Which is your favorite JW Jurassic Park/The Lost World action/suspense track?

[Josh500 1,615]

Well, since Jurassic Park has been on my mind these last couple of days...

I know that these are not complete (there are other minor action/suspense tracks), but these are arguably the best. I purposely asked for the best track rather than the best cue because I think most of us listen to the tracks on the OS albums as they are. So which track on the OS albums do you like best, and why? You can also list the Top 5 here if you want to (with or without an explanation as to why you like them).

I will start:

1. High-Wire Stunts (IMO, the best action piece in the JP franchise, although certainly not the best action scene; I love this piece; I think 70% of the suspense comes from JW's music; a masterpiece of originality and craft)

2. T-Rex Rescue And Finale

3. The Hunt

4. Rescuing Sarah

5. Incident At The Island (the low male choir is really great here)

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

T-Rex Rescue is one of my favorite JP tracks. A major highlight is the ending when our quasi-familial group fall from the skeletons and are cornered by the raptors. Has me on the edge of my seat every time!

[fommes 153]

Toss-up between High-Wire Stunts and Rescuing Sarah. Went for the former because the latter is missing the first part of the sequence on the OST and is edited.

[SF1_freeze 131]

The Raptor's Appear is my choice. I just love the great dark and exotic Jungle vibe.

[Faleel 5,340]

Rialto Ripples/Ludlow's Demise is a suspense track......

but I had to go with Dino in San-Diego

[Josh500 1,615]

Really, they are all great. There is not one single boring track on the Jurassic Park OS album...

[Taikomochi 1,136]

Visitor in San Diego has always featured some of my favorite Williams action writing.

[Josh500 1,615]

Visitor in San Diego has always featured some of my favorite Williams action writing.

Yes, it's very very good (especially the Island Theme), but better than the other ones...?

[Romão 2,274]

All are pretty great (seeing this list, it becomes very clear how consistent quality-wise the action music is in the two JP movies scores by Williams), but I have to go for T-Rex Rescue, a powerhouse track that shows how stunning and heart pounding a action track can be even without a constant and recurrent melody line

[Josh500 1,615]

All are pretty great (seeing this list, it becomes very clear how consistent quality-wise the action music is in the two JP movies scores by Williams), but I have to go for T-Rex Rescue, a powerhouse track that shows how stunning and heart pounding a action track can be even without a constant and recurrent melody line

Yes, I agree. And coincidentally, here I also like the brief Island Theme statement (when Lex manages to lock those heavy doors using the computer). If you know what I mean.

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

The Lost World is too damn good with all the action/suspense/horror cues, but if I have to pick a favorite would be The Raptors Appear, followed by Visitor in San Diego and The Compys Dine.

I so wanna hear them right now...

[Datameister 2,037]

Too difficult!

[Josh500 1,615]

The Raptors Appear, followed by Visitor in San Diego and The Compys Dine.

I so wanna hear them right now...

I've never quite gotten into Raptors Appear and Compys. Maybe I should listen to them again. Sounds like a lot of dissonance to me... although the beginning of Raptors Appear is very cool. That shrieking horn when the first raptor makes its appearance.

[Thor 7,471]

Difficult, as those tracks aren't usually my favourite bits of these soundtracks. A bit too "film musicey", if you know what I mean. Still, they're placed very appropriately throughout the soundtrack (inbetween the more independent themes) and add to the overall concept album feel, which I love.

Many good tracks, and "The Raptor Attack" is one of the scariest tracks Williams has ever written.

But my favourite would still have to be "The Hunt" from the THE LOST WORLD. It's the only track that kinda works as a self-sufficient piece, slightly reminiscent of Bartok. Great forward thrust.

[Quintus 5,399]

T-Rex Rescue and Finale is 100% golden era Williams. It's up there with The Desert Chase and The Asteroid Field, etc...

[publicist 4,643]

Difficult, as those tracks aren't usually my favourite bits of these soundtracks. A bit too "film musicey", if you know what I mean.

I concur. Williams often hits too many sync points in this stuff and i'm reminded how suddenly a raptor claw appears below the table. THE LOST WORLD is better in this regard.

[Quintus 5,399]

A rare case where I don't think of the movie when listening to the score, meaning I am unaffected by such a listening perspective. I do think T-Rex Rescue is great score, but I think it's even better music.

[Faleel 5,340]

Visitor in San Diego has always featured some of my favorite Williams action writing.

Yes, it's very very good (especially the Island Theme), but better than the other ones...?

