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


Ollie

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8 minutes ago, publicist said:

One of the great 'Big Outdoors' movies, 'The Trap' (shot 1966 mainly in the breathtaking wilderness of British Columbia) concerns a beautiful mute orphan girl (Rita Tushingham) who is force-married to rough trapper Oliver Reed. The two outsiders warily grow closer in his hut and weather all kinds of challenges and Ron Goodwin provides the uplifting music. By today's standards it's almost shockingly lyrical, though like with many of Goodwin's works, he's better with establishing shots than with the long dramatic scenes.

 

Still, with so much nature on display Goodwin makes his mark: once you've seen it it's likely you will never forget his glorious main theme (which sounds like a folk song on steroids). Fun fact: You’ll recognise this famous tune as the theme played every year to introduce TV coverage of the London Marathon.

 

We need a proper release of this score.

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Star Trek. I'm working my way through the La-La Land Original Series Box. I've had my library organized by episode for years now but I'm actually listening to it disk by disk in the original LLL order this time. I just finished disc two: The Man Trap / The Naked Time by Courage.

 

This is the first time I've listened to The Man Trap that it didn't feel like a total chore. There are still a couple of tracks that while they are only 5 minutes long seem to last a lifetime. But there is definitely some great stuff in there.

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25 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

We need a proper release of this score.

Is the current release legit but poor sounding? I only know the theme from the (excellent) Goodwin compilation on Chandos. For the most tenuous of reasons (so no complaining or asking for any more detailed justification!) I always considered Goodwin the 60s Silvestri. Great themes but underscore that sometimes felt like it was just marking time. I think that’s probably only true for a handful of their works but the association stuck. Still enjoy them both immensely (and mostly it’s exceptions to my comparison now…).

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ab67616d0000b273047a1e1e0cc81932d3df638d

 

This was a delightful surprise to me, from the often wonky label BSX. An obscure film from 1979, with original, folk-inspired music from the Caucausus and close regions, composed by de Hartmann and arranged by Rosenthal (who's still around at 95, by the way). Shades of CONAN here. Lovely.

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1 hour ago, Thor said:

Not familiar with that. Thanks for the tip! I like myself some Goodwin now and then (his best remains VALHALLA, IMO).

 

My favourite Goodwin remains the non-film Drake 400.

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R-1523687-1225957114.jpeg.jpg

 

Chuck's best movie? In any case, a cool 1985 score by Frank that combines old-school funk with TD-like sequencers and whatnot. Dig it! This is actually culled from another recent BSX release (the "David Michael Frank Collection, Volume 1" or some such thing), but deserves its own album in my iTunes.

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On 25/11/2021 at 3:37 AM, May the Force be with You said:

Real Steel by Danny Elfman

A lovely score that sounded effortless. One of Elfman's best score of the 10' I've listened to

Excellent.

It seems to have become scarce and pricey.

I'll keep looking till I find it

On 24/11/2021 at 11:17 AM, May the Force be with You said:

It's a bit repetitive but the sound needs Mike treatment.

 

Ratatouille by Michael Giacchino

Stunning, probably Gia's finest with Up. If you're not a fan of his music you should try it

It's very fine!

I have the excellent suite on.the PIXAR GREATEST compilation which satisfies

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Penna inspired me to bring this out.

Great stuff; even the title😉

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On 26/11/2021 at 12:21 PM, Thor said:

R-1523687-1225957114.jpeg.jpg

 

Chuck's best movie? In any case, a cool 1985 score by Frank that combines old-school funk with TD-like sequencers and whatnot. Dig it! This is actually culled from another recent BSX release (the "David Michael Frank Collection, Volume 1" or some such thing), but deserves its own album in my iTunes.

It's a well made action film.

Way above his usual output.

Directed by the same guy who did the fantastic THE FUGITIVE!

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In honour of the new LLL release: one of the last remaining biggies from Hollywood's golden years without a *proper* deluxe (or legal cd) edition, and for Newman it's probably the last. The story is familiar: from 1942 to 1944 a group of dutch jews hid in the attic of a house in Amsterdam. 13-year-old Anne Frank experiences the fear of the persecuted, their desperate hope of rescue, their weaknesses and disputes, but also their tenacity and solidarity.

 

The laconic, matter-of-fact style of the real diary is - in true Hollywood style - pumped up into a big, conventional tearjerker, restrained a bit by great actors. Newman's score, by itself, is a hearfelt, flowering piece of romantic south-californian straightforwardness, something he delved into with a lot of passion. This emphasizes the film's weaknesses at key points: the music in the Anne/Peter scenes is borderline saccharine, and their waltz-like theme on a thousand high strings is anything but timeless. 

