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John Powell's SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (2018) - Deluxe Edition 2020 / Intrada 2-CD edition October 31, 2023


crocodile

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I like that he even bothered to have his own lead theme at all, when he could have easily just reprised the Williams theme every scene and general audiences would have been happy.

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32 minutes ago, Sharky said:

 

But surely not every Star Wars film needs to be a Greek tragedy, and likewise should every Star Wars score have a grand, classical, choric function in the vein of The Last Jedi? You risk fatiguing an audience that way.

 

I think there's room in these non-saga films and scores for burlesque and a general lightness of touch.

 

Oh, definitely. And I really hope we get to see and hear as many and as varied musical takes on them as possible. It's a fun challenge to pay homage to a legacy, while at the same time retaining a sort of playful disobedience towards it. 

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3 minutes ago, Marcus said:

 

Oh, definitely. And I really hope we get to see and hear as many and as varied musical takes on them as possible. It's a fun challenge to both pay homage to a legacy, while at the same time retaining a sort of playful disobedience towards it. 

 

When are you signing up for a Star Wars? I’d be interested in your take, assuming it wouldn’t be a pastiche!

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As soon as I'm asked!

Haven't done much film scoring as of late, but scoring two now, one of which will have a major international release... It would take no small measure of luck, and the right connections, but I'd do it in a heartbeat. 

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2 hours ago, Sharky said:

The Godfather Part III is the greatest of the trilogy.

No.  Absolutely and completely no. 

 

2 hours ago, Sharky said:

The Sopranos and Breaking Bad are both morally repugnant.

Yes.

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My biggest controversial opinion is probably that I think Danny Elfman's Spider-man theme is the best superhero theme ever made, not John Williams' superman theme.

 

That and I think Fight Club is an overrated movie. But with this one, I think I just failed to get the movie. 

 

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5 hours ago, kaseykockroach said:

I'm not saying this as a comparison to Rogue One (as I don't remember anything about that score except his scoring the big Vader slaughter at the end), but I like that Powell saves the big popular Star Wars themes for near the end (probably hinted at before for all I know, but L3 and the Millenium Falcon is when he finally fully grants a cameo). Just feels more earned and satisfying that way getting to that point.

 

 

I think these count as little cameos:

 

 

 

Also the early Imperial March references, the major key "recruitment" version and then again with Han in battle is pretty overt.

 

I can't remember if there were any others but yeah, on the soundtrack "L3 & The Millennium Falcon" has the first big OT reference, I think.

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5 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

 

 

I trust only @Margo Channing‘s opinion on this subject 

 

Okay. Dunaway plays the shrieking, hysterical monster that Tina's book portrays. Lange plays a deeply flawed and insecure human being.

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Has anyone come up with a custom play order yet? So far I've moved The Adventures of Han to the end and got rid of the source cue song. I'm listening through the OST to build a satisfying order that doesn't start out with so much action music right off the bat. I'm either gonna move or delete Corellia Chase. I wish the OST included the end credits suite.

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33 minutes ago, Margo Channing said:

 

Okay. Dunaway plays the shrieking, hysterical monster that Tina's book portrays. Lange plays a deeply flawed and insecure human being.

 

Faye transforms herself into Joan, abstracting her into something between a Kabuki onnagata and the goddess Juno. It's a stylized rather than "realistic" performance, but so what? Joan was a highly stylized actress.

 

Lange is far too studied, feline and delicate, carrying herself like a porcelain doll that will break at any moment. Joan would've slapped her silly.

 

 

 

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10 minutes ago, artguy360 said:

Has anyone come up with a custom play order yet? So far I've moved The Adventures of Han to the end and got rid of the source cue song. I'm listening through the OST to build a satisfying order that doesn't start out with so much action music right off the bat. I'm either gonna move or delete Corellia Chase. I wish the OST included the end credits suite.

Someone here ordered it as the OST has it, just getting rid of Corellia Chase.

It's funny some of you guys can't handle that stuff. I would say you sound like old men that have heart attacks upon hearing the music kids listen to these days, but my grandpa's surprisingly really liking this one (to my relief).

