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

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

5 hours ago, Thor said:

He's great at themes and development, yes, but I think there's a lot of variety in his scores as well. My favs include EXCALIBUR, NATE AND HAYES, THE LAST PLACE ON EARTH, RUNAWAY TRAIN, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, G.I. JANE, DARK CITY, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, LOCH NESS, AEGIS and his highly impressive "comeback score" in 2021, TO TOKYO. Not a bad apple in the bunch. (If you miss CLIFFHANGER, that was a fav in the 90s, but less enthused today).

 

I was referring to the Mohican/Cliffhanger theme.

[Schilkeman 963]

I just got the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves expansion, and am enjoying it immensely. It’s amazing how much better Everything I Do sounds coming from a medieval band, it’s quite beautiful. 
 

This is probably the best this score is capable of sounding. It’s extremely dry, and sounds like most of it was recorded in a closet, but the music is so good, I don’t really care

[Bespin 8,480]

You know my fascination about making "short programs" using expanded scores!

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

54 minutes ago, Schilkeman said:

It’s extremely dry, and sounds like most of it was recorded in a closet...

 

Out of interest, where was it recorded?

1991, and from your description, I'd say CTS.

[Brónach 1,302]

1 hour ago, Schilkeman said:

I just got the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves expansion, and am enjoying it immensely. It’s amazing how much better Everything I Do sounds coming from a medieval band, it’s quite beautiful. 
 

This is probably the best this score is capable of sounding. It’s extremely dry, and sounds like most of it was recorded in a closet, but the music is so good, I don’t really care

 

I need this

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

I saw it, first! 

[Bespin 8,480]

Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!

[GerateWohl 4,357]

True Grit - Elmer Bernstein (Tadlow Re-recording)

 

I realize again and again, that I am struggling from time to time with the genre of Western scores (as with the movie genre). First thing, I don't like when they sing in western scores, especially choirs. But I like great memorable melodies, I like good dark villain themes and good action writing. All that is the case here. Really a brillant outstanding genre piece. And the best thing: No choir. And the song is ok.

Easily in my top five best Western scores.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

22 minutes ago, Bespin said:

Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!

 

 

[Bespin 8,480]

A wanted to make this since a long time ago, making a compilation of Golden Age stuff, using all the "Anniversary" Varèse Sarabande Compilations.

 

Here it is:

 

[Tom Guernsey 2,284]

1 hour ago, Bespin said:

A wanted to make this since a long time ago, making a compilation of Golden Age stuff, using all the "Anniversary" Varèse Sarabande Compilations.

 

Here it is:

 

The selection of golden age re-recordings from Varese's splurge in the 90s makes for a really nice compilation. In Session, which is entirely made up of re-recordings, is an excellent 2CD collection and mirrors much of what you've included.

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

2 hours ago, Tom Guernsey said:

The selection of golden age re-recordings from Varese's splurge in the 90s makes for a really nice compilation. In Session, which is entirely made up of re-recordings, is an excellent 2CD collection and mirrors much of what you've included.

 

Yes, as it says on the Album column.

[Tom Guernsey 2,284]

10 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Yes, as it says on the Album column.

Quite right, but some good additions from other re-recorded albums too. I own In Session, but to save on duplication simply put the album together using the tracks from the original albums with one exception, Moon River which I think may have been recorded especially for In Session - at least I don't know where it's from otherwise!

[Bespin 8,480]

2 hours ago, Tom Guernsey said:

Quite right, but some good additions from other re-recorded albums too. I own In Session, but to save on duplication simply put the album together using the tracks from the original albums with one exception, Moon River which I think may have been recorded especially for In Session - at least I don't know where it's from otherwise!

 

Moon River that's from a whole jazzy piano album dedicated to Henry Mancini and recorded by Michael Lang.

 

BTW, here's the sequel to the first compilation!
 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

That's a much better selection than Vol. 1.

[Bespin 8,480]

1 minute ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

That's a much better selection than Vol. 1.

 

I didn't have the choice of the material, just the sequencing!

[Tom Guernsey 2,284]

10 minutes ago, Bespin said:

 

Moon River that's from a whole jazzy piano album dedicated to Henry Mancini and recorded by Michael Lang.

