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John Powell kicks ass


Morlock

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  • 1 month later...

John Powell won two Annie Awards last night for Kung Fu Panda, and the the related short video Secrets of the Furious Five.

http://annieawards.org/foryourconsideration.html

I'm happy that he won, but it's still odd because his scores for both Horton Hears a Who and Bolt were better.

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  • 1 month later...

Well I finally got the FYC Promo for Bolt. 75 minutes of Powell awesomeness. So much better than the wimpy OST release. This should be able to satisfy my Powell needs until Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs. The complete "Scooter Chase" is so good.

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Hmm, I'll have to hunt that promo down, and at 75 mins that means we've officially got less than half the score.

I digitally bought the OST (which I actually think is rather good) a few months ago, but that'll just make me feel less guilty with more music :mellow:

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i really like Powell. I wish he were doing the upcoming Wolverine film. I liked what he did with X Men 3. Personally, the best score of the trilogy although I like Kamen's quieter passages in the first one. Hated Ottman's X2 although that film was my fave of the three.

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i really like Powell. I wish he were doing the upcoming Wolverine film. I liked what he did with X Men 3. Personally, the best score of the trilogy although I like Kamen's quieter passages in the first one. Hated Ottman's X2 although that film was my fave of the three.

I thought X2 was the best of the lot. Liked Kamen's a lot, but never saw what people saw in Powell's. I hated it in the film and I've tried to listen to it several times with no avail. It does nothing for me.

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I don't quite rave about Powell's X:3 as much as some do. Problem is that I think he's developed so much of his own style that it's hard for him to produce something that doesn't sound like him... and I associate him generally with comedic scores due to his OTT 'Americana' orchestration. It's hard for me to take him seriously as a composer of truly dramatic music.

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X-Men 3 isn't really true drama. It's an action score, but for a superhero film. So we didn't get our typical Powell percussion and melodies etc. I thought he did a fantastic job with United 93, which is true drama.

That aside, I don't like his score for X-Men that much. It was only recently that I realized I don't like superhero scores.

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Yeah, I see a pattern emerging there... Batman, X-Men, Superman, and I'm not a particularly big fan of Elfman's Spidey scores either.

Given that I like big thematic material with huge choir, you'd think I would love them, but I think it's just the composers that happen to get attached, because I love Young's Spidey 3. I think X:3 might be like Cutthroat - a case of the complete score being overkill. Maybe I need to revert back to the OST.

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This Bolt promo is awesome! It's a much better listening experience than the OST.

I keep re-listening to the first 20 seconds of "To the Studio." :P

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Surprisingly, the promo didn't immediately add anything at all to the score for me. I only listened to maybe 4 or 5 cues, but this score is one I found harder to get into than something like Hancock, which I loved from the word go, so maybe the OST is sufficient for me. It would be the third expansion in 2 days that I've turned down in favour of the CD presentation - I guess Powell has a knack for making CDs that I enjoy,

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I don't quite rave about Powell's X:3 as much as some do.

Have you heard the complete score for that? It's got quite a bit of material that the OST doesn't have and it's a better listening experience.

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Surprisingly, the promo didn't immediately add anything at all to the score for me. I only listened to maybe 4 or 5 cues, but this score is one I found harder to get into than something like Hancock, which I loved from the word go, so maybe the OST is sufficient for me. It would be the third expansion in 2 days that I've turned down in favour of the CD presentation - I guess Powell has a knack for making CDs that I enjoy,

Wait, maybe I'm reading into what you just said, but you're not saying that you have an expanded version of Hancock are you!? :P

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Surprisingly, the promo didn't immediately add anything at all to the score for me. I only listened to maybe 4 or 5 cues, but this score is one I found harder to get into than something like Hancock, which I loved from the word go, so maybe the OST is sufficient for me. It would be the third expansion in 2 days that I've turned down in favour of the CD presentation - I guess Powell has a knack for making CDs that I enjoy,

Deep down Bolt is an awesome score. "Scooter Chase" is just so kick ass lol.

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Oh I know it's kick ass :P Not even a guilty pleasure - it just rocks, don't care what anyone says about that. But a lot of the rest is quite comedic and sounds scene specific, and I haven't seen the film.

My faith in Powell is still strong - I'd take a promo of Hancock any day, and I have the Agent Cody Banks promo and that's one hell of a ride.

---

(Trent) You didn't read my whole post:

I think X:3 might be like Cutthroat - a case of the complete score being overkill. Maybe I need to revert back to the OST.

Did just that a little earlier, and I find it a more compact listening experience given that it's missing about 30 mins of music.

Sounds a little odd I know, but Powell is one composer I trust to make a good score presentation, and this isn't a franchise I have any real interest in.

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I have the full Bolt promo but haven't listened to it yet... can't wait to do so after reading this thread!

:P

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Why, hello Magneto theme in "Bolt's Trailer"! :P

There were bits on the album that reminded me of that theme before, but it's pretty much a straight statement of it here.

But anyway, I'm loving getting to hear this whole thing. Great stuff.

