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


Ollie

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2 hours ago, John said:

6352FE4B-8DFB-4195-AF57-0789FC7B0E63.jpeg
 

*chef’s kiss*

 

Just perfect. 

 

2 hours ago, Bespin said:

Great compilation indeed!


First JW album I bought <3
Oh, the memories!
Used almost every track for my home made movies back in the early 2000s

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1 hour ago, Incanus said:

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Complete Recordings) by Howard Shore: I listened to the last 25 minutes of the score from Parth Galen up until the end credits on my way to work. Still bloody glorious

 

It's the pinnacle of the trilogy.

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Managed tp playlist Christopher Willis* magnificent score to 'The Personal History of David Copperfield' a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Armando Iannucci, based on the Victorian era-story by Dickens. It roams between acute John Adamsitis and more remote allusions to british composers like Britten, Walton and, also, Bernard Herrmann (note the Vertigo-like string romance in the second half of Meeting Dora), it's one of the few musical sophisticated examples of the craft and feels probably very lonely in this day and age. 

 

 

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Bad Boys For Life (2020) Lorne Balfe

 

Well that was a mess. If not for things like POTC4 existing, this would be the absolute lowest of the low in the RCP mine. This suffers from 3 extreme factors: a confused identity, a shameless degree of recycling, and just how ultimately joyless it feels. This is a movie about two guys in a lighthearted buddy cop romp. What good does it do to pull samples/stylings from more serious flicks like Ad Astra and MI Fallout? Especially when you fully utilize the incredibly fun and bouncy Mark Mancina theme in its surprisingly 90s glory. It gives the impression you're going to hear something completely different than what you actually get. It really helped me realize just how insanely seriously film scores take themselves now, and just how limiting it is. Not to mention that his copy and pasting from earlier works (Modern Warfare 2 being the prime source) is so blatant that it's not even funny. The only saving grace is the original BB theme, and even that can get exhausting in the form it has here (though there is a rendition that reminds me a lot of the Metal Gear Solid theme, so that's fun).

 

I can see that Balfe does have potential, but is exhausted way too much by Hollywood. Not to mention the fact that he's had to follow the TDK template so much that it can be easy to think that he has no unique qualities. His version of Ad Astra isn't the most interesting thing in the world, but it does have a proper heart and vision that I do think is distinct to that particular film. It's just that everything else that I've heard from him really feels like the ideal product for movie studios to just gobble up. I'll be interested when he goes something different, but be more ignorant of his standard action fare.

 

I do not want to hear anyone complain about Zimmer doing Bond 25 ever again....

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The sad string theme from Fallout and parts of stuff like Ad Astra and His Dark Materials make me think that Balfe does have potential... Which he can't fully achieve because producers keep asking him to follow the RC template. :(

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Bill Conti scored this hammy but immensely popular Civil War miniseries like a Verdi opera. Asked about the Wagnerian wealth of themes for recurring characters, Conti wryly noted: 'Wagner did it artistically, i did it to cut down time' (he only had 3 weeks to write 4 hours of score and it was much easier if you could insert the same tune whenever a certain character walked in).

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Sleepy Hollow Danny Elfman

Tried to make a playlist combining both the 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition and the recording sessions, but there are so many takes and alternates I gave up and picked random ones. Anyway, I don't know what's the deal with this soundtrack, but it always sends shivers down my spine: so simple, yet so effective. 

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James Horner Collage

 

It's arguably one of the very best Horner albums and one of the best albums I've ever heard period. It gets painfully good to the point where I honestly become emotional. It's the beauty of the music coupled with the tragedy. It's a nearly perfect tribute. Really, the only bit I would lose is the Klingon theme AKA Ripley's Rescue, which doesn't fit the tone of the rest of the thing at all.

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The Lost World Jurassic Park by John Williams

 

Raiders of the Lost Ark by John Williams

 

Rebecca by Christopher Gunning

 

Agatha Christie's Poirot by Christopher Gunning, Stephen McKeon and Christian Henson

 

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker by John Williams

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9 hours ago, KK said:

Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy by Alberto Iglesias

Dolor y Gloria by Alberto Iglesias

 

2 hours ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

Ah yes, I heard this one not too long ago. What did you think of it?

