What is the last score you listened to?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,515]

Yesterday I listened to "Star Trek:The Motion Picture". I did not do my housework to it; I did not do the ironing to it; I did not make dinner to it; I did not have it playing quietly in a corner while I had people over for drinks; I sat down and LISTENED to it.

Whatever one says about the film (personally, I like it a lot), there are not many people who subscribe to this site, who will argue against the fact that this score is a towering example of the film composer's art, and possibly Jerry Goldsmith's masterpiece. Here words fail me, and all I can say is "just listen", and be prepared to be taken to places that only very few composers can take you; a wondrous place, where imagination runs free, creativity is encouraged, and the composer is not shackled by commerce, not stunted by so-called "music execs.", not forced to think about how the music music will play in - (insert stupid hick town here), and not contractually obliged to provide an end title song, complete with vocals by Faith Hill! "ST:TMP" is pure music, from start to finish, and thank the Lords Of Kobol for that!

[John Crichton 4]

Everyone should listen to their favorite scores with no distraction at least once in a while.

[indy4 155]

Milk:

It's a solid Elfman score, one of his few non-Burton efforts that I own. It suffers in a few places from sounding like a not-quite-as-good variation on Big Fish's music (ie the very beginning of the main titles), but later on the score definitely gains its own unique identity (although there are a few more Big Fish moments throughout). I like the use of the choir and the saxophone. I'm really expecting this score to grow on me, as already it was already a good listen.

[Maglorfin 196]

E.T., the 2 CD complete score.

[Neimoidian 14]

Milk:

It's a solid Elfman score, one of his few non-Burton efforts that I own. It suffers in a few places from sounding like a not-quite-as-good variation on Big Fish's music (ie the very beginning of the main titles), but later on the score definitely gains its own unique identity (although there are a few more Big Fish moments throughout). I like the use of the choir and the saxophone. I'm really expecting this score to grow on me, as already it was already a good listen.

I am unfamiliar with Big Fish, but as for Milk, that's my favourite score from 2008.

[indy4 155]

I don't think it's as good as KotCS or Benjamin Button, but it may hold the third place position.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,515]

E.T., the 2 CD complete score.

Would you mind giving me a track listing for this 2-c.d. version? I have heard of it, but I have never seen it. Does it have either "E.T. Among The Toys" (my title), or all "The Quiet Man" stuff? Thanks, Richard.

[Kevin 22]

Superman Returns - John Ottman

I really liked how Ottman stayed loyal to Williams but fresh with his own approach.

[indy4 155]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (20th Anniversary Collector's Edition):

Good stuff! Unlike the complete release of WoK, I found that there was quite a bit of interesting new material that hadn't made it onto the OST. This is definitely the best Goldsmith that I've heard thus far (though my collection isn't anything amazing).

[John Crichton 4]

You won't hear better.

[David Coscina 3]

City of Angels by Gabriel Yared. Beautiful score. Wish he would get more projects. His music is amazing.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,515]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (20th Anniversary Collector's Edition):

Good stuff! Unlike the complete release of WoK, I found that there was quite a bit of interesting new material that hadn't made it onto the OST. This is definitely the best Goldsmith that I've heard thus far (though my collection isn't anything amazing).

If you have not yet had the pleasure, just wait until you stick on "Poltergeist", and "The Final Conflict".

[Incanus 5,714]

Memoirs of a Geisha by John Williams

Saving Private Ryan by John Williams

The Edge by Jerry Goldsmith

Lady in the Water by James Newton Howard

[Quintus 5,399]

Somebody needs to sort out JW's iTunes bio out, which goes something like this: The son of a guitarist - not to be confused with the film composer of the same name... :censored:

[MSM 126]

Shawshank Redemption. Nice score by Thomas Newman, despite lack of themes and minimalistic approach. In the movie the score worked well. Also it is quite clear where Marc Shaiman drew his inspiration from when he scored The American President.

[Red 75]

Memoirs of a Geisha by John Williams

Saving Private Ryan by John Williams

The Edge by Jerry Goldsmith

Lady in the Water by James Newton Howard

That's a very impressive list there.

[indy4 155]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (20th Anniversary Collector's Edition):

Good stuff! Unlike the complete release of WoK, I found that there was quite a bit of interesting new material that hadn't made it onto the OST. This is definitely the best Goldsmith that I've heard thus far (though my collection isn't anything amazing).

If you have not yet had the pleasure, just wait until you stick on "Poltergeist", and "The Final Conflict".

