The Two Towers Sountrack Thoughts

[Saxman717 22]

Hey, now that the soundtrack has been out for a week and the movie has just premiered, what do you all think?? I personally started out last year having little interest in both the Fellowship of the Ring movie and even soundtrack. But slowly, over this past year, they have both grown on me to become two of my favorites!

Especially after listening to The Two Towers soundtrack, the main themes from FOTR have managed to hook me almost as much as some of the Star Wars themes and the new themes that Shore developed for TTT have also greatly excited me.

The Ring Theme.....so mysterious and almost deadly, so effective

The Fellowship Theme.....incredibly grand and catchy. I get excited everytime I hear it.

Hobbits Theme....very gentle, honorable, and playful....perfect for hobbits

Mordor Theme.....very percussive, war-like....not my absolute fav but effective nonetheless

And now for new Two Towers themes...

Gollum's Theme.........really really good......I haven't been able to really get into the main Gollum's Theme piece, with the singing and all, but the way his theme is used in the main movie score is amazing. The way it is used in tracks 2 and 18 (which I am guessing is the last scene of the movie) is so so so good. I'm especially in love with its appearance in Samwise the Brave (track 18).....the mysterious music is so cool.

And the theme written for, I'm guessing, generally the race of men, with its outdoorsy yet stately feel to it, is awesome.

And there are even more great-sounding new themes mixed in that I won't be able to pinpoint and label characters/races/events to until I see the film.

Whew, sorry for the scattered layout of this post, but I'm so excited about this music that I can't even coherently write about it!!

Any other thoughts???

[Marian Schedenig 8,192]

It took me a while to figure out or even recognize all the themes from the first score last year, and I guess it'll be the same this time. Watching the movie once and listening to the CD a few times isn't enough (for me) yet to really notice all the components.

But Rohan's theme is great, particularly with the Fiddle. And if there is any justice, Gollum's Song will win the Best Original Song oscar.

The Fellowship of the Ring (Howard Shore)

[Guest]

Well, I hardly managed to listen it once. I know, because it's LOTR it must be GREAT......hmm...but it isn't! This is one hell of an underscore. Boring, nothing special, no melody (yes there are themes, but ) I put it aside Minority Report, but I like MR better because it's complexity!

There is a single track that I like, and that is a Bjorkish song at the end! That's it!

[MAG-SI 10]

Guest (up) is me......

[UCFKevin 0]

Yeah, I"m with MAG. Does nothing for me. Sounds very bland and nonmemorable and rather typical, really. The chorus parts were nice but that's about it.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Who's more foolish. the fool, or the fool that follows him.

TTT is the best score I have heard this year.

Stefancos-

[Saxman717 22]

Who's more foolish. the fool, or the fool that follows him.

TTT is the best score I have heard this year.

Stefancos-  

Hehehehehe, I completely agree ;-) I must admit, I am a sucker for star wars scores, and would place Episode II above The Two Towers, but TTT is a veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery close 2nd place. I'm addicted to listening to the soundtrack this week and most likely will become even more hooked after seeing the movie tonight.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

Who's more foolish. the fool, or the fool that follows him.

TTT is the best score I have heard this year.

Stefancos-  

Quoting Kenobi again:

Your sentiments are good, but they could end serving the Emperor. (or similar)

(and of course: Only in your dreams, my very young apprentice!)

I still have to hear it, but i hope this time the chours sound well.

[ST-321 4]

TTT is the best score I have heard this year.

Stefancos-  

Same here.

[tpigeon 3]

Who's more foolish. the fool, or the fool that follows him.

TTT is the best score I have heard this year.

Stefancos-  

agreed.

[Romão 2,274]

I strongly disagree. It's not even in the top 10.

It's one of the few cd's I regret buying.

[Hlao-roo 389]

OMG! The score is so challenging! I can't take it anymore! Someone help me! Please help! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

[Andreas 112]

TTT is the best score I have heard this year.

Stefancos-  

Same here.

*lol* TTT a good score? TTT is a really bad score. One/two new theme no more.

Andreas ( Admin )

[Marian Schedenig 8,192]

But:

1) There are several new themes.

2) (New) themes don't automatically make a good score.

3) A score can be good without many themes.

[Wojo 2,453]

*lol* TTT a good score? TTT is a really bad score. One/two new theme no more.

Hmmm, sounded like you're talking about the score to Episode II for a moment there.

For those of us who understand and appreciate the passion and urgency of The Lord of the Rings, those of us who sometimes feel traces of tears at various points in the film or score, then we will feel that Shore's scores for these films are very good. There are people out there who get it, and there are people out there who don't. Humbug to those who don't.

I love the scores to The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers more than any score composed in the past two years.

No. As long as I've been alive. Since 1981.

Period

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

TTT is the best score I have heard this year.

Stefancos-  

Same here.

*lol* TTT a good score? TTT is a really bad score. One/two new theme no more.

Andreas ( Admin )

Wow, Andreas, are you stepping into Ricard's shoes for us?