 

But these aesthetic complaints aside, it's a real wonderful piece of work: Newman travelled to Holland because he was so touched by the spirituality of the story. And several of his themes, chief among them the main title tune, musically capture the longings of the oppressed families - listen to 'Families in Hiding' for a delicate musical portrayal of a  montage, with many painterly woodwind fingerprints that recall later John Williams and James Horner stylistics. The other cue i will point out is the longest, 'The Dearness of you, Peter'. Newman again demonstrates his spectacular talent for heartfelt string writing, guiding us into a big emotional release coming after the 6-minute mark, which is abruptly cut-off by a menacing horn chord, reminding us sharply whose story this is.

 

The score provides four themes: Anne's Theme, a a solemn yet impassioned faith theme, and the aforementioned waltz theme. The old LP offered 38 minutes of score, a perfect length, but this being a Fox Cinemascope roadshow picture, the usual luxuries as entr'actes, exit and intermission musics and such are of course a must. As a nice bonus, the LLL releases offers many variations of cues that differ between LP and movie, but most importantly the somewhat muffled original elements are going to sound better than ever, which for me always is the first criterion why i update. Take this as an encouragement not only to devote time the zillionst re-release of the scores of your formative years. The old saying 'the older the wine, the better' may not be always true, but in this case, i'd say it is.

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Warlock by Jerry Goldsmith.

 

I don't recall why I added this CD to my collection, perhaps because it got a nomination for a Saturn Award!

 

It have it's moments!

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Trent Resznor & Atticuss Ross - Gone Girl

 

This is my favorite score from the Oscar-winning duo. It's an electronic nightmare that is pretty compelling to listen and works great in the movie. Should've been nominated back in 2014.

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Skyfall by Thomas Newman

After dozens of listening I've never been able to really like it, just found it so-so until now. This score is truly terrific with great action cues, my favourite titles remains Tennyson, simply gorgeous...

 

Spectre by Thomas Newman

Far better than what's heard in the movie, I found the music frankly boring and uninspired in the movie which is weird because the first half of the album really shows the contrary, with inspired and beautiful cues. The second half however is sadly closest to the movie...

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A Spider-Man afternoon:

 

Spider-Man by Danny Elfman

Solid score with great cues but perhaps a too heavy instrumentation that lack a bit of subtlety.

 

Spider-Man 2 by Danny Elfman

Far better than the previous one, there's more nuances here, the action writing is still as good but the more quiet moment are accompanied by a more suitable music. Elfman's third best superhero score for me.

 

The Amazing Spider-Man by James Horner

Far more discret than the Elfman run, this score is truly wonderful, dreamy and soft. Less efficient in the movie it's however a more interesting listening experience.

 

Spider-Man: Homecoming by Michael Giacchino

Light and fun, this score (and its sequel) is certainly the one that suits the best Peter Parker.

 

Spider-Man: Far From Home by Michael Giacchino

A terrific score in the vein of the first one but this time Mysterio's theme is absolutely magnificent and really catchy. My favourite Spider-Man score so far 

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3 hours ago, JNHFan2000 said:

Thunderball - John Barry

Going through all the Bond scores again. No one did it like Barry! He is the only one who was able to make suspense music kind of sexy.

Agreed. It's just a shame that the film is such a snoozefest.

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Hey, dude, horses for courses.

The  section starting from when Bond gets to the Bahamas, is such a mess. It's re-cut, and faffed around with. The continuity makes no sense, and there's even at least one shot (probably more) flopped.

The usually reliable Peter Hunt really messed up.

The cinematography, on the other hand, is nice, and the underwater SCUBA battle so unique that no-one's even attempted to copy it.

I just wish that it had the pace of FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, and the style of GOLDFINGER.

One good thing...Luciana Paluzzi could kill me any day :)

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Battlefront by Gordy Haab

A nice pastiche of Williams Star Wars music with a bit too much action cues which make the listening experience too intense but I guess it's the purpose of the game

 

Battlefront II by Gordy Haab

Terrific score, Williams pastiches are still great and this time the score has more variety which is far more pleasant.

 

Jedi: Fallen Order by Gordy Haab

Far more personal than the two Battlefront, Haab shows here that he's quite talented with a solid score, inspired and in the spirit of Williams writing without falling too much in the pastiche.

 

I really hope that one day LucasFilm will give him a show or movie to do because he deserves it

 

On to Squadrons and Jedi Temple Challenge.

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Danny Elfman - Batman (Complete)

I had forgotten how much I love the complete version of this.  What a joy this score is!

