Composer Threads The Thomas Newman Thread

[Edmilson 10,471]

As much as I don't care for his newest scores, but Newman will always be one of my favorite composers, if only because of the trifecta of Shawshank Redemption/The Horse Whisperer/The Green Mile. Three of my favorite scores ever.

[Davis 3,949]

49 minutes ago, Thor said:

49 minutes ago, Thor said:

, it's you who have lost interest. It's not his fault that you have lost interest in him.

It’s not just me who has lost interest in his music. 
 

And why haven’t I lost interest in Williams’ music? Because he is a much more versatile composer than Newman. If Newman did or tried to do something else, not his usual thing, I would be still interested in his music. He is capable of doing other styles. He did it with LITTLE

WOMEN, one of my favourite scores. And since it’s him who writes the music, it’s his “fault” if anyone’s, meaning he does the same thing over and over again, that people have lost interest in his work. I’m totally open to anything new he might do in the future. But his narrow trademark style I’m not interested in anymore. 

[GerateWohl 5,929]

John Williams is one of the very few artists who even get better when they are repeating themselves.

 

[mrbellamy 7,283]

I do agree that it's definitely rarer that I am blown away by Thomas Newman these days, or even wrapped up in the familiar cozy blanket of his style, but it does happen. I relistened to Bridge of Spies not too long ago and forgot how much I love the end credits, it's classic 90s-00s Newman in that vein. 1917 was the last time I really felt like he had the juice but I haven't listened to everything he's done recently. I heard awesome things about Elemental and it didn't grab me the one time I listened to it casually, but maybe it would in the movie, which I am not going to watch anytime soon. 

 

But he is still one of the few left where I am always ready for another great surprise. He does bring his A game every so often. Williams is the only one where even the "boring" ones set themselves apart and to me that's always in the melodies. Everybody repeats themselves but if it's at least got some tunes, I'm in. Williams is the only one to me who's never once brought absolutely nothing in that department. He's come up slightly short but there are so many scores that I put on including by composers I love like Newman where I truly have no idea what I just listened to when it's finished. 

[Thor 9,308]

49 minutes ago, Davis said:

And why haven’t I lost interest in Williams’ music? Because he is a much more versatile composer than Newman.

 

Oh, certainly.

 

49 minutes ago, Davis said:

And since it’s him who writes the music, it’s his “fault” if anyone’s, meaning he does the same thing over and over again

 

But that's true for all composers with a unique style. They usually do various riffs on their own style.

 

I think you said it yourself in that last sentence, it's not a style you're interested in anymore. That's fair. But it has nothing to do with the composer. He is who he is, and will probably be so for the rest of his life.

[GerateWohl 5,929]

1 hour ago, Thor said:

But that's true for all composers with a unique style. They usually do various riffs on their own style.

But here I must second Davis. Just keeping being true to your style doesn't mean you keep your level of quality or originality. It doesn't mean, your work is still on the same level as in the past.

But you say, if Davis doesn't like the new stuff this cannot be a quality issue because Newman still writes in the same style, so it must be Davis who has changed. I don't follow that argumentation.

[Thor 9,308]

59 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

But here I must second Davis. Just keeping being true to your style doesn't mean you keep your level of quality or originality. It doesn't mean, your work is still on the same level as in the past.

But you say, if Davis doesn't like the new stuff this cannot be a quality issue because Newman still writes in the same style, so it must be Davis who has changed. I don't follow that argumentation.

 

I mentioned several examples above, on how Newman continues to use his style in various ways (like the India "trilogy"). Whether or not you like those, is of no significance, really. We all have different taste and preferences. But the veiled argument that Newman has somehow gotten lazy, is one I don't agree with. He keeps putting out stuff that are delightful variations of his own style.

[Trope 1,188]

Don’t forget, when Thomas Newman is hired, directors want a Thomas Newman-styled score. It would be quite strange for them to hire him and ask him to write an Alan Silvestri score (now, there’s a composer who we might also say has been writing the same music for decades).

[GerateWohl 5,929]

I never said he's gotten lazy or that he shouldn't stick to his style. I just said, he's probably not as good as he used to be.

[Davis 3,949]

9 hours ago, Thor said:

He keeps putting out stuff that are delightful variations of his own style.

That mostly sound the same. It’s like he doesn’t want to evolve, doesn’t want to explore new musical territories. It’s not laziness per se, it’s perhaps he can’t or doesn’t want to do anything else. And after a while to the listener it feels like he is writing the same exact score over and over again. 

[Trope 1,188]

11 minutes ago, Davis said:

And after a while to the listener it feels like he is writing the same exact score over and over again. 

To the untrained or uninterested listener (the un-listening listener, if you will!).

As an avid Newman listener, I personally can hear the development of his style across his career. While it’s true that his essential compositional voice hasn’t changed all that much, elements of his style have developed over time.

 

I’d be happy to break it down, but I’m not sure it would be worth my time, if your opinions about Newman are already set in stone.

[cwg24 5]

Trope, as a massive Thomas Newman fan, I’d enjoy reading your breakdown. 
 

There are so many classic Newman scores from over the years but I think his current style is a real evolution too and many of his recent scores have a lot to love. I might post a list of some of those recent tracks that have really resonated with me and become first favourites.

[Davis 3,949]

 

1 hour ago, Trope said:

I’d be happy to break it down, but I’m not sure it would be worth my time

I know it wouldn’t be worth mine, so please don’t.
 

