Anybody else find the cue The Hunt from The Lost World to be overrated?

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

26 minutes ago, Smeltington said:

It's one of his most savage pieces I can think of, along with the track "The Temple of Doom". There aren't many I'd put in that category.

 

It's OK.

[Smeltington 1,436]

  

27 minutes ago, Jay said:

Monster on the Loose!

 

There are a few from TLW. The Raptors Appear is another one.

 

 

3 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

It's OK.

 

[Datameister 2,034]

32 minutes ago, Smeltington said:

It's one of his most savage pieces I can think of, along with the track "The Temple of Doom". There aren't many I'd put in that category.

 

That's interesting - I find it to be among the least savage action cues in TLW.

 

Just took a listen to it so that my reactions would be totally fresh and not based off of my memory of the cue. Yep, I wish it weren't so repetitive. Other than a brief section in the second half, it's pretty much all built on similar repetitions of the same theme. I like the writing, but it overstays its welcome for me. I'd rather listen to literally any of the other drum-groove-based action cues from this exceptional score.

[Smeltington 1,436]

1 minute ago, Datameister said:

That's interesting - I find it to be among the least savage action cues in TLW.

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

1 minute ago, Smeltington said:

 

[Jay 37,249]

There's nothing more savage than those nasty brass licks that open Monster on the Loose!

 

[Datameister 2,034]

Pretty hard to beat, @Jay! There's a lot of savage writing in this score but that may take the cake for me too.

[Smeltington 1,436]

They're primal! Elemental!

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

Yeah, that one's great. Someone should make a poll about it!

[Jay 37,249]

I can only imagine what it would be like to hear that cue live in a concert setting!  It sure would shut up people who like to talk during film music concerts!

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

I wonder what @Thor thinks about that intro!

[Jay 37,249]

He's probably never heard it before

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

Now he has the chance!

[Marian Schedenig 8,153]

27 minutes ago, Jay said:

There's nothing more savage than those nasty brass licks that open Monster on the Loose!

 

Zimmer and a hundred trailer composers made a career out of that.

[Thor 7,451]

57 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

I wonder what @Thor thinks about that intro!

 

I've seen the film some 30 times, but I've never listened to the expanded version. Pretty neat intro -- very "Ifukube". Of course, the remainder of the cue seems to be on the OST.

[Jay 37,249]

Nope, the entire cue is not on the OST at all.

 

There is a portion of the cue (0:50-1:11) that is similar to a portion (2:08-2:26) of "A Neighborhood Visitor", a cue JW put inside the OST track called "Visitor In San Diego", which could explain why you thought that.

 

 

In the final film, Spielberg elected not to use the nasty brass snarls that open the cue as intended by JW, only fading the music in later in the scene

[Thor 7,451]

5 minutes ago, Jay said:

There is a portion of the cue (0:50-1:11) that is similar to a portion of "A Neighborhood Visitor", a cue JW put inside the OST track called "Visitor In San Diego", which could explain why you thought that.

 

Yes, that's probably it. I know very little about such things; I just recognized the music that appeared at that timeframe.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

Terrible cue from the horrible soundtrack. (Except the main theme, it is neat) 

[Jay 37,249]

The film does not have a main title cue

 

Do you mean the end credits? (the first track on the CD)

[Edmilson 7,367]

Anybody else is a fan of Visitor in San Diego? It's on my top 5 action cues by Williams, maybe top 3.

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

It's one of my highlights from the score.

[Jay 37,249]

It's one of my favorite action tracks from the entire history of film scoring

[Datameister 2,034]

1 hour ago, Edmilson said:

Anybody else is a fan of Visitor in San Diego? It's on my top 5 action cues by Williams, maybe top 3.

 

It's flipping awesome. Among the score's many, many highlights, it's definitely up there for me.

[Jay 37,249]

The real tough question is which is better between "T-Rex Rescue and Finale" and "Visitor In San Diego"

 

I feel I love them both so damn much, I can't decide.  Two of my favorite action finale tracks from any score

[Datameister 2,034]

3 minutes ago, Jay said:

The real tough question is which is better between "T-Rex Rescue and Finale" and "Visitor In San Diego"

 

I feel I love them both so damn much, I can't decide.  Two of my favorite action finale tracks from any score

 

That IS tough. The first one is a master class in building and releasing tension, in following the onscreen action without unnecessary mickey mousing, in continually introducing cool new musical ideas, and in getting the pulse pounding without fatiguing the ears.

 

The second one is just so friggin' cool. The middle part - the more conventional Williams 90s action music - is good, but where it really shines is in the first cue ("A Neighborhood Visitor") and in the last stretch with the percussion.

[Muad'Dib 1,800]

On 2/17/2021 at 6:33 PM, Jay said:

The real tough question is which is better between "T-Rex Rescue and Finale" and "Visitor In San Diego"

 

I feel I love them both so damn much, I can't decide.  Two of my favorite action finale tracks from any score

 

Poll it!

[oierem 151]

On 2/16/2021 at 8:32 PM, Thor said:

Probably, yeah. Alternatively, I would have sampled the LLL (which I sometimes do), and agreed that 'yes, that is a great cue' and then just moved back to my ol' OST.

 

This mentality is really unique.. and fascinating, I have to say.

 

On the other hand, it could be said that obsessing about 5-second inserts being unreleased, or about film takes being slightly different is also unique and fascinating, and here we are lol.

