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James Newton Howard's JUNGLE CRUISE (2021)


Jay

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I just started listening to the album and ok I'm in. I can't judge the music yet but THE RECORDING. That suite is so well recorded. It's not the tipycal JNH score sound (not that his other recordings are bad) but this one is lovely.

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Interesting - I think it's a very flat recording which really hampers the ability for 'goosebump' moments. There are some really weird reverb effects too. 

 

The sort of clarity and crispness we used to get are a long way away, replaced with a muddy and over-loud mix (especially when the 'generic action percussion' joins in).

 

These were the good old days:

 

 

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I'm listening in lossless on a pair of Yamaha HS5 and it feels more "open" than other JNH scores to me.

Though maybe it's just me reacting overly positive because it's the first time in a year that we get a new score that's not built around fake-instruments ostinatos and loops.

To me, there is a clearer distinction between instruments too.

 

EDIT: but again, I just started listening so I might change opinion :)

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This was my initial impression when I listened to the OST album yesterday afternoon while re-organizing my CD collection:

 

16 hours ago, Jay said:

James Newton Howard - Jungle Cruise

 

My first impression is "all sizzle, no steak"

 

It's got a big orchestral sound, fanfares, action cues galore, percussion-based action music, the occasional sweeping adventurous feel... all the ingredients for the next exciting classic orchestral action/adventure score like we used to get on a regular basis.... but somehow it doesn't come together like that.  I don't recall any of the themes after a first listen, and that's really required to glue everything together.

 

I'll be giving it another chance though, especially after I see the movie.

 

The interpolation of "Nothing Else Matters" is great!  It worked really well.  Fit right into the rest of the score.

 

 

 

This morning I listened to the Suite track during my drive to work, so could focus on the music better than I did the day before; it still somewhat rubbed me the wrong way.  The first 2 minutes of the suite are really way in your face with high-energy action and excitement, but not melodic quality to it.  When it quiets down after those opening 2 minutes, the next part is really nice!  

 

Whatever main theme was supposed to be represented in that track still made no impression on me, but today while working I plan on having the album on most of the day

 

Just now, the track "A Steamer to Brazil" is playing, and finally the main theme (well, I don't know if its the main theme of the score, but the main theme of this track) is a good one, and finally made a lasting impression!

 

Some scores I need to check out more than once before I can really have a good handle on them.

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I've been able to listen this several times now and have done my own edit (as always) to tighten things up. Below I've added a "no editing required" playlist if you want to try something similar.

 

Overall, it's not as good as I'd hoped it would be. It's a solid 3 (pushing for 3 1/2) star score, begging for more frequent use of the themes. There are several, but other than one or two big brassy heroic ones, the others don't really stand out. 

 

As with most albums these days, it's too long, with quite a bit of filler. Surprisingly, a lot of that filler is generic 'modern' action music with headache-enducing percussion. Oh how I wish more cues were like "Market Chase".

 

I'll hopefully get to see the film this weekend so maybe my opinion will change. My favourite cues by far are all at the beginning - A Steamer To Brazil, Market Chase and Jungle Cruise.

 

The 'edit-free' playlist if you'd like to hear the best of it.

 

01. Nothing Else Matters (Long Version)

02. A Steamer To Brazil

03. Market Chase

04. Jungle Cruise

05. Trader Sam

06. Stop Her!

07. La Luna Rota

08. Encantado

09. Nothing Else Matters (Short Version)

10. I Built A Boat

11. Conquistadors Arrive

12. Petal Negotiations

13. Underwater Puzzle

14. I Want You To Rest Now

15. Absolutely Exhausting

16. Jungle Cruise Suite

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15 minutes ago, Anthony said:

Overall, it's not as good as I'd hoped it would be. It's a solid 3 (pushing for 3 1/2) star score, begging for more frequent use of the themes.

 

Yes, that's it! That's my biggest problem!

 

15 minutes ago, Anthony said:

There are several, but other than one or two big brassy heroic ones, the others don't really stand out. 

 

Yes

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If anyone is wondering about the suite, it's re-recorded (rather than edited in post) bits of various cues.

 

Original main on ends / Market Chase / Encantado / Sub Attack / Petal Negotiations / Unterwater Puzzle

 

Also, I'm not really sure about the Metallica inclusion - was it really necessary? A single metal track seems very out of place in the middle of the score (though is still quite fun if you put it as the first track).

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Just heard the suite. Meh, I'm not that impressed. Some good bits here and there, but JNH did this better 20 years ago with Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Peter Pan, etc.

 

I'll probably only have time to listen to the full album tomorrow morning.

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My opinion of this so far is somewhere between JNHFan2000's and Thor's - there's some really good material in here, but the problem is consistency, and some moments not quite having enough time to sustain and develop. Some of the action falls a little into 'generic JNH' territory - certainly not RCP styled - there's none of that in here - it's just sometimes a bit reliant on 'orchestra flying around' mode, with some mickey-mousing in places.