Guys, check out CHÈ.

 

TTSS is fantastic!

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Pleasant. 

 

 

Surprisingly not as non-descript as it seemed in the tv show. It clearly lacks a musical arc, but there are beautiful folksy and pastoral moments and i don't need to mention it's ridiculously long. The rock stuff grates. Mild recommendation.

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Pretty good! One of the themes reminded me a little of Patrick Doyle's Hamlet, but still a great European score that will delight fans of Doyle, George Fenton and Rachel Portman. This Willis guy certainly have potential.

 

On 1/25/2020 at 5:53 AM, HunterTech said:

Bad Boys For Life (2020) Lorne Balfe

 

Well that was a mess. If not for things like POTC4 existing, this would be the absolute lowest of the low in the RCP mine.

 

That bad? I haven't heard it yet, but Jon Broxton loved it. 

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3 hours ago, publicist said:

 

 

Surprisingly not as non-descript as it seemed in the tv show. It clearly lacks a musical arc, but there are beautiful folksy and pastoral moments and i don't need to mention it's ridiculously long. The rock stuff grates. Mild recommendation.

 

Got one of your abridged playlists handy?

 

8 hours ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

Ah yes, I heard this one not too long ago. What did you think of it?

 

A lot of the writing is nuanced and delicately crafted. Some lovely ideas, occasionally very Herrmann-esque. Iglesias is clearly a strong jazz musician with a good grip on colour. But it's hard to land on what exactly ties it all together. It needs a bolder identity stamp aside from incidental music driven by the events of the film. With that said, there are plenty of riches to dig into for revisiting I think. The finale cue is especially fantastic!

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On Her Majesty's Secret Service by John Barry

Sometimes you just have to get back to what you know and love best. Barry's at the top of his game here and maintains a high level throughout, easily jousting for top spot in the franchise with Thunderball and From Russia With Love.

 

The Lion in Winter by John Barry

Hotcha hotcha hotcha, gimme that Main Title! Thouroughly enjoyed the heavier choral side to this. 

 

Indecent Proposal by John Barry

Again with the Barry romanticism and drama; I'm always going to be attracted to it. First listen for me on this one actually, and its one I've been meaning to hit for a while. Glad I did now as it's quite pleasant. 

 

First Man by Justin Hurwitz

I had taken a hiatus from this score after frequent listens early last year, and I seemed to have forgotten just how darn good it is. Shot for a shortened playlist as per usual, and it played quite nicely after some slight tweaking since the last time:

 

1. Docking Waltz

2. Houston

3. I Oughta Be Getting Home / Plugs Out

4. End Credits

5. The Armstrongs

6. Squawk Box

7. Apollo 11 Launch

8. The Landing

9. Home 

10. Moon Walk

11. Crater

12. Quarantine

 

Star Trek: The Motion Picture by Jerry Goldsmith

Just when I thought an already splendid day of listening couldn't be any more perfect, I decided to reach for Goldsmith's beloved OST to wrap it all up. Yeah, it's perfect. 

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7 hours ago, KK said:

Got one of your abridged playlists handy?

 

 

8 hours ago, Edmilson said:

 

Pretty good! One of the themes reminded me a little of Patrick Doyle's Hamlet, but still a great European score that will delight fans of Doyle, George Fenton and Rachel Portman. This Willis guy certainly have potential.

 

 

Technique-wise it's far above Portman or Doyle.

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On the Movie Music UK Facebook Group, you have the opportunity of not only (occasionally) having interesting discussions about film music with people from inside the industry, but also from discovering new, interesting scores.

 

It's the case of this one:

 

 

According to Jon, Phillip Klein has collaborated with JNH and Carter Burwell on the past, but this is probably his first score solo for a major movie.

