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

[Marian Schedenig 10,069]

1 hour ago, Tom Guernsey said:

The Homecoming which sounds like a Mahler adagio.

 

Adagietto, rather. I'm sure it's intentional. Anyway: Great score.

[Mr. Lovejoy 7,978]

I'm relaxing in a hotel in New Mexico. Today in between Rogan episodes I listened to The Patriot, Godzilla and Hook Ultimate Editions. These are all exceptional releases of great scores but beyond their complete film presentations, these sets start to fall apart with all the random alternates and such when listening chronologically on CD. But those are the bonus features anyway. Finally we have the complete Pick 'Em Up!

[Meredith McKay 7,783]

37 minutes ago, Mr. Lovejoy said:

I'm relaxing in a hotel in New Mexico. Today in between Rogan episodes I listened to The Patriot, Godzilla and Hook Ultimate Editions. These are all great releases but beyond their complete film scores, these sets start to fall apart with all the random alternates and such. But those are the bonus features anyway. Finally we have the complete Pick 'Em Up!

They are the main attraction.

[Mr. Lovejoy 7,978]

I heard David Arnold influence in some Patriot alternates and it occurred to me while listening to Godzilla that some of that stuff could have ended up in the temp track.

[Tom Guernsey 3,191]

19 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

Adagietto, rather. I'm sure it's intentional. Anyway: Great score.

Ah, that's why they never ask me to conduct it... I always take it too slowly ;-) But yes, great score!

[Marian Schedenig 10,069]

4 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

Ah, that's why they never ask me to conduct it... I always take it too slowly ;-) But yes, great score!

 

Ha! But my point (just in case it was too obscure) was: At least as far as I recall (it's been a while since I listened to Cobb), it reminded me specifically of the Adagietto from Mahler's 5th.

[Tom Guernsey 3,191]

24 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

Ha! But my point (just in case it was too obscure) was: At least as far as I recall (it's been a while since I listened to Cobb), it reminded me specifically of the Adagietto from Mahler's 5th.

The opening of the Cobb cue is indeed like the Mahler 5 slow movement, albeit with a full orchestra rather than just strings and harp, but it's a pretty general paraphrase and soon goes in its own direction. An absolutely rapturous standalone cue though. 

[Thor 9,304]

 

Quite eclectic, but mostly an elegant film noir-type score with brooding melodicism. Definitely a highlight of 2011.

[Mr. Lovejoy 7,978]

Hook (Disc 3)

 

This thing really was originally going to be a musical, wasn't it? They made the right decision aborting that idea. It's an interesting archival disc, but I may never listen to it again. At some point during Hook's song, I had to mute it because I was in line at a Border Security checkpoint and looked like an ass. How embarrassing. During the terrible Never song (get it, it's Neverland so the words are Never Never Never, how clever), I audibly exclaimed "Jesus Christ Almighty" in horror, but then I remembered I was in God's country.

 

The Legend of JW (various discs)

 

This is a pretty good compilation! The remastered Disaster tracks are mostly good, but the ending of the Towering Inferno is a bit wonky. I like the Oliver Stone disc. Nixon really predicted a lot of the SW prequel music. Just listen to the Miami Convention and you can hear the evolution of the Palpatine Emperor declaration scene, the Queen's ship landing and other dramatic music. That Imperial March-esque motif could have been used for Anakin attacking the temple. Also, BOTFOJ has the ghostly Sith vocals from TPM.

 

I'm going to listen to the E.T./Always disc next as I make my way across the great state of Texas.

[Ninoners 35]

While I am working from home today, got the expanded Mask Of Zorro going on my home system while the movie plays in silence.  Sort of a made up isolated score setup, although not perfectly synced.  I am ok with that since it's more for background anyway.  The score is indeed great, as many on here have said over the years. 

The movie has really aged well.  While it has received considerable praise and was pretty successful in 1998, it sill is somehow underrated in my opinion.  This is THE template for the "older legacy character passes mantle" trope.  I know a lot of people have commented on Anthony Hopkins casting (both on his being British and his age), but honestly if you are projecting an older Guy Williams from the TV series, he was prefect casting.  And Banderas was the most no brainer casting decision since Jack Nicholson as the Joker.  Sometimes it IS so simple as to pick the obvious choice.

