What is the last score you listened to?

[Joe Brausam 215]

El Cid

The re-recording of the complete score.

My god, this is what good film scores used to sound like!

...

Today's film scores, despite of some honourable mentions, are just junk in comparison.

They use the same notes, the same instruments, but it doesn't sound the same.

[Diego 21]

Alice in Wonderland and The Wolfman. Funny thing is that contrary to what I expected I ended up enjoying The Wolfman more than Alice.

[gkgyver 1,645]

El Cid

The re-recording of the complete score.

My god, this is what good film scores used to sound like!

...

Today's film scores, despite of some honourable mentions, are just junk in comparison.

They use the same notes, the same instruments, but it doesn't sound the same.

Even Master Williams doesn't reach this niveau anymore.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Up.

Yay!

[Jay 37,373]

OST, C&C promo, or FYC promo?

[gkgyver 1,645]

Alice in Wonderland and The Wolfman. Funny thing is that contrary to what I expected I ended up enjoying The Wolfman more than Alice.

Same here.

Alice is really, well, a bit too much Elfman paint-by-the-numbers for me.

[Incanus 5,716]

20th-Century Tuba Concertos: Ralph Vaughan Williams, Alexander Arutiunian, Torbjörn Iwan Lindquist and John Williams: A wonderful album dedicated to an instrument often thought to be quite limited in range but in reality is capable of beautiful expressiveness. All pieces on the album Williams' included display tuba as a virtuoso instrument full of capabilities most do not associate with it. It is lyrical, dexterous, athletic, noble and even ruminating, much more than just the low register foundation of orchestra's sound or bumbling, comedic and heavy set instrument most think it is. Williams' concerto is definitely a highlight with a celebratory feel and deft orchestrations.

[crocodile 8,019]

I completely forgot about this CD...

Alice in Wonderland and The Wolfman. Funny thing is that contrary to what I expected I ended up enjoying The Wolfman more than Alice.

Same here.

Alice is really, well, a bit too much Elfman paint-by-the-numbers for me.

And here too.

Karol

[John Crichton 4]

Up.

Yay!

Me too.

[Joe Brausam 215]

El Cid

The re-recording of the complete score.

My god, this is what good film scores used to sound like!

...

Today's film scores, despite of some honourable mentions, are just junk in comparison.

They use the same notes, the same instruments, but it doesn't sound the same.

Even Master Williams doesn't reach this niveau anymore.

Indeed, this is one of my absolute favorite scores.

[crocodile 8,019]

Maybe it's time to give this mammoth a listen... It's been quite a while. But then again the entire album is running 3 hours.

Karol

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

OST, C&C promo, or FYC promo?

OST.

I wouldn't really be able to discuss anything else, you know.

Also, I don't have anything other than the original album.

[Jay 37,373]

Of course you'd be able to. We're banned from discussing bootlegs. Those Up promos are 100% legitimate releases.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Then gimme.

[Richard Penna 3,695]

Not so much last listened to, but I can't stop playing Back to the Future. Intrada's release was an absolute revelation for this score.

The Clocktower sequence is fast becoming ingrained in my head.

[Jay 37,373]

Basil Poledouris - Starship Troopers (Mas Musica boot)

Man what a great thrilling score. This boot ended up being exactly the same music as I already had, just with the tracks in a different order, and completely misnamed. Fail. Trent's edit is still the best way to listen to this score I really hope an expanded release is in the works. The OST was released in the days of Varese doing very short OSTs.

Michael Giacchino - Up (FYC Promo)

Had to listen again due to the Oscar win. I still love this score, but its really the main theme variations and the quieter parts that stand out. This is the first time that I noticed that some of the action cues are a little bit generic.

[Joe Brausam 215]

You know. I've never heard any of the promos for Up. I wonder if they're any good.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The Pacific by Hans Zimmer, Geoff Zanelli and Blake Neely

I am moved and touched by this team's excellent work for the HBO miniseries. It can easily be described as a continuation of Zimmer's The Thin Red Line. Cues like "Even The Trees Hate Us" and "Landing Peleliu" are excellent.

Green Zone by John Powell

Fans of JoPo will be pleased. He utilizes his classic pulsing rhythms and percussion based action tracks. No themes to latch on to, but the adrenaline will deliver the goods one desires from a Powell action score. Much better than the highly disappointing Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs.

