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The one John Williams score everyone seems to love that you just don't get...


Sandor

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For me: The Towering Inferno.

I know most of you place it up there with Star Wars, Raiders, Jaws, etc., but honestly; I don't understand the love for this one...

It sounds a bit dated and the themes just don't resonate with me. It's something that is rooted in the mid-70's whereas a score like CE3K has a quality that transcends the time period it was written in.

TTI is a simply too 'poppy' for my taste I guess.

Do you have an equal lack of love for a score that most people regard a first rate achievement..?

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I can see why you'd say that. I agree that much of the score hasn't stood the test of time very well, though the Main Theme is sufficiently exultant to "transcend" the years between. That's the heart of the entire work, and I'd have to say that it's enough to make me love the thing as a whole regardless of its flaws. (It's easily the best of his disaster film scores from that period.)

Do you have an equal lack of love for a score that most people regard a first rate achievement..?


Apparently I'm missing something with The Lost World. (I'm trying to get it, though. I really am.)

- Uni

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For me: The Towering Inferno.

I know most of you place it up there with Star Wars, Raiders, Jaws, etc., but honestly; I don't understand the love for this one...

It sounds a bit dated and the themes just don't resonate with me. It's something that is rooted in the mid-70's whereas a score like CE3K has a quality that transcends the time period it was written in.

TTI is a simply too 'poppy' for my taste I guess.

Do you have an equal lack of love for a score that most people regard a first rate achievement..?

I'm with you on TOWERING INFERNO. There are definitely highlights -- like the opening theme and the "planting charges and finale" cue. But beyond that, there isn't much to latch on to for me. POSEIDON ADVENTURE is worse, but that isn't a score that "everybody else" likes either.

Personally, I never understood the whole fascination for 1941. It's too noisy for my taste (both film and score).

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The Towering Inferno is a testament to it's time, it's jazzy, and contemporary to the mid 70's, that doesn't diminish it's greatness.

The score has as good an opening theme as anything John has written, it's big, it's bold, it's dramatic.

The action set music is often compelling, in some cases absolutely stunning and horrific.

Planting the charges is one of John's great long pieces. The jazzy pieces are charming and quite beautiful if you simply take the time to listen instead of just rolling your eyes which I suspect many do. The Towering Inferno makes a great companion piece to Earthquake another underappreciated score here. I've been listening to it often, though the Towering Inferno is my most listen to score on my nano.

Now if there is one score I don't get it's Hook.

Never got it, It's certainly good music but it never captured my heart, never "Hooked" me. I do love the elevator music but that seems more at home in the Towering Inferno. I'm trying to give it a chance.still but after 20 years I've still not connected to it.

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Maybe part of me lacking the appreciation others have for the TTI is because the Main Title track - something others (like Joey pointed out) regard as a cue 'as great as any John has ever written' - doesn't resonate with me that much.

I don't like the outdated, almost disco-esque percussion and the melody is sort of annoying. At least to me it is.

Of the scores mentioned so far: I do have a lot of love for Schindler's List and Hook. ;)

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I don't get the love for Jaws. I listened to the score, watched the bluray and i agree it is one of the best examples of a perfect score picture marriage. But i don't like listening to it apart from the film. I would still say it is a great score but i can't connect to it as standalone music.

The Jaws 2 score is far more enjoyable.

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I like Jaws 2 but not as much as Jaws, its (Jaws 2) definately not more enjoyable. But that Waterkite bit is simply fantastic stuff.

As for 1941 I love it, it's big LOUD, over the top but hell Swing Swing Swing just makes my feet move uncontrollably

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I don't even remember anything from 1941 other than the march. I'm always saying that I find Superman massively overrated, but there's still definitely some stuff in there that's among Williams very best material.

But the one score nearly everyone seems to consider a masterpiece which so far has done absolutely nothing for me is A.I..

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There's not really any JW work that I dislike. But here are the works that I probably rate lower than most people on this board:

Poseidon Adventure

Superman: The Movie

Jaws

Schindler's List

Temple of Doom

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Agreed on AI, Superman (outside the main theme and early cues), and the second half of the Lost World OST, though I love the first half. But all of these might grow on me with repeated listens, like many of JW's scores have done. I do appreciate that AI is one of those Williams scores that's outside of his usual style. One thing the last decade or so has brought us is Williams scores with their own unique flavors - Memoirs and Azkaban also come to mind.