[Thor 9,304]

 

Warm and dark and twangy all at once, I love this classic score. I think I saw the film years and years ago, but have forgotten most of it, sadly.

[Edmilson 10,347]

A Walk in the Clouds - Maurice Jarre

 

 

A movie with such a gorgeous cover and romantic name could only inspire a great score, right?

 

Well, it's indeed pretty and nice to hear, if a bit aimless at times.

 

The Last Boy Scout by Michael Kamen

 

 

I remember back in the late 2000s/early 2010s when reprises of this movie used to air A LOT on cable TV. Sometimes in more than one channel (ah, the good ol' days of cable). Still, I never saw it.

 

It's good, even if a bit less energic than other Kamen's late 80s/90s action scores. Still, it's unmistakably him.

 

Also listened to the complete Die Hard with a Vengeance. I'm slowly going through every major Kamen score in his short but remarkable career. 

[Mr. Lovejoy 7,978]

Jurassic Park (OST)

 

This was the first JW CD I got where the tracks were out of movie order. It's still a good album, but a bit repetitive when it comes to the main themes. Welcome to JP would have been fine as the end credits, but that's the way he wanted it heard.

 

Indiana Jones disc (Legend of JW)

 

This is kind of a strange disc. Heavy on concert versions with some extras thrown in. Could have used Desert Chase, although it has the extended Indy's First Adventure.

[Naïve Old Fart 11,512]

A selection of music by Georges Auric, on BBC Radio 3.

It's very playful and very pretty, but I'm afraid that it doesn't do much for me.

Ho hum.

[Mr. Lovejoy 7,978]

Licence to Kill (2CD)

 

Well, that was awesome but certainly too much music. I actually enjoy the original album, including the song, but I'm sure a perfect compromise can be achieved. I really like the bonus source music on this one. The most Floridian Bond movie and score.

[crocodile 9,130]

 S.W.A.T. by Elliot Goldenthal. Now this is how you do a badass thriller action score that satisfies modern appetite but doesn't fall on its arse artistically. 

 

Karol

[Mr. Lovejoy 7,978]

The Legend of JW

 

Boston Pops compilations, Dracula, The Fury and also the cool single director collaboration disc which was pretty well assembled. I forgot all about Sleepers, the weird dark movie where Kevin Bacon rapes the kids in the basement. Many of these dramatic films JW scored are obscure, basically forgotten.

 

I'm now listening to The Patriot again because it's a great score. Better than Harry Potter. Really makes you want to go out and kill some redcoats.

[crocodile 9,130]

 Star Wars: The Acolyte. Say what you want about the show (it's not good, no matter how you slice it) but there's definitely some solid stuff in the score. The full album doesn't hold up as a listen, it's true. At 3 hours and 41 minutes (not counting the horrid songs), the music often meanders aimlessly. The thematic material, while present, is bit too subtle to hold the attention for this much time, especially when it doesn't attach itself as clearly to specific characters.  And there are quite a few ideas running through. Even the infamous "power of one" chant plays better on album (perhaps because it's divorced from images). It's actually threaded through the score as a thematic element, right from the very beginning. What also doesn't help the score is that there are quite a few stylistic elements at play, ranging from martial arts to classic John Williams sound. I suppose some of it makes some sense in terms of the period when it takes place and how the story tries to counterbalance (badly) some of the ideas established in the series already. So, yes, it feels watered down even more. The good news is there is tons of material to choose from, and you can create a much tighter playlist and improve the flow considerably and flesh out some ideas. As it stands, the music is not perfect by any means, but I would still give it at least a chance. It's easily the best thing to come out of this whole thing. At the very least, it is one of the few scores in the Disney era that actually attempts to honour the sound of John Williams in any way. And when it does, it's actually fairly successful.

