Favourite 80s synth scores

[filmmusic 925]

Well, although I love orchestral symphonic scores (and i think maybe many of us here), there are some 80s synth scores that hold a special place in my heart - maybe more due to the nostalgia about the films.

I had a discussion today and some people say that they don't like the dated 80s synth sound.

So, do you have any favourites?

(edit: I'm talking about scores which are 80-100% synth)

the ones I can think of now are:

-No Mercy (Alan Silvestri) (I especially loved this theme and played it over and over)

-Labyrinth (Trevor Jones)

-Terminator (Brad Fiedel)

-Blade Runner (Vangelis)

-Dead Poets Society (Maurice Jarre) (i think in the most part it's synth, isn't it?)

[chuck 154]

-Hoosiers (Jerry Goldsmith) when it comes to 80's synth sounds, it's inevitable that JG has to come into discussion.

[filmmusic 925]

-Hoosiers (Jerry Goldsmith) when it comes to 80's synth sounds, it's inevitable that JG has to come into discussion.

Well, I'm not sure if Hoosiers qualifies, because I would say it's 80-85% symphonic orchestra and the rest is synth.

I am talking about scores which are 80%-100%, all synth.

[chuck 154]

Ah, I got ya.

-Driving Miss Daisy (Hans Zimmer): really excellent work by Hans Zimmer there.

[Romão 1,931]

I love Vangelis' The Bounty

[Uni 306]

Gotta put Rocky IV near (or at) the top of that list.

While Alan Silvestri's American Anthem has some decent orchestral business in it, that one's got some schmaltzy-inspirational synth bits that work pretty well too.

And, of course, this discussion can't continue without some mention of Harold Faltermeyer. Everyone always points right to Beverly Hills Cop, but I've always been a bigger fan of Fletch.

- Uni

[Kendal_Ozzel 32]

Ladyhawke. I know some people simply LOATHE this score. But I consider it one of my all time favorites. Any film is a product of its time and it will "date" one way or another. I don't think Powell's score was "wrong" for, say, being anachronistic. It's not like a "traditionally orchestral" score would have only used instruments that were around in medieval times.

I don't know that this score is technically 80% synth—it's a steady blend of synth and orchestra—but there's a lot of synth throughout it.

One of my favorite cues:

[indy4 152]

Heartbeeps!

[Uni 306]

Aw, crap, Kendal. I completely forgot about LH!

- Uni

[AC1 3,565]

Ladyhawke. I know some people simply LOATHE this score. But I consider it one of my all time favorites. Any film is a product of its time and it will "date" one way or another. I don't think Powell's score was "wrong" for, say, being anachronistic. It's not like a "traditionally orchestral" score would have only used instruments that were around in medieval times.

I don't know that this score is technically 80% synth—it's a steady blend of synth and orchestra—but there's a lot of synth throughout it.

One of my favorite cues:

I love the mysterious opening and then a really silly 4/4 beat kicks in. Even in pop music that beat would bother me.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Its a really cheap and silly sounded score!

[Quintus 5,391]

Not a fan of that really low grade sounding synth like you get in The Princess Bride. In fact I've never managed to get through the whole movie as a result.

[filmmusic 925]

Heartbeeps!

heartbeeps is not a synth score.

It's 90% pure orchestra!

By the way, since Ladyhawke was mentioned, I soo much want to see this movie (because i love the genre), but the music score prevents me from it..

If only it had an alternate orchestral score like LEGEND!

[Naïve Old Fart 6,637]

Off the top of my head:

"Blade Runner", "Witness", "Missing", "The Bounty", "Rent-A-Cop", "The Mosquito Coast", and the surperb "Runaway".

I'd also include "Extreme Prejudice", "Hoosiers", and "Poltergeist II", but I am not sure if they qualify (they do in my book!).

I seem to remember an awful lot synths in "Time Bandits"...

Btw, Alex, you of all people should know that the main Title for "Ladyhawke" is just a rip-off of "Silence And I".

[Sharkissimo 1,971]

... and Tangerine Dream's Love on a Real Train from RISKY BUSINESS is a rip-off of a Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians.

[Naïve Old Fart 6,637]

Exactly!!! Is there no originality, anymore?

Add to that list "Chariots Of Fire", "Near Dark", "The Keep", T.D.'s "Legend" (a nice score that works much better WITHOUT the movie!), "Blue Thunder" "WarGames", and the awesome "2010".

[filmmusic 925]

and the surperb "Runaway".

I have never seen this movie (though i want to) and never heard of the score.

just listening to a suite in youtube. This looks very good for a synth score!