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Apart from the amazing Parade of the Slave Children and the odd highlight such as the slalom and Shorty's theme I find Temple of Doom fairly forgettable and the weakest entry in the trilogy.

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You just had to start this blasphemous thread on Maestro's birthday! The horror, the horror! :o

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Apart from the amazing The Map Room: Dawn and the odd highlight such as the Desert Chase and Marion's theme I find Raiders of the Lost Ark fairly forgettable and the weakest entry in the trilogy.

Fixed.

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You just had to start this blasphemous thread on Maestro's birthday! The horror, the horror! :o

To be honest I did not foresee the onslaught that would take place...

Schindler's List... Jaws... Superman... E.T. ... TOD... Hook...

The horror indeed! The horror..!

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Apart from the amazing Parade of the Slave Children and the odd highlight such as the slalom and Shorty's theme I find Temple of Doom fairly forgettable and the weakest entry in the trilogy.

I thought I was the only one. There's plenty in it that I like, so I wouldn't put it this harshly, but I also prefer the first and third score by far. I find ToD overly busy, like 1941.

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I find Temple of Doom fairly forgettable

Let's just pretend you didn't say that.

Someone doesn't understand the thread.

Apart from the amazing Parade of the Slave Children and the odd highlight such as the slalom and Shorty's theme I find Temple of Doom fairly forgettable and the weakest entry in the trilogy.

I thought I was the only one. There's plenty in it that I like, so I wouldn't put it this harshly, but I also prefer the first and third score by far. I find ToD overly busy, like 1941.

Nocturnal Activities and the hilarious trap music are other standouts, but yeah, a great deal of the underscore just feels like mindless Mickey mousing to me.

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I really ought to like CE3K a lot more than I do. I can't figure out why it doesn't resonate so much with me...it seems like the sort of Williams score I would love. Hopefully someday I'll come to my senses.

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The Witches of Eastwick leaves me feeling a little empty. I recognize in it the same DNA strands of other scores I love, and there are certainly some goosebump moments (namely "The Ballroom Scene")—but something about it just doesn't resonate.

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I understand 1941 is a very well-respected score here, but aside from the march, there was never much in that score for me.

The Witches of Eastwick leaves me feeling a little empty. I recognize in it the same DNA strands of other scores I love, and there are certainly some goosebump moments (namely "The Ballroom Scene")—but something about it just doesn't resonate.

I love the Witches of Eastwick. It's very fun.

AOTC.

I think this is sadly underrated here.

Schindler's List.

That's a shame.

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I see this thread as the inevitable afterbirth of the exercise that was the Top 10 list. For just about everyone here, it goes like this:

Top 10 thread: "These are the 10 best scores of all time!"

This thread: "Man, I just don't get you guys. . . ."

What's funny is that we're all experiencing exactly the same feelings and exhibiting exactly the same responses, but from the widest possible range of perspectives. As an example, here's what it looks like from my corner of the JW universe:

- I find it unfathomable that people don't recognize the greatness of Temple of Doom.

- On the other hand: Earthquake? Really?

- 1941 was my "acquired taste" experience. I will say that the La-La Land release went a long way toward persuading me. Often times it takes hearing what wasn't on the OST to find out what you've been missing.

- Hook has ten times the motive complexity of most of the other scores mentioned in this thread. It's simply a brilliant piece of compositional work.

- Ditto E.T. on the brilliance thing.

- But hey, we don't always disagree, either. I feel no shame in saying Witches of Eastwick hasn't made its mark on me yet.

- Jaws, on the other hand, is an extremely listenable classic.

- In every case where anyone doesn't see eye to eye with me, I'm twice the better person, because a) I clearly have superior taste and a better ear for music, and b) I'm exercising a benevolent amount of grace and patience by not informing everyone of the truth about how wrong they are.

I believe that last bit, while perhaps a tad exaggerated, is a tiny, usually-unspoken conceit everyone keeps to themselves while they read and comment along in these conversations. (C'mon . . . admit it! You know that's what you're thinking! ;)

- Uni

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Wow. One of my favorite Williams tracks. It can't get more Star Wars than that (the part that captures both 'nothingness' and 'infinity' - the anticipation of a universe waiting to be explored).

