Rings of Power Bear McCreary's The Rings of Power APPRECIATION thread

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

Poteto potato.

[Chen G. 3,949]

Why must you make me hungry! 

[TolkienSS 407]

9 hours ago, Chen G. said:

I think most people instinctively notice that the score sounds nothing like Shore's. They may not be able to articulate exactly why, but one just feels it. Just the fact that somebody slapped a tin whistle here and there doesn't really change that.

 

It has nothing to do with instinct. It's so chock full of tropes and made-for-TV moments, to assume people would practically hear no difference between this and Shore, is really taking the audience for idiots.

 

It's like saying people "instinctively" know there is a difference between John Williams Jurassic Park and Giacchino's Jurassic World.

Yes there is, it's called watching and comparing.

 

1 hour ago, Chen G. said:

 

But he didn't.

 

He took his own musical language, and gave it a Howard Shore paintjob.

 

That sums it up pretty perfectly.

[Chen G. 3,949]

Just now, TolkienSS said:

It's like saying people "instinctively" know there is a difference between John Williams Jurassic Park and Giacchino's Jurassic World.

 

With the added distinction that Giacchino made a score to an actual sequel, and therefore could and did use the John Williams themes.

 

Bear isn't really doing that, and indeed cannot do it.

 

[TolkienSS 407]

31 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

 

With the added distinction that Giacchino made a score to an actual sequel, and therefore could and did use the John Williams themes.

 

Bear isn't really doing that, and indeed cannot do it.

 

 

Yes, my point was just that the word "instinctive" implies there is no conscious moment of realization. If you know Shore's scores, and if you're not extremely dishonest, you very much hear that RoP doesn't sit in the same world, let alone class.

 

What bothers me is that clearly, some people pretend it does. And I say pretend, because they know it. Some do it because they simply want it to be that, others, like Woods, do it for professional profilation. At least the latter is clearly identifiable by the oversaturation with mundane phrases and say-nothing political speak.

[Erik Woods 555]

12 minutes ago, TolkienSS said:

 

And I say pretend, because they know it. Some do it because they simply want it to be that, others, like Woods, do it for professional profilation. At least the latter is clearly identifiable by the oversaturation with mundane phrases and say-nothing political speak.

 

I love the fact that I irritate you so much! I'm excited to keep the momentum going!

 

 

-Erik-

[bored 309]

Yeah I gave the score a shot too, it just doesn't fit in with the Howard Shore scores, and while that's not a problem for people who want something different, as someone who wanted to hear a second age score that fits in with that musical universe, it leaves me wanting so much more. It also doesn't help that Howard Shore's main title so perfectly encapsulates the universe and individual cultures so well, making the rest of the score feel like a shadow of what we could have had. 

[JWFan Moderators 100]

7 hours ago, TolkienSS said:

It has nothing to do with instinct. It's so chock full of tropes and made-for-TV moments, to assume people would practically hear no difference between this and Shore, is really taking the audience for idiots.

 

This is an appreciation thread, and these kinds of posts are not welcome.

 

 

4 hours ago, TolkienSS said:

If you know Shore's scores, and if you're not extremely dishonest, you very much hear that RoP doesn't sit in the same world, let alone class.

 

Ditto.

 

4 hours ago, TolkienSS said:

What bothers me is that clearly, some people pretend it does. And I say pretend, because they know it. Some do it because they simply want it to be that, others, like Woods, do it for professional profilation. At least the latter is clearly identifiable by the oversaturation with mundane phrases and say-nothing political speak.

 

And this not only doesn't belong here, but in any thread.

 

The majority of the posts you've made on JWFan are of a negative nature, often with an argumentative tone, and this is not the first time you've specifically singled out another user and attacked them.

 

Please follow our forum rules when you return in 48 hours.

 

On 30/04/2021 at 5:04 PM, JWFan Moderators said:

The goal of the JWFan Forums is to be an online destination for fans of film music and related topics to have open, active, ON-TOPIC discussions and information exchanges.

 

On 30/04/2021 at 5:04 PM, JWFan Moderators said:

1 - The following types of posts are not allowed:

• Personal attacks -- BE RESPECTFUL of one another, allow for differences in opinions, and don't make anyone feel that they cannot post their views.
• Thread jacking -- Posting something contrary to the spirit/intent of the thread, often derailing the discussion or turning it into an argument.
• Baiting -- Purposely posting opinions or tangents knowing it will antagonize others.
• Persistent negative attitude -- Everyone is allowed to have a bad day, but a consistent pattern of negative posts is unwelcome.

