The Marvel Studios Fanfare by Brian Tyler

[igger6 827]

I haven't seen Thor 2 yet, but I perked up when I saw that the last track on the OST was called "Marvel Studios Fanfare." As one who still mourns Randy Newman's dear, departed Disney/Pixar fanfare, and as an absolute devotee of Brian Tyler's reworking of the Goldsmith Universal fanfare, I love it when studios debut new logo music.

Here's Tyler's Marvel fanfare, with animation, courtesy of Erik Woods' Twitter.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid16681868001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAAr7e30~,vihvuRVBQpNFbdXq-mJPiy5bq6kzgKag&bctid=2832255681001

I heard it on Youtube a couple of weeks back, and I thought was excellent—full of the kind of industrial-tough-guy energy I've associated with Marvel ever since the olden days.

Then I heard Tyler's actual score for Thor 2. It's epic and melodic and dramatic and all that, and the main theme is definitely hummable, paying vague idiomatic tribute to the perfectly good themes from Patrick Doyle's original. The problem is just that—how can I put this?—the main theme for the film pretty much IS the Marvel Studio Fanfare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLj-ZBzE8sI

BOOOOOOM, trip-a-let BOOOOM BOOOOM BOOOOM!!

I know the ending and the pitches are slightly different, but it seems so sloppy to spend time crafting a melody that will introduce every subsequent film in the biggest franchise in Hollywood, and then essentially re-use it to characterize one element of that franchise. Am I the only one this bothers? I know we should be grateful they went to the trouble of commissioning a studio theme, and I know Marvel has already broken records for ignorance of musical integrity in their cinematic universe (minor variations of the Captain America March in two shots on the heli-carrier don't count), but this seems like a real rookie move.

[Presto 4,296]

What about the statement of Caps theme in Thor 2?

[igger6 827]

SSSHH!! Haven't seen it yet, but I did catch wind of that, and I can't wait!

[Kendal_Ozzel 36]

Huh, I didn't notice the similarity while watching the film, but it is rather clear hearing it now.

When I first heard the fanfare, though, it did immediately make me think of Horner's "Genesis Countdown."

[BTR1701 59]

Am I the only one sick of thundering electronic drums overshadowing everything in soundtracks these days? Every single soundtrack sounds the same to me. Galloping drums, simplistic themes (if the composer even bothers with themes), and fluttering string ostinatos. These scores can almost be copy-pasted from one film to the next.

And whoever mixed that clip above needs his head checked. When the brass section and the violin section sound equally powerful, you've done something wrong.

[Dixon Hill 4,232]

...something tells me you're not the only person here who feels that way.

[Richard Penna 2,969]

I like the new logo music - better than Tyler's 'improved' Universal logo (which I think he's ruined - too many layers).

[Presto 4,296]

Am I the only one sick of thundering electronic drums.

Sadly, a lot of these things are acoustic.

[Sharkissimo 1,971]

Am I the only one sick of thundering electronic drums.

Sadly, a lot of these things are acoustic.

It's probably Tyler playing them himself.

[Luke Skywalker 1,622]

Can we asume it's going to be the Marvel Logo Music from now on, or that the track is called Marvel Fanfare, representing the name of a cue that scores the Logos on this particular movie? (as other films do)

[gkgyver 1,644]

Am I the only one sick of thundering electronic drums.

Sadly, a lot of these things are acoustic.

It's probably Tyler playing them himself.

With skulls of listeners whose heads he already made explode.

[Jay 33,746]

Can we asume it's going to be the Marvel Logo Music from now on, or that the track is called Marvel Fanfare, representing the name of a cue that scores the Logos on this particular movie? (as other films do)

What?

[Presto 4,296]

Is it that hard to understand?

Is it the new fanfare for a few years? or is it just for this ifilm

[Jim Ware 487]

http://marvel.com/news/story/21508/introducing_the_new_marvel_studios_logo

[Richard Penna 2,969]

That's one of the best press statements I've ever seen from an executive. Apart from a bit of backslapping for Tyler, he basically tells it like it is. I didn't even know Marvel was now their own entity.

And I now can't get that theme out of my head - good job Tyler!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,257]

And whoever mixed that clip above needs his head checked. When the brass section and the violin section sound equally powerful, you've done something wrong.

Why?

It's not been recorded and mixed to sound like it's being played in a concert hall. Why would it?

[BTR1701 59]

And whoever mixed that clip above needs his head checked. When the brass section and the violin section sound equally powerful, you've done something wrong.

Why?

It's not been recorded and mixed to sound like it's being played in a concert hall. Why would it?

It has noting to do with concert halls. Orchestras don't sound like that in recording studios, either. I assume the point of using an orchestra is to sound like an orchestra, no? That clip sounds like a 10-year-old got hold of daddy's mixing board and started playing around with it.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,257]

Orchestra's sound that way in recording studio's if they are mixed that way!

[Bilbo 3,707]

I thought the fanfare was pretty forgettable as was Tyler's score. I love these Marvel movies but the music does nothing for me. All I can remember from the first 2 Iron Man movies is AC/DC.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,774]

It sounds like something Louis Ferbe would have done in the later seasons of Smallville.

[BTR1701 59]

Orchestra's sound that way in recording studio's if they are mixed that way!

No, they don't. If you stand in the studio and listen to the orchestra playing it won't sound anything like that recording.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,257]

Yes, but is that relevant?

[Luke Skywalker 1,622]

Is it that hard to understand?

Is it the new fanfare for a few years? or is it just for this ifilm

that's what i meant

http://marvel.com/news/story/21508/introducing_the_new_marvel_studios_logo

thanks that explains it all

Funny statement though: (since it seems the fanfare is the theme of the film...)

So he thankfully was willing to and happy to create a spectacular standalone fanfare for us.”

This situation makes me wonder. Maybe Lucasfilm will be it's own entity too, so the can create a new longer logo...And JOHN WILLIAMS must compose the fanfare for it!

[Wycket 36]

I'd expect Disney would want their logo in front of Star Wars, but their restraint with the Marvel movie does make me wonder. Either way, since the beginning I figured Williams would have to create a new fanfare to replace the FOX one, so that will be nice.

[BTR1701 59]

Yes, but is that relevant?

Considering that was the whole point of my original comment, yeah. And if you don't want an orchestra to sound like an orchestra, why bother with using one? They're expensive and time-consuming. If you want a bunch of electronically-mixed down nonsense, just have the computer generate it in the first place.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,257]

Weird, because it sounds like an orchestra to me, just beefed up a bit in the mix. Nothing wrong with that, and certainly nothing new.

Close miking and putting instruments forward in the mix has been done in film music forever.

[King Mark 3,411]

I like the fanfare. Noticed it during the film

And the rest of the score seemed better than other Marvel films of late

[crocodile 7,554]

It's like Hans Zimmer of the 90's but with more orchestra.

Karol

[indy4 154]

It reminds me of the bicycle chase theme from E.T.

[King Mark 3,411]

I get the Horner resemblance but not the bicycle chase one

The actual fanfare sounds like an old school theme and the variation in the main theme is more RCPish

[indy4 154]

I hear the Horner also. It also reminds me of Tintin's theme.