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I didn't like this overly Prokoviev-ian mimicry when i was 15, i don't like it now.

On the other hand, the scherzo in the oboe concerto is unmistakably of this mold and seemed fine...who knows...

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The part where it goes from the little people's theme to the main theme of Star Wars (I believe that's when uncle Owen says: "Luke, I'm shutting down for the night!") is pure Star Wars magic. It's all about to happen. It's the eve of things to come ... but Luke is still unaware of it ... and Williams nailed it (Stravinsky, Prokofiev or not). And it's wonderfully free of bombast.

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I almost never listen to STAR WARS stuff these days. Overexposure and too much other music to be taken in.

So what baffles me much more than one man preferring MILES ON WHEELS over THE MAP ROOM or dancing happily to the LOST BOY CHASE instead celebrating the earnest gravity of MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA is how often people obviously are able to listen to the same pieces of music without ever feeling the desire to break out of this corselet. I tend to have phases where i listen to more light, pop, rock, minimal, funk, hiphop, italian beat or whatever when i don't miss the heavy artillery of orchestral scores one bit - then it's much more cheerful to return to, say, BROKEN BRIDGE and be roused by it. Would i listen to stuff like this all day, it really would get on my nerves.



The part where it goes from the little people's theme to the main theme of Star Wars (I believe that's when uncle Owen says: "Luke, I'm shutting down for the night!") is pure Star Wars magic. It's all about to happen. It's the eve of things to come ... but Luke is still unaware of it ... and Williams nailed it (Stravinsky, Prokofiev or not).

I assume you are talking about a 10-second transition within a 4 minute piece here.

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O.K. It's time for the big guns to weigh in!

Too many individual poats to quote (I think my Sinclair Z-X Spectrum would crash) so I'll just say my bit.

"TTI" - this is the score that introduced me to the music of JW, so I am so grateful for seeing that film, back in 1975 (5 times at the cinema, in fact).I know Mark O has a lot of love for TTI - way to go, man!

"TWOE" - "The Seduction Of Suki And The Ballroom Scene", is beyond a shadow of a single doubt, the most beautiful piece of music that JW has EVER written. 'Nuff said.

"TOD" - try listening to "Approaching The Stones", and not be impressed.

"1941" - this is JW's most bonkers score, and it's brilliant for it. It is the equivalent of a video arcade game (as is the film). It has no real style, or panache; it's just in-yer-face, ADHD, breathless excitement. When you listen to 1941, you know you've been Tango'd! Isa 1941 twice at the flicks; I loved it then, and I love it now.

"Accross The Stars" is just Luke's Theme reversed, and in a minor key. Genius, or just damned lazy? You decide.

"Superman"??????!!!!!!! - really????????!!!!!!!!!! How can ANYONE not like this?????????!!!!!!!!!

"Jaws 2" is a much better score than "Jaws", an that's officall (incoming!!!!!!)

"Hook" is the biggest pile of Bantha poo-doo JW has ever "written". Written? Vomited, more like. Does JW have shares in insulin manufacturers..?

It's intreresting that people haven't mentioned scores like "The Eiger Sanction", "Monsignor", "The Missouri Breaks", and "Cinderella Liberty", all scores that I personally have a lot of love for.

Of course, all this is just my personal opinion, and it's all light-hearted (except for the "Hook" bit), and who cares what I - or anyone else - thinks, anyway?

Is it the weirdest disco ever?

Can't hear it, Alex. Is it the "Theme From CE3K" (the free-one sided single from the original USA release)?

Miles On Wheels is fantastic!

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Richard, on 09 Feb 2013 - 12:51, said:

"Accross The Stars" is just Luke's Theme reversed, and in a minor key. Genius, or just damned lazy? You decide.

can you please explain that, preferably with music examples?

because i don't see it.

yes, they share common motifs and rhythmic gestures, but to say that the one is the reverse of the other I think is a bit far fetched.

and this is not lazy, since this is the way for the music in the Star wars films (or any large musical composition) to have a musical unity and coherence (by the themes sharing common motifs and gestures)

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I don't like the LITTLE PEOPLE music from STAR WARS. Thinking about it, there's a lot of underscore in the first movie i never listened to since 1997.

Just goes to show. I think it's the best cue in the entire score.

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