 

In a comparison to Indy, I'd say that JNH most of the time doesn't hold a candle to Williams' KotCS action material, but JNH's dramatic/creeping material is easily more interesting to me than KotCS' equivalent. Also, I'll take any of JNH's themes over that Skull theme.

 

I'm also positive that Spotify can tell when I'm playing an album and properly paying attention, as I could swear it's giving me ad breaks every 10 minutes... :angry:

 

 I'd love if it JNH had arranged this album a bit more for listening (embrace the mutual feeling Thor.. this is rare) with some of the mickey-mousing/comedy cut out.

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Spotify is well worth a paid subscription.

 

I too think the 72 minute album as-is doesn't present the score in its best light to first-time listeners.  A 60 minute album with some tracks in a different order could have done a better job.  Once you know the score, a complete&chronical release later would feel welcome.

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I think this woud be a perfect candidate for perhaps a 40-50 minute album alongside a 70+ (whatever it is) more complete release alongside it.

 

You think of those scores whose initial albums omit the score from multiple extended sections of the film because they just play tighter and better for those less familiar - I think this is likely one of those cases.

 

If Spotify were more like £5/month I'd likely subscribe, but £10/month has always felt a bit steep considering I only really use it for evaluating new music. In a day or two I'll have decided on either an album purchase, or individual track purchase for scores like this, and won't need it on Spotify any more.

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Finished my first full listen. It’s fun. But can kinda slip into anonymity at times.

 

I’ll give it another listen with Anthony’s shortened prescribed playlist. Sometimes I have to listen to the highlights a ton to fall in love with a score. And then I can usually embrace the full score at some point and appreciate it all.

 

EDIT: “Tree Fight” is a cool track. Reminds me of WaterWorld a bit. 

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2 minutes ago, WampaRat said:

Sometimes I have to listen to the highlights a ton to fall in love with a score. And then I can usually embrace the full score at some point and appreciate it all.

 

Yes!

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Like Wagner... great moments, but boring quarter hours.

 

OK... not quite, but it didn't quite live up to its initial promise, fun though it is. I thought the main theme was very old fashioned (in a good way), somewhere between Steiner, Waxman or maybe Tiomkin. Probably worth investing some more time to get to know it better though.

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The main themes are certainly memorable, and I'm loving the fact that someone decided not to give Zimmer a call for this one, as it proves that orchestral scores for tentpole blockbusters are still alive. I wonder in this case if the rather silly nature of the film didn't quite allow JNH the room needed to spread his wings a bit more.

 

Looks like the director hasn't really done anything big before this, and I've never heard of any of the producers, so maybe it was a Disney driven composer choice?

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9 minutes ago, Richard Penna said:

Looks like the director hasn't really done anything big before this

 

He's made a ton of money directing not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 of those yearly Liam Neeson revenge flicks (Unknown, Non-Stop, Run All Night, The Commuter)

 

Non-Stop features a score by John Ottman whose main title hilariously directly copies Howard Shore's Erebor theme from The Hobbit note-for-note.  Check it out:

 

 

 

Additionally, he directed The Shallows, which is the only one of his film's I've actually seen - and was quite good!

 

The Shallows (film) - Wikipedia

 

Looks like he's directing Black Adam for DC next, another The Rock vehicle

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24 minutes ago, Richard Penna said:

If Spotify were more like £5/month I'd likely subscribe, but £10/month has always felt a bit steep considering I only really use it for evaluating new music.

I'm very happy they still believe I'm a student and extended my discounted sub for one more year. I might give it up when they don't.

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That could be cool!

 

Howard's only two superhero scores outside of collaborating with Zimmer on the Batmans were Green Lantern and Green Hornet back in 2011 right?

 

(I know some people count Unbreakable too)

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5 minutes ago, Jay said:

Howard's only two superhero scores outside of collaborating with Zimmer on the Batmans were Green Lantern and Green Hornet back in 2011 right?

 

(I know some people count Unbreakable too)

Yeah, IIRC these were pretty much his only super-hero scores so far. 

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5 minutes ago, WampaRat said:

I’d love for JNH to get to score an old fashioned epic. In interviews when asked about what sort of film he still hasn’t had the opportunity to tackle, he often says how he’d love to do something like Lawrence of Arabia today. (We just need studios to actually be willing to make a film like that today)

 

What's the closest he's come to that?  Hidalgo? The Postman?

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34 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

What's the closest he's come to that?  Hidalgo? The Postman?

I suppose yeah, Hidalgo is what come to mind for me. I think he’d definitely get the opportunity if he was willing to take on a big budget streaming show of some kind. That seems to be where all the historical epics have gone now days. 
 

