Jump to content

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


Ollie

Recommended Posts

Jerry Goldsmith - Papillon (1973)

 

With The Way we Were and Cinderella liberty, I've created a temporal loop stuck in 1973. Waouuuuu!

 

20221005_210933.jpg

 

(I know, that's not the best sounding release of it)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Avatar - James Horner

I got to watch the film on cinemas for its re-release, and then went straight to listening to the score again. I think it's one of my personal Horner favorites, and being able to experience it in cinemas, with the score blasting through the speakers was such a great experience. I know we can argue that there's not much originality in here, and some of his main themes are derived from his previous work, but this is what Horner did, and I'm okay with that, since he manages to present them in new, interesting settings.

 

He gets so much mileage of the main love theme, with lots of different variations, but my favorite without a doubt is the complete development of the idea in "Becoming One of The People / Becoming One with Neytiri", which remains as one of my favorite Horner cues, because it's one of the first ones that introduced me to his music. And then we have all the different Na'vi themes, and I really love how he explores theme in action settings in "Gathering All the Na'vi Clans" and of course in the astonishing cue that is "War", which always manages to give me chills, and it's one of my favorite pieces of music ever.

 

And I think this score benefits from a more complete listening experience, since the album assembly, while great on its own, misses a few key pieces worth having (Thanator Attack or Quaritch Down are two that instantly come to mind). Great score, and I cannot wait to hear what Simon Franglen does with this musical universe!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

12 hours ago, Andy said:


I have, for the most part not had JNH land on my radar.   As a child of the 70s and 80s, I felt that films and scores of the 90s had dipped in quality. JNH seemed to personify the cinematic sound of the decade.  Theme-ish, but rather trailer-like for the time. 
 

That said, I’m giving his work a second listen, and that started this week with Alive  , which I listened through twice.  It’s short of delightful, but quite good.  Pretty amazing that I remember the “Saved” melody from the trailers and end credits after almost 30 years.   It’s a pleasant listen, and I’m really glad I gave it a chance. 
 

Next up is a revisit of Waterworld.  I’m thinking I should check out Kong, and then what?

 

Treasure Planet and Atlantis.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Andy said:


I have, for the most part not had JNH land on my radar.   As a child of the 70s and 80s, I felt that films and scores of the 90s had dipped in quality. JNH seemed to personify the cinematic sound of the decade.  Theme-ish, but rather trailer-like for the time. 
 

That said, I’m giving his work a second listen, and that started this week with Alive  , which I listened through twice.  It’s short of delightful, but quite good.  Pretty amazing that I remember the “Saved” melody from the trailers and end credits after almost 30 years.   It’s a pleasant listen, and I’m really glad I gave it a chance. 
 

Next up is a revisit of Waterworld.  I’m thinking I should check out Kong, and then what?

Signs, go to Signs before all other JNH

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Bespin said:
  • The Dark Night (shared with Hans Zimmer)
  •  

I wouldn't say that one is essential for new JNH fans. He pratically only did the Harvey Dent theme and the cue for the final confrontation between Dent, Batman and Gordon. All the rest was Zimmer + his gang. 

 

Believe, there's countless other better JNH scores than this to discover.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Andy said:

Next up is a revisit of Waterworld. I’m thinking I should check out Kong, and then what?

 

You can't go wrong with the triple threat of Signs, The Village, and Lady in the Water (my personal favourite JNH). That early to mid-2000s Shyamalan period remains his best work, I think.

 

In more recent memory, A Hidden Life is another one worth checking out, although definitely more oriented towards Malick's propensity for keeping his classical music temps.

 

Happy discovering!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My list wanted to be the most objective possible (according to factual criterias)... then welcome to JWFAN, now everyone will go with their personnal preferences! It’ll be two days! hehe

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

You can't go wrong with the triple threat of Signs, The Village, and Lady in the Water (my personal favourite JNH). That early to mid-2000s Shyamalan period remains his best work, I think.

Why nobody else got a crush on Unbreakable? It is my favourite of his. Even though I don't particularly like the album.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unbreakable is the only JNH score I've really gotten to admire, since anything else of his requires more attention that I admittedly tend to not often have. Maleficent might be a more technically proficient work, and Peter Pan a flashier effort, but I guess anything remotely tied to superheroes almost always gets me out the gate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've enjoyed quite a bit John Wilson's newest album with the Sinfonia of London, Hollywood Soundstage, but I am going to air one very minor nitpick (what else is an internet forum for?).

