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


Ollie

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I liked Heartbeeps as a film. Nothing excellent, but there certainly wasn't anything outstandingly terrible about it. It was so dorky and corny, but I appreciated that, oddly. I don't think it's a score that you really need to see the movie to get, but I liked the score more seeing exactly how it matched up.

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Data, are you mad? How can "The Helicopter Rescue", "Chasing Rockets", and "Turning Back The World" not be up there with the best of the best????!!!!

They're up there with the best, but not with the best of the best. In the period from...say, 1977 to 1984, Williams wrote some of my favorite action music (and other types of music) of all time. The bar is incredibly high. Superman has many of the same hallmarks, but it never quite "gets there" for me. It's got amazing standout moments, and the major themes are easily among his best, but the score as a whole can't compare to the truly superlative work you hear in some of his other scores from that period. In my opinion, of course.

"Superman", like the film, has more heart and soul in it, than all 6 "Star Wars" films, and all 4 "I.J." films put together.

:lol: How about we keep things simple and just compare the first film of each franchise.

Star Wars: Amazing.

Raiders of the Lost Ark: Amazing.

Superman: Cute in a dated and endearingly over-earnest sort of way. The visual effects suck.

We could do the same with the music, and it stacks up similarly. Especially the part about the visual effects. :cool:

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Superman is a good movie and a marvelous score. I really don't judge Superman for its special effects. They look fine and in certain cases, like the trippy Krypton explosion/earthquake scene where all the people are falling majestically into a glowing red ice cavern abyss (like something out of a Bond opening credits sequence), cooler than anything they do nowadays with CGI.

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Data, are you mad? How can "The Helicopter Rescue", "Chasing Rockets", and "Turning Back The World" not be up there with the best of the best????!!!!

They're up there with the best, but not with the best of the best. In the period from...say, 1977 to 1984, Williams wrote some of my favorite action music (and other types of music) of all time. The bar is incredibly high. Superman has many of the same hallmarks, but it never quite "gets there" for me. It's got amazing standout moments, and the major themes are easily among his best, but the score as a whole can't compare to the truly superlative work you hear in some of his other scores from that period. In my opinion, of course.

"Superman", like the film, has more heart and soul in it, than all 6 "Star Wars" films, and all 4 "I.J." films put together.

:( How about we keep things simple and just compare the first film of each franchise.

Star Wars: Amazing.

Raiders of the Lost Ark: Amazing.

Superman: Cute in a dated and endearingly over-earnest sort of way. The visual effects suck.

We could do the same with the music, and it stacks up similarly. Especially the part about the visual effects. ;)

Two things I don't understand (past your lack of appreciation for the score ;) ): "The visual effects suck". How, exactly? This movie was part of the revolution Star Wars kicked off, and as absolutely groundbreaking (and to me still holds up really well). It seems an odd thing to go after. Also, your second comment about the visual effects after saying you could rate the music similarly. Can you extrapolate further?

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Magnolia by John Brion

Want to hear your thoughts on this.

I believe we already exchanged opinions on this matter some time ago. But anyway, this is one of the most listened to albums in my collection for some reason. It's the kind of Hans Zimmer (but better) meets Tchaikovsky. I always liked all the longer tracks. Anyway, on the DVD making of documentary there is a very cool clip of someone walking around the scoring stage while recording some of these passages.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Tywker/Heil/Klimek

While this is certainly a very pleasant album and the music works well in the film, I still can't get over the fact Berliner Philharmoniker would be involved with this project. They performance is top notch, of course, but the music is clearly well below the standards. It's almost embarassing, given how many excellent scores could benefit from this kind of treatment. A waste of their time, this is.

Karol

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Data, are you mad? How can "The Helicopter Rescue", "Chasing Rockets", and "Turning Back The World" not be up there with the best of the best????!!!!