[Edmilson 7,466]

Shouldn't all the discussion here over the last few days be moved to the main discussion thread of the score? Lee asked opinions about the score and if he should listen to it, some people responded positively, others gave negative opinions and a few were more ambivalent, but either way, this is the appreciation thread, so all of that should be on the main thread that allows for all kinds of opinions.

[bored 309]

On 03/01/2024 at 11:26 PM, Edmilson said:

Shouldn't all the discussion here over the last few days be moved to the main discussion thread of the score? Lee asked opinions about the score and if he should listen to it, some people responded positively, others gave negative opinions and a few were more ambivalent, but either way, this is the appreciation thread, so all of that should be on the main thread that allows for all kinds of opinions.

 

True, but banning a user for being more negative than others and expressing their opinions more bluntly is really loose and too biased for me.

[Yavar Moradi 2,599]

Pretty sure he was mainly banned (actually a two day suspension, right?) for suggesting that another prominent user here was some kind of insincere shill. That's a personal attack, not just negativity.

 

Yavar

[Jay 37,369]

Yeah, he personally attacked Erik Woods, and it's far from the first personal attack he's posted on these forums.  And yeah, it was just 48 hours.  He's completely free to post again now - following the rules, just like the rest of us!

 

As the rules state, there's nothing wrong with posting negative opinions, but when 95% of a person's posts are negative, that IS against the rules.  That's the way it is!  Find positive things to say in this hobby we're all here to celebrate together, instead of only negative things!  And don't attack other members who feel differently about some music than you do!

[bored 309]

Seemed more like a harsh criticism to me, which Erik took in stride and joked about anyway. Didn't seem that personal to me, but I guess that's up to the individual. Are you sure about putting a limit on negativity? Seems kind of anal and if there's one place that seems fair for people to complain, it's online, though I do agree the appreciation thread wasn't a great place to put the criticism of the music.

[Jay 37,369]

All positive and negative opinions on music and media are welcome!  Just don't make being negative your entire persona.  That seems fair to me!

 

And yeah, doing it in an Appreciation Thread was a big no-no!  Violations in those specific threads have always been treated significantly more swiftly and severely!

[KittBash 282]

I was super happy to get the 2 Disc edition of this score for Christmas this year and wow am I happy with it. 

 

These scores always seemed like the more sophisticated bigger sibling to Bear's Masters of the Universe work which I seem to keep spinning over and over again so I'm down for as much of both properties he wants to give us... and that Gladrials theme, I swear won't get out of my head since this score dropped in 2022. So every time I want to get some Gladrial Theme hit in my system that Sheet @Jay did with all the theme placements has been my guide!  

[Erik Woods 555]

5 hours ago, bored said:

Seemed more like a harsh criticism to me, which Erik took in stride and joked about anyway. Didn't seem that personal to me, but I guess that's up to the individual. Are you sure about putting a limit on negativity? Seems kind of anal and if there's one place that seems fair for people to complain, it's online, though I do agree the appreciation thread wasn't a great place to put the criticism of the music.

He has a personal vendetta against me here and elsewhere for SOME reason, but whatever. All he has to say to me, though, is like water off a duck's back. His comments don't affect me one way or another. I find it hilarious that he spends so much time trying to knock me down.

 

-Erik-

[Holko 9,526]

I finally started preparing for making an edit from the episode albums plus the OST... and then stopped a couple episodes in.

There would definitely be fat to trim, but there's also just way too much good and great stuff to keep, the edit would be at least 4-6 hours long, which I'd never listen to in one sitting. Also, the score is written to be very episodic, would get repetitive mushed together and wouldn't have that much of a satisfying arc for all the threads, and I came to the conclusion that it just works perfectly if I instead dedicate a week to listen to an episode a day, check in daily to get a big threatening Sauron ostinato and planted Galadriels, some mystery, some tension, some action material, get to see how the Khazad-Dum/Númenor/Harfoot (pick 2) -related themes are doing this episode, be reminded of the blandest theme (Bronwin/Arondir), then wrap up nicely at the end.

Or the other solution would be to edit it down very severely to the highest of highlights... which has also already been done with the OST.

 

 

It's really really nice to have the option for both officially and immediately. Thank fuck for Bear!

[Richard Penna 3,694]

The one thing that perhaps might be a curious mini project would be taking the model of the OST and using episode album material to open out a few sequences, similar to using CR material to expand a few sections of the LotR OSTs.

 

For example I think the full Southlands battle works a treat, whereas having the two representative tracks out of order on the OST is a bit weird. You could in theory make an alternative OST which takes the content of the OST, perhaps drops some minor cues and expands other sections, similar to what I did to make alternative LotR OSTs.

