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The Fabelmans - OST Album


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3 hours ago, crocodile said:

It sort wants me to re-explore some of the smaller Williams scores now. 

 

Me too! This score really left me in the mood for Stanley & Iris, The Accidental Tourist, Stepmom, etc.

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2 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

Did you also create an edit of Home Alone's Holiday Flight where you cut out the parts, that Williams used from Tchaikowsky's Russian Dance from the Nutcracker?

I’ve not heard the Fabelmans yet but very much looking forward to it. However, like others, I loved the use of Chopin in Empire of the Sun and JW is too good a composer to hamfistedly shoehorn in a classical quote and I imagine the same would be true here. However, I would note that for Home Alone, it’s more a paraphrase of Tchaikovsky than a quote. He takes the overall architecture of the of Russian Dance and writes his own melody over a very similar backing. (I have to admit that I think Tchaikovsky’s original tune is actually much more memorable than JW’s but that’s a different debate!). It’s clearly meant to evoke the Nutcracker but it’s not a direct quote… more a subtle rewrite.

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Beautiful, very elegant score. I can't stop listening to this. Intimate, unobtrusive music, probably the most intimate of all composed by Williams. Amazing that he is giving us such a gift in the year 2022. Nothing groundbreaking, but lovely. Very. 

 

The main theme is simple, charmingly catchy, very lyrical. "Mother and Son" has something of the atmosphere of George Delerue's music. This is one of those moments that could be found, for example, on "Stepmom".

 

There is a lot of celesta, very much in his style. And the final is primarily Williams's magic in all its glory. 

 

I skip three classic tracks (I created a Spotify playlist while waiting for the CD). They disturb my flow a bit. Although I will definitely listen to them again.

 

Thank you Maestro. 

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52 minutes ago, GlastoEls said:


Thought the same!  Deliberate Jaws citation/quote?

I could imagine it’s a deliberate reference, coming full circle from (one of) the first Spielberg/Williams collaborations to the very last. 

 

… Now I imagine a reference to Sugarland Express instead… I reckon that would’ve felt a little out of place, stylistically? 

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27 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

I’ve not heard the Fabelmans yet but very much looking forward to it. However, like others, I loved the use of Chopin in Empire of the Sun and JW is too good a composer to hamfistedly shoehorn in a classical quote and I imagine the same would be true here. However, I would note that for Home Alone, it’s more a paraphrase of Tchaikovsky than a quote. He takes the overall architecture of the of Russian Dance and writes his own melody over a very similar backing. (I have to admit that I think Tchaikovsky’s original tune is actually much more memorable than JW’s but that’s a different debate!). It’s clearly meant to evoke the Nutcracker but it’s not a direct quote… more a subtle rewrite.

Yes. That question was more a sarcastic exaggeration of mine, as I think, if Williams incorporates a classical piece in one of his film music tracks, I see no point in editing it out. But I have to admit, that @Knight of Ren's edit of the main theme is really nice.

 

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I have listened just once so far. 

 

I love the main theme, and in fact it immediately rockets to being one of my top favorite Williams themes. I love the warmth and emotion it evokes. It's beautiful and of course it makes me wish there were more of it to enjoy. 

 

For me, it's actually track 01 The Fabelmans which is the standout track. Aside from loving the theme, I really love the recording quality of the piano....sounds wonderful. 

 

The secondary theme is certainly Satie-inspired, specifically the Gymnopedie's, most noticed during 05 Reverie. 

 

Some other quick thoughts:

02 Mitzi's Dance

-I like how 'dreamy' it is and I like how Williams writes for both celeste and harp. 

06 Mother and Son

-Really great track. I love the guitar, the string writing in the middle before the piano comes in gave me a very brief Lincoln-feel, and then I love hearing the piano on the theme again for the rest of the track. 

11 The Letter

-I like the celeste, and when the strings and oboe come in it's more of the Satie Gymnopedie feel. I do love the solo oboe and it makes me remember Angela's Ashes with its numerous oboe solos. 

12 The Journey Begins

-The Jauntiness of this track took me by surprise, coming after all that proceeded it. I do want to see what's happening in the film at this point...I enjoy the rest of the cue, but there's something about the last modulation that felt sudden to me, almost like it was an edit, but I probably just need to get used to how it flows. 

 

Important to note that (unless someone else did it), Williams added orchestra to the Haydn piece. It's a piano sonata so in it's original form is only piano, no orchestra. So, for me...if/when I make an edit that doesn't contain the classical pieces, I would still include the Haydn since he has essentially arranged it for orchestra there. 

 

Overall, I really love it! Even with how brief it is, he managed to cement two main ideas that feel somehow well developed over only a few cues. That's kind of amazing!

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3 hours ago, Knight of Ren said:

And I certainly think this could earn Williams what will probably be his last nomination (and even win?).

I'm almost sure he'll be nominated for Indiana Jones 5, no matter how good or bad the film is. The SW sequels weren't great films but were all nominated for an Oscar

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43 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

 But I have to admit, that @Knight of Ren's edit of the main theme is really nice.