Stefancos- who wishes Andreas would post more often, and not just about big fixes and down time notices.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

*lol* TTT a good score? TTT is a really bad score. One/two new theme no more.

Hmmm, sounded like you're talking about the score to Episode II for a moment there.

For those of us who understand and appreciate the passion and urgency of The Lord of the Rings, those of us who sometimes feel traces of tears at various points in the film or score, then we will feel that Shore's scores for these films are very good. There are people out there who get it, and there are people out there who don't. Humbug to those who don't.

I love the scores to The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers more than any score composed in the past two years.

No. As long as I've been alive. Since 1981.

Period

:dontgetit:

Wow. I respect your opinion, but will never understand that post.

Ray Barnsbury-who thinks Shore is poisoning minds one by one

[Morn 8]

Actually, yes the LOTR scores do have traces of tears in parts. However, so does AOTC and I wouldn't place LOTR scores above it.

Morn - Who thinks the LOTR scores are a masterpiece in the film but without the films support become merely very good.

[pianoman1 0]

Well now that i have seen both film and listened to the CD (a couple of time btw), i have still not decided which is better, TTT or FOTR. I think that its something one has to look at as a whole, as The Lord of the Rings.

Overall, I think the story is more interetsting and enticing than Star Wars. The scores, however, are completly different styles, with the exception that they are both epic!

Perhaps music wise FOTR may be better due too its establishment of themes and the way it blows you away the first time you hear it.... With TTT you need multiple hearings to understand the depth of it.

[diskobolus 3]

regarding gollum's theme - im not sure exactly what this theme is, even though i've listened to the soundtrack many times. what confuses me is that i don't hear anything resembling "Gollum's Song" during "Taming of Smeagol" or any other cue played during the film... i must be missing something...

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

A brass version of Gollum's Song can be heard in track one, somewere in the beginning, as a counterpoint to the strings.

Gollum's Theme can be heard several times on the CD, it's a short motif, rather similar to the Ring theme.

You can hear it in The Forbidden Pool and Samwise The Brave.

The Gollum's Song theme seems to be a reworking of that motif.

Also, the brass fanfare that ends the last track IS Gollum's Theme.

Stefancos- still struggling with the score.

[diskobolus 3]

for "gollum's song" is the motif played starting at 5:28? i still can't hear it...the first 20 seconds of "Forbidden Pool" sound similar to the first bit of "Foundations of Stone" ... is this also a part of Gollum's theme?

[CYPHER 1]

What I really want to know is whether the TTT soundtrack CD is worth buying or not? From what I could hear of it in the film it didn't sound too bad at all especially the Riders of Rohan theme. I didn't think much of the score for FOTR when I heard it in the film but when a friend bought it for my birthday I fell in love with it after several listens. So is there anything in TTT to match the heartbreak and emotion of "The Breaking of the Fellowship" or the eerie creative genius of "Lothlorien"? Or is it all just pounding, percussive action music which while effective in the films isn't exactly pleasant to listen to on its own? Any other comments on track length and composition or sound quality etc that will help guide my decision as to whether to purchase it or not would be great too. Thanks guys.

CYPHER

PS - what's the "Farewell to Lorien" bonus track like anyway?

[Morn 8]

If you liked FOTR it's worth getting, but it's not as good. It does have some emotional moments.

[ST-321 4]

Well I think it is better than Fellowship. The Fellowship cd is so heavily dominated in the first half by the theme for the ring wraiths. TTT does not suffer from that kind of overload.

Yes, the Samwise the Brave track matches the Breaking of the Fellowship quite well. Pounding percussion? No. The theme for Rohan is one of the new standouts and is just the opposite.

Have you seen the comments and short sound clips over at soundtrack.net?

It can be found here http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=100

Listen and decide for yourself.

[IrishCal24 0]

While certainly not my favorite of the year, that honor goes to CoS, I like the Two Towers' score quite a lot, as much as FOTR. However I was disappointed with track 17, Isengard Unleashed, on the soundtrack. The solo soprano verse of the Ent's song was repeated in the film version. It didn't seem to be looped, rather a grand and bolder reprise, though it may have been looped with the volume increased. Either way, I had hoped it would be on the disc in that form when I bought it after seeing the movie again. Unfortunately it's not and that was my favorite part of score, which is somewhat ironic because the Ent's were my least favorite part of the film.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

PS - what's the "Farewell to Lorien" bonus track like anyway?

For me, it sounded like synthethized and different from FOTR and TTT. BUt i'm not a master with that scores so...

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Indeed, cause it's neither synthethized nor different from TTT or LOTR.

Stefancos- :roll:

[ST-321 4]

Indeed, cause it's neither synthethized nor different from TTT or LOTR.

Stefancos-  :roll:

LOL

[ST-321 4]

If anyone is interested there is a nice analysis of how the music from the TTT cd fits into the film online over at:

http://www.moviemusic.com/mb/Forum1/HTML/010649.html

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Thanks, i've been looking for an article like that.

Stefancos- who was surprised the TTT CD was so fragmented.