[Richard Penna 3,695]

That's funny... I hated Ice Age 3 when I first heard it, but after seeing the film it came alive.

Green Zone makes an inoffensive background listen, but doesn't rise beyond that for me.

I too find the action cues near the end of Up to be a bit generic. The quieter material nearly makes up for it.

[crocodile 8,019]

The new material that Powell wrote for Ice Age 3 is nice. It is the material from the previous one that is the problem. Not too fresh.

I heard bits and pieces of Green Zone and I don't know. There's not much you can hold on to. I have yet to give it a proper listen though. Either way, Powell is in top league as far as the electronica in film scores goes.

Karol

[fommes 153]

Alexandre Desplat, Largo Winch. One of the best action scores in recent years. It's been a long, long time since I've been excited about an action track like I am about 'Roof Fight'. Amazing stuff.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The new material that Powell wrote for Ice Age 3 is nice. It is the material from the previous one that is the problem. Not too fresh.

I heard bits and pieces of Green Zone and I don't know. There's not much you can hold on to. I have yet to give it a proper listen though. Either way, Powell is in top league as far as the electronica in film scores goes.

Karol

Listen properly, and you listen again Rich! I can understand not being able to grab on, but some of these action cues are damn terrific. "Opening Book," "Evac Preps Part 1 and 2," "Attack And Chase," and "Chaos/Email" are all excellent.

[Jay 37,373]

James Horner - The Journey Of Natty Gann (Intrada)

Lovely score. I'd like to see the film.

James Horner - Avatar (OST)

Believe it or not, despite the fact that I've started 2 threads about this score - this was the first time I'd actually listened to it! I saw the film in theaters and didn't pay much attention to the music. There was a lot of other stuff to take in! (Saw it in IMAX3D to boot). And I just hadn't found time to check out the OST. But with all the hubbub about the 3CD promo I had to check it out.

I dunno if it was cause I had read from others that most of the action music was missing from the OST, but I definitely noticed that the OST is more wonder/exploring music.... but I was fine with that because I really liked it! It only took me a few tracks to get engaged and really enjoy what Horner was doing. Yes I picked up on a dozen references to other Horner scores I know (and am a bit surprised he still busts out the Danger Theme so much) but it doesn't even matter because it all sounds good

I really enjoyed this OST and look forward to listening to more music from the film.

Harold Faltermeyer - Cop Out

Fun! Reminded me of Tango & Cash and Beverly Hills Cop mixed with a modern sound.

Alan Silvestri - Back To The Future (Intrada)

Probably only my 3rd listen - even though I love this score and it was a grail, I've just had so much to listen to! This time I noticed all kinds of new instruments I had never noticed before. Great stuff. Whoever decided to mix the source cues in between the score tracks instead of lumping them at the end (with the third unused one that shouldn't have been separated from the other 2) wasn't thinking clearly though. I never listen to em, they seriously disrupt the flow of the score.

[Wojo 2,453]

I don't have a problem with the source cues where they are, but probably because I went ahead and made an edit with the songs in their proper place, with the last track bled into Back in Time. For me, the source cues are bookmarks that let me know where in the movie the tracks are.

[Jay 37,373]

When I want to listen to the score, I want to listen to just the score. I've been thinking about making a fuller version with the songs from the OST included (as well as Mr. Sandman) but eh, usually when I'm in the mood for film scores, I'm in the mood for film scores

[Demondm810 399]

Desplat's Ghost Writer. not bad.

[Trent Hoyt 13]

Jurassic Park

I was in the mood and it hit the spot nicely.

[indy4 155]

Jane Eyre:

Great score by Williams. The love theme is absolutely gorgeous, and "To Thornfield" is quite possbily the best swashbuckling music JW has ever written. And I love the source(?) cue, "String Quartet."

Blood Diamond:

A solid score by JNH. I must say, the MV presence is huge in this score, from the main theme to the action music. That's not to say it's as uninspired as many of the MV repetitions, but it's not the most original thing ever. I like the main theme and some of the action music, although some of it is painful to listen to. I hear a bit of Dinosaur every now and then. Most of the non-action percussive stuff is really good.