[Jilal 569]

I'm totally with @Jay and the other 90.57% here. I've been returning to The Hunt/The Round Up a couple of times this week and eventually stumbled upon this thread. What I like most are the killer theme written specifically for this cue alone (reminds me of The Asteroid Field) and the badass rhythmic stuff underpinning it throughout (note the very Goldsmith-y changing meter in particular). Of course, the exotic percussion is a lot of fun. Also very cool are the bridges (not sure if this is acceptable terminology) at 0:11 and 0:58 (I especially love the clusters in the horn section) and the smaller one at 0:43 (there's something in the harmony that always gets me). The militaristic motif at 1:45 is really neat too, it's clearly reminiscent of other militaristic writing by John, but the changing meter freshens it up a little. Time stamps refer to this video. All in all, The Hunt is a heavily rhythm-based cue, but it is held together by the presence of an awesome theme. I'd definitely rank it among John's greatest ever cues for action sequences.

[Jay 37,249]

Yes! 

[crumbs 14,287]

It's certainly one of the greatest unused action cues of his career, if not the greatest. 

 

Fifty Miles of Desert (The Car Chase) wouldn't be far behind. 

 

Interesting how both share musical DNA through their aggressive rhythm and focus on percussion. 

[artguy360 1,842]

12 hours ago, crumbs said:

It's certainly one of the greatest unused action cues of his career, if not the greatest. 

 

Fifty Miles of Desert (The Car Chase) wouldn't be far behind. 

 

Interesting how both share musical DNA through their aggressive rhythm and focus on percussion. 

What's The Car Chase? Got a link?

[Jay 37,249]

4 minutes ago, artguy360 said:

What's The Car Chase? Got a link?

 

https://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/34146-restored-isolated-score-the-eiger-sanction/

[Thor 7,451]

No, not really overrated.

 

I mean, I was kinda disappointed about the score in 1997, because it didn't have the awe and wonder of no. 1, but I had been prepared for the new sound through a blurb in FSM prior to its release, which described it as "Stravinsky-like". I've eventually come to embrace it, and "The Hunt" is a fantastic track.

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

3 minutes ago, Thor said:

I had been prepared for the new sound through a blurb in FSM prior to its release, which described it as "Stravinsky-like".

 

Just like Star Wars!

[GerateWohl 4,320]

What I didn't like about it on the original album was, that it faded in and faded out. I wished it had a proper ending and beginning. It is slightly better on the LLL version.

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

The fading is definitely overrated!

[publicist 4,643]

The main melody is doing its job and not particularly memorable, but next to 'Black Sunday' and some of the 'Total Recall'-ian moments in Episode 7 it's Williams' most Goldsmith-ian action music in its daring meter changes and due to the many orchestral embellishments (contrary to JG's stripped-down 90's stuff), it's also a more interesting take on this kind of action writing. It's a great cue, period.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I don't really think an action cue has to have a memorable melody, it's more how the action motif gets used that makes it stand out.

 

"Quidditch, Third Year" comes to mind as a great example.  The motif itself isn't really catchy, just a standard Dies Israe device, but the way he develops it with those fugato sections is so energetic and addictive.  I love it.

 

 

[publicist 4,643]

Of course it mustn't, but The Hunt posits one very centrally, and i find it appropriate but not particularly great or outstanding.

[Richard Penna 3,664]

It's a perfectly good piece of music but I find it rather ineffective in the scene.

 

And don't forget - why would SS have tracked music into the scene if he didn't have some sort of similar thought? I think the film construct is, in context, way better.

[artguy360 1,842]

The Hunt is great kinetic fun. The brash is powerful in a way that is different than the percussion-led action music that dominates the rest of the score (that stuff is great too). 

 

I miss this era of JW action music.

 

 

[Edmilson 7,367]

8 minutes ago, artguy360 said:

I miss this era of JW action music.

 

Me too. I love JW's action writing from the late 90s/early 2000s.

[Tom 4,630]

I looked back on the first page of the thread and saw my angry comments from a year ago--that must have been around the time I gave up barbiturates.  

 

Also, The Hunt is very good, but it would not make my top 25 Williams cues.  Neither over or under, I will call it "rated."  

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

3 hours ago, Tom said:

I looked back on the first page of the thread and saw my angry comments from a year ago--that must have been around the time I gave up barbiturates.  

 

Listening to HanZ can indeed make one angry.

[Erik Woods 555]

On 18/12/2021 at 4:50 PM, Richard Penna said:

It's a perfectly good piece of music but I find it rather ineffective in the scene.

 

And don't forget - why would SS have tracked music into the scene if he didn't have some sort of similar thought? I think the film construct is, in context, way better.

Spielberg tracked in other music because he really liked the new Lost World theme Williams came up with and thought it would work better in the scene than the original cue Williams wrote.

 

-Erik-

[Naïve Old Fart 9,488]

Is THE HUNT overrated?

Hell, no!

[Richard Penna 3,664]

It's a nice track... just a bit odd in context if you watch the film then find the track on the album and wonder what on earth you're hearing.

 

An experience I was introduced to in deep-end fashion with the Potter and LotR OSTs back in the day.

[Alan 689]

I really like it, but I have an irrational dislike of the fade in/out on the OST and LLL set.

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

Tradition!

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

On 16/02/2021 at 2:33 PM, Jay said:

There's nothing more savage than those nasty brass licks that open Monster on the Loose!

 

Sounds like the T-Rex is farting.