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Recommend Me a Williams Soundtrack!


indy4
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Recommend Me a Williams Soundtrack!  

42 members have voted

  1. 1. Which of these should I purchase?

    • Born on the Fourth of July
      6
    • Stanley and Iris
      1
    • Presumed Innocent
      0
    • JFK
      10
    • Nixon
      3
    • Sleepers
      1
    • Rosewood
      4
    • Seven Years in Tibet
      7
    • Stepmom
      0
    • Angela's Ashes
      9
    • Munich
      1


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These are the remaining JW titles that I don't own (not including the more expensive ones). I have not seen any of these films, and the scores are not often discussed on this site, so I am sorta in the dark in deciding which ones would be best. Recommend one for me!

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These are the remaining JW titles that I don't own (not including the more expensive ones). I have not seen any of these films, and the scores are not often discussed on this site, so I am sorta in the dark in deciding which ones would be best. Recommend one for me!

First, get on your knees and beg.

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These are the remaining JW titles that I don't own (not including the more expensive ones). I have not seen any of these films, and the scores are not often discussed on this site, so I am sorta in the dark in deciding which ones would be best. Recommend one for me!

I would recommend going to SoundtrackNet, which features a 30-second sampling from each track of most albums:

Born on the Fourth of July: http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=521

Stanley and Iris: http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=542

Presumed Innocent: http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=534

JFK: http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=530

Nixon: http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=533

Sleepers: http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=540

Rosewood: http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=575

Seven Years in Tibet: http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=872

Stepmom: http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=1691

Angela's Ashes: http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=2182

Munich: http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=3957

Amazon.com frequently has sound clips as well.

This may give you a better idea than would any of our personal recommendations taken individually or collectively.

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I recommend Seven Years In Tibet. It's quite monothematic, but the theme is played in many different ways and each of them is worth price of the cd ( it took me some time to appreciate all the minute details, though). The theme itself is a masterpiece. It's one of the finest in JW's career. It's both epic and personal.

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Honestly, indy4, I don't have any of those scores either, save 1: Seven Years in Tibet. That's the most recent Williams score I picked up, about seven years after I fell in love with the haunting main theme, and for $4.99 used, it would've been a crime against good sense to not buy it. I just added it to a mixed score CD last night so it'll get my first listen today or tomorrow.

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Honestly, you can pretty much do not wrong with any of these scores. My personal favorites are Seven Years, Angela's Ashes and Sleepers, but I would recommend all others in a heartbeat

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Honestly, you can pretty much do not wrong with any of these scores. My personal favorites are Seven Years, Angela's Ashes and Sleepers, but I would recommend all others in a heartbeat

What Romão said :sigh:

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Alan is correct to suggest you listen to the samples.

I would recommend Rosewood, JFK, Pressumed Innocent & Born On The 4th of July to begin with.

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I would not recommend Presumed Innocent. I have hard time listening to 90% of the album. Most of the score is depressing and it drags incredibly. The theme is really good, but, except for End Credits, most of its renditions fail to capture my attention for a longer period of time.

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1. Munich

2. Angela's Ashes

3. Seven Years In Tibet

4. Rosewood

I would not recommend Presumed Innocent, Stanley & Iris, or Sleepers. Not that they're bad, but the others that you listed are a lot better.

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JFK.

That would be my first choice among those scores as well. We can quibble about the meaning of the term, but I think we can all agree there's no auto-piloting going on here. The melodic contours of the main theme (especially the I-V opening) are somewhat familiar if you've listened to The Cowboys or Conrack or Superman: The Movie, but, as always, Williams takes us some place new with it. Some place new is, in fact, where much of the rest of the score takes us, particularly with the delightfully creative "The Conspirators." Darkness, foreboding, and anguish pervade, but without the monotonous atmospheric languishing that weighs so heavily upon scores like Minority Report. Along the way, we're treated to a sentimental but lovely oboe-led theme for the Garrison family.

Remarking on their three-film collaboration, Oliver Stone wrote, "Working with him was like flying through the light." I wonder if Williams might say the same, as Stone seemed to draw out the best in post-"Golden Age" Williams: Born on the Fourth of July and Nixon are also essential Williams scores.

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"The Motorcade" and "Arlington" are really something.

I agree wholeheartedly, although the latter is less impressive as a cue for its scene.

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"The Motorcade" and "Arlington" are really something.

I agree wholeheartedly, although the latter is less impressive as a cue for its scene.

Well you can say that approximately. As it is in the film the piece is edited very heavily.

But JFK, Born on the Fourth of July and Nixon are some of the best JW from late 1980's and 1990's. JFK works amazingly well in the film considering the way it was written mostly beforehand or without visual reference.

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I only have Presumed Innocent, Munich and Angela's Ashes (the one with narration, couldn't find the other one here), they're ok I guess, hardly ever listen to them really. Munich bores me a lot actually.

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"The Motorcade" and "Arlington" are really something.

I agree wholeheartedly, although the latter is less impressive as a cue for its scene.

JFK works amazingly well in the film considering the way it was written mostly beforehand or without visual reference.

My sentiments exactly. Especially given the way Williams prefers to work.

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JFK once more. Just to hear it's such a clear predecessor to Jurassic Park! The Conspirators is like Dennis Steals the Embryos but even more powerful, and there is a source cue that has clearly inspired JW to write the 'jungle-sound' opening to Jurassic Park Gate ROTFLMAO Also the Motorcade track is a classic of course as is Prologue.

Otherwise I would recommend Stanley and Iris, Stepmom and Seven Years in Tibet.

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Step Mom is my favorite of this list.

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I'd recommend you get Angela's Ashes first and foremost, then Born on the Fourth of July.

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Did you make a decision, indy4? Next you should do a thread for HZ :cool:

Nah, I'm going to wait for a few more votes, and also a chance to listen to those samples Alan posted. HZ isn't a composer I buy blindly from just yet. Besides, about 3 people on this MB would vote in a HZ recommendation poll.

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Really: Nixon or Seven Years in Tibet.

I personally love Presume Innocent, but I don't think you'd like it. So go for one of those two.

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Really: Anything but Nixon or Seven Years in Tibet

I don't care if you're being sarcastic, you're right.

Who is the greater fool? The fool or the fool who follows him?

old-ben-kenobi.jpg

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Rosewood is a largely undiscovered and underappreciated gem, so it would be my No. 1 recommendation, along with JFK, Angela's Ashes and Nixon.

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