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

[Jay 45,338]

Yea it's great

[publicist 4,650]

 

Unfortunately, no hitherto-unknown late masterpiece was unearthed with James Horner's rejected 2013 score for 'Romeo & Juliet' (Abel Korzeniowski took the honours). Written around the same time as 'For Greater Glory' it shares the formers perplexing fixation on extreme self-recycling, though R&J easily wins the race. 

 

Laying low outright romance, Horner instead opts for slavish facsimiles of two cues, namely 'Sneakers's technoid Playtronics Break-In (complete with saxophone danger motif, crashing pianos, screeching strings and angelic voices) and 'The New World's All is Lost (right down to the chord progressions), adding very little that makes R&J stand out on its own, especially thematically. What this curious combination adds to a medieval Verona setting might be answered by someone who has seen the movie (few did), it also might gives us a clue why it was thrown out.

 

Comparing it to Korzeniowski's Desplat-light approach, one might as well ask what exactly the filmmakers had in mind. However the circumstances, it's the one subject i couldn't imagine Horner to fail, but he did. Bummer.

[Xander Harris 9,219]

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,361]

On 5/18/2020 at 9:33 AM, Disco Stu said:

I've listened to this 3 more times since Friday.  I'd say it's the most criminally underrated/under-listened-to score of the last couple years.  This is immediately one of my 3 or 4 favorite McCreary scores.

I've listened to it twice since your recommendation and it's really quite good! The opening track and Riding Bikes are getting ample plays here lately.

[Disco Stu 15,517]

Those are the highlights for sure and cover the main themes.  The whole score is really fun to listen to and has a clear narrative structure too.

[crocodile 9,531]

Listened to the following complete scores today at work:

 

Raiders of the Lost Ark

The World Is Not Enough

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (+ alternate score)

 

And also on my way to work I was listening to The River OST album.

 

Karol

 

[Incanus 5,884]

Legends of the Fall (Intrada) by James Horner

 

The River (Intrada) by John Williams

 

 

[crocodile 9,531]

57 minutes ago, Incanus said:

Legends of the Fall (Intrada) by James Horner

 

The River (Intrada) by John Williams

 

 

So what do you think about the Horner expansion then?

 

Karol

[Xander Harris 9,219]

James Horner Collage

 

It's one of my favorite albums. 

[Incanus 5,884]

9 hours ago, crocodile said:

So what do you think about the Horner expansion then?

 

Karol

Well Legends of the Fall has in common with many of the other Horner expansions in that the OST already contained most of the lengthiest pieces in the the score and the expansion offers more of the shorter connecting cues between the big sequences. But these little variations on the major themes are a welcome addition even if they do not radically alter my perception of the score (I already like the score very much) in the way e.g. Jerry Goldsmith's The Ghost and the Darkness did. I purchased this score both because I really like the music and to support Intrada in these trying times.

[crocodile 9,531]

Heard bits of the new interview with Doug Adams and Jim Ware that TheOneRing.Net posted today and that made me want to listen to those at work:

 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

 

Phew, that's over 6 hours!

 

Karol

[Kasey Kockroach 2,664]

My trimming and rearranging of Child’s Play 2.

 

[Jurassic Shark 16,147]

Here's mine:

 

[crocodile 9,531]

 Willow by Robert Schumann, Sergei Prokofiev and Sergei Rachmaninoff adapted and conducted by James Horner

 

Karol

[Naïve Old Fart 12,742]

RATFLMFAO!

Post of the week!

Ps, don't forget Mozart!

[Disco Stu 15,517]

Bill Conti’s score for The Thomas Crown Affair is seriously underrated.  Some hidden classic cues in there.

 

 

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,361]

Creed and Creed II by Ludwig Göransson

Not a bad choice for the Discord's first planned listening session in a few months (thanks for joining again @SteveMc and @Holko). Göransson's unique blend of styles spanning from hip-hop to top-notch orchestral writing is on full display here. We edited out the dialogue from the first OST and skipped the hip-hop songs from the second (kept Runnin obviously, as it's a further testament to the scores fantastic sound pallet) so it all played out rather smoothly. Looks like we might shoot for Black Panther next time, to keep on the Ludwig train, which'll be fun.

 

also...