This is just another proof, that it's not the medium that makes a music bad or good but whether the composer has skills or not. (and education)

(I'm just saying this because i had a discussion once and they thought that i think every synth music is bad. I tried to explain that the orchestration doesn't matter but they couldn't understand the difference between "orchestration" and "composition")

[JoeinAR 1,759]

OMG the score to the Keep was atrocious, it is horrible.

it's a Michael Mann film so it's not like it was going to be great, but his choice of score basically ruined any chance the movie had to be decent. Plus like Kubrick and the Shining, Mann didn't get the original source material.

Electric movie music underscoring a Nazi occupation just doesn't work.

[Quintus 5,391]

Gotta love the stark synth of Dawn of The Dead, though. Atmospheric and effective.

There's also a brilliant reoccurring synth cue in Twin Peaks, which is seriously morbid.

[JoeinAR 1,759]

to me synth scores just sound cheap. We got 14 bucks left in the budget, you think you can score the film with your casio for that?

[Sharkissimo 1,971]

Good 80s synth scores for me include Michael Rubini's THE HUNGER and MANHUNTER, Georgio Moroder's CAT PEOPLE, Thomas Newman's DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN and LESS THAN ZERO, Howard Shore's VIDEODROME, Jack Nitzsche's STARMAN, and John Carpenter & Alan Haworth's collaborations.

[Quintus 5,391]

LOVE the Starman theme, although I normally listen to the orchestral recording.

[filmmusic 925]

LOVE the Starman theme, although I normally listen to the orchestral recording.

I loved the film (only saw it once). I didn't remember the music and I'm listening to it right now!

Yes, it's very good!

[Quintus 5,391]

It's a sweet theme with a lush melody.

[Uni 306]

Add to that list . . . "Blue Thunder" "WarGames", and the awesome "2010".

Funny—those three popped into my head last night, particularly the two Rubenstein ones. For some reason, Blue Thunder has always intruiged me. I don't know why—it's certainly not a very complex score, or noticeably deep. But it just strikes the right tone in a movie about the dangers of new technology.

Its a really cheap and silly sounded score!

LadyHawke is a "comfort food" score—one of those for which, if you grew up with it (and the movie), you'll always have a special place in your heart. But this is a case where I can definitely understand those who don't connect with it. I don't imagine I would either if it weren't a nostalgic favorite.

On the other hand . . . I grew up with Starman, too, and have never gotten past the impression that it's the single laziest score I've ever heard. The whole thing revolves around three iterations of the (very brief) main line, with an eeeeeeendless bridge of the same handful of notes repeating over and over and over and over and over again. Then it goes back to the beginning and puts us through it again, ad nauseum. There's a nice "love theme" that does emerge in a scene or two (it's the centerpiece of "The Honeymoon"); if the rest of the score had been given as much thought and effort, it might've made a nice score. The "action" bits are just synth noise.

No, I never connected with that one. Sorry.

- Uni

[Thor 5,273]

My kind of topic! Electronic music from the 80's (but also 70's and 90's and onwards) is one of the main reasons for why I got into soundtrack listening in the first place.

LADYHAWKE is one of my alltime favourite scores! Pure brilliance. 80% is classical orchestral adventure music in the style of Horner and Williams. It's only the remaining 20% that have the pop beat, usually just for transportation sequences and the odd action setpiece. But I love those too -- both in the film and outside (then again, I'm a hardcore Alan Parsons fan). I wouldn't label this an 80's synth score, though. There's nothing synthy about it.

Some great ones have already been mentioned. Hold on...I'll mention some personal favourites in a while.

[Wojo 2,442]

I just popped in Ladyhawke. I wanna see if it brings me comfort, or just wants to make me ralph.

[Omen II 1,088]

I had a discussion today and some people say that they don't like the dated 80s synth sound.

So, do you have any favourites?

I love Alan Silvestri's Flight of the Navigator. Never have frisbee dogs received a better musical accompaniment!

[Uni 306]

I just popped in Ladyhawke. I wanna see if it brings me comfort, or just wants to make me ralph.

That will be entirely dependent on your original impressions of the score.

- Uni

[filmmusic 925]

LADYHAWKE is one of my alltime favourite scores! Pure brilliance. 80% is classical orchestral adventure music in the style of Horner and Williams. It's only the remaining 20% that have the pop beat, usually just for transportation sequences and the odd action setpiece.

Oh, really? How was I under the impression that it's a 100% synth score?

Then I guess I should see the movie.

I'm almost sure that I had heard 3-4 pieces and all were synth.