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I don't get it either, but what the hey, I'm happy even those weirdos are finding SOME level of enjoyment with this! 

I've been playing this score practically non-stop the past couple days, and haven't gotten tired of hearing the whole thing in order. I'm only taking a break now because I need to, not because I WANT to! 

Ferdinand is a masterpiece of his that slowly but surely wins you over.

This one just grabs you and doesn't let go! You're either ready for the ride or you'd better get off! 

Who knows, TFA and TLJ's attempts at action sound so stiff and emotionless in comparison, this is probably quite jarring.

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"Corellia Chase" is an awesome highlight on its own but I get that it arguably makes a better playlist to cut it and start off with "Meet Han" and "Spaceport" so that the music is focusing and developing the "Han - Searching" theme first in a similar mood across two tracks, building intensity with just a little hint of the "Han - Hero" theme. Then "Flying with Chewie" gives you all the action of "Corellia Chase" while also introducing Chewie's theme and the gang theme, and that way it's more satisfying to have the first big statement of the "Han - Hero" theme be more of a climax rather than just throwing it upfront. Then Chewie's theme leads into the musical journey.

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Yeah, I like that flow too. It's like comparing an album to the complete score. Even though this isn't the complete score. Hopefully I'm making sense.

But....

Good GOD Into the Maw is AMAZZIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGG. You can just feel the orchestra close to a breaking point at the mercy of Powell's power.

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1 hour ago, Mephariel said:

Wait, people actually don't like Corellia Chase? That is one of the best tracks of the album for me. It is really an age thing or something? Because you guys are making me feel really young. 

 

It's perfectly in line with the rest, but one of the handful of cues that i can easily lose because it's just too uniformly loud - and the theme it employs pops up 500 other times through the score.

8 hours ago, Sharky said:

- Showgirls is actually a good film.

 

It really isn't but at least it's entertaining in a smut, back-alley kind of way.

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Corellia Chase is fine on its own but I don't like having so much action music at the start of the album and the themes it features are featured entirely throughout the OST. It's easy to lose it and make a slimmer playlist without losing much. Generally speaking, I will often cut out what I feel is not particularly interesting action music in favor of a better listening experience.

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9 hours ago, Sharky said:

 

Funny, I'm the opposite. I really liked the main theme (it has a yearning English folk song quality), but can give or take the rest of the score.

 

9 hours ago, crocodile said:

Ignoring the main theme, which I'm not a fan of, JW is probably one of Giacchino's stronger film works.

 

Karol

I like some of Gia's scores (shocking) but I didn't like a lot of Jurassic World. The theme seemed like he didn't have an idea and took the slow theme from JP and turned it upside down. To me he isn't really an all out orchestral composer and with Rogue One he just didn't even have time to really do something with that, so even though it's just meh, I don't know if I could have written half of that in the time he had. Maybe a cue? lol I am slow as a composer. Listening to Solo, I love how different it is because it is in the hands of an orchestral composer, who is utilizing and honoring Williams but still making it sound totally like his own score, because it should be!!! If I have a gripe or two, I just don't like the "as I call it, the synth drum layering" but other than that and one section in one of the earlier cues ending that sounded like Avatar/Enya, I really love the Solo score. Anyway, where was I... I was thinking, bring Powell into the Marvel movies (is he there already?) AND Giacchinno (I know he did Spiderman). I really like Gia on things like Incredibles and Ratatouille. Wouldn't he be brilliant on Ant-Man? It's totally his cup of tea. Action/Comedy/Family, or if they bring Fantastic 4 into Marvel (depending on whether Disney or Comcast gets Fox) put him on FF4. He would shine, IMHO. 

4 minutes ago, kaseykockroach said:

Ya bunch of wrinkled old geezers! If ya can't take the action music, get outta the kitchen!

I am old!!!!! lol. I love the action music, just take off those layered drums that hide the beauty of his writing in favor of repeating whacking on top of our heads and in our ears for no reason but to try and make is sound "Modern". It's a modern score without it. The harmonic language is modern in terms of film scores and I love those voices everywhere. They remind me of the thrown out score Gabriel Yared did for Troy and also the beautiful score Dario Marinelli did for Agora.

