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Rank your top 10 film composers and top 10 film scores


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3. Nobou Uematsu

Is he a film score composer?

1) John Williams

2) Bernard Herrman

3) Jerry Goldsmith

4) Erich Korngold

5) Danny Elfman

6) Miklos Rosza

7) Michael Kamen

8) Eric Rogers

9) Maurice Jarre

10) Franz Waxman

scores:

1) The Empire Strikes Back

2) ET

3) Raiders of the Lost Ark

4) Star Wars

5) Jaws

6) Psycho

7) Vertigo

8) North by Northwest

9) The Witches of Eastwick

10) Superman: The Movie

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3. Nobou Uematsu

Is he a film score composer?

Heh, I was wondering when someone was going to pick up on that. Can't believe it took two pages. Five points, James. ;)

Techically I suppose not. There's Advent Children (which has only a few really good cues and is overall a real disappointment), but other than that it's just games. But that's how high a regard I have for him and there was no way I was leaving him off. I'm sure those that have Giacchino on their lists are thinking more of his non-film work too.

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I'm curious as to what exactly puts Zimmer over Williams and Goldsmith in your opinion.

I bet you are. ;)

And it's not in 100% order, that would just be ridiculous. I listen to music for fun, not to rate them in the order of greatness. I like what I like, I don't feel the need to rank them.

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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.

Sings is a magnificent score and an excellent film, Shyamalans best IMO. The acting, writing, it's all really well-made. The score is perfectly constructed, I love the scene where Phoenix's character is talking to the army officer, the music Howard put up for that scene matches the tone of his voice flawlessly.

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Heh, I was wondering when someone was going to pick up on that. Can't believe it took two pages. Five points, James. :blink:

Hehehe. I got my points!

So he did the Final Fantasy game scores then?

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I think he wrote the main theme, and nothing else. I've never played any game later than IX since I don't own a PS2 (and XI was MMO and I don't bother with those) so I'm not familiar with them.

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I am the one who also picked Uematsu. Tough he doesn't compose to film (or very seldom), his scores for video games (FF series in particular) are classics. His FFVII is good enough (a masterpiece IMO), I keep enjoying it despite the horrendous sound quality (it was performed on some old midi-like synth).

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leave those stupid video games scores out of the discussion, they are insignificant.

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leave those stupid video games scores out of the discussion, they are insignificant.

Do not judge that which you don't understand.

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

Me too. It's somewhat sad to see how many people here are missing some of the GREATEST film music ever written (i.e. written prior to 1977). Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that in a snobbish way... but it's kind of pitiful that in a John Williams board a lot of people doesn't seem to enjoy the music of Korngold, Waxman, Rozsa, Newman, Herrmann and North. :)

Try to put aside some of your Zimmers, Powells and Howards sometimes... and listen to some of the good old great composers.

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Try to put aside some of your Zimmers, Powells and Howards sometimes... and listen to some of the good old great composers.

Why is Howard included with those two?

Ray Barnsbury

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Try to put aside some of your Zimmers, Powells and Howards sometimes... and listen to some of the good old great composers.

just because a composer is new, it doesn't mean they're bad!

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leave those stupid video games scores out of the discussion, they are insignificant.

The sole FFVII has more great themes than JW has composed for let's say last 15 years. Since Uematsu writes also for the movies (though very seldom) he can be called film composer. For me a score is a score - whether it's for the TV, game or a movie it doesn't matter, besides if a game has in-game movies (and FF series have), then scoring them makes the composer's name elligible to appear in this thread.

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just because a composer is new, it doesn't mean they're bad!

Of course I'm not saying that. What I meant is that it's a bit sad many people seem to avoid or ignore some of the finest film music composers. If you like John Williams, it's very likely you'll end up enjoying composers like Steiner, Korngold, Waxman, Herrmann, Newman and Rozsa. There's always the matter of subjectivity in these kind of polls and lists, so you can put whoever you want in your list and I'll leave that to you.

Try to put aside some of your Zimmers, Powells and Howards sometimes... and listen to some of the good old great composers.