 

But I'm not in a hurry. Bear's curation and presentation is superb here across the board.

[Bespin 8,483]

I started the TV series yesterday. I just realized that the series is set thousands of years before the events of LOTR, as Sauron hadn't forged the rings yet. From now on, Mr. Bear's music seems very appropriate, and its praise seems well deserved.

[Dr. Rick 1,157]

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Season One - 10CD Box Set

 

Looks like a really well done set, and $150 isn't too bad at all.

 

https://mondoshop.com/products/lotr-rop-10cd-box-set

 

Mondo, in partnership with Amazon Studios and Sparks and Shadows, is proud to present the Complete Soundtrack Collection from the Amazon Original Series THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER - Season One.

An expanded version of our previous 2xCD soundtrack, this 10xCD box set is presented as a numbered edition of 1000, comes housed in a 
gold-embossed, leatherette-bound slipcase and includes the 136-page booklet “A Composer’s Journey” by Bear McCreary. (Packaging Design by Jordan Christianson.)

And as a special thank you from Bear and his team, 200 copies from this numbered run are offered with an exclusive Bear McCreary autograph card inside... only at MondoShop.com.

Official Release Date: April 26, 2024.

[Jay 37,369]

Cool!  I wonder why it took so long.

 

Shame that it includes the OST album too, since they already sold that physically separately (and I bought it).  Now I'll have two copies of that for no reason.

[crocodile 8,017]

Cool! Ordered instantly. Very reasonably priced actually.

 

Karol

[Richard Penna 3,694]

I'd lost all hope! What a random time to do it - could this prove to studios that they don't need to tie score releases to other dates any more?

 

It works out around £40 or so more than downloads but it looks great with a nice book and I didn't expect a set like that to come with a hard copy of the original 2-disc set - I never got that physically so that's a nice extra thing to justify the overall cost.

 

Man, I came sooo close to buying them all digitally, but something was keeping me back.

[Holko 9,526]

This looks amazing... but with the high price I already paid for the OST, this is not quite the score I'd want to bother with the US shipping and huge VAT and customs and handling fees bullshit for.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

I appear to have paid just $17 for shipping, but there was a $30 something option which I suspect may have been the actual int'll cost. I hope they don't notice 

 

I doubt I paid more than £10 for the OST and I've barely gotten any LE releases the last 3 years so it's worth it.

 

The page now says it's Almost gone. Maybe this thing really has enough fans to get rid of 1000 copies in just a few hours.

[Jay 37,369]

This is what they charged me in the USA

 

Subtotal	$150.00
Vinyl Only Shipping	$8.95
Sales Tax	$9.38
Total	$168.33

[Richard Penna 3,694]

Ah, you got 'Vinyl only shipping' too - that's what made me suspicious. Actually, you got taxed and I didn't, so despite overseas shipping I paid around $1 less!

[Jay 37,369]

I was also charged "Vinyl Only Shipping" when I placed an order in 2022 for TROP OST, Dune 1 OST, and Don't Worry Darling OST.

 

Then in 2023 when I ordered The Batman OST from them, I was charged "Domestic Standard".  No idea what the difference is or why they choose one over the other.

[crocodile 8,017]

16 minutes ago, Richard Penna said:

Ah, you got 'Vinyl only shipping' too - that's what made me suspicious. Actually, you got taxed and I didn't, so despite overseas shipping I paid around $1 less!

Never paid anything extra when ordering from Mondo to the UK. Your cheaper option will be just fine, don't worry.

 

Karol

[Richard Penna 3,694]

Ah cool. I've never ordered from Mondo before, and thankfully they have a status thing based on your email and order #. I tried to register but their recaptcha thing is either broken or impossible to pass.

 

And no waiting to hear the music in this case - quite the opposite. It'll encourage me to listen to some of the episodes more 

[crocodile 8,017]

Their orders are not the fastest to start ship but, other than that, no issues there.

 

Anyway, looks like this is selling fast as the label "almost gone" is now visible!

 

 

Karol

[Richard Penna 3,694]

I saw that while I was in a waiting room earlier this evening and got a tad concerned about whether this would actually sell out before I got back home.

 

1000 units feels low for a score for this sort of franchise - it won't just be the McCreary fans.

[crocodile 8,017]

And it's gone.

 

Karol

[Sylvan 10]

Interesting that Mondo didn’t limit the number you could buy as they do with many of the editions they sell 

[Edmilson 7,466]

7 hours ago, Jay said:

Now I'll have two copies of that for no reason.

Sell the spare copy on Ebay or whatever.

[Jay 37,369]

Now available on Amazon US

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYLVSSQ5