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


Ollie

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Lionheart by Jerry Goldsmith

Julius Caesar by Miklós Rózsa

Both terrific scores with stupendously brilliant finales (King Richard, Caesar Now Be Still).

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Did you get your LLL parcel already?

Karol

No,dagnabbit! I really look forward to hearing Blue Max! I bundled it with Cutthroat Island and To Kill a Mockingbird, which are of course not too shabby scores either. ;)

I have a huge list of LLL releases on my "to get" list but I must resist going on a shopping rampage at the moment. On top of the list are the Star Trek scores, Matrix scores and some more Goldsmith.

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While it is kind of an old hat, i say that the different alternates of battle music Goldsmith wrote for that will have you saluting his musical skills: the fugal writing is phenomenal for a 36-year old composer (for academic smartasses: it mixes Strauss with Hindemith). He did at least three different takes on it and all is based on his main theme (as is the love theme and the 'grimness of war' theme). A Tadlow re-recording would be appreciated just for bringing out all the orchestral colors that the old recording denies us.

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I love that extended final battle sequence. It's probably the most striking thing in this score.

I would buy the re-recording too. And while they're at it, please do Inchon as well. It might not be the most fresh thing he ever did, but deserves much better fate.

Karol

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While it is kind of an old hat, i say that the different alternates of battle music Goldsmith wrote for that will have you saluting his musical skills: the fugal writing is phenomenal for a 36-year old composer (for academic smartasses: it mixes Strauss with Hindemith). He did at least three different takes on it and all is based on his main theme (as is the love theme and the 'grimness of war' theme). A Tadlow re-recording would be appreciated just for bringing out all the orchestral colors that the old recording denies us.

Tadlow certainly has a long list of scores to record for us. Blue Max, Jane Eyre, etc... ;)

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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

It might seem like a slightly tired subject on this board so I don't really talk about it all that much any more. I've been listening to this really frequently over the past three months and it might be one of my favourite Howard Shore scores ever. While The Lord of the Rings established the sound and provided us with some really now iconic music, it never got this kind of emotional reaction from me. I especially love how he managed to expand upon the Smaug material from the previous film and converge his themes. It is clearly the centrepiece and that might cause some criticism, for there it is a very different kind of thing to all the heroic tunes that announced each of the previous films. But that might be a good thing. The collection of Woodland themes is another highlight, beautifully showcased in Beyond the Forest. And Laketown, while more low-key, brings to mind the fond memories of other motifs devoted to the world of men. This work flows more easily in its complete form, with more focused narrative that only The Fellowship of the Ring seems to match. It's brooding music, and as such is likely not to appeal to a large amount of people, but I like its earthy and grounded sound - the kind of that makes the world more plausible. Not a John Williams type of writing, which is a good thing actually. I wouldn't want every single fantastical epic film to sound the same. Love it or hate it, but at least it's unique. Many new themes (or developed from the previous film) that Howard added to his library. Can't be more excited for the final chapter. And I'm not even the biggest Howard Shore fan in the first place, you can find many posts of me criticising his Tolkien-inspired music in the past. And yet find myself defending this one. Surprising how things can change.

Karol - who also listened to Tadlow's Conan the Barbarian and The Avengers.

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Heh, just takes a little longer for some people to realize the truth. ;)

Shore's general style is definitely not for everyone (I blame the gloominess of the music mostly on the gloominess of New York which I know all too well), but I always thought there was more than enough brilliant material to balance that out in his Tolkien scores.

Michael - listening to Korngold's violin concerto

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Star Trek V The Final Frontier (expanded)

what sets Goldsmith apart, especially with TFF, is the 'alien' sound early on for Nimbus III. Horner had something slightly similar for Spock but Goldsmith truly makes the music sound like it could honestly have come from an alien environment. Quite fond of "Open the Gates" but a favourite, next to "Cosmic Thoughts", is "A Busy Man" where as the music builds the Klingon theme segues in and swiftly moves into something almost passionate as Kirk and co make their way across Sha-ka-ree.