He would rock something in the vein of “Marco Polo” or “Turn” or even “Outlander”. guess it just depends on if he’d be open to that much work.

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Roger posted on FSM that they are trying to make a physical release happen through Intrada

 

Quote
Quote

CD release, please ! :(

Trying...

 

https://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=134085&forumID=1&archive=0

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1 hour ago, WampaRat said:

A full bodied superhero score from JNH would be terrific. While the score didn’t leave much of an impression, the “We’re going to fly now” track from Green Lantern was a fantastic tease of what he could potentially unleash.

 

Personally, I’d love for JNH to get to score an old fashioned epic. In interviews when asked about what sort of film he still hasn’t had the opportunity to tackle, he often says how he’d love to do something like Lawrence of Arabia today. (We just need studios to actually be willing to make a film like that today)

 

I think that's code for a movie that supports a big symphonic melodic score and has room for the score to shine - not necessarily an exact LoA type movie.

 

He will fins the TV landscape frustrating as well. Not really great opportunities for the score to shine.

 

Something like War Horse - where a score can flourish.

 

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3 hours ago, Anthony said:

If anyone is wondering about the suite, it's re-recorded (rather than edited in post) bits of various cues.

 

Original main on ends / Market Chase / Encantado / Sub Attack / Petal Negotiations / Unterwater Puzzle

 

You're right!

  • 0:00-1:30 = original opening
  • 1:30-1:58 = 10 Market Chase [1:07-1:35]
  • 1:58-3:14 = 12 Encanto [all]
  • 3:14-4:19 = 11 Sub Attack [0:14-1:15]
  • 4:19-6:52 = 23 Petal Negotiations [0:55-3:29]
  • 6:52-8:06= 22 Underwater Puzzle [2:40-3:59]
  • 8:06-end = original ending

But yes, clearly all newly recorded / played slightly differently, not a music editor copy and pasting the existing recordings

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57 minutes ago, TheUlyssesian said:

He will fins the TV landscape frustrating as well. Not really great opportunities for the score to shine.

 

I came across a clip of a recent Powell interview where he didn't hold back from calling most TV/film music a load of bullshit, and I'm not surprised. TV music in particular is good as an exception, I find.

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, WampaRat said:

Personally, I’d love for JNH to get to score an old fashioned epic. In interviews when asked about what sort of film he still hasn’t had the opportunity to tackle, he often says how he’d love to do something like Lawrence of Arabia today. (We just need studios to actually be willing to make a film like that today)

 

I think I'm of a certain opposite position. Last year's A HIDDEN LIFE was one of the best scores of his career, and certainly the best since THE VILLAGE. So I'd like him to do more non-blockbuster things; I think that's where his inspiration's at. And less genre fare. Despite the occasional track or two that are great.

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2 hours ago, Thor said:

 

I think I'm of a certain opposite position. Last year's A HIDDEN LIFE was one of the best scores of his career, and certainly the best since THE VILLAGE. So I'd like him to do more non-blockbuster things; I think that's where his inspiration's at. And less genre fare. Despite the occasional track or two that are great.

Oh I forgot about A Hidden Life. I agree. What a stunningly beautiful score. 
 

If there was a modern equivalent of something like Dr. Zhivago being produced where he could really sink his teeth into the beauty/romance/tragedy and then go to town on the epic sweep and scale with the battle scenes, THAT sounds like it would be the best of both worlds for JNH. 

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10 hours ago, leeallen01 said:

The first 25 seconds evoke so many great scores in such a short time. I am waiting for Silvestri's Contact, Williams theme for Yoda, and even JNH's own Peter Pan to blast out of every note.

 

 


0.12 sounds very James Horner-y

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Sampling the score now too, and boy oh boy, do I have the work cut out for me. My impression from the film viewing holds up, but it's even more mickey-mousey/whimsical than I remembered. Extremely frenetic through and through! The Metallica stuff is far by the best part of the score (an oasis of melodic content!). Hopefully I can boil it down to 30 minutes of worthwhile listening, but at this point I'm not sure if I have the energy, or if it is at all possible.

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I am thoroughly enjoying this. Now I'm familiar with the themes and have cut out some of the filler and more generic action music, this is a very solid score.

 

I'm not sure why Disney haven't put a composer credit on the album art, but here's one I mocked up. Including "Original Motion Picture Sountrack" as well is a bit too much, hence the absence.

 

Jungle-Cruise.jpg

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3 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said:

Thanks. Awesome work. Based on your listing, I am struggling to see the difference between Main theme B and Lily's theme.