[Trent B 337]

Not really the whole score, just bits and pieces, mostly from the second disc. Anyways, it was The Phantom Menace "Ultimate Edition" that I just listened to. Good god, how I even liked this edition of The Phantom Menace score for so long is beyond me. Hearing all the clunky edits and looped just makes me cringe every time. Also hearing Duel Of The Fates woven in between most of "Battle Of Naboo" is just ugh...

[Richard Penna 3,695]

Blood Diamond:

A solid score by JNH. I must say, the MV presence is huge in this score, from the main theme to the action music. That's not to say it's as uninspired as many of the MV repetitions, but it's not the most original thing ever. I like the main theme and some of the action music, although some of it is painful to listen to. I hear a bit of Dinosaur every now and then. Most of the non-action percussive stuff is really good.

There are perhaps 15-20 mins of quieter, emotional material that I quite enjoy, but apart from that it's an entirely forgettable score for me.

Not the first time that JNH's contemporary action style has been pointed out - his friendship with Zimmer is putting his 90s/early 00s style in danger I think.

My recent listening:

ID4 - thought I'd brush up in preparation for LLL's release. I've really ignored this score. The action material is astonishingly complex and the quieter material surprisingly affecting. This is one of those scores which I doubt God (aka John Williams) could've improved upon.

Trevor Morris' The Tudors - a BBC series with two score releases. Nothing very complex, and seems to jump a bit between genuine attempts at period scoring and an almost MV/modern percussion approach but it's worth listening to.

Listen properly, and you listen again Rich! I can understand not being able to grab on, but some of these action cues are damn terrific. "Opening Book," "Evac Preps Part 1 and 2," "Attack And Chase," and "Chaos/Email" are all excellent.

Wasn't my post you quoted there

[OneBuckFilms 324]

Jerry Goldsmith - Alien (Intrada 2CD Set)

I cannot BELIEVE I missed out on this one in 2007.

Fantastic stuff, scares the living (boilogical term here) out of me.

It's also one of the best soundtrack presentations I've seen.

[indy4 155]

Alice in Wonderland:

Well, the CD is worth it just for that fantastic theme. I absolutely love it, and I think it's pretty original even considering the fact that it easily fits under Elfman/Burton umbrella. I find it interesting that Elfman wrote lyrics that were never used in the film--was this Burton's original desire, or was Elfman just inspired by the film? The rest of the score is not as great as the theme. Most of it is Elfman on autopilot. Most of the generic underscore sans the theme variations is interchangeable with underscore from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The lyrical version of the theme was used in the end credits. I'm glad too, the music is better off without them.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

ROAR!

So awesome.

[Jay 37,373]

Dave Grusin - The Goonies (Varese)

Thoughts posted in Goonies Thread

Jerry Goldsmith - Alien (original 1979 LP, from the Intrada CD disc 2)

Hadn't listened to this too many times.... Mostly I just listen to Disc 1 when I want to listen to this score. Its a nice 35 summation of the complete score, but the complete score is still the best way to enjoy the score. As was just pointed out above, the presentation of this release is top notch. I ended up pulling the CD off the shelf and re-reading all the liner notes again while listening.

[Ollie 1,059]

Sommersby - Danny Elfman

[Charlie Brigden 7]

STAR WARS, the 97 RCA edition.

Whilst it's not my favourite of the scores, it's able to hit such a raw nerve that's almost incomparable to anything else I own (although that certainly is heavily influenced by my own history with SW as a franchise anyway). But it gives you the kind of feeling that makes you want to go out and hit everyone who ever said this isn't a five-star score with a big club.

[Ollie 1,059]

STAR WARS, the 97 RCA edition.

Whilst it's not my favourite of the scores, it's able to hit such a raw nerve that's almost incomparable to anything else I own (although that certainly is heavily influenced by my own history with SW as a franchise anyway). But it gives you the kind of feeling that makes you want to go out and hit everyone who ever said this isn't a five-star score with a big club.

[John Crichton 4]

I'll bring the pitchfork.

[Trent Hoyt 13]

The Simpsons Movie by Hans Zimmer. Its pretty good.

