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What Is The Last Score You Listened To? (older scores)


Ollie

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You should at least download the high-res ESB album just to have it. It is one of his ultimate OST albums.

 

Anyway, Return to Oz! One of my favorite scores of all time. I prefer the OST, but the complete score is still a great listen. Intrada's CD is not without its flaws. The OST sound mix kicks the shit out of the film mix (?) in the "complete" chronological score presentation. There are a couple instances where I believe I can hear sound effects or some kind of anomaly in that presentation, such as the ending of "The Ruined House". Also, "Mombi's Mandolin" should have been placed with the additional material, not sequenced with the rest of the score. The sound quality is atrocious. The Tunnel Charges are a prime example why the complete/chronological score is flawed. It kinda almost doesn't even work in the film and it certainly doesn't work here. Still, though, what a great musical ride.

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23 hours ago, TheGreyPilgrim said:

 

Halo 5- Kazuma Jinnouchi

 

I'll effuse a bit more about this, now, since I still feel idiotic for having dismissed it so early on.

 

Coming into any established, much-loved franchise or series as a rookie must be daunting whatever your job is, but especially as a composer since you will be defining a huge part of how the thing "feels" in relation to what's already been done, whether or not the audience realizes it consciously.  And in this case, they definitely would, since music is an iconic part of this series.  

 

Marty O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori, and a few other "bandmates" crafted a very particular sonic identity for the three core Halo games and two "spinoff" ones, each with its own shading and character that are still parts of the same universe.  Having gone on to other things when Bungie split with 343, they left the task for Halo 4's score to Neil Davidge of Massive Attack.  That music, taken on album, was enjoyable enough.  But it didn't quite seem to gel with the world of Halo or make a lasting impression, and I think that had as much to do with the game as the composer's effort, so it can be forgiven and more or less forgotten.

 

But, I didn't have much enthusiasm for this new score when I learned it was being penned by another new face, who's most recent prior credit was as an "additional composer" on the previous score by Davidge.  I gave it a cursory listen and thought I heard a lot of stuff that I didn't care for: anonymous orchestral blaring, an out-of-place harmonic language, and overbearingly "heavy" electronics.  Another missed opportunity.

 

Then, I played the game, and seconds into the main menu music wondered what the heck I had listened to earlier.  O'Donnell and company had created a musical fingerprint that was part Horner-esque orchestral writing, part quasi-Gregorian/modal stuff, part prog-rock, part 70s/80s/90s electronic and ambient music.  This score, as it turns out, is a very logical and rather awesome evolution of that idea.  The track The Trials is a fantastic example of this, with a classic O'Donnell tune given a ballsy makeover, alongside some of Davidge's material from the preceding score (it's also a great little study of the pleasures of musical tension and release).  The Hornery, Hollywoody echoes (O'Donnell studied with that crowd at USC, after all) of the orchestra are traded for something a little more generic, though no less enjoyable - I don't use the word "generic" here as a negative, I just can't quite place it with any more specificity.  And yet certain mannerisms and choices of modality from the earlier scores creep in, organically, not as grudging acknowledgement or half-assed attempts at stylistic unity.  Woodwinds are absent (which is a bit disappointing and predictable) and yet there's still a great deal of color in the score without them, something that usually only Zimmer can get away with, through skilled handling of what is there: strings, brass, piano, percussion, choir, electronics.  And yes, the electronics are way "beefier" than what O'Donnell did.  But there's a great deal of subtlety to how they're used.  There are still some of those standout mystical electronic moments that one wants from Halo, including this haunting three chord motif (heard prominently in Crypt) whose thematic function I haven't really placed yet, but which I really dig.  It's not necessarily bad that there's more of the heavy "new" stuff in place of such mystical atmospheres that the earlier scores were more replete with.  It works.  

 

And that's because the music does that most important thing I mentioned at the start: it does what it needs to do to define the "feeling" of the game.  This feels like a Halo game, because this is Halo music.  It is, to use the word again, the logical progression of these scores.  After the fairly anonymous game and music of Halo 4, it seems like 343 has found their footing.  I wouldn't mind if Jinnouchi sticks around for future installments at all.

 

As a post-script, it is by design that such a rare "lengthy" post from me has to do with music from a video game, of all things.  I encourage everyone to explore this realm of "media music" if they're only familiar with television and film scores.  There's a lot happening here, it's why I mention it often.  It's worth knowing about.

 

 

Well met, it's good you found something in it in the end (funny how game participation can greatly enhance enjoyment of its music ;)). I haven't bothered with the album since I played the game and sold up, but I think I'll stick it in the car tomorrow. 

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40 minutes ago, E.T. and Elliot said:

Minority Report! I love this score!

 

 

It's on my list, but it still over 20 $ on Amazon.ca marketplace. I'm patient :)

 

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Creation by Christopher Young: Now this is a side of Young I actually like very much, melancholy and lyrical. Not that his raucous action or horror are not nice but I wish he had more chances to write music like this. One of my favourite "wintery" scores.