 

 

Michael Giacchino - Spider-man: Far From Home

 

Listened after seeing it mentioned a few posts above.  I've never gotten tired of this score since it came out and have listened to it pretty regularly since, but this time I was paying more attention to the themes and how often they are used.  Can't wait to see what he has in store for a 3rd venture into this world!

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20 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Thomas Newman - The Help

 

Newman doing what he does best: small, intimate scores for synth, piano, strings and some quirky instruments. Reminded me of Shawshank's Brooks Was Here and Fried Green Tomatoes. Lovely score but not his best on the decade.

 

After being such a huge fan of the two previous scores you mention (those two are really the foundation of my love for his music) I was hugely disappointed by The Help, and really I still am.  It's firmly in the "more of the same, but not as good" Newman.

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2 hours ago, Tallguy said:

I found myself wondering as I was listening "What makes something 'Americana'?" Because I'm pretty sure this is it, right?

 

Coplandia, rather.

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3 hours ago, Tallguy said:

Lincoln.

 

I've still never seen the film. But what a gorgeous score.

 

I found myself wondering as I was listening "What makes something 'Americana'?" Because I'm pretty sure this is it, right?

 

1 hour ago, publicist said:

 

Coplandia, rather.

 

Indeed!  Although that very specific sound that Williams pulls from for his Americana scores is present in just a few pieces of Copland's output, but they are of course generally his most famous (minus the Clarinet Concerto).

 

 

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2 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

After being such a huge fan of the two previous scores you mention (those two are really the foundation of my love for his music) I was hugely disappointed by The Help, and really I still am.  It's firmly in the "more of the same, but not as good" Newman.

Yeah, The Help is not very memorable indeed. Its best parts are still far behind of Newman's best.

 

Have you tried Tolkien? I listened to it on the other day and I loved it. It's probably Newman's best score since Wall-E or something.

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41 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

Yeah, The Help is not very memorable indeed. Its best parts are still far behind of Newman's best.

 

Have you tried Tolkien? I listened to it on the other day and I loved it. It's probably Newman's best score since Wall-E or something.

Passengers and Bridges of Spies were pretty good too but the last really memorable Newman's score remains Skyfall IMO

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I wasn't much of a fan of Passengers when I first heard the album, but then I watched the movie (which is pretty bad) and the score works wonderfully with it. If I were an Oscar voter back in 2017, I easily would have voted for TN.

 

His Bond scores were okay, but the Oscar nom for Skyfall was really weird. It should've been Shore for AUJ... lol.

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1 hour ago, May the Force be with You said:

Passengers and Bridges of Spies were pretty good too but the last really memorable Newman's score remains Skyfall IMO

 

I never cared for SKYFALL, personally (the score, anyway, I like the film). But since that year (2012), there have been many fine TN scores that have secured their place in my collection -- BRIDGE OF SPIES, HE NAMED ME MALALA, THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, VICTORIA & ABDUL, TOLKIEN and LET THEM ALL TALK.

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ab67616d0000b273be9f531975e56648fa19de18

 

Between this lovely 2017 score and the absolutely brilliant sampler album SELECTED WORKS (2015), I've been meaning to check out more Solomon Grey. Love the slightly minimalist, ethereal, at times post-rock vibes. But I've never gotten around to it. Something for 2022.

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13 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

Santa & Cie - Mathieu Gonet

 

The search for a great undiscovered (by me) Christmas score continues.  I don't see myself listening to this one ever again though.

 

 

Your prayers have been heard!

 

 

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ab67616d0000b2735ab5821c6a1d2f1e7cb0aa8c

 

I wasn't a big fan of the TALES FROM THE LOOP series, but I wish they had used Stålenhag's own, gorgeous, Vangelis-like music (or something similar to it) instead of the tired minimalism they ended up using (reviewed by me here). So this isn't a soundtrack, technically speaking, but it kinda also is -- Stålenhag providing music to his own artwork.

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I'm surprised this one's barely mentioned on JWFan. OK, it's on the lighter side, and the the effect of the high pitched percussion can be discussed, but the score sets a wonderful atmosphere. I think this is something @Thor would like.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

I'm surprised this one's barely mentioned on JWFan. OK, it's on the lighter side, and the the effect of the high pitched percussion can be discussed, but the score sets a wonderful atmosphere. I think this is something @Thor would like.

 

 

I understand, why you like it. The string ostinati at the beginning sound pretty much like "The Presses Roll" from The Post.

Or wait. I think, it's rather Battle of Heroes from Revenge of the Sith?

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