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The Official Jerry Goldsmith Thread


Faleel

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38 minutes ago, Thor said:

Maybe not at the very top, but I've usually seen it alongside the other critically acclaimed Goldsmith scores, also by people who aren't necessarily film score fans - it's CHINATOWN, PATTON, PLANET OF THE APES, ALIEN, BASIC INSTINCT. And PAPILLON. They seem to have the biggest 'clout' in terms of artistic signficance. Not so often THE OMEN, STAR TREK, GREMLINS or other more popular fare. 

I agree with you on this.

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To be more specific, I think the theme is very much a musical image of their lust for freedom in dire circumstances. Its wistfulness (or bittersweetness) signals that that their fate is unknown - but that it's also 'open' and hopeful.

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I watched Timeline yesterday.  Horribly bland movie scored by the uncompromisingly dull Brian Tyler.  But I was shocked to hear how good Goldsmith's rejected score to this lousy film was.  Why was his far better score replaced by the far inferior and consistently mundane Tyler?

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9 minutes ago, karelm said:

I watched Timeline yesterday.  Horribly bland movie scored by the uncompromisingly dull Brian Tyler.  But I was shocked to hear how good Goldsmith's rejected score to this lousy film was.  Why was his far better score replaced by the far inferior and consistently mundane Tyler?

According to the filmtracks review, the film was reworked, and Jerry didnt want to rescore anything further at that point.

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19 hours ago, Thor said:

To be more specific, I think the theme is very much a musical image of their lust for freedom in dire circumstances. Its wistfulness (or bittersweetness) signals that that their fate is unknown - but that it's also 'open' and hopeful.

 

I saw it more as a figment of their old life, but there you go.

4 hours ago, karelm said:

I watched Timeline yesterday.  Horribly bland movie scored by the uncompromisingly dull Brian Tyler.  But I was shocked to hear how good Goldsmith's rejected score to this lousy film was.  Why was his far better score replaced by the far inferior and consistently mundane Tyler?

 

The face-saving lie was that Jerry couldn't do it, though the truth was that the movie tested horribly and the score also got negative reactions in screenings and Paramount, in true fashion, decided the whole thing could work brilliantly if they just put on a new, more hip composer ét voila, Tyler (on recommendation of William Friedkin, afair). Big surprise, it still sucked.

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TIMELINE is certainly not Richard Donner's shining hour, but I think it's fun. Goldsmith's rejected score is rather lacklustre and streamlined like most of his 2000s efforts, but still better than Tyler's (whose flashy and void action music I've never been able to stomach).

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It has a lot of fine, detailed, if conventional, adventure moments. Though I remain partial to the Hollow Man and the aria in Sum of all Fears, two things that actually feel like Goldsmith found a different vibe in the new millennium that probably would have flourished if cancer didn't strike him.

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Who knows, those you mentioned might have been to below-the-radar to secure JG services, so probably two or three big pictures form the action/adventure mold and a few dark horses á la Powder.

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In addition to any new project from his old and regular collaborators, I'm sure he would have been approached by some young filmmaker wanting the legend's classic sound. We've seen that with other veteran composers over the last two decades -- like David Shire, Gerald Fried, Michel Legrand etc.

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Sure, but Drax is right, more lectures, concerts and workshops, mentor role, probably, and few assignments. Discount all Spielberg/Lucas collaborations from Williams' resume and not a lot is left, either, Horner also was low profile after 2005, Barry & Co. non-existent.

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On 9/10/2020 at 10:23 AM, Jurassic Shark said:

OK. I recently ordered this. Do anybody know if it's a good release of the score, sound-wise?

 

71b40a1D5HL._SL1005_.jpg

 

71EsWCLr62L._SL1343_.jpg

It is the OST plus four additional tracks from the film stem, hence ugly fade-ins/fade-outs and wrong pitch. The sadly strictly limited Quartet Records release is one of the best releases they ever did.

 

By the way, for me the score is Top 5 Goldsmith. Such a thoroughly composed and emotionally subtle work.

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On 9/10/2020 at 12:25 AM, Jurassic Shark said:

How well regarded is the score to Papillon? @Yavar Moradi?


Sorry for the late reply, but I think it's one of Goldsmith's greatest scores. Probably top 10 for me. For my colleague Clark at The Goldsmith Odyssey, it is his #1 favorite Goldsmith score.

 

Yavar

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13 hours ago, publicist said:

It has a lot of fine, detailed, if conventional, adventure moments. Though I remain partial to the Hollow Man and the aria in Sum of all Fears, two things that actually feel like Goldsmith found a different vibe in the new millennium that probably would have flourished if cancer didn't strike him.

Yeah. HOLLOW MAN really stands out amongst his latter output!

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I just received the 2015 Intrada IN HARMS WAY.*

The claim at the time was it was a BIG improvement over the SLCD release, having been taken from original stereo LP masters.

NOT to.my ears.

Intrada is very subdued while the SLCD I bright an punchy.

Any thoughts?

 

*I know INTRADA has since reissued it with music taken from three track session masters

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  • 2 weeks later...

Technically, this is a Blu-ray update, but I thought it made sense to include it here, since the score is well-known and distinctive: Freud is at last coming to home video in North America (in Blu-ray, no less!), according to The Digital Bits

 

Quote

Also coming in 2021 from KL Studio Classics are Peter Hunt’s Wild Geese II (1985) and John Huston’s Freud: The Secret Passion (1962).

 

https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/my-two-cents/101520-1400

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On 9/19/2020 at 8:39 PM, Matt C said:

I didn't see the video on this thread earlier, so here it is.

 

First time I've seen orchestral contractor Isobel Griffiths. She's cute.