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I thought we were past correcting people incorrectly on their spelling.

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6 hours ago, Quintus said:

@TheGreyPilgrim

 

Speaking of sci-fi shooter soundtracks, did you ever get around to listening to Zimmer's and Lorne Balfe's Crysis 2? It's excellent. Better than Halo 5's score by quite a bit, imo. 

 

I haven't.  Added to my list. 

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PHILIPPE SARDE - Fort Saganne

 

On my re-discovery of this great eclectic french composer, i stumbled over one of the best 80's scores (if you like concertante music, that is), a big, sweeping desert epic when the french still had colonial splendour. Not much to say, just listen to this suite. It's positively sparkling with sonorous celli solos so if you fancy Williams/Yo Yo-combis, you'll probably will like this.

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In unbearable anticipation for his work on Malick's equally anticipated Voyage of Time, I listen to Ennio at his most otherworldly.  Few scores boast such a successful combination of stirring lyricism and shimmering ethereal vagueness, the familiar/human and the strange/sublime brought together by a masterful hand.  Here is a composer, a person, who "knows" something very special indeed.

 

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43 minutes ago, publicist said:

The Mountain!

 Indeed. Probably my favorite Morricone track.

 

Rumor has it it was repurposed music from the Creation of the World scene from John Huston's The Bible, for which Morricone had written some music but not recorded it. The movie was eventually and brilliantly scored by Toshiro Mayuzumi

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Little Children by Thomas Newman

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Thomas Newman

The Leftovers by Max Richter

Michael Collins by Elliot Goldenthal

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Star Wars the Force Awakens by John Williams: I still enjoy the heck out of this score.

 

also

 

QB VII by Jerry Goldsmith: Thanks to the Tadlow re-recording this has quickly become one of my favourite Jerry scores.

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I also enjoy The Force Awakens score. I was a bit iffy on it when I first listened to it but it, much like the movie, has really grown on me.

 

 

Apart from Star Wars I have found myself listening to Seven Years in Tibet a lot lately. I think it's a very underrated John Williams score. It is extremely rich in culture and emotion. The score by itself can truly transport you to another time and place. 

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1 hour ago, Indianagirl said:

I also enjoy The Force Awakens score. I was a bit iffy on it when I first listened to it but it, much like the movie, has really grown on me.

 

 

Apart from Star Wars I have found myself listening to Seven Years in Tibet a lot lately. I think it's a very underrated John Williams score. It is extremely rich in culture and emotion. The score by itself can truly transport you to another time and place. 

Seven Years in Tibet is a fantastic score that has an effective and evocative blend of Western orchestra and Far Eastern stylings. In usual Williams style it is more of an allusion to Far East that most audiences can recognize than a truly authentic exploration of music of Tibet but he really makes it part of the unified whole where the moody and emotional Western orchestral music of Harrer meets the spiritual, calm and atmospheric music of Dalai Lama.

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On 11/01/2016 at 8:43 PM, TheGreyPilgrim said:

 

 

 

 

Very nice, but I can't think of desert music without this popping into my mind before everything else, including Jarre:

 

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Mr. Breathmask said:

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial by John Williams (OST)

 

I'd never heard the original album before. Like with Jaws, it's great to hear some of the longer versions of well-known film cues. I usually prefer listening to a score in its complete chronological order, but I'll be returning to this album (and the Jaws OST) in the future.

While I am a fan of C&C presentations I have to agree that both of the soundtrack albums you mention are fantastic listening experiences.

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10 minutes ago, Jay said:

Mark, WHAT?  Why in the world did you wait so long to check that out?

 

I got into soundtrack collecting in late 2001. I basically struck E.T. off my want list when the 20th Anniversary Edtion was released in the spring of 2002. I've been happily listening to  just that release ever since.

 

Until now, I guess.

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Gotcha. They really need to give ET a 2CD set with the complete score and original album in one package, like Jaws, 1941, The Fury, etc.

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LLL's version is The Fury is NOT Out of Print; They are simply out of stock at the moment

 

http://www.lalalandrecords.com/Site/FuryThe.html

 

 

However, other websites still have stock.  For example, you could purchase it right now from MovieMusic.com:

 

http://www.moviemusic.com/soundtrack/M08785/fury1978/

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8 hours ago, publicist said:

Christopher Gordon - Music from the Opening Ceremony Melbourne 2006

 

Still cool...on par with the Williams pieces for similar occasions. 

 

Gordon doesn't do enough work. Either that, or (probably) not enough work that I'm aware of.

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5 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

Gordon doesn't do enough work. Either that, or (probably) not enough work that I'm aware of.

He definitely should be scoring more films. Inspired by that Olympics piece pub posted I took a listen to Moby Dick last night and thought that this is a composer I'd like to hear more from.

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