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4 minutes ago, publicist said:

 

Why punish the guy?

Haha, I think he would soar in the big movies. He has the chops to not only be modern sounding and bombastic which Marvel likes and we can hear in Solo, layered drums and all which is perfect for Marvel, but also maybe give some much needed themes too and bring in a more orchestral flavor to some scores. Silvestri is already in there doing it, get Powell on it.

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No. 

Give Powell an INTERESTING movie.

Besides, that percussion is what he's always done. Just as playing with syths is what Goldsmith did (and I love 'em, and some people don't). You can't say you don't like that aspect of his action music, then say he needs to get those action superhero movies. ;)

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I don't need talented composers wasting away months on harebrained Marvel garbage. I mean, i don't need 'Rio 4' or 'HttyD 3' either, but there has to be some middle ground. 

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1 minute ago, kaseykockroach said:

No. 

Give Powell an INTERESTING movie.

Besides, that percussion is what he's always done. Just as playing with syths is what Goldsmith did (and I love 'em, and some people don't). You can't say you don't like that aspect of his action music, then say he needs to get those action superhero movies. ;)

I didn't say that. I don't like it personally in Star Wars, I have no problem with it elsewhere. I actually adore his Bourne movies and HTTYD etc etc!!!! And there are a lot of interesting Marvel movies. They aren't all the same. He isn't going to be doing Avengers, those are taken by Silvestri now.

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1 minute ago, publicist said:

I don't need talented composers wasting away months on harebrained Marvel garbage. I mean, i don't need 'Rio 4' or 'HttyD 3' either, but there has to be some middle ground. 

I love the Marvel movies. They have a great person heading it that has a trajectory that is met with all the movies leading up to it. You have full on bombastic Avengers, they bring in Taiko for Thor 3 and it's fantastic, Black Panther was good, I love the heist comedy of Ant Man, etc etc. I wish Kathleen Kennedy would learn from it for Star Wars. She's hemorrhaging fans on each movie.

1 minute ago, kaseykockroach said:

At least animated movies generally offer a bit more color than the superhero sameness. 

Agreed!

OK, heading out for the evening. Chat to you all tomorrow xox

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Just now, ocelot said:

I love the Marvel movies. They have a great person heading it that has a trajectory that is met with all the movies leading up to it. You have full on bombastic Avengers, they bring in Taiko for Thor 3 and it's fantastic, Black Panther was good, I love the heist comedy of Ant Man, etc etc. I wish Kathleen Kennedy would learn from it for Star Wars. She's hemorrhaging fans on each movie.

 

You honestly watch that stuff for 'entertainment'? Yikes.

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There's some splendid variety in Powell's animation scores (because, again, animation isn't a genre), it's just most people don't want to bother giving it a chance because it's animated and therefore inherently less worthy of attention than the score to Logan or Shape of Water or Black Panther or what have you . But I stopped caring about that awhile ago. It's a shame, but what the hey, more for me. Powell does whatever movie he wants, and if he wants to do Rio and that's what makes him happy, that's none of my business.

I pretty much put the superhero movies in the same category as Star Wars. It's fun to watch discussions on them, but talking about them compels me more than actually watching it. They make money, so I guess it's what people want and it's what makes them happy. They're not for me, so I just shrug and move on to things I am into, be it something offered by the mainstream or digging through the dirt in other ways.

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Anyone else frustrated by the obnoxious short volume dip at 1:13 of "Marauders Arrive"? I was listening with earbuds and it was painfully obvious; at first thought it was maybe my individual rip of the CD that had a problem, but when I checked Spotify and YouTube, sure enough it was there too.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Sharky said:

 

Faye transforms herself into Joan, abstracting her into something between a Kabuki onnagata and the goddess Juno. It's a stylized rather than "realistic" performance, but so what? Joan was a highly stylized actress.

 

Lange is far too studied, feline and delicate, carrying herself like a porcelain doll that will break at any moment. Joan would've slapped her silly.

 

 

 

 

mommie+dearest+-+fuck.gif

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Just now, kaseykockroach said:

No, just beautiful she-demons ascending from Hell on flaming motorcyles whenever I hear that cue.

Listen to the strings.

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