my fellow John Williams buddies and the few who appreciate Hans Zimmer.

how utterly sad.

I won't waste time with 10 and 3,

composers

1. John Williams

2. Jerry Goldsmith

3 tie. Steiner, Herrmann, Waxman, Tiomkins

score

1. E.T.

2. Star Trek the Motion Picture

3. Superman

4. Jaws

5. Star Wars.

[Hlao-roo 389]

I would be very interested to see WHY you all like the composers and scores that you like.

Don't be silly. The best lists stand on their own without reasons.

8. Bernard Herrmann

9. Nicholas Hooper

10. James Newton Howard

What the ... ?

I know! Nicholas Hooper ranked below Bernard Herrmann? What is the world coming to?

[Ollie 1,059]

WoooHooo!!!!!

Another freakin list...................

Composers

1. John Williams

2. Jerry Goldsmith

3. Akira Ifukube

4. Bernard Herrmann

5. Elmer Bernstein

6. John Barry

7. Miklos Rozsa

8. Alex North

9. Danny Elfman

10. Georges Delerue

Film Scores, this is subject to change and I'm not going to include everything written by John Williams even though I could put TESB, Jaws and Superman on this list.

According to my mood right now:

1. Star Wars

2. Ben Hur

3. King Kong vs Godzilla

4. Close Encounters

5. Star Trek The Motion Picture

5. North By Northwest

6. King Kong (1933)

7. Spartacus

8. The Blue Max

9. The Robe

10. The Magnificent Seven

[MSM 126]

6) Timeline

Which one? Goldsmith's or Tyler's?

I'm sorry should've mentioned Tyler's I meant.

I'm glad Koray and Ray had Zimmer - he seems unfairly bashed around here.

Well it is a JWfan forum. If you want to talk about Hans Zimmer freely without bashing, got to www.hans-zimmer.com and go to the forum. I tried posting there, but everyone is so damn smart and up-to-date with everything Hans Zimmer that it's impossible for me to post anything they don't already know. So I like to stick it out over here, where I have my fellow John Williams buddies and the few who appreciate Hans Zimmer.

Funny actually, isn't it, really to have a forum where you feel most at home :-) The Hans-zimmer.coms wouldn't feel here either.

[gkgyver 1,645]

I know! Nicholas Hooper ranked below Bernard Herrmann? What is the world coming to?

It's not the idea of Hooper ranking below Herrmann, but rather him being sandwiched between Herrmann and Newton Howard.

He should rank somewhere between Carter Burwell and a meowing cat.

[indy4 155]

Why do I have a feeling that if OotP said "Music Composed by John Williams," you wouldn't be criticizing it as much (even if the music was excactly the same).

[John Crichton 4]

If a Williams written OotP was exactly the same I'd start getting as pessimistic as Joe. It's not an awful score, it's a decent effort, especially from a rookie, that I like listening to. But nowhere near Williams' standard.

[indy4 155]

I never said he was near Williams' standard.

[John Crichton 4]

I never said he was near Williams' standard.

I didn't say you did. But you did say this:

Why do I have a feeling that if OotP said "Music Composed by John Williams," you wouldn't be criticizing it as much (even if the music was excactly the same).

So you started it!

[indy4 155]

3. Signs (James Newton Howard)

I'm going to see Signs soon, and I'm really looking forward to both the movie and the score. I'm glad that most people here consider it among the best of JNH.

[Pieter Boelen 740]

Don't be silly. The best lists stand on their own without reasons.

I won't deny that, but that doesn't stop me being interested. With some of the scores named as "great", I really have no idea what to like about them. However, obviously some people do and I'd like to find out what it is they like. Perhaps I'd like it as well once I know what it is.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

1. Jerry Goldsmith

2. John Williams

3. James Horner

4. James Newton Howard

5. Bernard Herrmann

6. Miklos Rosza

7. Basil Poledouris

8. Elmer Bernstein

9. Patrick Doyle

10. John Barry

Honorable Mentions: Alex North, Howard Shore, Elliot Goldenthal

[bondo 33]

1. Hans Zimmer

2. John Williams

3. Jerry Goldsmith

4. Alan Silvestri

5. James Horner

6. John Debney

7. Marco Beltrami

8. James Newton Howard

9. Danny Elfman

10. David Arnold

Honorable Mentions: Joel McNeely, Trevor Rabin, Michael Giacchino

[indy4 155]

Bondo, you brave person. I'm sorry that many people on this board will get rather angry at your list...

Not me, but all those blind Zimmer-bashers.

Good luck!

[MSM 126]

I forgot my honourable mentions:

1) Elia Cmiral

2) Wojiech Kilar

3) Miklos Rozsa

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

If a Williams written OotP was exactly the same I'd start getting as pessimistic as Joe. It's not an awful score, it's a decent effort, especially from a rookie, that I like listening to. But nowhere near Williams' standard.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a great score for a TV movie.

Unfortunately that makes it fall a little short on this mega-budget cinema film.

It's still a very nice album, though.

3. Signs (James Newton Howard)

I'm going to see Signs soon, and I'm really looking forward to both the movie and the score. I'm glad that most people here consider it among the best of JNH.

JNH's Sings is brilliant.

The Hand Of Fate = an example cue of amazing scoring.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a great score for a TV movie.

Unfortunately that makes it fall a little short on this mega-budget cinema film.

It's still a very nice album, though.

I agree with you. Even at it's biggest moments. It feels like it's still rather small. Nothing like the gigantic soundscape Patrick Doyle and the LSO brought to the previous film.

I wonder if Hooper was not accustomed to using a big orchestra.

[indy4 155]

If a Williams written OotP was exactly the same I'd start getting as pessimistic as Joe. It's not an awful score, it's a decent effort, especially from a rookie, that I like listening to. But nowhere near Williams' standard.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a great score for a TV movie.

Unfortunately that makes it fall a little short on this mega-budget cinema film.

It's still a very nice album, though.

It's fantastic, IMO. Doesn't beat PoA, beats CoS and GoF (the latter by a longshot), and I can't decide if I like OotP or SS for second place. I'm really looking forward to hearing more from Hooper.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

Hooper's OotP doesn't come close to touching PoA or GoF.

And yes I agree about the overly-restrained thing. I like the ideas of Hooper, so I hope in the next film he will let loose.

[indy4 155]

GoF was not a bad score - but it certainly didn't beat any of the other Potter scores. It seemed like some of the time, Doyle was trying to make all these things sound really big and important, with huge brass fanfares that didn't sound so great (e.g. The Golden Egg). Also, it was not as magical as any of the other scores. It sounded like it would really fit any score you put it to, because there was no uniqueness that made it Potter (with the exception of the uses of Hedwig's Theme) and didn't really sound like the world of Potter like the rest of the scores do.

[bondo 33]

Bondo, you brave person. I'm sorry that many people on this board will get rather angry at your list...

Not me, but all those blind Zimmer-bashers.

Good luck!

Don't worry, it's my list. I'm not out to impress anyone. I stand by my choices.