 

Rim of the World by Bear McCreary

The Bourne Identity by John Powell

The Bourne Supremacy by John Powell

The Bourne Ultimatum by John Powell

Jason Bourne by John Powell

The Da Vinci Code by Hans Zimmer 

Death Wish by Ludwig Göransson

Escapades for Alto Saxophone & Orchestra by John Williams (ah, that hits the spot!) 

[SteveMc 2,687]

Romeo and Juliet by James Horner

So, I guess I've got to go with the prevailing consensus I guess.  Tis pleasant, but not really a classic by any means.  It's just Horner being Horner, and he was Hornered better in other places.  Similarity and self-quotation abounds in a lot of his music, but here a unique identity, some new musical purpose or thematic tie in with the film seems to be missing.  Apart from a couple of cues and the love theme/song, it simply does not sound like it was made to accompany Shakespeare.  It kind of feels like the score for a dramatic live action Balto or American Tail or something.

[gkgyver 1,647]

49 minutes ago, SteveMc said:

It kind of feels like the score for a dramatic live action Balto or American Tail or something.

 

That sounds a bit disturbing 

[SteveMc 2,687]

 

1 hour ago, gkgyver said:

 

That sounds a bit disturbing 

The former would end being a feel good family flick, the latter would have humans instead of mice, obviously.

 

[Edmilson 11,772]

28 minutes ago, SteveMc said:

The former would end being a feel good family flick, the latter would have humans instead of mice, obviously.

 

 

Live action American Tail would have humans playing mice through motion capture, with results similar to last year's Cats. 

 

Speaking of which, I've hear Fievel Goes West today. The first one is better, but this is still pleasant and charming. I miss this Horner that knew how to have fun.

[SteveMc 2,687]

His animation scores are the peak of his work.

[gkgyver 1,647]

Just listening to this. 

I don't believe for a second producers care about a composer repeating his own material.

I think Horner's music was too intricate and intelligent for the producers. Seriously. 

It's exactly the kind of score that's classical and well written that people with no taste and understanding call "outdated". 

I tried to listen to the replacement score by AK when it was released, and to me it's emotional wallpaper. Good emotional wallpaper, but wallpaper. Wouldn't listen to it ever again because there's nothing to latch on to. 

Horner did the same thing AK did, but with more class. Way more class. 

I can hear why Horner got replaced, and not in a good way. 

[SteveMc 2,687]

2 minutes ago, gkgyver said:

Good emotional wallpaper, but wallpaper. Wouldn't listen to it ever again because there's nothing to latch on to. 

Horner did the same thing AK did, but with more class. Way more class. 

I can hear why Horner got replaced, and not in a good way. 

This is correct

[gkgyver 1,647]

AK's score has one very good theme that has very few moments. One. The rest is full of modern scoring tropes. The kind of mechanical string and piano churning that makes me whince and roll my eyes. 

Horner's score doesn't sound like it was written for Shakespeare? 1. I beg to differ, and 2. if that were the case, AK's score doesn't sound like that either and then some. 

[SteveMc 2,687]

Well, Abel's score's merits or issues are not what I am talking about.  A lot of Horner's score sounds more swashbuckling and even action oriented rather than romantic and dramatic.  

[publicist 4,650]

Horner's themes are not very good, apart from the ransacked 'Playtronics Break In', especially the love theme is weak. In the end, it's probably more a problem o the movie, which frankly looks ridiculous.

[crocodile 9,531]

 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by James Newton Howard. I like this score and I don't. I never really have the urge to listen to it  but there are some really good themes in this - especially as presented in the suites at the end of the DE album. I think what Howard does really successfully is establish a different location in which this story takes place. While the other 8 scores had a more European flair this one definitely feels American. But it's still the same universe. And while I can't say that I exactly love this the score it is definitely stronger than the last four scores in the Potter film series. As a whole package anyway. Those had more memorable individual moments but were not as consistently well crafted.

 

Karol

[Edmilson 11,772]

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

 

*puts on the OST on YouTube*

 

*track 1 starts*

 

Me: What the heck that cartoon music used in commercials for Cartoon Network when I was a kid is doing here?

 

Kleptomania aside, this is one of Horner's funniest scores. If you manage to forgive his stealing, it's a very entertaining score.