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Perfect score to listen to when you are depressed (in other words, its really good)

I find there's a few scores that cheer up when depressed. Oddly Star Trek II/III, the 'Kirk Theme' aspects. And other non-Trek, non-Horner stuff.

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It is the Exact opposite to Nemesis in that respect.

Thank you, Strangways, for providing me with an idea for an aural pleasure tonight. :)

Karol

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I listened to Star Trek: Into Darkness and 2009 comparing the mix.

ID sounds fantastic (Still not as good as Williams', Shore's, or Goldsmith's Score recordings though.), 2009 sounds dated, like it was recorded 2 decades ago.

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Krull

Ever since revisiting that movie, I had to listen to that LLL release again. There's just something about how Horner composed this score that just makes it so irresistible -- not just the stellar main theme and all the intertwining motifs -- but there's a genuine sense of otherworldliness and purity in the writing and orchestrations. I notice some minor Khan influences, but this is Horner at his finest. I never get tired of listening to "Ride of the Firemares" and "Epilogue and End Titles."

The score really hits its peaks in the highlights, but I never find it boring. Just splendid.

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Man of Steel - Hans Zimmer

A careful paring-down of this album, eliminating some of the cues that run more towards the "wall of sound/repetitive percussion" realm, results in a really wonderful listen. This is soulful music, and I think the closest that we've gotten to a Zimmer sci-fi score, at least until November. Filled with lush, ethereal textures and soundscapes. Satisfying from a thematic perspective as well, with Zimmer reaching back to his more tuneful 90s incarnation to deliver some real character into a film that I think was mostly devoid of any on its own (sorry Sharky).

The action material suffers from a distinct lack of distinction, which is odd for Zimmer. Doesn't grab me like his Batman stuff did. The "drum circle" is an interesting idea, and adds a welcome acoustic oomph to some moments, but it's a bit grating for the most part - maybe due to the way it's mixed? A bit too bright. Zod's motive is a prototypical low minor rumbling, meh. Similar to the material for Bane, but without making the same level of impression.

It's really in the subtle or heroic moments that the score shines, and brightly enough to nullify those quibbles. I implore you, Zimmer-naysayers: give it a try.

For me, it's easier to list skippable tracks than highlights. You can probably safely ignore:

Oil Rig

All but the last two minutes of Terraforming

Tornado

You Die Or I Do

Ignition

I Will Find Him

Are You Listening, Clark?

General Zod

This Is Madness

Arcade

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Disagree on these.

DNA, after the first 50 seconds or so

If You Love These People

You Die Or I Do

Arcade

I like the Williams-esque progression at end of DNA, outlining the planing first inversion Major 7th chords, heard later in I Have So Many Questions. You could call it 'Krypton in Decline.' If You Love These People is a nice throwback to 90s Zimmer scores like the THE LION KING (and shows how much Zimmer owes to Italian opera - particularly Verdi and Rossini), but it really shines in the last thirty seconds or so - almost a continuation of the hymnal passage from the end of Terraforming. You Die Or I Die and Arcade both contain fucking rip-roaring quotations of the brilliantly effective World Engine motif (which I love), so I give them a pass.

I know the low brass Zod motif is generic and clichéd, but somehow it works for me. I think it's a combination of the ensemble (I'm guessing Hans had 6 trombones and 4 tubas or something similar) and that crunchy AbMaj76 (or CmAddb6) chord it resolves to when Faora steps off the craft. Plus I'm a sucker for C minor.

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I finally listened to Cutthroat Island. It has a fantastic main theme and amazing orchestration but there's very little breathing room. It feels like 70 straight minutes of action music.

Yup.