They're up there with the best, but not with the best of the best. In the period from...say, 1977 to 1984, Williams wrote some of my favorite action music (and other types of music) of all time. The bar is incredibly high. Superman has many of the same hallmarks, but it never quite "gets there" for me. It's got amazing standout moments, and the major themes are easily among his best, but the score as a whole can't compare to the truly superlative work you hear in some of his other scores from that period. In my opinion, of course.

Well said Joe, I basically mirror your sentiments exactly.

I don't think Williams dropped the ball with Superman, or composed a score that didn't perfectly suit the film, or a score that doesn't work well on its own. It just simply doesn't grab me personally the way that the other big ones from that same era do.

Could it be because I didn't grow up watching the movie over and over again as a kid, like I did with Star Wars and Raiders? Maybe. I also didn't grow up watching E.T. over and over again (though I did first see it as a kid of course), however that score is amazing. The final 15 minutes is the most sublime and emotional *music* in the world.

I dunno.

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M:I 3. Good, very fun score. I think there's often too much going on, but it's a really nice take on melding Schifrin with Giacchino's own (less defined) sensibility. Not nearly as successful as Elfman, but then again De Palma does give a composer more room for subtlety than Abrams.

Defiance. Boooring. I sure do wish JNH would wake up.

Appaloosa. Jeff Beal may not be the most distinctive composer, but he's come up with really nice themes for the Ed Harris movies he's done. This one really sounds like a vintage Goldamith or Bernstein western theme from the 60's, both in melody and orchestration. Don't have too much use for the rest of the score aside from a couple of tracks, but it's a very nice title track.

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Two things I don't understand (past your lack of appreciation for the score :P ): "The visual effects suck". How, exactly? This movie was part of the revolution Star Wars kicked off, and as absolutely groundbreaking (and to me still holds up really well). It seems an odd thing to go after. Also, your second comment about the visual effects after saying you could rate the music similarly. Can you extrapolate further?

I was being tongue-in-cheek about the visual effects. :P I do think they're pretty badly dated, and I do think it's yet another category where Raiders and Star Wars have it beat, but it's not particularly relevant to the discussion. And again, it's not that I don't appreciate the score. I just think that the bar was so incredibly high in that time period that only the very, very best of scores could possibly hope to measure up to that. I can't put Superman on that level. It's "merely" an awesome score. :)

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I've listened to the following recently:

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (20th Anniversary Edition)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Home Alone 2 (Deluxe Edition)

A Charlie Brown Christmas

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The Superman score > All our Moms.

Sorry, to mine included, but you know.

This man speaks truth.

Today for me so far (stuck at work):

The Great Movie Score of Steven Spielberg- I really enjoy this CD. I love the Sugarland Express track.

Superman III (Blue Box) - First Superman film I saw and Superman is what hooked me on film music as a young kid.

Conan (new Prague version)

As I type: Father of the Bride (Silvestri) - I love this score.

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Conan the Barbarian by Basil Poledouris: A fine score indeed but I still have to get into this one even though you would think it is an extremely accessible score. Parts I adore but some I am less keen on. Perhaps I will learn to like the whole score one day.

Jaws 2 by John Williams

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by John Williams

The Edge by Jerry Goldsmith

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Alexander by Vangelis

It indeed sounds like a cheesy porn music at certain places.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus by Danna brothers

I find it strange that it never mentioned by anybody. It is easily one of the best scores of the year. Eclectic like Goldenthal, but much more subtle. I love it.

Karol

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It was released by Silva Screen. At least in Europe. But no, wait, it had to be released in the USA as well, because I actually ordered the CD from Screen Archives.

Karol

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The Accidental Tourist ... while imagening that Williams had just died. This thought truly enhanced the emotion of the music and it's an approach I can strongly recommend.

What are you waiting for?!

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The Accidental Tourist ... while imagening that Williams had just died. This thought truly enhanced the emotion of the music and it's an approach I can strongly recommend.

What are you waiting for?!

I'm trying this approach with "POTC". No such luck, though... :lol:

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The last score I listened to was the complete version for Star Trek Nemesis.