[Wojo 2,453]

Die Unendliche Geschichte

[Trent Hoyt 13]

Batman Begins. Its good background reading music.

[Morlock 11]

X-Men 3. Terrific. "Dark Phoenix's tragedy" is a particulary favorite.

Black Beauty. Strange, I can never fit this and Sommersby into the Elfman canon. It's 100% percent Elfman, but I have trouble connecting it to the rest of his work. Still love it, though.

Kung-Fu Panda. It's only a bit better than it could have been, but I have a great deal of affection for that small margin. It's the warmest and most organic score Zimmer has been involved with recently, and it's my favorite of his 2008 scores.

Titanic. Just trying to remember what a really good Horner score for a James Cameron all-time highest grossing film sounded like (Avatar persists in not impressing me one bit).

[Wojo 2,453]

Avatar persists in not impressing me one bit

I agree. Maybe the OST presents a better listening experience than the longer one, which is frequently too quiet, too native with the chants, and all around rather dull.

I can see how a lot of people really love it because it's epic Horner, but I can also see how a lot of people hate the complete Lord of the Rings scores.

[Jay 37,373]

Dave Grusin - The Goonies

Had to listen to it again. Liked it even more the second time!

Also I've been listening to the alternate Fratelli Chase alot after watching the Score Restore on FSM. It's great!!! Its a cue I never liked at all from the Prague suite, but now that I've seen it in context and how it was supposed to sync, I just love it.

James Horner - Avatar 3CD "promo"

Alright, just like Joe, I have to admit.... I'm liking this score far more than I would have expected Even though its not the most original score out there.... I dunno, everything he is doing just *works* for me. This was the first time I've listened to the 3CD version, and damn, what an awful listening experience it is. All the additional music is great, but there's just SO MUCH silence before and/or after the music in each track its terrible. And there's a bunch of tracks that are really just filler, or too similar to other tracks. I need to work on an ultimate 2CD edit of this set and the OST.

[Incanus 5,716]

James Horner - Avatar 3CD "promo"

Alright, just like Joe, I have to admit.... I'm liking this score far more than I would have expected or possibly would like to admit Even though its not the most original score out there.... I dunno, everything he is doing just *works* for me. This was the first time I've listened to the 3CD version, and damn, what an awful listening experience it is. All the additional music is great, but there's just SO MUCH silence before and/or after the music in each track its terrible. And there's a bunch of tracks that are really just filler, or too similar to other tracks. I need to work on an ultimate 2CD edit of this set and the OST.

I made my own playlist and did some fiddling with the set and it is now a great 2 disc length listening experience combining the Promo and the OST. And it is really odd that this bag of Hornerisms could be so compelling. As you said it just "works for me".

Alice in Wonderland by Danny Elfman: What a terrifyingly hummable theme this score has. But I still have to get into this score as I tend to drift through most of it without noting anything spectacular. Sounds like prototypical Elfman score of yore but with lyrics. And I really can't get the song/Alice's Heroic theme out of my head!

The Wolfman by Danny Elfman: I guess gothic brooding and romantic atmosphere is more my thing as this feels certainly one of the strongest Elfman scores in recent memory. All the subsequent listens seem to strengthen this notion. 4 little notes are a starting point of a great score.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

I think probably one of the reasons I like Avatar so much is because I'm so unfamiliar with Horner's work outside of the 80s, Titanic excepted. I'm tempted to hunt down the promo, but I'm very happy with the OST.

[publicist 4,643]

Kung-Fu Panda. It's only a bit better than it could have been, but I have a great deal of affection for that small margin. It's the warmest and most organic score Zimmer has been involved with recently, and it's my favorite of his 2008 scores.

Very mature orchestral handling by the Zimmer/animation posse and not just some erhu on top of the much-feared 'low IQ/high testosterone' style Zimmer still churns out from time to time .

[Morlock 11]

Indeed. It may not be the most sophisticated thing in the world, but it's got very nice orchestral color to it. Not at all a wall-of-sound MV score.

[Jay 37,373]

Nobuo Uematsu - Final Fantasy IV

I just absolutely love everything about this score. It's my favorite video game of all time and listening to the music always gives me a wave of nostalgia. I only have the Original Sound Version; What are peoples opinions on the Piano Version and Celtic Version?