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Rediscovering Jerry Goldsmith's music


Incanus

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-13th Warrior

-AFO

-First Knight

-Mulan

-The Mummy

-Star Trek: Insurrection

-The Sum of all Fears (I had to get it for the first track alone... the rest is considerably more unspectacular)

-Under Fire

If you complain about redundancy in his more recent scores (with which I can somehow agree, but the only score in your collection it really applies to is Sum of all Fears), why do you only (with one exception) have late Goldsmith scores?

There's decades of Goldsmith music before your collection that towers above 99% of what other composers have written during that time.

Marian - :nono:

:wave: Walking With Dinosaurs (Benjamin Bartlett)

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Because I got into Goldsmith through scores like AFO and 13th warrior, and subsequently bought scores that I initially liked in the films (and found somewhat lacking on CD later on).

Though I have to really warm up to earlier Goldsmith more before buying more CDs... When I listened to the expanded TMP Neil sent me some time ago, I didn't find it as great as I often read people proclaim it was.

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I probably should take this time to discover Jerry Goldsmith. But I'm not going to search the world for CDs, then find out I don't really like them and be stuck with them because some CD trading store won't take them. If I had an iPod, maybe I'd download his stuff.

All I have is "Basic Instinct" and "The Omen." I keep passing over "Mulan," though I watch that movie a lot.

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When I listened to the expanded TMP Neil sent me some time ago, I didn't find it as great as I often read people proclaim it was.

You suck...you really suck you know that!

Did I tell you that you are really sucky?

And you suck too!

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Steef. It is nice you try to understand that other people have opinions and views on things.

Of course they happen to be wrong if they disagree with yours. :wave:

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When I listened to the expanded TMP Neil sent me some time ago, I didn't find it as great as I often read people proclaim it was.

You suck...you really suck you know that!

Did I tell you that you are really sucky?

And you suck too!

Young minds, fresh ideas. Be tolerant.

Neil - who knows that TMP is Jerry's masterwork and is every bit as good as Steef says :wave:

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Who knows. Some day someone might say that ESB is just "good" instead of brilliant. Times are changing my friends. Revolution is coming! :wave:

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I've never considered ESB brilliant.  TMP is brilliant.

Neil

Good heavens heretics are amoung us! :wave:

I think I should conduct a witch hunt to root out such alien thoughts from the minds of Williams fans. ESB is the center of the universe. Where is the thought police when you need one. We have catch all of these false believers :nono:

TMP is good though not quite brilliant.

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I would definitely consider The Empire Strikes Back to be brilliant and a masterpiece. Deep down it's really my favorite score of the saga, but I always list Star Wars as my fav because I feel sort of sacriligious if I don't. It was the first score I ever listened to and feel a sense of loyalty beyond how truly wonderful it is. I guess the truth is, I still don't know which one I think is the best.

As far as the comparisons to TMP, that's a toughie. It's interesting how they are very similiar scores to a degree. What makes me love Empire so much is the mythological feel that Williams brings out. The film is obviously itended to be as such, but the music does a wonderful job of supporting and reflecting that. The last act of the film/score is as solid a listen for me as they come. And not to mention The Asteroid Field has to be one of, it not thee single best action cues I have ever heard.

Goldsmith in my opinion, also brings out a feeling of mythology as well in TMP, specifically during Cloud, Vejur Flyover and Meld. Those tracks alone transcend the music into the world of pure fantasy. And as much as I adore Han and the Princess, Ilia's Theme has to be one of the most beautifully haunting love themes I have ever heard. Upon listening, the sadness and desperation incites a yearning in me few pieces ever have.

Which is better than the other? Couldn't say, but I know I listen to them both over and over.

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I wouldn't presume to compare Star Trek: The Motion Picture and The Empire Strikes Back. They're so different.

I listen to Jerry Goldsmith scores nearly every day. In fact, I'm listening to Twilight Zone: The Movie as I type this, it's like four mini-scores in one! Jerry gets more spins than Johnny does lately, but that's only because I tend to buy a new Goldsmith score every week or two, and I only buy a Williams CD when a new movie comes out, there's really not much more older stuff out there that I can find.

There's something electrifying (pardon the pun) about Jerry's music. Can't quite put my finger on it. Even though I'm studying journalism, I'm still not that skilled enough of a wordsmith to describe the beauty and technical aspects of Jerry's scores. I just sit back and enjoy them.

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You are quite right. Jerry's music has that electrifying effect that can't be put to words. I love his music and respect his craftmanship. Jerry is one of the old masters. The argument about the merits of TMP and ESB is little silly since we are all so opinionated about the thing one way or the other. I meant my post as a joke not to spark "Goldsmith is better than Williams" fight. I could throw in a Latin proverb about the the futility of arguing about the matters of taste but that would sound too snobbish wouldn't it :music:

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My list:

Air Force One

Air Force One (complete)

Alien (Spanish boot)

Hollow Man (complete + commentary)

Poltergeist

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (complete)

Star Trek: First Contact (expanded)

Star Trek: Insurrection

Star Trek: Insurrection (expanded)

Star Trek: Nemesis (complete)

Timeline

Total Recall (Deluxe Edition)

And Rambo: First Blood part II out on hold.