 

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I think it works great as a short summary of the score as a whole!

 

5 minutes ago, JNHFan2000 said:

I'm almost sure he'll be nominated for Indiana Jones 5, no matter how good or bad the film is. The SW prequels weren't great films but were all nominated for an Oscar

Yeah, that one will probably also be nominated especially if it really is Williams' last score ever.

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15 minutes ago, JNHFan2000 said:

I'm almost sure he'll be nominated for Indiana Jones 5, no matter how good or bad the film is. The SW prequels weren't great films but were all nominated for an Oscar

They weren't. Do you mean the sequels?

 

Karol

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About what could be expected from a handful of 2-minute cues. It's a nice, warm souvenir though it's hard to muster more enthusiasm about it, it gains its only significance from the fact that it's probably the last Spielberg/Williams collaboration.

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1 hour ago, GlastoEls said:

I don’t know about everyone here, but I’m really relishing a new JW soundtrack day.  We don’t know how many we have in front of us - just feeling so thankful. 

 

If I did my math right, there should be 1 left: Indy 5.

 

Everytime I hear the guitar in Mother and Son, I'm reminded of this Williams composition: 

 

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On 7/11/2022 at 9:02 AM, King Mark said:

FUUUK After 3 years I finally caught covid

 

I hope it doesn't affect my hearing

Loss of hearing is NOT a symptom, lol. Feel better soon hopefully. It is way milder now as a disease so I'm hoping it doesn't make you feel too bad x

 

 

As for the album.... For the first time in a long time.... Meh? This cannot be all he wrote. Why would you get a full orchestra together for just the first bit of the last track..... That wouldn't happen. There has to be more done with full orchestra yet, it's not here? It's mostly piano, then harp, celeste and strings, one oboe solo in a track and some horns in another? And don't get me wrong, I'm one of the few that has not only Schindler's List in my top Williams scores but Sabrina, Angela's Ashes too and love Stepmom even if it's not in the top..... O.o

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I haven’t even seen the film yet and this music is affecting me emotionally. Sometimes my about the way the maestro writes is unmatched and no other scores make me feel this kind of way. It’s a mix of nostalgic longing and hope at the same time. Maybe the fact that I know this will be one of his last scores makes me get more emotional than usual but I can really feel the “soul” of Williams in these tracks. I’ve desperately missed this kind of music and it makes me sad that we won’t get anything like this ever again.

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Well well well, what a stunning little album this turned out to be. I couldn't be more pleased. If the end of The Journey Begins is the last word on their collaboration, I'll be fine.

 

(Though I hope it's not - fingers crossed they do a Western!)

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3 hours ago, ocelot said:

Loss of hearing is NOT a symptom, lol. Feel better soon hopefully. It is way milder now as a disease so I'm hoping it doesn't make you feel too bad x

 

 

Thanks, but I was just joking about the hearing loss. Fully recovered now...vaccines probably helped

 

 

From what I'm getting this movie is based on Steven Spielberg's childhood right? I was expecting more of a "sense of wonder" score instead of the melancholic stepmom vibe.

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27 minutes ago, King Mark said:

Thanks, but I was just joking about the hearing loss. Fully recovered now...vaccines probably helped

 

 

From what I'm getting this movie is based on Steven Spielberg's childhood right? I was expecting more of a "sense of wonder" score instead of the melancholic stepmom vibe.

Yeah I know you were kidding, it made me laugh. As for the score yeah, same. Also, Williams does come from an age old Golden Age of music, I was hoping he would write this as a tribute to all those incredible composers of old as that's what captured Spielberg's imagination for film and music. Personally I would not care if it was OTT, for me it would have highlighted the awe and wonder of movies of that age and why Spielberg wanted to be a director in this business.

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I think "The Fabelmans" track might actually be a concert arrangement... Can't remember hearing it in the film.

 

The second half of "Mother and Son" is definitely a (very memorable) film cue, but I do not recall hearing the opening guitar portion in the film -- I suspect it is a concert arrangement (or I suppose it could have been part of the film cue but dialed out).

 

For the record, I'm personally skeptical that the "Out to Sea"-sounding music in "The Journey Begins" was an intentional call-back, although I suppose it can't be completely ruled out. More likely simply JW in the same playful, adventurous mode. (Speaking of which: I share others' disappointment that we didn't get to hear more of JW in that adventurous/exciting mode in this score -- Spielberg generally used period music or classic scores in such scenes, leaving more intimate scenes for JW.)

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I can already kind of hear the eventual (fingers crossed) 5-minute version for Ann-Sophie Mutter and orchestra.

56 minutes ago, Will said:

For the record, I'm personally skeptical that the "Out to Sea"-sounding music in "The Journey Begins" was an intentional call-back, although I suppose it can't be completely ruled out. More likely simply JW in the same playful, adventurous mode. 

 

My thoughts exactly, except I'm completely ruling out any connection. - I haven't seen the film btw.

