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John Powell's CALL OF THE WILD (2020)


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It's worth remembering this was an LA recording, so the likelihood of unreleased music seems slim (maybe they could afford 5-10 minutes of new material? The OST is already 67 minutes anyway). I'll definitely pick it up if it's expanded, there's some nice cues towards the start (establishing Buck's material) that weren't on the OST.

 

And this means Powell has now worked with all 3 of the big boutique labels in the last year! Fingers crossed for Solo or HTTYD2 soon :)

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So I made it about 30 minutes into this film and it completely failed to maintain my interest. The CGI Buck is so distracting because it feels so unnatural.

 

Powell's score is so buried in the mix, and there are times where it's so detailed and evocative, but the film completely failed to match the atmosphere that the music was creating. Also, the album is clearly arranged for listening (either that or there's some tracking) and works much better than how it's heard in the film.

 

I can't even find Rewilding anywhere on skimming the film :|

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How's the CGI Ford?

 

26 minutes ago, Richard Penna said:

the film completely failed to match the atmosphere that the music was creating.

 

...or the score failed to match the atmosphere of the film. :)

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1 hour ago, Richard Penna said:

I can't even find Rewilding anywhere on skimming the film :|

Rewilding is when Buck saves the wolf on the river side I believe

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Indeed - I think that, ironically, they made the film less absorbing and emotional by trying to do Buck's emotions entirely using CG. That and the Alaskan wilderness, or lack of it. It's a completely artificial feeling film.

 

Had they actually gone to... somewhere (doesn't necessarily have to be Alaska), and trained a real dog (like they did with Bart the Bear in The Edge), this could've been a good movie. As it stands, I think Powell's score is just about the only good thing about it.

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I didn't actually mind the cgi landscape because they DIDNt try to be photorealistic.

The stylized, surreal look is a legitimate artistic choice.

The main problem was the plot device- inevitable these days- of inserting a caricature  villain to juice up the story.

It's actually fairly faithful to the novel otherwise

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Roger says

 

Quote
Quote

Roger, may you be able yet to unveil how Intrada did it, please ?
Have you got a tentative release date, please ?

 

It's not a particularly interesting story -- we expressed interest in it and they said yes!

 

http://www.intrada.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=83781#p83781

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Is this the first post-Disney acquisition Fox score licensed to the labels? Albeit (seemingly) just a physical release of the OST, rather than an expansion.

 

Good news if so. Will be interesting to see if any Fox scores (that didn't have contracts signed before the acquisition) receive expansions in the near future. That would mean Disney are open to licensing scores from the Fox catalog to the labels.

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1 minute ago, Jay said:

Time Tunnel just the other week was also Fox (and a full expansion) 

 

Very interesting... have LLL commented on whether that licence was granted post-Disney acquisition?

 

I know Mike said back in 2019 that quite a few Fox titles were in the works that were signed before it happened.

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Not to mention The Orville season 2 a few weeks before that

 

On 4/5/2021 at 10:17 PM, crumbs said:

 

Very interesting... have LLL commented on whether that licence was granted post-Disney acquisition?

 

I know nothing beyond whatever they put in the press release that's in the Time Tunnel thread 

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3 minutes ago, crumbs said:

I know Mike said back in 2019 that quite a few Fox titles were in the works that were signed before it happened.

 

Hopefully there's lots more Fox stuff come! 

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Oh, and of course there's the "Goldsmith at 20th" line that started on Black Friday

 

And Voyage to the Bottom of The Sea before that

 

Oh, and Minority Report of course.

 

So no, Call of the Wild is far from the first post-Disney Fox specialty label release

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  • 2 months later...
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2 minutes ago, Kühni said:

 

What is it? I have no Instagram account.

It doesn't actually say, it just says "new CD release next tuesday!!!" Which is the same day Intrada releases things

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10 minutes ago, Kasey Kockroach said:

This score needed an end credits suite. 

 

Yeah that's one of my only gripes with the score. The final track is lovely but it feels a bit incomplete without a suite following it.

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8 hours ago, Anthony said:

Do Intrada titles go on sale anywhere other than the Intrada webite? International shipping is so expenive.

 

Intrada titles go on sale everywhere. They're one of the major film music labels! (And unlike Varese, but like La-La Land, Quartet, and others, they do sell their albums to other distributors wholesale, so no markup in price results.)

 

Yavar

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Great. I will be picking this up. While the score didn't make that much of an impression on me at first it definitely grew on me with subsequent listens. I think it was just the sound palette I had to get used to. 

 

Karol

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Did anyone listen to the samples and see if the mastering is identical to the digital release or not?  I know the content is.

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5 minutes ago, Jay said:

Did anyone listen to the samples and see if the mastering is identical to the digital release or not?  I know the content is.

Track 1 seems to phase out almost completely, with a negligible difference that could be because of the lossless/lossy comparison.

 

So, seems to be identical, yeah.