 

Karol

[Edmilson 10,347]

A League of Their Own by Hans Zimmer

 

For more than once I thought I accidentally put on one of Randy Newman's Pixar scores lol. As this is my first time listening to this score, I didn't know Zimmer had tried this jazzy Americana style before.

 

I miss Shirley Walker. Not only she was a great composer on her own but she did knew how to make Zimmer's (and Elfman's) orchestral music sound great and organic. 

[Mr. Lovejoy 7,978]

Star Wars: The Ultimate Edition

 

Great sound quality on this release. It felt really shitty opening this one up because it was so mint and the sticker boasting about all the additional music is so charming. It's a collector's item. Despite the film edits and the generally gapless playback, this set flows very smoothly. It's over before you know it. 

 

Episode One has seemingly almost wall to wall underscore but I feel despite the eclectic variety and overall quality of the score, I prefer The Patriot, which also works well in expanded format. There's so much great dramatic music and masculinity in its action material.

[HunterTech 1,495]

[Maglorfin 213]

Bill Conti - For Your Eyes Only

John Barry - Moonraker

George Martin - Live And Let Die

Hans Zimmer - No Time To Die

Murray Gold - Doctor Who

Elliot Goldenthal - Titus

John Barry - Out of Africa

[Naïve Old Fart 11,512]

That's a nice - and eclectic - selection, @Maglorfin.

TITUS is not an easy listen, but it pays dividends.

[Tom Guernsey 3,191]

Enjoyable, slightly jazz infused thriller score, Roadkill by Harry Escott. The main theme is oddly reminiscent of David Shire's The Conversation and thus also of Theodore Shapiro's music for Severance.

 

I do kinda wish Hugh Laurie would occasionally go back to more comedic roles though...

 

[Maglorfin 213]

17 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

TITUS is not an easy listen, but it pays dividends.

 

Very true!

[HunterTech 1,495]

[HunterTech 1,495]

[HunterTech 1,495]

[filmmusic 2,575]

 

Not my cup of tea, but good for background music while browsing in the internet. 

Why I think the older Zimmer like this, is more original than the latest Zimmer?

[Naïve Old Fart 11,512]

8 hours ago, filmmusic said:

Why I think the older Zimmer like this, is more original than the latest Zimmer?

I'm with you, on this.

There aren't many people who frequent this site who don't know what I think about... this composer, but I am fond of things such as RAIN MAN, THELMA AND LOUISE, and GREEN CARD.

He was more accessible and far less repetitive, back then.

No BRWAAAAMMMs, either.

[Lady Dimitrescu 9,722]

Love thy neighbour

[filmmusic 2,575]

 

Something different than the usual Hollywood stuff.

I knew some pieces from the past.

Quite good for its genre..

[filmmusic 2,575]

 

Not among my favorite Goldenthal from the sessions I listened to.

I don't know if the ost program would change my mind.

[filmmusic 2,575]

 

Charming little score..

[filmmusic 2,575]

 

At last, I listened to an organic film score, where the whole thing is tight-knit by a single theme (very animation Horner-like I must admit, but that's OK).

Usually, all the latest film scores I hear are like they are scored scene by scene individually, without having any thought of the general whole..

Highly recommended!

[Maglorfin 213]

Harry Gregson Williams - Kingdom of Heaven

John Barry - Goldfinger

Vangelis - Alexander

[Edmilson 10,347]

Alan Silvestri - Beowulf

 

This score is so much better than I remembered. At first sight, it might look like your typical Silvestri action score, but there's quite a lot of depth in here, especially on the themes, how they are built and evolve. Some really interesting use of colors and orchestration to represent the themes, including synths (which actually predicted Silvestri's work on G.I. Joe and The Avengers).

[thestat 493]

Trevor Jones, inventing a new style of mayhem. London Symphony. Jones would use this action stuff on everything he did since. But why not - it is absolutely spectacular, and in another world, this music would be winning a Pulitzer .....

[Jay 42,232]

On 09/05/2025 at 3:46 AM, Mr. Lovejoy said:

Finally we have the complete Pick 'Em Up!

