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Rank the three original Indy scores


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Indiana Jones score rankings  

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  1. 1. How do you rank the original Indiana Jones scores from BEST to WORST?

    • Raiders of the Lost Ark - Temple of Doom - Last Crusade
      19
    • Temple of Doom - Last Crusade - Raiders of the Lost Ark
      7
    • Last Crusade - Raiders of the Lost Ark - Temple of Doom
      8
    • Raiders of the Lost Ark - Last Crusade - Temple of Doom
      2
    • Temple of Doom - Raiders of the Lost Ark - Last Crusade
      13
    • Last Crusade - Temple of Doom - Raiders of the Lost Ark
      5
    • haven't heard some or all of the scores
      0


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I apologize if this exact question has been posed in poll form - if so, feel free to let me know and then ignore this thread. Otherwise, please vote for the option that indicates your preference in the original Indiana Jones scores, from best to worst. Explanations are welcome, naturally.

For me personally, the first option is more or less a no-brainer. Raiders is sheer vintage Williams brilliance. It's carefully controlled insanity, with the right proportions of inventive action music, non-cheesy sentimentality, occasional feel-good moments, serious creepiness, and downright terror. Truly an amazing score.

TOD is growing on me, and it comes in second for me. Short Round's theme and Parade of the Slave Children are both brilliant and effective, as far as I'm concerned, and Willie's theme is...appropriate to the (often annoying) character, and sometimes worth more than she is. The score as a whole is a bit weirder and more flamboyant than I normally like, but as I said, it's growing on me. There are some moments that really give me shivers.

TLC...is a little too full of itself for my tastes. A little too pompous, a little too sane. Don't get me wrong...still a great score. The Holy Grail theme is a wonderful and appropriate chorale that I invariably enjoy, and some of the action music is genuinely thrilling. But I can't help feeling like it's the worst of the original three.

But that's just me. How 'bout the rest of y'all?

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Tough one, I'd say Temple, then Raiders, then Crusade, although I think deep inside I know Raiders is the better score but I actually like TOD more, if that makes any sense.

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Raiders and Temple of Doom are in a virtual tie for me. Raiders has, without question, the finest musical moments of the series and it is where the classic main theme comes from. Overall though, I think I like Temple of Doom better as a complete score listening experience. Crusade is definitely a distant third. I voted Temple of Doom/Raiders/Last Crusade.

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Raiders.

Crusade.

Doom.

Raiders introduced the now legendary theme, the best statements of which are also found in the movie, it has the untouchable theme for Marion and last but certainly not least, it has the Ark theme and we all know how much of a powerhouse that is.

ToD and LC are brilliant, but they're simply no match for the iconic musical work that is Raiders.

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Temple, Raiders, Crusade.

I know Raiders is the grand-pappy of them all and laid the foundation, but Temple is JW at his most exuberant and finest, that's why it's number 1 for me.

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Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Last Crusade

Temple of Doom

Raiders

Although after listening to the Indy boxset Temple of Doom isn't as good as I remembered or thought, so it might be in a tie-up with Raiders.

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Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Last Crusade

Temple of Doom

Raiders

Although after listening to the Indy boxset Temple of Doom isn't as good as I remembered or thought, so it might be in a tie-up with Raiders.

:blink:

I did not see that one coming.

I can't decide really. They all have their merits. Of the first three, LC probably comes last. I love Raiders' no-nonsense attitude. It's a well-spotted score that has a clear style that carries it to the finish with no unnecessary sidesteps. ToD is fantastic, but still hasn't received the release it deserves. Many of the quieter, subtler parts are still missing from the Concord set (the rope bridge sequence being a clear example). A full release will show off the score's variations even better.

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I'll go with Temple of Doom>Raiders of the Lost Ark>Last Crusade today.

But really, all scores are pretty much equal to me.

Raiders is the brilliant start, Temple is the sequel that takes the established themes from the first film,

adds a bunch of great new ones and has a lot of fun with them and

Last Crusade abandons the old themes for a big extent while remaining a great Indiana Jones score anyway.

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Hmm, tricky one.

I know that Raiders comes third and KotCS 4th, but Temple and Crusade each have their charms.

I'll have a different answer every day, but for now, it's LC > Temple. Tomorrow it will be the other way around.

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1. Raiders

2. Last Crusade

3. Temple of Doom

4. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

But numbers 1 and 2 would have to really duke it out for me to know for sure. 3 and 4 also, but not quite as much.

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Yeah, I figured it had to have been done already at some point. =/ Oh well...perhaps the release of the box set will have changed a few minds or something. In any case, thanks for the responses, all!