Yes it is one of those almost non-stop action scores. 2 disc version might offer some better pacing and breathers between the action set pieces. I'll find out once I get my latest order from SAE. There is that whopping 17 minute final battle sequence on it! :)

Jaws by John Williams

E.T. by John Williams

Raiders of the Lost Ark by John Williams

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I can safely skip a good portion of tracks on MoS too. Been meaning to do a better edit for the car actually.

Incidentally, that exotic four note motif which we hear a lot during the Krypton scenes and when baby Supes begins his journey to earth in the pod - what is it? It sounds like synth mixed with electric guitar, a bit Fleetwood Mac. Not an original musical creation but I think it's brilliantly evocative and really, really sci-fi within the context of this movie.

I say it isn't an original sound because I hear it every day on Something Special, a CBEEBIES children's show featuring Mr Tumble. Which was amusing when I first noticed.

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Man of Steel - Hans Zimmer

For me, it's easier to list skippable tracks than highlights.

Don't you get what that means? ;)

Yes, that the listenable material far outweighs the uninteresting stuff!

I can safely skip a good portion of tracks on MoS too. Been meaning to do a better edit for the car actually.

Incidentally, that exotic four note motif which we hear a lot during the Krypton scenes and when baby Supes begins his journey to earth in the pod - what is it? It sounds like synth mixed with electric guitar, a bit Fleetwood Mac. Not an original musical creation but I think it's brilliantly evocative and really, really sci-fi within the context of this movie.

I say it isn't an original sound because I hear it every day on Something Special, a CBEEBIES children's show featuring Mr Tumble. Which was amusing when I first noticed.

At least part of that color is the pedal steel guitar group that Hans recruited. There may be other synths in there too.

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There are about 30-40 minutes of enjoyable stuff on the album. Virtually everything that isn't action music, basically.

Karol - who thinks the finale track is one of the best film music cues released in 2013

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The Last Airbender - James Newton Howard

Brilliant suite of all the best material in the score. Still irritates me that Paramount didn't bother to shell out the extra money to license the choir parts for the soundtrack release. Loses that emotional potency.

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Howard's last great score. I want Shyamalan to finish his shitty trilogy just for the music.

Yes even though it exhibits some Zimmerian influences in the simplicity of its thematic constructs (I guess Howard was going for the Batman Begins-ish "less notes for heroism") it is head and shoulders above the recent JNH fare. It has really gotten better with age I must say.

The Lost World Jurassic Park by John Williams

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by John Williams

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Richard, Koray's talking about making a Last Airbender 2 and Last Airbender 3, to complete the story told in the original Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon series.

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Suite from Memoirs of a Geisha for Cello and Orchestra by John Williams

Simply sublime.

Up next:

The Five Sacred Trees (Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra) by John Williams

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Suite from Memoirs of a Geisha for Cello and Orchestra by John Williams

Simply sublime.

Up next:

The Five Sacred Trees (Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra) by John Williams

OOohh some of my favourite JW concert works! The Bassoon Concerto might be my no 1 JW concerto, vying for that place with the Cello Concerto.

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That second movement (of the bassoon concerto) is phenomenal.

I think the whole piece is phenomenal, especially the third and final movements. The harp and bassoon duet in the 3rd movement is just special in the way it evokes the bardic tradition as was Williams' intention. It is almost like the bassoon is ruminating and telling a musical story on top of the harp accompaniment. But all the movements have their fair share of beautiful moments and the sylvan atmosphere is quite palpable.

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Oh yes, I'm particularly fond of the core melodic idea in the third movement (it's playing as we speak!). Those bardic colours you speak of translate into almost a very somber variation of something like Greensleeves or something. Beautiful stuff.

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Oh yes, I'm particularly fond of the core melodic idea in the third movement (it's playing as we speak!). Those bardic colours you speak of translate into almost a very somber variation of something like Greensleeves or something. Beautiful stuff.

An interesting anecdote regarding the concerto: the initial published version of the concerto was riddled with errors and it took the principal bassoonist of the CSO David McGill, who was going to perform it, to spot the discrepansies and contact Mr. Williams about it. They apparently went through the entire piece on the phone and this way corrected the printed version of the work. :)

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Atonement and Jane Eyre. Fantastic scores. I want more Marianelli.