 

BTW, here's the sequel to the first compilation!
 

Thanks for the info re Moon River and another fine selection there!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

30 minutes ago, Bespin said:

 

I didn't have the choice of the material, just the sequencing!

Well, yeah, I know. It's still a spicy meatball.

[Bespin 8,480]

OK the last one for today

 

[JNHFan2000 2,959]

The Cider House Rules - Rachel Portman

 

Wonderful score. One of her best

[filmmusic 1,826]

Score minus the songs.

 

Besides the mickey-mousing which I'm not a fan of (but since this is an animation film with comic reliefs, it is inevitable), this is a great score!

I simply love the opening theme (why they chose again to put the narration??!) and Death of the beast and Transformation are two highlights for me, with Escape from the West Wing , Wolf Attack coming right after.

[Bespin 8,480]

Listening to a short program of Silence of the lambs by Howard Shore.

 

Baaa baaaaaa!

 

[Tom Guernsey 2,284]

1 hour ago, filmmusic said:

Score minus the songs.

 

Besides the mickey-mousing which I'm not a fan of (but since this is an animation film with comic reliefs, it is inevitable), this is a great score!

I simply love the opening theme (why they chose again to put the narration??!) and Death of the beast and Transformation are two highlights for me, with Escape from the West Wing , Wolf Attack coming right after.

Have to agree about some of the mickey-mousing in the score, which can be a bit distracting especially considering how good the more serious (and more gently humorous) parts are. Still, great to have the rest of the underscore for one of Menken's finest efforts, including the songs which I always listen to - Belle is one of my favourite songs, musical or otherwise, of all time and, along with Bells of Notre Dame from Hunchback, made me think all musicals should start with a 5 minute song that introduces the characters, story and setting.

 

Almost all of the 90s legacy collection releases have had at least one annoying "comic" section - here it's the silly excerpt from Here Comes the Bride (the Wagner wedding march), Hunchback the few bars of the Wicked Witch of the West's theme from Wizard of Oz (the bit with flying gargoyle monkeys) and The Lion King the silly Hula song in the middle of the final battle. It's a shame they couldn't have been programmed out/left as bonus tracks; no idea if they were written that way, but they seem more edited in. Along with some of the weird pacing between tracks, it gives the legacy editions the appearance of isolated scores rather than well curated expanded soundtrack albums. Still, that's the least of the problems with some of them as has been well documented...

[Edmilson 7,436]

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade by JW

 

I love this score so much! It has everything a film score fan could want: great action, wonderful themes, amazing setpieces...

 

Demolition Man by Elliot Goldenthal

 

It's good, but I'd place below stuff like Alien 3, Sphere and his two Batmen scores among Goldenthal's 90s fantasy/sci-fi music

[Jay 37,352]

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade's score is better than everything

[filmmusic 1,826]

I'm not into this kind of music (although it's good for background while you're doing something else), but why I think Zimmer is more original in his older scores that his new ones?

[Faleel 5,346]

33 minutes ago, filmmusic said:

I'm not into this kind of music (although it's good for background while you're doing something else), but why I think Zimmer is more original in his older scores that his new ones?

Probably because he hadn't spawned tons of protégé yet?

[Indianagirl 298]

On 04/03/2023 at 12:43 PM, Thor said:

 

This score is such a "warm blanket" everytime I listen to it, and perfect for a cold Norwegian Saturday evening, with a glass of red wine. Yes, it has a lot of Tchaikovsky in it, but Bruns & co. play around with it in a delightful way.

That's a perfect description. I really like the idea of listening to that with a glass of red wine looking out at a snowy Norway. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

3 hours ago, filmmusic said:

 

 

It might surprise JWfaners to know that I actually like this score. I always couple it with RAIN MAN, another score of his that I'm partial to.

I can see the headlines now:

"Naïve Old Fart in 'I Like Hans Zimmer' Shock".

Bet you didn't expect to wake up to that 

[Thor 7,495]

 

Never understood why Milan opted for a grainy b/w cover; makes it look like a xeroxed bootleg cover. Be that as it may, it's still a delightful Faltermeyer score, tapping into some of the New Jack Swing styles that were popular at the time.