 

It's cool to hear the whole song and realize every line was said by Ace and Don't Ask, then repeated by the rest. And then watch the movie and see how Spielberg cut it down within an inch of its life, often cutting from the lead part of one line to the repeat part of another, and also moving the sword training and body painting scenes into a montage when they used to be separate scenes.

[filmmusic 2,575]

   

Decent to lovely. I don't understand though why to re-record these particular scores.

I guess they are for Goldsmith completists, but I bet there are many masterpieces out there in need of a re-recording.

[Edmilson 10,347]

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (2020 Intrada)

 

This is really good. Back when I first heard this expanded edition I found the score a bit aimless and overlong. But now that I'm more accustomed to Michael Kamen's style I can say I really love this score. It has great themes, beautiful emotional moments, powerful action.

 

The romantic moments are outstanding, and I love the little pastoral theme from "Robin Gives Marian his ring" and "Duncan's Death". On the other hand, the main theme is a classic (I finally managed to disassociate it from that annoying Disney DVD ad) and the way it is used and deconstructed in the score is awesome. The action music is great and sometimes surprisingly brutal, like in the Celtic Battle cues.

 

Probably his best score ever. And despite the main program being 132 minutes long, I still can't get tired of Kamen's music! This leads us to...

 

Crusoe (1988)

 

I was expecting an adventure score and what I got was this atmospheric music with a hint of exoticism. The cover says "Music Composed and Conducted by" but there barely seems to be any orchestra, just harp, oboe and synths dubbing in for strings. MK brings back a theme from Highlander, while also predicting the music he'd write for the romantic scenes in Prince of Thieves.

 

It's a pretty relaxing and beautiful album that I want to revisit more times.

[GerateWohl 5,875]

Got this one proposed by Spotify and it's really not bad.

Michael Price is the guy who collaborated wìth David Arnold on Sherlock and Dracula.

Nothing memorable, but I am not bored while listening.

[Yavar Moradi 3,504]

On 24/05/2025 at 8:31 AM, filmmusic said:

Decent to lovely. I don't understand though why to re-record these particular scores.

 

Isn't "lovely" reason enough to re-record lost film music though?

 

On 24/05/2025 at 8:31 AM, filmmusic said:

I guess they are for Goldsmith completists, but I bet there are many masterpieces out there in need of a re-recording.

 

Well yes, unlike with the Intrada Kickstarter campaigns where they are trying to spread the love around to various different film composers, recording lost Goldsmith scores in particular is the exact point of this "Jerry Goldsmith Anthology" Kickstarter-funded series from reconstructionist Leigh Phillips. As with us at The Goldsmith Odyssey podcast, Goldsmith is our friend Leigh's #1 favorite composer and he is donating all of his time and effort into doing these projects for the Goldsmith fan community, only looking to have the additional expenses (primarily recording) covered which is part of why his funding goals have been so modest compared with other new film music recording Kickstarter campaigns.

 

As for why these specific Jerry Goldsmith scores were tackled, well the Pursuit/Crawlspace unreleased TV movie score pairing won a public poll of film music fans last year, which I conducted for Leigh here/FSM/Facebook:

https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=156339&forumID=1&archive=0

 

After that option won the poll, I suggested The People Next Door to Leigh as a suitable stretch goal, being another unreleased TV movie score from a few years earlier done as a favor for the same producer friend responsible for Crawlspace (which for me is the closest of the three scores to "masterpiece" status). Could I have suggested one of the other two unreleased Goldsmith TV movie scores from the early 70s instead (Indict and Convict or Do Not Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate)? Sure. But I'm still hoping the original tapes for Indict and Convict survive in the Universal archives for a label like Intrada to premiere, and Do Not Fold is maybe my #1 least-favorite Goldsmith feature film score of all time.

