Jerry Goldsmith vs James Horner

[Quintus 5,399]

This isn't about who you think is the superior composer of the two, but about whose music you tend to enjoy the most, nothing more.

[tharpdevenport 4]

Voted Jerry, but Horner comes a very close 2nd. But both Jerry and Horner were on the same ground in one area: their later year scores were nothing special. While Jerry has passed, Horner is still alive and has a chance to get out of that rut.

[Richard Penna 3,704]

I prefer Horner. No question.

When he isn't pissing me off with the danger motif, metal clangs or a variation on the Braveheart theme, he can come up with some stunningly beautiful music, and I much prefer his more classically based 'meandering' underscore to Goldsmith's.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Jerry Motherf*cking Goldsmith!

[Richard Penna 3,704]

Go back into bed Stefan, and get out the other side...

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Jerry Goldsmith

[Maglorfin 196]

Voted Jerry, but Horner comes a very close 2nd.

Seconded.

[Quintus 5,399]

I went with Horner, simply because his scores are more personal to me. Most of his hayday scores are part of my filmic upbringing, indeed I'll take a largely unknown score like Cocoon over many of the so-called Goldsmith "greats".

[publicist 4,643]

But both Jerry and Horner were on the same ground in one area: their later year scores were nothing special.

Maybe you just didn't look hard enough.

[tharpdevenport 4]

But both Jerry and Horner were on the same ground in one area: their later year scores were nothing special.

Maybe you just didn't look hard enough.

Maybe you're too easily pleased.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

Goldsmith by a long way. I like Horner, but only a few of his scores.

[Datameister 2,049]

Mmmmmmm...hard to say. I haven't really listened to enough of either to be totally sure, but both did/have done some gorgeous work and some work I'm not particularly fond of. I'd have a hard time voting for Horner because of his annoying self-plagiarism...

[Quintus 5,399]

His plagiarism is famous that much is certain, but I can easily forgive him that, looking back. He wrote a lot of good music, before he got lazy.

[Maxxie 1]

I haven't heard many Horner's, so I'm going with Goldsmith purely because of Star Trek.

[King Mark 3,631]

My classic Order has always been:

1-John Williams

2-Jerry Goldsmith

3-James Horner

[publicist 4,643]

Maybe you're too easily pleased.

I don't think so. I find it just laughable that so many film music fans are so fast to dismiss

anything of what composer X wrote after year Y. And i suspect that a lot of those 'WRATH OF KHAN'/'KRULL'-shouters never really listened to what Horner served up after 'Titanic'. A lot of it sounds the same, alright, but from 'Mighty Joe Young' to 'Boy in the Striped Pajamas', there is nothing? Absolutely nothing of note?

And Goldsmith wrote 'Looney Tunes' while dying. It may not be a spectacular finish, but an unworthy one?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Goldsmith's last 3 scores are a final testament to his career.

Star Trek Nemesis - a score to a franchise he's been assosiated with for a long time, and a film that flopped.

Timeline- A score to a film directed by Richard Donner, who directed the film that got Jerry his only Oscar, and a film that flopped.

Looney Tunes: Back In Action- a score for a film directed by Joe Dante, who's been one of his frequent collaborators and rates Goldsmith and his music very highly, and a film that flopped.

[Quintus 5,399]

i suspect that a lot of those 'WRATH OF KHAN'/'KRULL'-shouters never really listened to what Horner served up after 'Titanic'. A lot of it sounds the same, alright, but from 'Mighty Joe Young' to 'Boy in the Striped Pajamas', there is nothing? Absolutely nothing of note

I agree, post Titanic, Horner is a nonentity. But this thread isn't about that; it isn't a debate about composer skill.

Oh and I don't really know his Wrath of Kahn and Krull scores (saw Krull years ago), but I've always meant to check them out since joining this place.

[publicist 4,643]

i suspect that a lot of those 'WRATH OF KHAN'/'KRULL'-shouters never really listened to what Horner served up after 'Titanic'. A lot of it sounds the same, alright, but from 'Mighty Joe Young' to 'Boy in the Striped Pajamas', there is nothing? Absolutely nothing of note

I agree, post Titanic, Horner is a nonentity. But this thread isn't about that; it isn't a debate about composer skill.

Oh and I don't really know his Wrath of Kahn and Krull scores (saw Krull years ago), but I've always meant to check them out since joining this place.

But my point was that Horner wrote some damn good music after 'Titanic'!

But i prefer Goldsmith, by a landmile. And i even like that one long action track on 'Along came a Spider', so there.

[Quintus 5,399]

In that case I apologise for skimming quickly over your post. Not that I'd change anything about my response to you, mind.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Only fairies prefer Horner to Goldsmith!

[publicist 4,643]

In that case I apologise for skimming quickly over your post. Not that I'd change anything about my response to you, mind.

Ignorance is not always a bliss. From 'Zorro' to 'Spiderwick Chronicles' you'll miss out on some good stuff.

[Quintus 5,399]

Only fairies prefer Horner to Goldsmith!