Why is Howard included with those two?

That wasn't meant to bash any of those composers. I'm not the greatest fan of neither of them, but there's nothing wrong if you like them. I just find a bit strange that a lot of people here seem so involved and engaged by current film music, where there's a treasure of amazing film scores and composers from the past that need to be more carefully listened and enjoyed. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Different strokes for different folks. :)

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Me too. It's somewhat sad to see how many people here are missing some of the GREATEST film music ever written (i.e. written prior to 1977). Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that in a snobbish way... but it's kind of pitiful that in a John Williams board a lot of people doesn't seem to enjoy the music of Korngold, Waxman, Rozsa, Newman, Herrmann and North. :)
Personally I find a lot of the older film music not quite as engaging as more modern music written since 1975 or so. With several of the old scores I like parts, some parts even very much, but not the whole thing so much. Examples would be Erich Wolfgang Korngold's pirate scores: I like the main themes, but I find the rest of the music to be less interesting than, for example, Cutthroat Island. Then I like the Main Title to How the West Was Won a lot, but I haven't heard anything quite as interesting in the rest of the score. This, of course, has to do with the style of the music and the style of the films in those days. Usually I find myself liking the main theme and the first tracks, but then I tend to somewhat lose interest. I wonder if that has to do with the fact that most of these films are hardly ever shown on television, nor are they readily available on DVD, so I have trouble understanding what film they were written for. I like to see the films music is written for, even if the film is not very good, just to get a better understanding for the music. But with these old scores I am virtually unable to do that, which is unfortunate.
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Nice list, Rob, it's the only I might agree with so far.

Me too. It's somewhat sad to see how many people here are missing some of the GREATEST film music ever written (i.e. written prior to 1977). Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that in a snobbish way... but it's kind of pitiful that in a John Williams board a lot of people doesn't seem to enjoy the music of Korngold, Waxman, Rozsa, Newman, Herrmann and North. :lol:

I see a lot of Korngold, Rozsa and Herrmann in peoples lists. :)

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Merkel wrote that before most of the lists that contained composers before 1990 started appearing.

I see. In that case he did a good job in getting people back on track :)

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My Favorite Film Composers + Scores

Not listed in a Definite Fav # 1-10 but a definite Top Favorites.

Favorite Film composers:

1. John Williams

2. Hans Zimmer

3. KAORU WADA

4. Eliot Goldenthal

5. Alan Silvestri

6. David Arnold

7. Klaus Badelt

8. Howard Shore

9. Brad Fiedel

10. Jerry Goldsmith

Favorite Film Scores:

1. Star Wars (esp Revenge Of the Sith), Hook, Jaws, Jurassic Park (John Williams)

2. Pirates of the Caribbean 2+3: (Hans Zimmer

3 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Klaus Badelt )

4 Batman Forever (Eliot Goldenthal)

5. Predator (Alan Silvestri)

6. Inuyasha (Anime) - (KAORU WADA)

7. Die Another Day, Independence Day (David Arnold)

8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Howard Shore)

9. The Terminator (Brad Fiedel)

10. The Mummy (Jerry Goldsmith)

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I like Akira Yamaoka. He did the Silent Hill game scores. Some of it is really good, but most of it is sounds and freaky noises, which fits the game perfectly but doesn't do well on its own. The theme and Promise are really good.

I don't know why he didn't do the movie, considering the score was just ripped from the game, especially Promise, that was used throughout. It's even more puzzling that Yamaoka produced the movie and yet did not do the score.

Norihiko Hibino is really good too, he did the first Metal Gear Solid, and has been collaborating with Harry Gregson-Williams on 2 and 3.

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Nice sig, man.Ray Barnsbury
Why Thanks:)

Sorry Every One I did not Realize it until i saved it that it was THAT HUGE. I know there is online a smaller pic of that image (which is the one i wanted) for my sig. I'll keep serching for it and when i do find it Victory will be mine.

I'm glad some of you guys like Kaoru Wada/Anime For those who haven't heard his work or like Anime, do so - you may like it?

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