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TOD is much more daring...

ToD is Williams settling in and having fun. Raider's is Williams taking chances.

I actually felt like that with LC.

Both Raiders and TOD are Williams taking chances, with TOD been more exploitive...

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Last Crusade, great though it may be, is clearly in last place for me (though that's not saying much). I have a hard time choosing between the classic Raiders and the less balanced, but amazingly exuberant Temple. I suppose I'll go with Raiders.

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I don't like the "worst" idea. They are all brilliant. Just some more than the other. But my rank would be:

Temple of Doom

Last Crusade

Raiders

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I've so been enjoying the box set releases - I've got Raiders in my car and am having such fun with it, I'm probably speeding a lot! I can't rank them yet. Raiders is first because it's my current favorite, but I can't rank TOD/LC. When I finally move on to TOD, I'm sure I'll change my mind.

It's like SW - "Luke & Leia" is one of my favorite themes, but ROTJ is not my favorite score, so how does that rank?

Raiders gets extra points for being brilliant, vintage LSO.

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Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Last Crusade

Temple of Doom

Raiders

I'd be curious to know what the criteria for this are. Number of notes in an action cue? Complication for the sake of complication? Awkward and insincere adaptation of previously written music?

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I'd be curious to know what the criteria for this are. Number of notes in an action cue? Complication for the sake of complication? Awkward and insincere adaptation of previously written music?

I'd be curious to know what the motivations behind this post are. Innocent but poorly-worded curiosity? Friendly sarcasm that doesn't translate well to the Internet? Unpleasant arrogance for unpleasant arrogance's sake?

I posted this thread knowing full well that at least a few members would take the opportunity to present their opinions as better than the other possibilities. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. :thumbup:

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I remember getting Indy3 OST and putting it into the Player and searching for the portuguese coast! aaahhh almost 15 years had to pass.

To me Raiders is a classic masterpiece, I think it is very unique in John Williams work.. The score really has a great B-movie feeling to it, with over the top militristic music, etc...

Temple of doom is also a very rich score, you have heavy tonalilty, atonality, indian scales, the reliuous chants.

Last crusade somehow doesn't have the wide epic scale as the two previous films..

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I'd be curious to know what the criteria for this are. Number of notes in an action cue? Complication for the sake of complication? Awkward and insincere adaptation of previously written music?

I'd be curious to know what the motivations behind this post are. Innocent but poorly-worded curiosity? Friendly sarcasm that doesn't translate well to the Internet? Unpleasant arrogance for unpleasant arrogance's sake?

Heh. All of the above. I'll be honest, it set off warning bells in my head: academic elitism, difference for difference's sake, love of light hearted camp? I don't mean to misrepresent KotCS, as I'm actually coming to like it quite a lot, and can certainly see some positive influences from Williams's modern sensibilities. Yet it's still only a shadow of the first three scores. I'm frankly surprised that anyone prefers it.

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Draw a cartoon of that event :P

That would be a sad one. I do remember my brother chiming in after, well into Indy's First Adventure, we heard the Indy Theme, saying "Oh, you're playing it now."

Meanwhile, my brother's jerk-off friend kept coming in and demonstrating how that he could stomp really hard on my bedroom floor and make my cd player skip.

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I've been thinking about this all day... and I think I have to go with Temple/Last Crusade/Raiders

It's not that I have anything against Raiders, I mean I LOVE all three scores.... but Temple is definitely my favorite, with my favorite themes, and Last Crusade has always been a favorite score of mine... and it's one that it seems like I've been chasing down various boots and stuff of since I've been into soundtrack collecting.

Raiders has been more of less been complete for us since 1995... and it's also the shortest of the scores. It's also probably the one I've listened to the most times, which could be another thing I have going against it right now.

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Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Last Crusade

Temple of Doom

Raiders

Although after listening to the Indy boxset Temple of Doom isn't as good as I remembered or thought, so it might be in a tie-up with Raiders.

:(

I did not see that one coming.

I can't decide really. They all have their merits. Of the first three, LC probably comes last. I love Raiders' no-nonsense attitude. It's a well-spotted score that has a clear style that carries it to the finish with no unnecessary sidesteps. ToD is fantastic, but still hasn't received the release it deserves. Many of the quieter, subtler parts are still missing from the Concord set (the rope bridge sequence being a clear example). A full release will show off the score's variations even better.

I would vote that too. Possibly Tie -in KOTCS and LC.

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I know Peio walks to the beat of a different drum, but there is no way in Heaven or Hell that KOTCS is better than Raiders of the Lost Ark.

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I would say:

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

I second.

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