You’re welcome 😁

 

Yes you are right, hearing it closely again, the B part is indeed still a “Lily’s Theme”

 

As a matter of fact, i guess there are no “Jungle Cruise theme” or “Lily’s theme”. Maybe they are both part of one larger theme, presumably called “The Jungle Cruise March” and as it happens, the main character ( the “cruise-er” ) is Lily. So it is a similar situation to “The Raiders March” which a lot of people refer to as “Indy’s theme”.

 

I just found out too that the “Fanfare” is just a slowed down version of the Lily’s theme, and in major.

So i guess it further backs my petty assumption 😅

 

What do you think? 😁

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Just finished listening the album.

 

It's certainly a zany score, with a lot of things going on. Unfortunately, this makes the listening experience less cohesive than JNH's classic Disney scores from the early 2000s.

 

That said, I don't want to be overtly harsh, because firstly there's a lot of great moments in the music. Also, this is precisely the kind of score that I want JNH to do: orchestral, old-fashioned, romantic, big choir, etc. It's cool that over the last few years he seems to have found a balance between big orchestral scores (FB 1 and 2, Nutcracker, Raya, Jungle Cruise, etc) and smaller, intimate scores (A Hidden Life, News of the World).

 

Thankfully the days of Bourne Legacy and Salt are behind us!

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4 hours ago, PrayodiBA said:

You’re welcome 😁

 

Yes you are right, hearing it closely again, the B part is indeed still a “Lily’s Theme”

 

As a matter of fact, i guess there are no “Jungle Cruise theme” or “Lily’s theme”. Maybe they are both part of one larger theme, presumably called “The Jungle Cruise March” and as it happens, the main character ( the “cruise-er” ) is Lily. So it is a similar situation to “The Raiders March” which a lot of people refer to as “Indy’s theme”.

 

I just found out too that the “Fanfare” is just a slowed down version of the Lily’s theme, and in major.

So i guess it further backs my petty assumption 😅

 

What do you think? 😁

 

I dunno...I think Lily's Theme and the fanfare are two separate things. And the fanfare is also separate to Frank's Theme (which is my favourite of the lot).

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Just finished my first listen. Lots to digest. I like the 'sound' of it but it will need to be heavily refined as a playlist.

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My thoughts after listening several times:

 

JNH is an immensely talented composer and this score contains some wonderful moments. I'm not sure there's anything here quite as spectacular as "Jim Saves the Crew," "The Submarine," "Newt Releases the Thunderbird," etc. But it is a true joy to hear classic orchestral writing like this in a modern film score.

 

My single favorite moment in the score is this beautiful soaring theme: 

 

 

Yet JNH sadly never repeats that theme, aside from this lovely moment in the suite: 

 

 

I kept waiting for that theme to appear in "I Want You to Rest Now" (perhaps with choir added...) and was shocked and disappointed when it didn't.

 

Speaking of "I Want You to Rest Now," however, it's a really terrific cue. Starts off with a gorgeous, very Williams-esque longing melody: 

 

 

 

If I didn't know that was JNH, I'd swear it was post-2010 John Williams! Wonderful stuff. The rest of the cue, while less Williams-esque, allows JNH to really step into his own musical voice and deliver a rousing & sweepingly romantic send-off, reminding me a bit of JNH's beautiful love theme from Dave

 

 

Another theme -- included in the penultimate cue but also many others -- that sounds very much like classic JNH is this one: 

 

 

Very catchy and filled with the promise of adventure. 

 

Some of the other themes lean farther into Williams/Indiana Jones pastiche, although even there JNH executes pretty well:

 

 

This is definitely in the running for score of the year in my book, although there are some clear missed opportunities and this is not one of JNH's best scores. Ultimately, it is a privilege to be able to hear a swashbuckling orchestral score of this quality in the year 2021. JNH has delivered a very fine score, and I'm looking forward to listening to it yet again tonight!

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On 7/31/2021 at 5:12 AM, Manakin Skywalker said:

My only main complaint is with the mixing; very loud/compressed and excessive reverb (not sure if natural or artificial). The EQ seems kind of strange as well.


I’m listening for the first time, and the opening Suite was so disconcerting to me. The strings sound sampled. I’m not convinced they aren’t. It sounds so dry and lifeless and mechanical. All of the notes simply evaporate. Indiana Jones this is not. 

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10 hours ago, Will said:

My single favorite moment in the score is this beautiful soaring theme: 

 

 

Yet JNH sadly never repeats that theme, aside from this lovely moment in the suite: 

 

 

I kept waiting for that theme to appear in "I Want You to Rest Now" (perhaps with choir added...) and was shocked and disappointed when it didn't.

 

Speaking of "I Want You to Rest Now," however, it's a really terrific cue. Starts off with a gorgeous, very Williams-esque longing melody: 

 

 

 

You do realise that your third example here IS the exact same theme you said didn't get repeated, just slowed way down and in "longing" mode. It's Lily's theme, and is all over the score. :)

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