From one faerie to another, only a poof would disagree

Ignorance is not always a bliss. From 'Zorro' to 'Spiderwick Chronicles' you'll miss out on some good stuff.

Yeah I saw those movies. I remember the scores as being perfectly serviceable and all. Either way, I didn't feel compelled to seek out the respective scores as a consequence. My loss is merely your gain though, it would seem.

[publicist 4,643]

Only fairies prefer Horner to Goldsmith!

That much is certain.

[Quintus 5,399]

It isn't really a certainty though, is it.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It is, and I say that loving many of Horners scores!

[Quintus 5,399]

In that case it must be true.

[Trent B 337]

Jerry Motherf*cking Goldsmith!

[Quintus 5,399]

Stay on topic. Stay on topic...

[Maestro 147]

Goldsmith by a long, LONG distance.

[Morlock 11]

Goldsmith. Horner has too little respect for his listeners.

[Quintus 5,399]

Ah, the old enthusiasts argument.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Jerry Motherf*cking Goldsmith!

[Quintus 5,399]

Well, a poll doesn't get much more certain that this! Which is fair enough.

[Red 75]

I haven't heard nearly as much Goldsmith as I have Horner, so I can't really answer this fairly.

[Luke Skywalker 1,798]

As Stefan said.

[John Crichton 4]

[Richard Penna 3,704]

The next person to post that f****g poster.....

So who's the other Horner admirer? We need to stick together in this crowd.

[Ollie 1,059]

Jerry Motherf*cking Goldsmith!

Damn straight!

[alainmayrand 22]

Goldsmith has more guts and power of invention that Horner.

Horner is less to my liking (always seems somewhat flimsy to me), but with Brainstorm and The Rocketeer he surely hit the bulls eye in my view.

I find Horner to be more slick. His music is so well spotted to a film, his orchestrations are also top notch, but I also find him slightly more banal and saccharine that Jerry.

Jerry on the other hand was often quite forceful in his music, for better or for worse, which sometimes made him a bit heavy handed to my taste. but only sometimes. I can hear the force of his personality in his music, and that is good.

Let's face it, nobody's perfect. Both of these guys are wonderful. But Goldsmith wins it for me because he was himself, not a copy-cat looking for a paycheck, which sometimes pisses me off about Horner.

But when I watch "The Rocketeer" or "Appolo 13" or "Sneakers" I must admit I am impressed by Horner as well.

Ah, well, this ain't no kind of answer!

Alain

[Charlie Brigden 7]

The next person to post that f****g poster.....

So who's the other Horner admirer? We need to stick together in this crowd.

Judging from his initial post, I think it's Quint.

[Marian Schedenig 8,217]

There's a couple of Horner scores I rank among my overall favourites, but probably half of them with reservations. A very few select scores of his are "just great", plenty of others fall into the "really good/great, BUT" category. And frankly, what I've heard from him roughly since Titanic (with a few exceptions) has mostly annoyed me, to the point where it distracted me from the film.

Whereas with Goldsmith, listing my favourites would probably amount to a list twice or thrice as long as all I've ever heard by Horner. Of his last three scores, I hold Looney Tunes in high regard.

[John Crichton 4]

The next person to post that f****g poster.....

And it's reactions like that which make me whip it out every chance I get.

That one is a bit big, though. I'll find a smaller one for next time. Oh yes, there will be a next time.

[Jacob 0]

Pulling out the heavy artillery, ay? Two can play at that game.

My classic Order has always been:

1-John Williams

2-Jerry Goldsmith

3-James Horner

Even before I got sucked into the madness that is rabid film score fandom those were names I was familiar with.

Some albums that we had in the family that got things started: Spielberg / Williams Collaboration, Star Wars Trilogy / Skywalker Symphony, Jurassic Park, The Patriot, Medicine Man, Patton, First Knight, Braveheart

[John Crichton 4]

Horner was one of my first discoveries as well, but I quickly realized I could do much better. As far as I'm concerned he did Star Treks II and III and Willow and that's the extent of my interest.

[Andy 4,152]

My classic Order has always been:

1-John Williams

2-Jerry Goldsmith

3-James Horner

[Ollie 1,059]

James Horner is a talented composer and I didn't mind the borrowing he did but as the years went by his sound just got tiring. His music just became predictable and bland.

[King Mark 3,631]

With a few exceptions...like some cues in Spiderwick Chonicles.

[Diego 21]

Sadly I don't have enough scores of either composer to make an informed desicion. From Horner I only have Rocketeer, Willow, Krull and Land Before Time and from Goldsmith I only have Poltergeist, The Omen Trilogy, Twilight Zone, the 40 years of music compilation and one of those things we can no longer talk about with music from Gremlins. I enjoy both a lot and would like to get more score from both but it's not easy to find a lot of scores here in Mexico (I saw Mask of Zorro today which is tempting but there's a lot of cool stuff coming so it had to stay at the store).

I would have to think this one a bit, I think maybe Horner is a bit more fun, but I really love Poltergeist and the first Omen, so I'm not sure.

[King Mark 3,631]

With Poltergeist VS Krull, you can make a comparison of the best of both