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Surprisingly, the promo didn't immediately add anything at all to the score for me. I only listened to maybe 4 or 5 cues, but this score is one I found harder to get into than something like Hancock, which I loved from the word go, so maybe the OST is sufficient for me. It would be the third expansion in 2 days that I've turned down in favour of the CD presentation - I guess Powell has a knack for making CDs that I enjoy,

Wait, maybe I'm reading into what you just said, but you're not saying that you have an expanded version of Hancock are you!? :rolleyes:

No, I don't, sorry :huh:

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Finally had time to listen to Bolt FYC. Very fun CD! Was almost a completely different experience than the OST

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Indeed. It seems that, not only were there many new tracks, but most of the tracks that were on the OST are expanded on the FYC promo.

The expanded "New York" is awesome!

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Been listening to Hancock recently. 'Death and Transfiguration' is a really amazing track. The way Powell builds the tracks, and bridges the transitions from one idea to the next...it's thrilling stuff. From the delightful, ballsy brass in the first track until the welcome recap in the last, this is one of the best albums from 2008, and shows Powell getting better and better structurally.

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I really think it's one of his best scores, if you ignore how butchered/remixed many parts were in the film.

I'm staying with the OST for Bolt. Just doesn't click with me in its fuller form, same as X:III.

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  • 2 months later...

Hi, folks!

Recently, reading some of the "Bolt" soundtrack reviews, the coincide on something that got my attention: Most of them say that the tracks "RV Park" and "House on Weels" have the Copland americana style. Since both tracks coincide in the last part (with variations), could anyone tell me which exact theme of Copland does Powell homage here? Because I love how it sounds, specially the strength of the timpani.

I know most of you are tired of this sound, but for me is something completely new, so if anyone could answer me I would me more than grateful.

Thanks in advance.

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Been listening to Hancock recently. 'Death and Transfiguration' is a really amazing track. The way Powell builds the tracks, and bridges the transitions from one idea to the next...it's thrilling stuff. From the delightful, ballsy brass in the first track until the welcome recap in the last, this is one of the best albums from 2008, and shows Powell getting better and better structurally.

I could not agree more. Good point about overall structure. It's the one element I find missing in a lot of today's scores but Powell really has a good sense of developing his themes/motives throughout the course of the score. I still play this CD quite a bit.

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If it's not an actual original promo (Bolt that is) then it's not worth paying. Chances are it's sourced from mp3's. I've got an actual lossless version of it.

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Yah, I like John Powell's work.

I mostly know his work from the Bourne movies (own the 3 scores)

But I heard bits of his Shrek score. I do like his approach. :pukeface:

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  • 1 month later...

I'm listening to Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs.

Good score, pure Powell. But unfortunately there aren't any new themes. A lot of the cues don't warrant multiple listens, but it's a solid effort.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm loving the new Ice Age score! I actually did notice several new themes. I also really like how he did the little homage to Holst's "Jupiter."

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I'm loving the new Ice Age score! I actually did notice several new themes. I also really like how he did the little homage to Holst's "Jupiter."

It's enjoyable, but would have been better if it didn't have like 40 tracks. Listening to such a number is tedious. The score, however, is definitely better than Giacchino's 30-track-long Land of the Lost.

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I agree. It's a really fun score, and I really like Buck's Theme/s.

By the way, anyone knows where I could take a listen to the "Ice Age: The Meltdown" suite that was played during the World Soundtrack Awards? Thanks in advance.

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I agree. It's a really fun score, and I really like Buck's Theme/s.

By the way, anyone knows where I could take a listen to the "Ice Age: The Meltdown" suite that was played during the World Soundtrack Awards? Thanks in advance.

Haven't heard of that before, but I'd love to hear it as well if anyone knows where to find it.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I agree. It's a really fun score, and I really like Buck's Theme/s.

By the way, anyone knows where I could take a listen to the "Ice Age: The Meltdown" suite that was played during the World Soundtrack Awards? Thanks in advance.

Haven't heard of that before, but I'd love to hear it as well if anyone knows where to find it.

Don't know about the suite, but the score itself is really good. I have not yet heard Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

And :folder: Your avatar with the running horse thing is insane (in a good way).

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I'm loving the new Ice Age score! I actually did notice several new themes. I also really like how he did the little homage to Holst's "Jupiter."

It's enjoyable, but would have been better if it didn't have like 40 tracks. Listening to such a number is tedious. The score, however, is definitely better than Giacchino's 30-track-long Land of the Lost.

I rarely like scores with so many tracks. In Tom Newman's case it usually means most of the score is there, but otherwise.. meh.

Just made a 7 min suite of this score. I'm not really a fan of animated/slightly comedy scores.

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  • 3 months later...

Ah, excellent score. Although, have you seen the movie? It's one of those scores that won't sound nearly as good until after you've heard it in context. It's a great movie too.

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As a Powell fan, I do think it sounds great by itself, but it definately sounds better after seeing it. For someone who has never listened to a Powell score, I would recommend it that way.

So, why don't you want to see Paycheck, Koray? I love that movie!

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Paycheck is fairly boring to me. I have maybe 2 tracks from the score.

Having seen Ice Age 3 the film, the score has been transformed. Parts are still mickery-mousey, but context is crucial. I love all of the themes, and pretty much the entire sequence from 'Plates of Woe' to the end is a thrill ride.

Combining as many as 5 or 6 tracks into one also helps. Why on earth were so many cues split up into 15 second tracks, with many joins being at pivotal crescendos or thematic moments? It's not like they need to make the album look longer - I'd say most of the score is on this one.

Still don't like The Meltdown though. It's also by far the weakest film for me.

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