[Thor 7,495]

 

Mann is a great orchestrator and excellent composer; a shame his career never really took off from the very promising 90s period. But this -- along with ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS, DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT and the Thomas Train movie -- shows off his chops.

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

33 minutes ago, Thor said:

 

Mann is a great orchestrator and excellent composer; a shame his career never really took off from the very promising 90s period. But this -- along with ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS, DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT and the Thomas Train movie -- shows off his chops.

 

Thomas the Tank Engine, you mean?

[Thor 7,495]

Yeah.

[ThePenitentMan1 743]

3 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Thomas the Tank Engine, you mean?

 

Thomas and the Magic Railroad, to be precise.

 

 

[Edited for clarity]

[Bespin 8,480]

Jerry Goldsmith by Nic Raine on this rainy morning.

 

 

[Tom Guernsey 2,284]

30 minutes ago, Bespin said:

Jerry Goldsmith by Nic Raine on this rainy morning.

 

 

That first one isn't bad at all; I remember thinking it was one of the first Silva compilations not featuring music by John Barry that was generally pretty good. Yes, some of the performances are a bit ropey at times (Star Trek in particular doesn't come out brilliantly and Under Fire is a bit limp compared to the original) but some are great, notably a nicely strident Capricorn One, a terrific suite from the Omen as well as including a number of tracks that were originally on the long out of print Master's Film Music album from the late 80s (which Silva made more generally available). However, it's not a patch on the Blue Max follow up, truly one of my favourite film music collections outside of anything conducted by Charles Gerhardt.

[Bespin 8,480]

What I love is that the Essential collection + The 2nd CD of "The Blue Max" rerecording makes a pretty good Jerry Goldsmith Anthology!

[Tom Guernsey 2,284]

30 minutes ago, Bespin said:

What I love is that the Essential collection + The 2nd CD of "The Blue Max" rerecording makes a pretty good Jerry Goldsmith Anthology!

It does - although you could pad it further with the 40 Years of Music 4CD set should you so choose but those two combined are a pretty good summation of his work, even if there are classics aplenty missing (I mean none of them feature anything from Planet of the Apes!

[Bespin 8,480]

The two albums I picked are generally "recommended", plus I don't find their "definitive" 4-5 CD sets to be very interresting.

[bollemanneke 3,342]

Started the Matrix 2. LOOOOOOVE the brass writing.

[Edmilson 7,436]

Lady in the Water - JNH

 

I used to have with this score the same problem I have with Silvestri's The Abyss: it's usually boring until the cathartic ending. But listening to it now, I can admire even the most subtle parts. And yeah, the finale is still a powerhouse. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

I agree... with @Tom Guernsey.

THE ESSENTIAL JERRY is a bit hit-and-miss, but when it hits ("The Bees Arrive"), it's brilliant.

Tom, I've never heard a rerecording of any segment of PLANET OF THE APES which comes within several hundred miles of the majesty of the original.

 

[Bespin 8,480]

I'm not a particular fan of the City of Prague Philh. O, but there are some albums of them which are recommended so I mention them!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

Bes, one could do far worse than THE ESSENTIAL JERRY.

Some of the JW "best of"s are embarrassing.

[Bespin 8,480]

I was about to show my two favourites JW's best-of!

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

They're good, but there's a lot out there that, to describe them as "shit", would be doing a great disservice to excrement.

[Bespin 8,480]

With all this great music this morning, the sun will be back, I'm certain.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

1 minute ago, Bespin said:

With all this great music this morning, the sun will be back, I'm certain.

Come to where I live, and say that 

[Bespin 8,480]

Try it!!!

[GerateWohl 4,357]

Hour of the Gun - Jerry Goldsmith

Black Patch - Jerry Goldsmith

 

Two precious Goldsmith western jewels. Two scores, that I like particularly because they are on the one hand clearly western scores, but not actually celebrations of the western genre itself, but rather suspenseful and dark and Black Patch in addition beautifully romantic, for me probably Jerry's most romantic score, at least the one that works best for me emotionally.

Two of my absolute Goldsmith favourites. 

Both great re-recordings.

 

Btw. each of these albums has exerpts of an additional score. "Hour of the Gun" has "Red Pony", "Black Patch" has "The Man". Both don't do that much for me. They are fine, but that's pretty much it.