What on earth possessed Goldsmith into thinking a ponytail was a good look for him?

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3 minutes ago, Bayesian said:

What on earth possessed Goldsmith into thinking a ponytail was a good look for him?

It was the source of all his powers...don't diss the ponytail ;-) To be fair, compared to his bouffant 80's look, it's a considerable improvement.

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On 10/4/2020 at 8:53 AM, bruce marshall said:

I just received the 2015 Intrada IN HARMS WAY.*

The claim at the time was it was a BIG improvement over the SLCD release, having been taken from original stereo LP masters.

NOT to.my ears.

Intrada is very subdued while the SLCD I bright an punchy.

Any thoughts?

 

*I know INTRADA has since reissued it with music taken from three track session masters

 

People always rush to claim the latest remaster sounds better, usually as a coping mechanism to justify their purchase.

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Someone's been taking some naughty photos!

 

I have no idea how a (rather messy) re-engraving of my old arrangement ended up down there. It caught me totally by surprise the first time I saw it.

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3 hours ago, PuhgreÞiviÞm said:

 

People always rush to claim the latest remaster sounds better, usually as a coping mechanism to justify their purchase.

 

Rationalisation in action.

 

6 hours ago, Bayesian said:

What on earth possessed Goldsmith into thinking a ponytail was a good look for him?

 

He was probably too busy scoring movies to get a haircut.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Finally found a copy of SHOCK TREATMENT/FATE IS THE HUNTER.

Bought mostly for ST, which has been upgraded to stereo and expanded from the GOLDSMITH AT FOX box.

 

I love early GOLDSMITH like FREUD,

TZ, THRILLER, SECONDS, TREATMENT

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  • 3 weeks later...
26 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Through a series of fortunate events I ended up with a copy of Varese Sarabande's release of Goldie's The Red Pony. It seems to be a well regarded score. Any thoughts?


It’s a friggin’ masterpiece. Actually sounds nothing like Copland’s score for the earlier The Red Pony, but I understand what Thor means by “Coplandesque”, i.e. warm Americana. There’s also some harrowing modernist writing — try “The Buzzards”. If you end up loving the score as I do, I also recommend the four cue suite conducted by James Fitzpatrick at the end of the complete Tadlow recording of Hour of the Gun.

 

Yavar

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17 minutes ago, Yavar Moradi said:


It’s a friggin’ masterpiece. Actually sounds nothing like Copland’s score for the earlier The Red Pony, but I understand what Thor means by “Coplandesque”, i.e. warm Americana. There’s also some harrowing modernist writing — try “The Buzzards”. If you end up loving the score as I do, I also recommend the four cue suite conducted by James Fitzpatrick at the end of the complete Tadlow recording of Hour of the Gun.

 

Yavar

 

It's actually five cues, but I doubt I'll be getting that rerecording since the samples from Hour of the Gun didn't appeal to me.

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4 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

It's actually five cues, but I doubt I'll be getting that rerecording since the samples from Hour of the Gun didn't appeal to me.


Hour of the Gun is a grower. A rather spare downer of a score, but with a great deal of depth you appreciate the more you listen. Kind of the polar opposite of The Red Pony, to be honest, which makes them pretty interesting discmates from the same basic genre...

 

Yavar

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53 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

So The Red Pony is somewhere between OK and a friggin' masterpiece. I wonder what @Nils thinks. :)

 

Btw, @Yavar Moradi, have you covered the score yet in your podcast?

 

LOL we are still in The Epic TV Year 1961. But we did just cover an excellent western score -- Jerry's only time scoring something with Clint Eastwood:
https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/6464008-episode-28-rawhide-incident-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-1961

74cb75bab2243992e98fab5156007185827084cf

 

This is actually the 2nd half of a conversation we had with composer Carlos Rafael Rivera (The Queen's Gambit, Godless). We meant for the interview portion to just open the show for half an hour, but that grew into a two hour full interview since we all loved him and The Queen's Gambit so much. Really insightful stuff there if you want to check it out:
https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/6049561-odyssey-interviews-carlos-rafael-rivera

odyssey_interviews_carlos_rafael_rivera_

 

I really need to update the podcast thread...


Yavar

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  • 1 month later...

I listened to the original score of "Islands in the Stream", twice.

 

Great music, someday I hope to watch the movie too.

 

There are artifacts here and there and some bad analog edits, I assume it's  normal for a '77 score...

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It's possible those analog edits heard on the 2010 FSM edition could be cleaned up with modern technology for a future re-issue

 

Don't forget that Jerry re-recorded the score for an album in 1986 that is available on the Intrada label

 

http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.4529/.f

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1 hour ago, Bespin said:

I listened to the original score of "Islands in the Stream", twice.

 

Great music, someday I hope to watch the movie too.

 

There are artifacts here and there and some bad analog edits, I assume it's  normal for a '77 score...

 

I always hear the Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers song in my head every time I see that title, but great score. I remember I got it after so many people raved about it (allegedly also among the composer's own favourite scores) several years ago, but was then surprised to find that it was quite abrasive at times; not the lyrical, lowkey score I had expected.

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1 hour ago, Jay said:

It's possible those analog edits heard on the 2010 FSM edition could be cleaned up with modern technology for a future re-issue

 

Don't forget that Jerry re-recorded the score for an album in 1986 that is available on the Intrada label

 

http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.4529/.f

 

I know there was a re-recording, but didn't know it was recorded by him, interesting!

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I would speculate when FSM's 5000 copies of the film recordings finally sell out, Intrada might license them and make a new 2CD set with a redone and remastered versions of those on one disc and the '86 recording on the other disc

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