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Every online store that sells film scores CDs sells Intrada CDs.  Screen Archives, Movie Music, Music Box Records, they're even on Amazon

 

https://www.amazon.com/s?i=popular&rh=p_33%3AIntrada&s=-releasedate&Adv-Srch-Music-Album-Submit.x=45&Adv-Srch-Music-Album-Submit.y=0&unfiltered=1&ref=sr_adv_m_pop

 

Someone is actually trying to make a list of all online CD stores that should be useful when completed:

 

https://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/33938-websites-for-cd-purchases/

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Quote

INTRADA Announces:

Image

THE CALL OF THE WILD
Music by JOHN POWELL
INT 7164

Intrada, in association with 5 Cat Studios, announces the CD release of 20th Century Studios' 2020 film The Call of the Wild. For this outdoor adventure, composer John Powell wrote a score for a 90-piece orchestra plus 60-voice choir. The score sometimes captures the folksy, wild country setting of the action (at times employing no less than 12 banjos), but also amps up the large-scale thrills and epic scope required by this vast tale of loyalty and conflict. The ever-pervasive struggle between man, animal and nature propels both story and score. Powell's deep passion for dogs made this film an easy choice for him to score, and his love is clearly felt throughout the music.

Based on Jack London's 1903 novel of the same name, the tale is set during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush. The story focuses on Buck, a dog who is abducted one night and shipped to the Yukon aboard a freighter. After arriving, Buck returns a dropped harmonica to John Thornton (Harrison Ford) right before being sold to join a dog sled to deliver mail across the Yukon. After numerous adventures, Buck reunites with Thornton and they become companions. But the call of the wild in the form of a female white wolf begins to pull on Buck.

INTRADA INT 7164
Barcode: 7 2025871640 8
Retail Price: $19.99
Available Now
For track listing and sound samples, please visit http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.12394/.f

 

Quote

John Powell
Label: Intrada INT 7164
Film Date: 2020
Album Date: 2021
Time: 67:26
Tracks: 23
Price: $19.99

 

Premiere CD release of rousing John Powell score for 2020 filming of Jack London canine classic! Harrison Ford leads cast, Omar Sy, Dan Stevens, Karen Gillan, Bradley Whitford support, Michael Green scripts, Chris Sanders directs, 20th Century Studios presents. Intrada, in association with 5 Cat Studios, releases CD of terrific John Powell score which melds evocative outdoor settings with exciting canine action, all based on famed Jack London book from 1903. Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890’s serves as backdrop to story of Buck, an abducted dog undergoing numerous adventures as member of dog sled team delivering mail, becoming friend to John Thornton (Ford), ultimately hearing and succumbing to “the call of the wild”. 

 

Powell scores with nods to expansive outdoor locations courtesy his 90-piece orchestra, augmented by a 60-voice choir. Results are vivid and colorful! As epic as Powell writes, a genuine highlight is very opening of score. Here, Powell launches with wide-open octave for piano, low strings, accordion while banjo introduces beginnings of haunting minor-key theme, weaving about with rich diversions into the major. Fiddle, ethnic winds arrive and bring folk-ish idea into focus. “Train North” opens orchestral colors considerably, giving melodic attention to soaring French horn amidst strings with chorus soon to follow. Intimacy of accordion, guitar, strings that open “Snowy Climb” quickly surrender to Powell’s launch of action-oriented elements with sturdy new theme in horns characterized by chopping rhythms in strings that propel the melody forward. Trumpets enter, ushering powerful statement of exciting theme into soaring heights. 


But Powell has much more to offer: Powerful, dark-limbed chorus takes score into dramatic new territory during “Sometimes Nature’s Cruel And Gods Fight”, with dynamic action becoming keynote. Powell infuses score with energy throughout! “Rewilding” combines riveting energy of his orchestra with chorus to create magnificent highlight, replete with trumpet fanfares and aggressive rhythmic orchestral accompaniment. “What An Adventure” balances earlier excitement with primary melodic material in gorgeous settings for strings first and later ethnic winds above warm choral support. 

John Powell produces generous 67-minute CD with Batu Sener, offers introductory paragraphs in booklet designed by Kay Marshall. Shawn Murphy records, mixes at Newman Scoring Stage & 5 Cat Studios. John Powell composes, conducts, delivers a winner!

 

01. Wake The Girls (2:37)
02. Train North (4:02)
03. Skagway, Alaska (2:31)
04. Snowy Climb (1:25)
05. First Sledding Attempt (2:27)
06. The Ghost Wolf Of Dreams (1:06)
07. Joining The Team (2:59)
08. Ice Rescue (2:26)
09. Sometimes Nature’s Cruel And Gods Fight (4:57)
10. Buck Takes The Lead (4:54)
11. We Carry Love (3:02)
12. Couldn’t Find The Words (2:22)
13. Overpacked Sled (2:31)
14. Newfangled Telegram (2:23)
15. In My Bed? (2:54)
16. Buck & Thornton’s Big Adventure (4:36)
17. Finding Bears And Love In The Woods (2:57)
18. They’re All Gone (2:51)
19. Rewilding (3:48)
20. Animal Nature (2:34)
21. Come Say Goodbye (2:09)
22. What An Adventure (3:01)
23. The Call Of The Wild (2:51)

 

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The Intrada 'press-release-style' album descriptions are always written in such strange English. I often struggle to read them without preiodically stopping and thinking "is that gramatically correct?". It usually always is, but it's as if they've elected to leave out any words that aren't 100% essential, resulting in a very strange flow.

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