 

It's clearly influenced by late 1990s/early 2000s Thomas Newman (Meet Joe Black, The Horse Whisperer, etc) mixed with James Horner's war scores from that same era. Although not as sofisticated as these classics, it's still a beautiful, modern score, with a powerhouse finale, full of emotion. Of course, Klein's influences are a bit apparent, but I personally prefer new composers being inspired by Newman and Horner than The Dark Knight and Inception for the umpteenth time.

 

I hope he gets new, major projects for him to develop a voice of his own, because he has a lot of potential for a great future career. Don't ruin this promising young man, Hollywood!

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22 hours ago, Edmilson said:

That bad? I haven't heard it yet, but Jon Broxton loved it. 


I mean, if you haven't heard anything action oriented Balfe has done, it's serviceable enough. Still, it's just too serious for what the film is presumably going for, especially if they are going to utilize the theme from the first film. Not to mention that with so much of the action material being scattershot and disorienting, even being as mercifully short as it is doesn't stop it from feeling exhausting. I might change my mind on a second listen, but this isn't a mode of LB that I like.

That being said, it does make me interested in the first two BB entries, since I think 90s/early 2000s MV works from what I've heard has a particular charm that later RCP works severely lack.

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The BFG - John Williams 

Always a pleasant surprise with each new listen, especially tracks I would skip a few years ago have finally had their turn in the sun. Dream Country is sublime.

 

The Song of Names - Howard Shore

Very quiet and tame score with moments of beauty and wonder with Shore's usual flair. I haven't seen the film, but the score seems to evoke the appropriate emotions just fine.

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Avatar - James Horner

 

Someone did a (mostly) chronological edit of the Deluxe Edition on YouTube.

 

It's my first time listening to the score in years, not counting attempts of listening the recording sessions and failing to get to the end of the score. The Deluxe contains most of the highlights anyway, with the exception of a few cool beats from the final battle, like the unused 9M4R The Battle Continues (when they are losing the battle, on the movie it was replaced by tracked portions from 7M2 The Destruction of the Hometree), and the inexplicably omitted from the album 9M5R Quaritch Down (when the forest animals attack the humans and the tide of the battle turn). There's some amazing action music on this cue, with some fast trumpets similar to Krull.

 

But anyway, I admire Horner's hard work and research of musical traditions of the South American people, and combining it with a more traditional Hollywood action score. I like the main theme/love theme, specially on the very touching Becoming One with Neytiri, and there's some good old Horner on some parts, like the tragic The Destruction of the Hometree and Shutting Down Grace's Lab, the thrilling Gathering All Na'Vi Clans to Battle and the exciting Escape from Hellgate, that combines some dramatic violins with synths, with great effect.

 

Of course there's the traditional borrowing from his older scores, like Troy, The New World, The Four Feathers, Aliens, etc., but I got used to it a long time ago, lol.

 

That said... It's not a score that is among my favorites from Horner, specially when listened on its own. The exotic indigenous music, although well researched, is not exactly great to listen, like on Apocalypto, and on the action music is way too "modern". I dunno, I feel like I should love War, but I think it's just... okay. 

 

It has some incredible highlights on the score as a whole, but they are surrounded by lots of modern action score mixed with exotic music that is not exactly pleasant to listen.

 

I remember it worked wonderfully on the movie though, I watched on theaters when I was 16, and I thought the music was great on the movie.

 

3.5/5

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22 hours ago, redishere said:

Psycho - Bernard Herrmann

Vertigo - Bernard Herrmann

 

Today I listened to these re-recordings, both performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and conducted by Joel McNeely.

 

Truly great stuff. I love Herrmann, but I feel like there’s a lot of his work I still have to discover. Guess I’ll probably nosedive into the BH thread :)

 

You should try to get hold of their rerecording of North by Northwest. Unfortunately, it's a limited release, so it's hard to find for a good price.

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11 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

You should try to get hold of their rerecording of North by Northwest. Unfortunately, it's a limited release, so it's hard to find for a good price.