I own the latter, and I agree that it is quite wonderful. I saw Poltergeist, and nothing really jumped out at me.

[Incanus 5,714]

Shawshank Redemption. Nice score by Thomas Newman, despite lack of themes and minimalistic approach. In the movie the score worked well. Also it is quite clear where Marc Shaiman drew his inspiration from when he scored The American President.

There are themes in The Shawshank Redemption but as usual Newman does not bang you on the head with them. I count at least 4 distinctive themes: The Stoic theme for the prison life that is heard at least on the track of the same name and on tracks Shawshank Redemption and Sisters, the Freedom theme for the redemption from the prison and friendship Red and Andy form (Suds on the Roof,So Was Red and End Title), the Institutionalized theme heard on track Brooks Was Here and Compass and Guns depicting with empathy the drudging life of a convict who is too old for modern society, the Zihuatanejo/Andy Dufresne theme heard on the Zihuatanejo track and in New Fish that is about Andy's determination and quiet way of looking at things.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Shawshank Redemption. Nice score by Thomas Newman, despite lack of themes and minimalistic approach. In the movie the score worked well. Also it is quite clear where Marc Shaiman drew his inspiration from when he scored The American President.

There are themes in The Shawshank Redemption but as usual Newman does not bang you on the head with them. I count at least 4 distinctive themes: The Stoic theme for the prison life that is heard at least on the track of the same name and on tracks Shawshank Redemption and Sisters, the Freedom theme for the redemption from the prison and friendship Red and Andy form (Suds on the Roof,So Was Red and End Title), the Institutionalized theme heard on track Brooks Was Here and Compass and Guns depicting with empathy the drudging life of a convict who is too old for modern society, the Zihuatanejo/Andy Dufresne theme heard on the Zihuatanejo track and in New Fish that is about Andy's determination and quiet way of looking at things.

Yep! Fantastic score.

[Maglorfin 196]

Shawshank Redemption is a great score and IMHO Newman's best work so far.

[QMM 4]

Road to Perdition is his best work IMO

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Road To Perdition is my favorite, followed by Revolutionary Road.

Recently listened:

The Five Man Army and ...E Per Tetto Cielo Di Stelle. Ah the orgasmic sounds of Morricone.

[Incanus 5,714]

Oscar and Lucinda by Thomas Newman

Angela's Ashes by John Williams

[MSM 126]

Shawshank Redemption is a great score and IMHO Newman's best work so far.

I am not so much a Newman fan in general. His scores are too much interchangeable. His sound as such is very recognizable which cannot be said for a lot of composers. It seems one can be either very much a fan of his work, or not at all.

[Richard Penna 3,684]

Shawshank Redemption is one of my favourite scores of all time. It projects such an atmosphere which is perfectly in tune with the film, although to be honest will probably depress you if you're nor familiar with the film and its themes. Heck, it might even if you have. but then it's Newman's style, which I happen to really like.

I'm currently listening to Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. I initially dismissed this score as mickey-mousing rubbish, but then I saw the film on the weekend (which I consider to possibly be the best of the 3 movies) and I can attach images to everything, which is incredibly important with animation for me. All the themes are growing on me and the action is signature, addictive Powell.

Splitting up into a million tracks was an irritating move though, and I may cough up for the CD so I can join them back together.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

House Of Cards by James Horner

A surprisingly great little score. Kindred Spirits, The Roof, House Of Cards, and Virtual Reality Pt. 2 are amazing. VT Pt. 2 sounds a lot like Howard's Lady In The Water, I wonder if it was a possible temp track.

[Maglorfin 196]

Ennio Morricone's The Thing. Again.

[Quintus 5,399]

Shawshank Redemption is one of my favourite scores of all time. It projects such an atmosphere which is perfectly in tune with the film, although to be honest will probably depress you if you're nor familiar with the film and its themes. Heck, it might even if you have. but then it's Newman's style, which I happen to really like.

Ultimate respect. You my friend, are the reason why I adore film and its music.

[Neimoidian 14]

Le petit Nicolas by Klaus Badelt. A surprising project for Badelt, but, like The Promise, a very successful one. It's a french-flavoured and wonderfully cheerful score that may become one of my favourite this year. Once again, when given more creative freedom, Badelt proves he is capable of much, much more than such a Z-class scores like PotC CotBP

[Wojo 2,453]

Z-class, is that like Z-gauge?

[Neimoidian 14]

Z-class, is that like Z-gauge?

Far from it.

[A24 4,331]

Pleasantville: I have a feeling it's not as good as the other scores I have of Randy Newman.