Also, Troy and Troy - both over- and underscore.

Karol

You should listen to Agora by Marianelli. Such an excellent score.

Oh and which Troy is which Karol? ;)

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In that order, Inky. Although, I should say it is under-underscore in the case of Horner's. ;)

I still think the matter of which score is more appropriate is still open to debate. Not as obvious to me at all. But both offer me some pleasure in their own ways. Yared's is great memorable music, having a potential to become quite iconic, but, having seen some clips set to that score, it sometimes feels a bit... hokey. I know the film itself is actually quite old-fashioned in almost every way, but the music might have pushed a bit too far in that direction I might be a good idea for a concert piece or something, though. Horner, obviously, does introduce his own devices. He was never going to create a classic in 10 days. But, all things considered, this is far from his worst.

I always thought it was funny that the studio threw out the 90-piece orchestra in favour of a 125-piece one in order to address a more intimate aspects of this story. And then replace the lamenting Bulgarian choir with the same Bulgarian choir, wailing female vocal with the exact same wailing female vocal, percussion tracks with percussion tracks. And classically influenced Achilles theme with another classically influenced Achilled theme. They are slightly different, of course, but it seems like a terrible waste of everybody's talent - Yared's and, yes, Horner's, too.

Karol

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I have to agree although I have to say I prefer Yared'a work as pure music more than I do Horner's.

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Yes, of course. I'd like to hear the whole thing, though. The promo/bootleg shows you many highlights, but it seems to lack some downtime to balance it all out.

Karol

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Yes, of course. I'd like to hear the whole thing, though. The promo/bootleg shows you many highlights, but it seems to lack some downtime to balance it all out.

Karol

Sadly it is the whole thing, everything that was recorded apparently, if I remember correctly.

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That's not clear. They spotted the film and it required two hours of music and they spent 3 weeks at Abbey Road recording it. And then he had sessions booked to redo some cues, which never happened. The entire score in its initial form has been recorded, it seems, but they never finished mixing it (there were a lot of overlays, chorus and stuff like that). Except for those 80 minutes that we know.

Karol

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The Cowboys

right at the death it ratchets up as the climax of the film comes closer, "Into the Trap" and my favourite, "Stealing back the herd".

When boys, became cowboys

Another score I would love to see released in complete form.

Rosewood by John Williams: This score has gotten a lot of playing time from me after the LLL complete release. While it doesn't have the grand orchestral sweeping feeling that one very often associates with John Williams it is just this subtlety, feel and style that give it so much substance and interesting atmosphere that is fascinating from start to finish. It is an unusual departure from the Maestro, a smaller scale work where he really captures the South with a very intelligent and deftly constructed fusion of orchestra and solo instruments, most prominently the guitar and harmonica, that really brings out the time and place in the most wonderful way. The trio of gospel songs is another unexpected highlight and yet another aspect of Williams' craft that succeeded in taking me completely by surprise when I first heard the score back in early 2000s. This score keeps better and better every time I listen to it.

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It took a long time for me to fall in love with the music of Lost but I think it happened gradually as I became invested in the characters and the score gave the series such great resonance emtionally and dramatically and was one of the signature elements in creating the Lost experience. The 1st Season soundtrack is still among the best of the whole show. As per usual a lot of small highlights were left off it but on the whole it is a great presentation of the music from the opening season of the show. The rather world weary main theme sounded at first a bit average but now I feel it perfectly captures the essence of the castaways and their ordeal with quiet reserve. One of the best moments on the last season soundtrack is when the main theme rings out so beautifully in Aloha. It really made you feel that the characters had come a full circle and their journey was fulfilled.

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In one of these moods.

I've never heard Lost (though I own the music). Didn't like how this cue first started, but it grew into something quite beautiful. You have me intrigued.

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