 

The recording and performance of the suite from The Wizard of Oz is lovely, but there's one decision right at the start that kinda bothers me.  There's the (IMO) iconic part in the opening fanfare where a chorus goes "ooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooh"

 

You know the part:

(0:12)

 

I totally get not hiring a chorus for one tiny little part like that, but it is an essential part of the composition.  But in Wilson's recording, they just play the orchestral part under the chorus with no alteration.  It's weird and something is obviously missing.  It's very deflating coming right at the beginning.  Couldn't the arranger have come up with some way using the orchestra to imitate the chorus?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Adults In The Room - Alexandre Desplat

 

Never heard this before or knew it excisted, but it was recommended to me after I listened to his new score The Lost King by my music app.

 

I quite like it. It's typical Desplat. A bit quirky sometimes but very well orchestrated & recorded. I will revisted this again in the future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This one by Silvestri's a beauty, the end credits to Judge Dredd. To me, this is what Silvestri would have done if he'd got the Batman Forever gig in 1995, especially that fanfare in the first 50 seconds or so:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

John Williams - Always (expanded score).

 

A bit of maths here... the OST featured 6 "songs" (including two versions of Smoke gets in your eyes) that were all featured on the "A" side of the LP. The expanded set features only 3 new tracks from the score...

 

I think, I'll try to make a C&C playlist, because... I don't know... I can't really keep myslef focused while listening to the expanded set, something is missing...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hard Rain - Christopher Young

 

It plays like a Young-scored Die Hard movie and quite entertaining. Unlike The Core, the album isn't too long and the clarity and depth of the recording is impressive even now. I wish Young recorded in London more, because Hard Rain sounds bigger than Drag Me to Hell and Spider-Man 3 in places. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a phase of wanting to explore some new stuff/or scores I havem't heard in a while from lot's of different composers. Starting at A and working my way through the alphabet.

Alan Silvestri is up first.

 

Romancing The Stone: Fun, but forgettable. Synths are quite dated

The Abyss: I always find the middle section a bit of a slog, but that ending is spectacular

Predator 2: I really like this one. Quite different from the first but not less enjoyable.

Death Becomes Her: Love this theme. Silvestri is a really strong theme writer and doesn't get enough credit for it. And his comedy scores are always a lot of fun. This theme and the theme from Mouse Hunt are gold.

Super Mario Bros.: Never seen the film, all I know is that Goldsmith was attached to this at some point. I really like the main theme here. It's classic Silvestri comedy/action, so I'm not complaining.

Judge Dredd: Another terrific theme!

Volcano: This ones a bit more 'by the numbers' and I do enjoy the short album more than the deluxe version.

Contact: A beautiful theme. Some of the middle drags a little, but when the theme is used I feel it's top tier Silvestri.

 

Continuing tomorrow with more Silvestri, starting with The Parent Trap

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, JNHFan2000 said:

Death Becomes Her: Love this theme. Silvestri is a really strong theme writer and doesn't get enough credit for it. And his comedy scores are always a lot of fun. This theme and the theme from Mouse Hunt are gold.

 

Yep, he sure knows how to write a memorable, iconic theme. 

 

If you liked his lighter comedy scores, you should check Father of the Bride 1 and 2. Two wonderful scores and pretty brief albums, so you can just listen one after the other!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

Yep, he sure knows how to write a memorable, iconic theme. 

 

If you liked his lighter comedy scores, you should check Father of the Bride 1 and 2. Two wonderful scores and pretty brief albums, so you can just listen one after the other!

I know those. I love those!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alan Silvestri, Pt. 2

 

The Parent Trap: Quite basic Silvestri, but I really love when he writes in this style. The suite at the beginning is gorgeous as is the finale. It's just lovely.

Ricochet: Might be his most brutal action score. I liked it, but won't revisit it often. (Same feeling for Shattered)

What Lies Beneath: Not for me. Even though the album is short, is really drags. The final 3 tracks are enjoyable, but mostly because it's a very good impression of Herrmann.

Maid In Manhatten: I woule call this score cutesy. Nice theme, but again quite basic Silvestri.

Lilo & Stitch: 3 tracks and I don't remember a single not.

Lara Croft: Cradle Of Life: I like the Cradle Of Life cue, but other than that, this is not a score for me.

The Wild: First track is womderful. Rest is quite forgettable and standard.

Beowulf: I like it, but that's kinda it. There are some great action moments but nothing ever grabs my attention fully. I feel the same about G.I. Joe & The A-Team. The electronics don't always work for me and once in a while a grand orchestral thematic statement happens but it's enough to hold my attention for 60 to 70 minutes per album. His later action scores like Captain America, Ready Player One & The Avengers films I find way better and more like his best scores in the genre like BTTF.

Flight: Meh. I didn't really like it😐

Allied: The romantic theme is gorgeous and makes me wish Silvestri did more dramas and comedies next to all the action films. He really is a master there as well.