[KK 3,310]

5 hours ago, crocodile said:

 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by James Newton Howard. I like this score and I don't. I never really have the urge to listen to it  but there are some really good themes in this - especially as presented in the suites at the end of the DE album. I think what Howard does really successfully is establish a different location in which this story takes place. While the other 8 scores had a more European flair this one definitely feels American. But it's still the same universe. And while I can't say that I exactly love this the score it is definitely stronger than the last four scores in the Potter film series. As a whole package anyway. Those had more memorable individual moments but were not as consistently well crafted.

 

Karol

 

Scores like this really frustrate me. Because there are clearly some really lovely ideas, they always seem to inevitably get buried by generic blockbuster tropes. And I know JNH is capable of better than that.

[Incanus 5,884]

56 minutes ago, KK said:

 

Scores like this really frustrate me. Because there are clearly some really lovely ideas, they always seem to inevitably get buried by generic blockbuster tropes. And I know JNH is capable of better than that.

 Agreed wholeheartedly.

[crocodile 9,531]

 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald by James Newton Howard. If the first score was occasionally bit on the generic side this one is probably even more problematic. This is actually only my second listen as I didn't like it at all when it first came out. Honestly, it is not that bad. There is some strong material in there. The problem lies in the more introspective and increasingly modern sound that Howard decides to employ in this more suspenseful film. There are some good variations on the old film and a couple of nice new ideas. It's solid, just not as remarkable as it should have been.

 

Also listened to Hidalgo earlier. Now, this is a very good James Newton Howard score. It might not be one of his major titles but in my opinion it is better than many other more popular works from the composer. It's a curious mix of western (genre too) and eastern influences. The album, while brief, is enjoyable from start to finish. I was told there is a lot of worthy material missing so I'd be really happy to have an expanded set being announced sometime soon. 

 

Karol

[publicist 4,650]

 

 

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,361]

Succesion by Nicholas Britell

The album for Season 2 was released digitally on Friday, so I listened to both seasons in, well, succession. Together they make for an easy-to-dig-into serving of Baroque tendencies with a modern edge (see hip-hop). Season 1 is an enjoyable assortment, albeit mostly comprised of variations of the main title and end title themes. While these many iterations are superb, Season 2 takes a different path, maintaining the same sound but adding a healthy amount of completely unique cues to the repertoire. Highly reccomended!

[LSH 1,098]

THE ELEPHANT QUEEN - ALEX HEFFES

 

The guy has rather a few African-flavoured scores under his belt (THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, MANDELA: THE LONG WALK TO FREEDOM, QUEEN OF KATWE and the heartbreaking THE FIRST GRADER - which I was lucky enough to hear a live extract from in Ghent back in 2012).

 

This one is mostly more light-hearted but still has moments of subtle beauty. I'm a fan.

[Sir Hilary Bray 235]

Not a score as such but for no reason went through my library plucking any SW track with the Imperial theme in so for example "Clash of Lightsabers" or McNeely's "Destruction of Xizor's Palace."

 

 

[Xander Harris 9,219]

[publicist 4,650]

 

To get in the mood...

[Naïve Old Fart 12,742]

It's a great score, to be sure, but...in the mood for what, Pub? Easter's gone, and Christmas is almost seven months away.

There's Ascension and Pentecost, but that's just about it.

[publicist 4,650]

Tadlow, you fool!

[Naïve Old Fart 12,742]

Ah, yes. Tadlow you fool.

[crocodile 9,531]

I've never heard of Something went wrong, please try again later score. Any good?

 

 The Fellowship of the Ring. Even people who dislike this have to admit for a 3-hour work this flows exceptionally well.

 

Karol

[crocodile 9,531]

The Two Towers

The Return of the King

The Great Train Robbery

Alien

The Aviator

 

Karol

[Jurassic Shark 16,147]

2 minutes ago, crocodile said:

The Great Train Robbery

 

Is it great?

[crocodile 9,531]

3 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Is it great?

Yes, it is really good.

 

Karol

[Jurassic Shark 16,147]

 

The Really Good Train Robbery

[Marian Schedenig 11,412]

It's the best score about a robbery.

[Jurassic Shark 16,147]

...that involves trains.

[Naïve Old Fart 12,742]

...and Crystal Palace 

 

 

 

14 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Is it great?

Yes! It's damn good!

[LSH 1,098]

DA 5 BLOODS - TERENCE BLANCHARD

 

First listen... very impressive so far.