Yes, it is good at loosing the Island feel (somewhat) but keeping the percussive feel with all of those cymbal crashes, PLUS it has my favorite statements of the Carnivore Motif (TLW)

Though I kind of feel a craving for "The Trouble with Dennis"

[Luke Skywalker 1,792]

t-rex rescue.

i get goosebumps everytime its played

[Ollie 1,059]

T-Rex Rescue and Finale is 100% golden era Williams. It's up there with The Desert Chase and The Asteroid Field, etc...

Rescuing Sarah and The Hunt would be my next two choices.

I do think T-Rex Rescue is great score, but I think it's even better music.

Damn you're on a roll tonight/today.

[indy4 155]

Tought call between:

Rescuing Sarah

Raptors Appear

The Hunt

Dennis Steals the Embryoes

Since the last one is basically taken from JFK, I can eliminate it. I'll vote "Resucing Sarah," but Lost World has a ton of great action cues.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Dennis Steals the Embryos (despite a few similarities here and there, it's NOT a rehash of The Conspirators).

Steiner in the Grass.

[Matt C 452]

"T-Rex Rescue and Finale."

Wonderful. One of JW's finest pieces of 1990s-era scoring.

[Bellosh 3,389]

I went with "Dennis Steals The Embryo."

It just sounds like sketchy stuff is going down.

[Thor 7,471]

I went with "Dennis Steals The Embryo."

It just sounds like sketchy stuff is going down.

It's a riff off of JFK, of course ("The Conspirators"), but love the jazzy meter in that.

[Josh500 1,615]

Kudos to JW for giving us more of that "conspiratory" music!

Wait! "The Conspitators," "Dennis Steals the Embryos," and... wasn't there something else written by him in this style? What was it? "The Ellsberg Break In"?

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Kudos to JW for giving us more of that "conspiratory" music!

Wait! "The Conspitators," "Dennis Steals the Embryos," and... wasn't there something else written by him in this style? What was it? "The Ellsberg Break In"?

The MINORITY REPORT ostinato is quite similar as well. All contain synths, a ticking pulse, hemiolas, and triple and quadruple meters (Conspirators and Denis are in 12/8 - with a 123 123 12 12 12 feel, a give a quasi-minimalist feel. Minority Report is in 9/8, then 8/8 and 3/8).

[Jay 37,287]

All are pretty great (seeing this list, it becomes very clear how consistent quality-wise the action music is in the two JP movies scores by Williams), but I have to go for T-Rex Rescue, a powerhouse track that shows how stunning and heart pounding a action track can be even without a constant and recurrent melody line

[Josh500 1,615]

Kudos to JW for giving us more of that "conspiratory" music!

Wait! "The Conspitators," "Dennis Steals the Embryos," and... wasn't there something else written by him in this style? What was it? "The Ellsberg Break In"?

The MINORITY REPORT ostinato is quite similar as well. All contain synths, a ticking pulse, hemiolas, and triple and quadruple meters (Conspirators and Denis are in 12/8 - with a 123 123 12 12 12 feel, a give a quasi-minimalist feel. Minority Report is in 9/8, then 8/8 and 3/8).

You mean the first track on the OS album, the first minute or so? Or Anderton's Great Escape?

[Bellosh 3,389]

T-Rex Rescue is one of my favorite JP tracks. A major highlight is the ending when our quasi-familial group fall from the skeletons and are cornered by the raptors. Has me on the edge of my seat every time!

Is this @ 5:18 ??

I looooooove that part.

[Jay 37,287]

A major highlight is the ending when our quasi-familial group fall from the skeletons and are cornered by the raptors.

Yes! That part is perfectly scored - perfectly accompanying the on-screen action, and just amazing music on its own even if you've never seen the film

Man the whole JP score really is a masterful work...

[Incanus 5,713]

A major highlight is the ending when our quasi-familial group fall from the skeletons and are cornered by the raptors.

Yes! That part is perfectly scored - perfectly accompanying the on-screen action, and just amazing music on its own even if you've never seen the film

Man the whole JP score really is a masterful work...

True

I can't choose a single favourite out of all the tracks listed. These two scores happen to have brilliantly written and wickedly entertaining action and suspence music.

[Josh500 1,615]

T-Rex Rescue is one of my favorite JP tracks. A major highlight is the ending when our quasi-familial group fall from the skeletons and are cornered by the raptors. Has me on the edge of my seat every time!

Yes!