I gotta say back in 2002 when the score first came out, I really couldn't get it into all that well. Which is a bit unusual considering I'm a Trekkie and it was done by my favorite composer. When the nearly complete score surfaced that is what actually helped me like it a lot more than I first did. The selections on the OST were a bit baffling at best. I know Townson praised the OST but at the same time many people were turned off by it and now I can see why.

Like with most Star Trek score releases, the OST leaves the best bits off the album. The expanded score had all the best bits (minus two important cues) and to me the previously unreleased material really helps the listening experience for the score.

"Preparing For Battle" (aka Battle Stations), "The Battle Begins", and "Team Work" are probably the three best previously unreleased cues for the score and my personal favorite ones.

If Varèse ever decides to release an expanded version of this score, I hope they do it right and release it all.

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Conan the Barbarian by Basil Poledouris: A fine score indeed but I still have to get into this one even though you would think it is an extremely accessible score. Parts I adore but some I am less keen on. Perhaps I will learn to like the whole score one day.

Which bits are less than engaging for you? Are you finding the expansion to be less satisfying than the OST program, or have you always been a little less enthused about parts of the score? For me, it's a solid score, and I plan to pick up the re-recording, but I too don't love it the way some others seem to.

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Megamind by Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe

A harmless little score by Zimmer and Balfe. Nice listen, but nothing special.

Welcome To The Rileys by Marc Streitenfeld

Was surprised by this one. Great score. Streitenfeld is the best thing to come out of RCP since John Powell.

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I listened to Superman the Movie as well, and found I enjoyed the 2nd half as much, if not more than the first half (surprise, surprise!) :P

Really, there's a lot to love in part 2 of this score. Here's a few moments I particularly enjoyed:

The Mugger - This track has that slimy villain texture. There's a cue from Lost In Space that reminds me of this, but I can't recall the title.

Helicopter Sequence - How this never made the 2LP, I'll never understand. I love how Williams dots the "Superman" march with the extra note. (you'll hear it at about 4:15)

Chasing Crooks - I love the way the orchestra tears this one up. It's so frantic and crazed. I remember hearing this for the first time on the Rhino CD and it was a revelation to hear it stripped of SFX from the shootout and car chase.

The Flying Sequence - Every time I hear this without Margot Kidder's narration, it feels like a treat. Every time. (Driving in my car, listening to the cue, I thought we ought to have a contest where JWFan Board Members each record their own karaoke version, host them somewhere, and we all vote on them. :lol: )

Clark Loses His Nerve - This cue is just so beautiful. I love the way it and The Penthouse bookend the Flying Sequence. Just a perfect epilogue filled with such heroism and humanity. It was neat how Ken Thorne got a lot of mileage out of the "Clark Reveal" motif.

The Truck Convoy/Miss Tessmacher Helps - I just love this martial sound that Williams used to employ (1941, CE3K). That and the pizzicato over the low strings. God, I wish he'd still use that technique.

To the Lair - This one is such a work of art, it's incredible. The orchestra can barely keep up. I love the Man of Steel fanfare that pops in at 1:05. It has this sweeping "metropolitan" texture to it. The music is much bigger than what you see on screen. Certainly puts wind in Superman's cape. (Again, props to Ken Thorne for a delightful expansion of this for Superman II's "Clark Fumbles Rescue")

Trajectory Malfunction/Luthor's Lethal Weapon - There's this eerie moment at about 1:00 in, just prior to the Kryptonite reveal, where there's a quiet moment of drum and a little chime. I just love that. Shivers, man. Then of course there's the wonderful use of the hyper-charged ostinato at the end of the cue.

Chasing Rockets - Just a great reminder of how joyous action music can be.

Superfeats - Oh, baby!

Pushing Boulders - Great statement of the noble sounding "B" theme

The Prison Yard - 1:15, listen to how Williams "lands" Superman when he drops off Luthor and Otis! A great technique used later for both Hook and Buckbeak. 1:46 - Williams uses three very long notes before the ostinato begins. It's as though he's punctuating the conclusion to the greatest comic book fantasy ever. It's a bird. It's a plane. Hell, yeah, Warden... I'm Superman.