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Very few people seem to have mixed or negative reactions to this score. Which is awesome! But I'd like to hear more from those who don't enjoy the album so much.

 

For me, it's a big meh. The tone of the JW tracks is very uniform except for a couple moments. The classical pieces gladly add some variety, but those performances really lack character. They're played well, but blandly. Such a boring performance of one of my favorite Haydns! (JW's extension of the piece is really not that interesting.) And the whole album uses way too much reverb to create that melancholy vibe. It sounds so artificial. Plus, the tracks are all way too short to develop an interesting form/story. It's always over before it's really started. I like the themes, I like the simplicity, the sort of naivety, and I'm sure a couple tracks will end up in my playlists -- but the album as a whole, from top to bottom: meh. Not in my top 50 best JW...

 

Am I alone?

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1 hour ago, The Lost Folio said:

Very few people seem to have mixed or negative reactions to this score. Which is awesome! But I'd like to hear more from those who don't enjoy the album so much.

 

For me, it's a big meh. The tone of the JW tracks is very uniform except for a couple moments. The classical pieces gladly add some variety, but those performances really lack character. They're played well, but blandly. Such a boring performance of one of my favorite Haydns! (JW's extension of the piece is really not that interesting.) And the whole album uses way too much reverb to create that melancholy vibe. It sounds so artificial. Plus, the tracks are all way too short to develop an interesting form/story. It's always over before it's really started. I like the themes, I like the simplicity, the sort of naivety, and I'm sure a couple tracks will end up in my playlists -- but the album as a whole, from top to bottom: meh. Not in my top 50 best JW...

 

Am I alone?

Nope, already said, same for me, I was like, really? When he could have delved into Old Hollywood as the basis of why Spielberg fell in love with movies and really harkened back to the golden age of hollywood, instead he goes into simple, yes beautiful and cute piano piece with strings nd harp and celeste.... No real journey in the whole score.

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17 minutes ago, ocelot said:

Nope, already said, same for me, I was like, really? When he could have delved into Old Hollywood as the basis of why Spielberg fell in love with movies and really harkened back to the golden age of hollywood, instead he goes into simple, yes beautiful and cute piano piece with strings nd harp and celeste.... No real journey in the whole score.

Be patient. Apparently Williams revisits the Golden Age sound in Indy V.

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2 hours ago, Joni Wiljami said:

Maybe it was their mutual decision to go that direction. I'm so sad they didn't ask ocelot. 

Right? I mean... I KNOW BEST!!!!!!! lol

Hey, listen, I have loved 99% of William's output, it's OK if this one is not gonna be anywhere near my "must listen to again" list. I'm happy many of you are loving it xox

 

2 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

Be patient. Apparently Williams revisits the Golden Age sound in Indy V.

Please no, I want pure indy for that and not Gone with the Wind, lol

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2 hours ago, ocelot said:

Nope, already said, same for me, I was like, really? When he could have delved into Old Hollywood as the basis of why Spielberg fell in love with movies and really harkened back to the golden age of hollywood, instead he goes into simple, yes beautiful and cute piano piece with strings nd harp and celeste.... No real journey in the whole score.

 

But that wasn't up to Williams. It's just a few nice and unassuming melodies bracketing Spielberg's late stroll through memory lane, and hey, why not? It may not add up to more than, say, 'Pete'n'Tillie', but you could interpret it as a mutual agreement that a little sweet and direct piece is what you take away from it all (life, i mean, not the movie).

 

This is not an uncommon sentiment for old people, when all the sturm and drang has vanished.

 

 

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Spielberg did a lot of movies, that where significantly enhanced and uplifted by JW's score and some which had noch much more to offer than a grand score and some which hardly required any score to be great but had some as kind of a goody. Currently I assume that The Fabelmans falls into the last category.

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I love this kind of scores.

 

It's a score that remembers me alot the pianistic style of Patrick Doyle, and particularly the theme he wrote for Nouvelle-France.

 

I'm not saying that Spielberg paid a lot of Money to get a Patrick Doyle score written by John Williams, I would never dare to say that! :P

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I just finished my first listen. A nice quiet morning with the whole album as-is played through my living room setup. 

 

Well, the standout tracks on first listen are certainly The Fabelmans, Mother and Son, and The Journey Begins. 

 

I found the three classical pieces in their own tracks to be a detriment to the listening experience, they are too up-beat and bubbly compared to what the whole rest of the score is doing around them. 

 

The Haydn piece integrated into the finale track is better though, especially since Williams arranged it to transition from solo piano into a string piece. Plus, it's end credits music, not source music like the other three. 

 

Anyway, not a new favorite of mine, but not bad either. I'm sure it's perfect for the film, which I hope I'll be able to catch in the theaters. I wish it was playing in Boston now, I'd make the drive. 

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1 hour ago, filmmusic said:

"Wow" goes for the portion before the Haydn or after?

All of it, but the bit before and the very end especially!

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