It's a minor detail, but I also like how, when Lex is trying to lock those doors, the orchestra mimicks the sounds a computer might make... the clarinets (?) go: beep-beep, beep-beep, beep-beep-beep...

Anyone ever noticed this?

I think JW was really having fun with this.

Edit. I just listened to this again: it's approx. at 2:28-2:32.

[Quintus 5,399]

I think JW was really having fun with this.

Ah, remember that? Good times.

[crocodile 7,984]

While I do like them all and T-Rex finale from the first film is very dear to me, the San Diego finale from the second film takes the cake. It absolutely kicks ass with all this Godzilla music!

Karol

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

I think JW was really having fun with this.

Ah, remember that? Good times.

That was when Spielberg also was having fun and before he decided to become "serious" so that people respected him and finally win an Oscar. Athough he was fairly respected by those days already.

And most of his fans wish he went into "kid mode" again, but he has changed... Or maybe we'll get some of that with Tintin and War Horse? Seems to me that after Indy 4 maybe Spielberg started feeling younger again.

[Josh500 1,615]

That was when Spielberg also was having fun and before he decided to become "serious" so that people respected him and finally win an Oscar. Athough he was fairly respected by those days already.

Actually I don't mind that. I don't mind that at all. Spielberg, like most artists, just evolved. I love his movies Schindler's List (though sad, horrific, of course), Saving Private Ryan, even Catch Me If You Can and Munich.

And most of his fans wish he went into "kid mode" again, but he has changed... Or maybe we'll get some of that with Tintin and War Horse? Seems to me that after Indy 4 maybe Spielberg started feeling younger again.

I have an idea he will always remain a kid at heart (at least sometimes). Tintin proves that.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,499]

It's probably "Incident On Isla Nubar", and "Rescuing Sarah". "Dennis Steals The Embryos" is nice, but sounds too much like "The Conspiritors". The rest is just varying degrees of meh.

[paleo 63]

T-rex rescue & finale, no question. I've been waiting for Williams to write something like this again, but he sadly never really did since then; some of the action music in Phantom Menace is probably closest, but still not the same. I was never really a fan of the action music in Lost World JP. I mean it's great fun and all, but I just love how Williams wrote impossibly dense, complex constructs for his action cues rather than having wild percussion with very little thematic (or melodic, for that matter) material. I was actually quite disappointed when Lost World was released, and it took me a good while to appreciate it for what it is.

[Quintus 5,399]

That's exactly the same as me.

[Luke Skywalker 1,792]

and me... i felt really bad when i did not heard the JP main theme in TLW at cinema.

Now i'm grateful for that.

[Josh500 1,615]

Seems like T-Rex Rescue is the winner...

[Jeff 10]

And deservedly so. It was a hard choice - I really love Dennis Steals the Embryo (I've never heard Conspirators and never intend to - I don't want to taint my love for the JP track's perfection), and my favorite action theme in the score is the one in High-wire Stunts (as well as Ellie and Muldoon searching for the car) - it just has that horrible sense of urgency where you know something is going to pop out any minute.

[gkgyver 1,645]

In how far does "T Rex Rescue and Finale" qualify as a suspense cue? If this is suspense, then so is the opening space battle of Revenge Of The Sith.

Anyway, not sure if it is "The Raptors Appear", but for, it's the piece when the trek enters the corn field in TLW.

[King Mark 3,625]

Incident at Isla Nublar, JP

it's the only action cue in JP that feels like "classic" JW

[Romão 2,274]

(I've never heard Conspirators and never intend to - I don't want to taint my love for the JP track's perfection)

You should, JFK is one of the greatest scores of the 90's

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Please note that this JFK gushing is related to the discussion. Now, enjoy JW and Oliver Stone doing their thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vW2ryP16Vk

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

(I've never heard Conspirators and never intend to - I don't want to taint my love for the JP track's perfection)

You should, JFK is one of the greatest scores of the 90's

NIXON's superior, and not just the score.

[Josh500 1,615]

Please note that this JFK gushing is related to the discussion

You're not the only one gushing. In the audio commentary Oliver Stone comments favorably on JW's music several times. He was almost gushing, I think.

_____

It just occurred to me that "The Stegosaurus" is one fantastic track! Although not primarily an action or suspense track, in the last minute or so it gets pretty intense...

The first minute or so captures the mixture of awe and fear perfectly!

[Faleel 5,340]

In how far does "T Rex Rescue and Finale" qualify as a suspense cue? If this is suspense, then so is the opening space battle of Revenge Of The Sith.

look at the Thread title again, it says "Action/suspense track"