Alex

[A24 4,331]

A.I.: Great music that occasionally gets plagued by a terrible track. You know that the movie is a mixed bag just by listening to the music. There's no uniformity of style. Sometimes the music is elegant and classy like the adagio of Khachaturian's Gayane Ballet Suite, other times it's pure ballad kitsch like Céline Dion.

Alex

[Neimoidian 14]

A.I.: Great music that gets occasionally plagued by a terrible track. You know that the movie is a mixed bag just by listening to the music. There's no uniformity of style. Sometimes the music is elegant and classy like the adagio of Khachaturian's Gayane Ballet Suite, other times it's pure ballad kitsch like Céline Dion.

Alex

It preety much sums up my opinion of the score. Not to mention questionable album presentation.

[Henry B 50]

A.I.: Great music that occasionally gets plagued by a terrible track. You know that the movie is a mixed bag just by listening to the music. There's no uniformity of style. Sometimes the music is elegant and classy like the adagio of Khachaturian's Gayane Ballet Suite, other times it's pure ballad kitsch like Céline Dion.

The two pop ballads? They weren't used in the film, and I don't think Williams had anything to do with their production. Just skip 'em. It's a poorly assembled album for sure; I know I sound like a broken record, but check out the complete score. This is one of those scores that just doesn't drag if you put it all in chronological order, sit back and just let yourself be immersed. Superman, for example, is a little tough to get through in complete form, but A.I. isn't.

[John Crichton 4]

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (complete)

This is like two totally different scores. It starts off very promisingly, with some nice orchestral lushness and solid themes (the unreleased cue when they break the window and end up in the wardrobe is particularly good) and the whole thing seems on the way to be a solid fantasy score. But as soon as the kids complete their journey through Narnia and end up in Aslan's camp the whole thing goes down the toilet- the themes get lost in the mud, some definite MV-lite tendinces creep and, and the battle cues are just trying way too hard to sound like the Epicest Battle Ever.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

This is one of those scores that just doesn't drag if you put it all in chronological order, sit back and just let yourself be immersed. Superman, for example, is a little tough to get through in complete form, but A.I. isn't.

I don't agree with this at all. I feel pretty much exactly the opposite. A.I.'s got some nice material, but on the whole is mediocre and certainly drags. Actually, a lot of its lesser material is on the stupid CD. I can't get through it anyway.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (complete)

This is like two totally different scores. It starts off very promisingly, with some nice orchestral lushness and solid themes (the unreleased cue when they break the window and end up in the wardrobe is particularly good) and the whole thing seems on the way to be a solid fantasy score. But as soon as the kids complete their journey through Narnia and end up in Aslan's camp the whole thing goes down the toilet- the themes get lost in the mud, some definite MV-lite tendinces creep and, and the battle cues are just trying way too hard to sound like the Epicest Battle Ever.

Woah, woah, woah! Back up: John is listening to Harry Gregson-Williams?

[Morlock 11]

Pleasantville: I have a feeling it's not as good as the other scores I have of Randy Newman.

Sorry for the unsuccessful recommendation...I think it's a wonderful melodic score. Does 'In the Bath' do it for you at least?

Been listening to The Legend of Zorro a lot. It's becoem one of my favorite Horner scores. It simply a marvelously entertaining score. It's fun, exciting...hardly earth-shattering, but it made me feel like THIS is the kind of film scoring that's gone away. It's not the themes. It's talented people treating films seriously. Debney is not the answer. This score reminded me that Horner could be the answer. I haven't seen the movie, but this totally seems like a case of a composer investing more in a movie than the filmmakers did (his end credits are magnificent). Bold words, I know, but this score got me excited about film music in an active way. I always love it, but every once in a while I get into a rut, and it takes the right score at the right time to get me excited again. I suspect that this will be one of the ones I return to when in that funk (along with Mission: Impossible and Michael Collins and Under Fire and Guns of Navarone and the right JW- Hook or Harry Potter PoA more often than not). Anyone else have these kinds of scores? They may or may not be absolute favorites, but they have the tendency to hit the spot when one is in the doldrums.

Also been listening to one of the few new scores that connected with me, Nathan Johnson's The Brothers Bloom. Small, nice melodies, fun, maintains interest.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Also been listening to one of the few new scores that connected with me, Nathan Johnson's The Brothers Bloom. Small, nice melodies, fun, maintains interest.