Finally shaping up.

- Marc

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Let's just say I listen to Air Force One a lot more then I listen to Seven Years In Tibet.

As for turn of the century Goldsmith. Even with cancer slowly eating away at him he didn't write anything as boooring as The Patriot.

Apparantly you've never heard Along Came The Spider.

I listened to The Twilight Zone: The Movie over the past few days. Good score. 'Kick The Can' is IMO Jerry's lovliest piece of music ever.

Total Recall is also getting a lot of play lately. I'm at the point where every listen is getting better and better, a couple more and I'll reach an orgasm. I'll keep you all posted.

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I wish I had the Total Recall Deluxe edition. The regular CD was great but I would like to hear more of that great action music. I am listening now Wind and the Lion and I must say it is great. Themes, action and the whole works. Goldsmith scores ethnicity in Hollywood cliché style but I am not so fond of true ethnic scoring anyway. This music much more rousing and strong without some lone ethnic woodwinds and wailing soloists. Absolutely fantastic.

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Next on my listening list will be Planet of the Apes. The few cues I have heard give an impression of a very experimental and different score. It may take a while to acclimatize myself to it. What I have heard here on MB it is not easy or approachable music.

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It's the kinda score that separates the men from the boys.

It shall be my crucible and a trial by fire then.

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It's the kinda score that separates the men from the boys.

Michael Jackson wont be listening to it any time soon then :)

:angry::)ROTFLMAO

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A few days ago Air Force One finally shows up in my mailbox. I've had the chance to listen to it three times now and at the risk of being torched, I don't really see what the big deal about it is. It's decent enough for wall to wall action music, but it felt like I was listening to the same thing over and over.

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It has the outstanding nonstop 8min action cue "The Hijacking", that cue alone is almost worth the cd. And the 6th track with the Parachute scene is also great. the rest ranges from mediocre to good (perhaps to "almost great"). The real meat though lies in the McNeely half of the score. Now there's some really impressive action writing ("order to fire" etc.) and the awesome music for the Radek release scene.

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Keep in mind though, of course it's a wall-to-wall action score. If you don't like such a thing, that's not the score's fault but a matter of taste :mrgreen: For me it's the best nonstop action score I have, perhaps side-by-side with Cutthroat Island (though a tad more edgy).

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I have now listened to the Planet of the Apes a couple of times and I must say I like it. It is harsh but there something alluring in that experimentalism. I have not seen the movie (I hate Charlton Heston) and do not know how well it works in the context but as we are talking about Jerry Goldsmith I bet it fits the movie like a glove.

BTW I really would like to hear the complete Air Force One with Goldsmith and McNeely music.

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I hate Charlton Heston.

You've met him? What's he like?

Har har har :| I mean I do not like him as an actor. Plus seeing him in Bowling for Columbine was the last straw. "You can pry it from my dead cold hands!" (if you have seen the Michael Moore "documentary" you know what that last line means. I know Moore is a provocative documentarist but still).

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I hate Charlton Heston.

You've met him? What's he like?

Har har har :| I mean I do not like him as an actor. Plus seeing him in Bowling for Columbine was the last straw. "You can pry it from my dead cold hands!" (if you have seen the Michael Moore "documentary" you know what that last line means. I know Moore is a provocative documentarist but still).

Moore is a scumbag of the lowest order. Chuck shouldn't have let him in his house.

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I know Moore is somewhere on the "uncredible documentarists" group but Heston is an old gun maniac and he had the nerve to go waving that gun in the same town 2 days after the Columbine school massacre and shout "guns are every American's right". If the country is really in that bad shape tha everybody needs a gun to make themselves feel safe. But enough of this on this thread.

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Star Trek: Voyager, great late Emmy-awarding TV music by Jerry. Best appreciated in its continous 24-hour-loop suite version.

Hitch

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Star Trek: Voyager, great late Emmy-awarding TV music by Jerry.  Best appreciated in its continous 24-hour-loop suite version.

Hitch

Main Title is inspiring. I have not heard much else from ST:Voyager. Did Goldsmith write music to the episodes as well?

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Thanks for the info Steef! NOw I can sleep my nights little better not worrying about that bit of trivia :P

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I hate Charlton Heston.

You've met him? What's he like?

Har har har :mrgreen: I mean I do not like him as an actor. Plus seeing him in Bowling for Columbine was the last straw. "You can pry it from my dead cold hands!" (if you have seen the Michael Moore "documentary" you know what that last line means. I know Moore is a provocative documentarist but still).

Moore is a scumbag of the lowest order. Chuck shouldn't have let him in his house.

But I'm so glad he did. That interview, or exchange of words was priceless.

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