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Good man, Hedji! A masterpiece, start to finish.

Yeah after reading Hedji's post I have to listen to the score yet again. :P

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Good man, Hedji! A masterpiece, start to finish.

Yeah after reading Hedji's post I have to listen to the score yet again. :P

Never mind SUPERMAN, where does that great DRACULA avatar come from?

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Good man, Hedji! A masterpiece, start to finish.

Yeah after reading Hedji's post I have to listen to the score yet again. :P

Never mind SUPERMAN, where does that great DRACULA avatar come from?

You really have the bloodsucker on the brain these days, don't you. :lol:

Conan the Barbarian by Basil Poledouris: A fine score indeed but I still have to get into this one even though you would think it is an extremely accessible score. Parts I adore but some I am less keen on. Perhaps I will learn to like the whole score one day.

Which bits are less than engaging for you? Are you finding the expansion to be less satisfying than the OST program, or have you always been a little less enthused about parts of the score? For me, it's a solid score, and I plan to pick up the re-recording, but I too don't love it the way some others seem to.

I have to say that I was never a fan of the OST or even the expanded version before the complete score came out. Partly perhaps because I do not like movie so much and the context is not very enticing. Even that can affect perception of the music. Of course you don't have to take context into consideration when listening to the music on its own but on the OST album I viewed this score at first disjointed, a string of only loosely connected individual setpiece moments. The expanded tracks on the Varese album contained some more affecting moments but again not so that I would have been converted. And it did not make me want to listen to it over and over again, in other words it is not make a very strong impact on me.

Later after listening to it some more it became more interesting and there is thematic development which ties the pieces together, Conan's own theme being the main musical idea that passes through many developments throughout. But in the end no amount of thematic development or orchestral complexity is not enough if the music isn't compelling in itself to you and sadly the musical world of Conan does not completely enthral me. What is bothering me in this is that this music is very accessible and still it has not fully convinced me. I guess we all can't like everything and my brain is wired so that I do not find this as the all time film music classic others think it is. To me it is a good and solid score and I am happy to say it has gotten better over the years.

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I bought it simply because I enjoyed the Varese release so much that I was mad at listening to a downloaded version of it because I could not give Varese $20 for it, and did not wish to give $40+ to a private airhead just for the right for the plastic to sit on my shelf. The Prometheus/Tadlow recording can now supplant the Varese.

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I spent about an hour or two tagging all three Amazing Stories albums to load onto my iPod, so I'm finally giving them a shot after six weeks of owning them.

Say what you will about Filmtracks' owner, but his site provided the full list of episodes and tracks to upload into MP3Tag. Sweet.

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About halfway through the Lost: The Final Episodes release. I'm not overly familiar with the show (though I did watch the finale) so I can't match up the music to the show, and it's my first Lost CD so I don't really know the themes yet, but I am LOVING this. Giacchino has written quite a few very strong film scores, but this and the Medal of Honor series are going to stand up forever as possibly his best works. I can't wait to pick up the rest of the Lost releases.

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I made my way through the Ron Jones box over the past week and a half, devouring the notes and listening to each disc twice. Apart from several very good episode scores (and I ordered Best of Both Worlds from amazon, I'm excited to hear it) I don't think I like it very much. But I feel like that's the fault of the show's producers... When I listened to his game scores on the final disc I was blown away, I wonder what he could have done if given more creative control? He knows his stuff and I'm sure the music is very effective in the show, but as a listening experience it left a LOT to be desired. Oh well.

On the other hand I listened to Capricorn One today and enjoyed it very much, and tomorrow I'll finally get to hear the new Conan recording!

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The Bourne Identity. The melancholy bassoon theme (well, a little more than a motif really) heard in Main Titles should appear more often (in the film and the score), it fits the character and the story itself perfectly - as does the majority of the rest of the score.

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