[Thor 5,273]

LADYHAWKE is one of my alltime favourite scores! Pure brilliance. 80% is classical orchestral adventure music in the style of Horner and Williams. It's only the remaining 20% that have the pop beat, usually just for transportation sequences and the odd action setpiece.

Oh, really? How was I under the impression that it's a 100% synth score?

Then I guess I should see the movie.

I'm almost sure that I had heard 3-4 pieces and all were synth.

Oh, absolutely not. There is very little synth in it. There are some in the tracks with pop beat, but mostly quite discrete. The few non-orchestral tracks are more in the vein of symphonic rock.

The majority of the score is like this:

My Top 10 list of synth soundtracks (of all time) can be viewed here:

http://montages.no/2010/04/topp-10-synth-soundtracks/

There are so many score titles from the 80's that I love that it's easier to name composers -- Faltermeyer, Moroder, Hammer, Silvestri, Zimmer, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, Isham, Newton Howard, T. Newman, Revell . And then singular things like DiCola's ROCKY IV, Elfman's WISDOM, Jonathan Elias' VAMP and TWO MOON JUNCTION, Paul Herzog's BLOODSPORT, Colombier's THE GOLDEN CHILD and so forth. All top quality stuff. Some times I go into phases where I only listen to this material.

[Quintus 5,391]

On the other hand . . . I grew up with Starman, too, and have never gotten past the impression that it's the single laziest score I've ever heard. The whole thing revolves around three iterations of the (very brief) main line, with an eeeeeeendless bridge of the same handful of notes repeating over and over and over and over and over again. Then it goes back to the beginning and puts us through it again, ad nauseum. There's a nice "love theme" that does emerge in a scene or two (it's the centerpiece of "The Honeymoon"); if the rest of the score had been given as much thought and effort, it might've made a nice score. The "action" bits are just synth noise.

No, I never connected with that one. Sorry.

- Uni

I dunno, maybe try this version:

[filmmusic 925]

LADYHAWKE is one of my alltime favourite scores! Pure brilliance. 80% is classical orchestral adventure music in the style of Horner and Williams. It's only the remaining 20% that have the pop beat, usually just for transportation sequences and the odd action setpiece.

Oh, really? How was I under the impression that it's a 100% synth score?

Then I guess I should see the movie.

I'm almost sure that I had heard 3-4 pieces and all were synth.

Oh, absolutely not. There is very little synth in it. There are some in the tracks with pop beat, but mostly quite discrete. The few non-orchestral tracks are more in the vein of symphonic rock.

The majority of the score is like this:

That track is quite good!

How on earth the director combined this way of scoring with pop cheesy synth sound??

What was he thinking??

[Thor 5,273]

That track is quite good!

How on earth the director combined this way of scoring with pop cheesy synth sound??

What was he thinking??

The story goes that Donner fell in love with Alan Parsons Project as it played on the car stereo while they were location scouting in England. So he seeked out Andrew Powell, a classically trained composer who was responsible for much of the orchestral arrangements on the APP albums (superb arrangements they are too!).

While I would agree that it dates the sequences in question a bit, it's actually not as bad as people make it out to be. It's mostly transportation sequences, where the galloping hooves of the horses fit well with the steady pop beat. Most of the film -- and especially the most important and dramatic moments -- are all scored in a classical, symphonic idiom. If you see the film some day, you'll understand.

Again, I have to reiterate that there is very little synth in the score. The only synths appear integrated with the band and orchestra in the aforementioned sequences, so it's closer to symphonic rock.

I just adore LADYHAWKE from top to bottom. The symphonic rock tracks, the classic symphonicism and the medieval source cues. Perfect concept album.

Finally, we also have to remember that a neo-romantic score is just as anachronistic in a medieval setting. It's only that we're used to it because of convention. So that this score dared to challenge conventions a little bit here and there deserves kudos in itself, IMO.

[crocodile 6,294]

While only partially synth, but still counts, I think

Karol

[filmmusic 925]

That track is quite good!

How on earth the director combined this way of scoring with pop cheesy synth sound??

What was he thinking??

Finally, we also have to remember that a neo-romantic score is just as anachronistic in a medieval setting. It's only that we're used to it because of convention. So that this score dared to challenge conventions a little bit here and there deserves kudos in itself, IMO.

well, if it was ALL synth, it would be at least consistent.

But to combine classical symphonic score with pop synth cues (unless they are source music), sounds "kitsch" to me..

It's like a woman wearing a beautiful night dress with sports shoes, and a baseball hat.

I learned in my years of studying music, that part of a musical's composition success and value, is the consistency it has from beginning to end..

You can't start a musical piece in a Stravinsky style, have a development ala Mozart style in the middle, and end in minimalism.