 

So yeah... I suspect the option won the poll mostly because of Pursuit, which has historical importance as the film that launched the Goldsmith/Michael Crichton professional collaboration and friendship. Are there other Goldsmith recording options which I would have preferred Leigh tackle after the excellent series Jerry Goldsmith at The General Electric Theater? Yes, to be honest I was hoping for Jerry Goldsmith at The CBS Radio Workshop, since almost none of Goldsmith's fine radio work has ever made it to album and his final work for that show, "1489 Words", I regard as his very first real masterpiece (done in early 1957 before he'd even scored a single film). I think it's greater than any of the three scores on this fine new album, to be honest... but it's also more obscure, so I'm not surprised that my preference didn't win the poll (it did better than I expected to be honest, finishing a strong third).

 

Anyhow I do appreciate you listening to our humble album of unreleased Goldsmith TV movie scores and writing about them here, and I'm glad you enjoyed them even if they didn't exactly blow you away.  Here are Intrada's covers for them done by this board's talented @Steffromuk, in case you're interested:

 

(He also did a "bonus" cover for The People Next Door but I don't have it easily at hand to share at the moment. Maybe he'll post himself?)

 

Yavar

[Steffromuk 584]

3 hours ago, Yavar Moradi said:

 

 

Anyhow I do appreciate you listening to our humble album of unreleased Goldsmith TV movie scores and writing about them here, and I'm glad you enjoyed them even if they didn't exactly blow you away.  Here are Intrada's covers for them done by this board's talented @Steffromuk, in case you're interested:

 

(He also did a "bonus" cover for The People Next Door but I don't have it easily at hand to share at the moment. Maybe he'll post himself?)

 

Yavar

you mean this one:
 

[Yavar Moradi 3,504]

7 minutes ago, Steffromuk said:

you mean this one:

 

Indeed, though like Leigh I've come to prefer your variant with the title in the center.

 

Yavar

[Tom Guernsey 3,191]

Terminal Velocity. Fun 90s Joel McNeely effort which I always remember being reviewed in one of the old film music review books along the lines of "...with hints of John Williams, but then it breaks out some electric guitar riffs. John Williams never did that!" (Until he did, unexpectedly, in Attack of the Clones).

 

On that note, when (say) an orchestral composer is asked to write a crazy arse electric guitar solo, do they go and consult with a rock guitarist and write it down as though it were a violin part. Or, do they almost leave a gap in the score and ask the guitarist to riff in a particular style/key for however many bars is needed, and effectively end up with a semi-improvised solo? I appreciate that someone like Hans who plays guitar can probably communicate his intentions (and probably play some version of what he wants himself) but I'm sure there are plenty of orchestral composers who wouldn't know where to start writing for rock guitar (for example).

 

Caveat, I have no idea if Joel McNeely is a rock guitarist. I'm assuming not.

 

[GerateWohl 5,875]

29 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

On that note, when (say) an orchestral composer is asked to write a crazy arse electric guitar solo, do they go and consult with a rock guitarist and write it down as though it were a violin part. Or, do they almost leave a gap in the score and ask the guitarist to riff in a particular style/key for however many bars is needed, and effectively end up with a semi-improvised solo? I appreciate that someone like Hans who plays guitar can probably communicate his intentions (and probably play some version of what he wants himself) but I'm sure there are plenty of orchestral composers who wouldn't know where to start writing for rock guitar (for example).

Good question. But since composers like Hans Zimmer, David Arnold or 

Ramin Djawadi play electric guitar themselves they either just play a sample that might get interpreted by their notation software or they use their sample or the write the plain notes and leave remarks for the player like FUZZY FLOYD SOUND or something like that.

Just guessing.

[Bespin Copilot 9,556]

John Williams - The Legend (2023)

• CD1 & 2: Boston Pops Highlights
• CD3: Early Scores

[crocodile 9,130]

 Black Gold by James Horner. Very nice album, one of the better ones from his final years. I particularly love this cue:

 

 

Also listened to composer's All the King's Men earlier. Another very good album.

 

Karol

[crocodile 9,130]

 Moon Knight by Hesham Nazih. Good and often overlooked MCU score. From what I remember, the show wasn't too heavily scored so the album must be very comprehensive. But because the material feels bit monochromatic when presented all together, the presentation is bit on the long side. But I can always create a shorter one so all is good.

 

Karol