I will try! Thanks for the advice, NBN is another Herrmann score I like, makes me remember the first time I saw that movie on a VHS tape when I was a kid (I forced my grandma to rewind the crop-dusting scene for like twelve times) :D 

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Rare throwback to James Horner's warm, fantasy-tinged family scores from the early to late 90's by a guy named Erwann Chandon. It's like a warm riff on Bicentennial Man, Spitfire Grill and Radio (which means it's much too american to pass for a french movie). But still, the shapely gift of well-orchestrated and melodic 50 minutes in this idiom is most welcome at this cold and damp season.

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J'Accuse by Alexandre Desplat

First Knight by Jerry Goldsmith

The Legend of the Lone Ranger by John Barry

Chinatown by Jerry Goldsmith

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier by Jerry Goldsmith

 

:music::up:

 

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Hidalgo (recording sessions)

 

JNH tries to mix Americana and some desert music reminiscent from Lawrence of Arabia, Goldsmith's The Mummy and Zimmer's Gladiator. The result is not always successful, but the recording sessions have some pretty excellent tracks. 3.5/5

 

King Solomon's Mines

 

A little repetitive, but funny as hell!

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Funky 80's synthpop redux, Vangelis, Jarre (JM), and even the rhythmically punctuated Goldsmith Yamaha licks are given some love here. Probably nothing most soundtrack fans spend their time with (not with so many spreadsheets about missing Star Wars inserts to wade through), but it's a nice and surprisingly authentic souvenir of a time long gone.

 

Elfman at rock bottom again. Not that it's *bad*, it's just the same kind of void orchestral gymnastics, sounding like some less-than-spurred 90's temp track robot took over. Elfman is doing these bland kiddie scores since years that feel like decades, no one knows why (he doesn't even get a memorable tune in by accident, nowadays).  

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Wall-E by Thomas Newman

Jeez. Was this score always so good? It doesn't only have some of his more imaginative grooves and colours, but you can tell Newman brought a whole lot of discipline to the table. Something which I haven't really heard in years...

 

Angels in America by Thomas Newman

Color Out of Space by Colin Stetson

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, KK said:

Wall-E by Thomas Newman

Jeez. Was this score always so good? It doesn't only have some of his more imaginative grooves and colours, but you can tell Newman brought a whole lot of discipline to the table. Something which I haven't really heard in years...

 

Angels in America by Thomas Newman

Color Out of Space by Colin Stetson

 



I agree, Wall-E is an incredible score, and I think Angels in America is quite underrated as well.
It may not be that inventive, but it has the good ol' early 00s Tom Newman sound I love.
When he lets his infamous lush/ominous strings kick in, I'm always giggling like an idiot
 

 

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Jumanji - James Horner

 

Fun kiddie score by Horner, mixing Legends of the Fall-style shakuhachis with his trademark action music from that era (Apollo 13, Titanic, etc) and some beautiful pianos from Searching for Bobby Fischer and other kid's movies he was doing back then, as well as a really great main theme. Until the 90s Horner was able to put that much love for a silly kid flick starring Robin Williams and for a prestige drama by Ron Howard or James Cameron, but since the 2000s he grew more and more unsatisfied with the movie industry, and more experimental and personal (House of Sand and Fog, Boy with Stripped Pajamas).

 

Still, I think my favorite kid score he's ever done is probably Casper, much because of Casper's Lullaby.

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Joker by Hildur Gudnadóttir

 

Ok, so after reading here that this thing is getting a full-bodied, orchestral LTP beef-up, my curiosity was piqued again. And again, I struggle to find the compositional intent or question of this work. I admit, some of the isolated timpani/percussion strikes and the eerie cello have effective moments in the film...but for most of the score, I can't comprehend what exactly was written for the strings, other then to oscillate between two ends of a minor third in monophony, and if for the extra big moments, homophony (woohoo!). But hey, I guess you could argue a case for an edgy experimental score that explores the vast emptiness and psychological intimacy within a single minor interval...you know...troubled minds, human condition, abstractions, etc etc...

 

...I might have bought that too, if Marianelli hadn't outclassed him in that department years go...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aside from one dynamic hospital cue, the rest of the score is just more aimless cello soup. And the few times the pulse actually picks up, it's just picking up where Zimmer left it anyway...

 

 

 

Ok. Rant over.

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