Cosmos: A SpaceTime Oddysey: Not sure if 4 albums is wanted for this, it's just a bit much. 1.5 hours would've been fine. But a lot of it is really strong. I really like it!

 

 

I've gone through Silvestri's scores I've never heard or heard for a while.

Next up: Alexandre Desplat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OST reconstruction of "Mark Isham - Fire in the Sky" from the 2022 LLL set (a little bit longer than the OST in fact, because of the merged track 4 "Town meeting / Polygraph Test", I can live with it).

 

Any thoughts about this score? I bought it eyes closed... I did not even listened to it yet!

 

Primary

 

image.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alexandre Desplat

I've listened to a lot of his scores from Framce a few years back so not going through those.

 

Girl With A Pearl Earring: Wonderful main theme and it is interesting throughout it's 50 minutes. I quite like this.

Birth & The Painted Veil: These are together mostly because I feel the same about them. I enjoy certain tracks but both albums don't do much for me otherwise. I can appreciate the albums, but I don't really like them.

Firewall: Cool score. Desplat is actually very good at action. I know that from Valerian, Godzilla or Rise Of The Guardians, but fun to hear an action score from earlier in his career.

The Queen: More rhyhtmic based and a bit subdued, but I thought it was very beautiful.

The Golden Compass: Somehow I never got to this score, although I know a lot of people think it's one of his best. I really like the action tracks and the more up-beat ones as well. But I find there are also a bit too much filler cues for my taste. Some cues I thought weren't that interesting. A shorter album would be better, 73 minutes for this score is too long for me.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button: Gorgeous. It's been quite a long time since I heard this. But I enjoy it very much.

Julie & Julia: I know this score is not one of his best but I just love his more upbeat and playful scores. Both themes are a joy and the half hour runtime is perfect. Desplat is a wonderful dramatic composer but how I enjoy scores like this and Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rise Of The Guardians & The Secret Life Of Pets

New Moon: Good score, but same feeling as Golden Compass. Album's too long and I don't find everything interesting.

The Tree Of Life: I like it. But won't revisit it again probably. It's very subdued and not really anything to connect too.

The King's Speech, Philomena & The Danish Girl: All typical Desplat scores. All lovely.

 

Next up Alfred Newman (who I haven't heard a lot of scores from)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, Bespin said:

OST reconstruction of "Mark Isham - Fire in the Sky" from the 2022 LLL set (a little bit longer than the OST in fact, because of the merged track 4 "Town meeting / Polygraph Test", I can live with it).

 

Any thoughts about this score? I bought it eyes closed... I did not even listened to it yet!

 

Primary

 

image.png

Question to that. I mean, Mark Isham is really a damn skilled soundtrack composer. But did he ever write something, that you would call a memorable theme? I listened to some of his scores and mostly found them quite atmospheric, stylistically well made, but never any of his melodies got stuck in my head.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

Question to that. I mean, Mark Isham is really a damn skilled soundtrack composer. But did he ever write something, that you would call a memorable theme? I listened to some of his scores and mostly found them quite atmospheric, stylistically well made, but never any of his melodies got stuck in my head.

 

Why would a composer compose memorable music for a scene or film that is not memorable? It would be completely counterproductive!

 

Some types of films require a more subtle approach. Moreover, I have not yet examined Mark Isham’s work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

Question to that. I mean, Mark Isham is really a damn skilled soundtrack composer. But did he ever write something, that you would call a memorable theme? I listened to some of his scores and mostly found them quite atmospheric, stylistically well made, but never any of his melodies got stuck in my head.

 

 

 

He had quite a few.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Starting my discovery of Mark Isham... let's look at those Varèse Sarabande compilations first!

 

Screenshot_20221020_143208.jpg

 

+ this Kunzel re-recording, of course!

 

image.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Bespin said:

 

Why would a composer compose memorable music for a scene or film that is not memorable? It would be completely counterproductive!

Then probably Mark Isham should have scored War Horse.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

That is an enjoyable album. Apart from 25th Hour I am not really familiar with Blanchard's work. Saw some of the movies but didn't remember the score.

Great harmonies, atmospheric uplifting John Barry strings and the right dose of jazz, that even I as a not jazz maniac can enjoy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pure uncut 2002 and I love it.  I was obsessed with this soundtrack at 15!

 

About a Boy still under-appreciated as the classic it is.  And I get to sneak in a pop song to the score thread on a technicality ;) 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Disco Stu said:

Pure uncut 2002 and I love it.  I was obsessed with this soundtrack at 15!

 

About a Boy still under-appreciated as the classic it is.  And I get to sneak in a pop song to the score thread on a technicality ;) 

 

 

A lovely quirky indie pop score with some terrific catchy songs in the mix too. I’m sure I have another score by Badly Drawn Boy but not at home to check!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.