1 hour ago, Trope said:

To the untrained or uninterested listener (the un-listening listener, if you will!).

 

Hear that @Jurassic Shark@GerateWohl? Apparently you are untrained uninterested, un-listening listeners. 

 

1 hour ago, Trope said:

While it’s true that his essential compositional voice hasn’t changed all that much

I’m glad you agree with us. 
 

 

 

 

[Jurassic Shark 14,970]

27 minutes ago, Davis said:

Hear that @Jurassic Shark@GerateWohl? Apparently you are untrained uninterested, un-listening listeners. 

 

What? Did he say something?

[GerateWohl 5,929]

I accept  that argument. I am no Thomas Newman connaisseur. I never accessed his work from a position of a Thomas Newman admirer but just from the perspective of my personal taste which is far away from any objectivity. 

When there I find something boring I could train myself to find something likable in it and any of the artist's work just to keep the candle burning. There are artists where I spend such effort, too. But not with Tom Newman. 

Means, you can train yourself to like boring music. I believe, this is also an important experience in developing a taste. It's just important to understand that this is neither completely based on knowledge or objective quality but to a large degree on personal decisions we made for ourselves more or less randomly. And that's a good thing.

[Richard P 4,754]

I find Newman often fills a gap that other composers aren't that great at. Films that need a subtle, more textural approach (1917 being a recent example) are his strength, and coming up with interesting individual ideas for particular scenes. Thematic development and sweeping orchestra aren't so much his thing.

 

Silvestri has the opposite thing - his music isn't subtle to me - his style is very identifiably stop-start, brass and string heavy. If you want something that feels fun, alive and perfect for a big exciting action movie, he's your guy.

 

While Williams is definitely a more versatile composer in terms of range than Newman, if I were making a 1917-esque film I would hire Newman because I think Williams is more at home with full orchestra and big themes, and not in textural, atmospheric material. I rarely enjoy his darker or more ambient material because I don't think it represents his strengths as a composer.

[Thor 9,308]

I very much echo what Trope says.

 

There are certainly composers out there where an argument can be made for disconcerting developments in the last couple of decades. For example, Spanish-language composers like Banos, Jusid, Velazquez....so interesting once upon a time, but more and more eaten up by various "chugga-chugga" contemporary stylings that don't suit them well (with some exceptions, of course). Patrick Doyle too, or big-timers like JNH, Elfman, Silvestri in the last 20 years.

 

But that is not true for Newman at all. He's been himself in the last 20 years just as much as he was in the 20 years before that again. And he's done all kinds of nice variations of that style that keep him interesting and "him"; I mentioned some examples earlier, taken from the last 20 years.

[GerateWohl 5,929]

Yeah, probably the truth is rather that Newman's stylings are not thing at all and that his scores, that I like, are rather accidental dipps into my musical taste's territory. Then that all would make sense.

 

It's a little like measuring all scores of Howard Shore against his rather exceptional work for Lord of the Rings.

[Trope 1,188]

 

[WampaRat 1,793]

Wonderful to see this. Listening now and it's great. It's been a bit since Newman has grabbed me. This is very much "contemporary Newman", but I'm enjoying it a lot. It's got to be liberating as a composer to have the framework of a great story like this to work from, but not have to worry about cuts/edits/ etc. I'm sure there are still moods/moments the director needed Newman to hit. But I feel like this is Tom Newman in his purest form, completely unfettered by the demands of film. 

[ddddeeee 486]

[cwg24 5]

2 hours ago, ddddeeee said:

Is there a nice booklet inside? Any insight into his process? 
 

I’m just about to sit and listen to it for the first time - as a massive Newman fan. 

[Thor 9,308]

OF MICE AND MEN didn't quite do it for me, I'm afraid. LET THEM ALL TALK (2020) is the last Newman work that truly ignited me (although I managed to make a sweet 40-minute program of WHITE BIRD as well, that works just fine). Newman has managed to land a 9th place on my list of top 10 film composers, he's in my top 10 for the first time in history (of course, a lot has also to do with a newfound love of his early work), so I hope he'll return with a more "wow" work soon. I understand we have several to look forward to now in 2025.

[crocodile 9,177]

I was actually listening to Of Mice and Men earlier today. I quite liked it actually.

 

Karol

[Davis 3,949]

The last Thomas Newman score I really liked was TOLKIEN. 

[Foundling 12]

He is my favourite composer, I think, and I wish we would hear more of his orchestral side, however I still dig this - the track Red Mules in particular moved me so much.  No one does this soundscape better.

[artguy360 2,013]

The last Thomas Newman score I loved was 1917. The last 3 tracks on the OST are fantastic, but a small track that always touches my heart is A Bit of Tin.

 

 

[WampaRat 1,793]

Just finished reading(listening) to this Novel.  The film complements it pretty nicely. 

I love this unreleased version of "Coffee On the Mile" in the End Credits here at 1:26 till the end. Heartbreaking stuff. Although it sounds like there was some editorial tampering when the big string swells come in. Or maybe it's because I'm just used to the flow of the original composition. 

[WampaRat 1,793]

Does anyone know if the album of Angels In America is in chronological order(ish)?

I've never seen the miniseries. But I know it's longer than a two-hour film. Is there a considerable amount of unreleased score?

[Naïve Old Fart 11,624]

To answer your questions in reverse order: "yes", and "no".