And since a film's score is a complete musical work for me and not just random music cues placed here and there, this sounds inconsistent.

But I'd better see the film first and let you know afterwards. I love 80s fairytales (LEGEND, LABYRINTH, etc.) so i'm looking forward to seeing this too.

[AC1 3,565]

Don't you know the Alan Parsons Project, filmmusic?

This has a similar sound:

Put this music over Ladyhawke and even Thor won't notice it.

Alex

[Thor 5,273]

I learned in my years of studying music, that part of a musical's composition success and value, is the consistency it has from beginning to end..

You can't start a musical piece in a Stravinsky style, have a development ala Mozart style in the middle, and end in minimalism.

And since a film's score is a complete musical work for me and not just random music cues placed here and there, this sounds inconsistent.

I'm afraid I must disagree a bit with that. Film music is able to so many things in relation to the visuals. Sometimes a thoroughly consistent style is the way to go. Sometimes, a hodgepodge of styles is the way to go (Tarantino, for example), sometimes a mix of two distinct styles is appropriate. It always depends on the film's aesthetic.

A KNIGHT'S TALE, for example, utilized traditional symphonic score alongside 80's pop songs in a medieval setting -- played both as source music and non-diegetic music, because it fit that particular project.

If it had been a self-sufficient musical piece, I might have agreed with you more, but even here an eclectic approach can sometimes work.

But again, it would be interesting if you some time got to see the film -- open-minded -- and then tell us what you think.

[Corellian2019 319]

Beverly Hills Cop, by Harold Faltermeyer

...and to a lesser degree, the sequel score as well, even though it introduces the "Bad Guys" theme

[Thor 5,273]

Beverly Hills Cop, by Harold Faltermeyer

...and to a lesser degree, the sequel score as well, even though it introduces the "Bad Guys" theme

Both BEVERLY HILLS COP (and sequels) and FLETCH (plus sequel) are among my most-wanted, unreleased titles from the 80's. And THIEF OF HEARTS (the soundtrack was mostly songs). Long live the Yamaha DX7 and the drum arsenal of the Roland 808.

[Ollie 859]

Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop 1 & 2, Runaway, Wargames to name a few.

[Naïve Old Fart 6,637]

Does "Flash Gordon" count? What about "The Burning"?

"TRON" is surperb.

[Uni 306]

Technically Flash doesn't fall into this category for two reasons. First, while Queen certainly gave synth a fair amount of time in the movie, the rest of the band played as well. Their presence made this a rock score, not a synth score per se.

Second, Howard Blake supplemented their material with an orchestral score. Together, the two styles actually make for a great mix, especially in one of the greatest camp films of all time.

- Uni

[Wojo 2,442]

I think that if Ladyhawke had been used to score an urban movie or otherwise forgettable film, nobody would have paid attention. But because it's a medieval fantasy film with high production values, an attractive cast, and was directed by the great Richard Donner, who had demonstrated the ability to use high-profile film composers to great effect (Goldsmith and Williams, chiefly) and would later use Grusin and Kamen, its score stands out like an ugly duckling. The score had some very good and memorable themes, but the presence of that happy-go-pukey synth pop beat like any run of the mill New Wave pop album dated it.

[Roll the Bones 2,967]

Do video games count?

[AC1 3,565]

Does "Flash Gordon" count? What about "The Burning"?

"TRON" is surperb.

Tron is like Goldsmith's Legend, a score where orchestra and synths go hand in hand. The synths are used for bringing unusual sounds and textures to the orchestral palette. I don't have the soundtrack of Tron, but it's one of the aspects that I enjoy the most about this movie.

Alex

[Koray Savas 2,095]

Black Rain

Rain Man

[Naïve Old Fart 6,637]

Does "Flash Gordon" count? What about "The Burning"?

"TRON" is surperb.

Tron is like Goldsmith's Legend, a score where orchestra and synths go hand in hand. The synths are used for bringing unusual sounds and textures to the orchestral palette. I don't have the soundtrack of Tron, but it's one of the aspects that I enjoy the most about this movie.

Alex

In the liner notes for the CD, Wendy Carlos explains that she has been asked if the score for "TRON" is purely synth, or purely orchestral. She writes that it is 100% of both. An interesting take on both aspects of the score balancing each other.

[filmmusic 925]

Ok, only this cue of the score is synth, but I kind of like it and it reminds me one of my favourite films ever!!

(i wonder if this particular cue is all Williams in the sketches or if he had help from someone that knows synths. After all, didn't he have help I think in a couple of pop cues in A.I.?)

And also thought to bump the thread.