Great score.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Fantastic Mr. Fox by Alexandre Desplat

Wow! I wasn't expecting this score to be so good. Very quirky in the usual Wes Anderson way, but man there are a lot of Morricone-isms in here. Too bad there isn't more score, there's only about 20 minutes of it.

I just read a review on RT that says the film has a lot of Leone moments, which could explain the hints of Morricone in the score. I can't wait for this film!

[John Crichton 4]

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Kamen)

The main title piece is simply one of the finest pieces of film music ever written. The rest is pleasantly decent, nothing really outstanding or bad. The signature song is converted fairly well into an orchestral love theme.

[Richard Penna 3,684]

I really like Pleasantville - the whole score is like a collection of highlights, and I even got the DVD a few months ago just for the isolated score. Might actually watch the movie a second time one of these days

Unfortunately I agree about Narnia. I think the non-action parts are beautiful, but as soon as they meet Aslan and the action starts, out comes the power anthem and some (IMO) orchestration clashes that I think you'd have to be deaf not to notice. The complete (well nearly, I don't think everything is on this set) score is nevertheless a satisfying listen. Nice winter score actually (and I'm scouring my collection for those at the moment).

My latest score is Burwell's Where the Wild Things Are. It's quirky and a lot of fun although brief (~25 mins or so).

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I want Burwell's A Serious Man. I was trying to get the cues off his website, but found out they were just 30 sec exerpts. I was puzzled until I realized there was an actual score release, which is weird cause there's only like 20 minutes of music. It's on iTunes but the CD doesn't come out until the 24th, I will wait for that.

[John Crichton 4]

Been listening to The Mummy again. I still like most of his Next Gen Trek scores better, but there's no denying this is the freshest sounding Goldsmith score from the last part of his life, and his last great pure action score.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,515]

Ennio Morricone's The Thing. Again.

Yeah!!!! You can keep all your "The Mission"s, and all your "Once Upon A Time In The Whatever"; "The Thing" is, quite simply, THE BUSINESS, and, IMO, the best thing (no pun intended!) that Morricone has done for the cinema. Slow, atmospheric, it creeps up on you, and takes you by surprise. I love this score!

Last score I listened to? Well, it's not really a score, as such, but, as it is the 5th November, I listened to "Fireworks" by Jerry Goldsmith. Stirring, soaring, and moving. The main theme reminds me of "The Mummy", which is really no suprise, as it was written at about the same time, and the slow middle section sounded a bit like a try-out theme for "First Contact". Ironically, the one thing that it does not remind me of is fireworks. Oh, well. I own very little of J.G.s concert music, and I hear even less, so it is nice to hear something that he has written for the sheer fun of it.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

[Naïve Old Fart 9,515]

All of it?! Actually, why not..?

[publicist 4,643]

Been listening to The Legend of Zorro a lot. It's becoem one of my favorite Horner scores. It simply a marvelously entertaining score. It's fun, exciting...hardly earth-shattering, but it made me feel like THIS is the kind of film scoring that's gone away. It's not the themes. It's talented people treating films seriously. Debney is not the answer. This score reminded me that Horner could be the answer. I haven't seen the movie, but this totally seems like a case of a composer investing more in a movie than the filmmakers did (his end credits are magnificent). Bold words, I know, but this score got me excited about film music in an active way.

Since 1995 i beg people to listen to this score with open ears. It got buried under lukewarm reviews and the usual lame brickthrowing at Horner. When i first listened to it i immediately though "Yes, that music is the reason i became a film score fan, anyway" and i'm still quite fond of lots of cues from the generous 75-minute album.

[crocodile 8,000]

Been listening to The Legend of Zorro a lot. It's becoem one of my favorite Horner scores. It simply a marvelously entertaining score. It's fun, exciting...hardly earth-shattering, but it made me feel like THIS is the kind of film scoring that's gone away. It's not the themes. It's talented people treating films seriously. Debney is not the answer. This score reminded me that Horner could be the answer. I haven't seen the movie, but this totally seems like a case of a composer investing more in a movie than the filmmakers did (his end credits are magnificent). Bold words, I know, but this score got me excited about film music in an active way.

Since 1995 i beg people to listen to this score with open ears. It got buried under lukewarm reviews and the usual lame brickthrowing at Horner. When i first listened to it i immediately though "Yes, that music is the reason i became a film score fan, anyway" and i'm still quite fond of lots of cues from the generous 75-minute album.

Since 1995? Really? Anyway, this is indeed a very good album, much better than the first one. It feels more "Zorro" and less "Willow". And it doesn't have a song to spoil it.

The film however is not worth watching.

Karol