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Thread: The Everything Film Score Thread

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    Member Just Eric's Avatar
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    The Everything Film Score Thread

    Before starting this thread I searched "Film Score" and "Soundtrack" to ensure I wasn't duplicating efforts. I was thrilled to see many great threads for the discussion of a specific score and a few for composers. Like Prog, film and TV scoring is highly technical and complex, super experimental and boundary pushing, includes many of the great musical minds of our era and just a blast to enjoy! Aside from the musical connection, film scores are diverse in style and genre, ranging from classical to rock to jazz to minimalism to post-everything to avant-garde. And to top it all off, the Film Score community is just as fanatical about physical media, the merits of specific releases, collecting and completism and insanely deep knowledge of the genre like Prog Heads!

    To get us started, here is one of my favorites, The Hunt from Planet of the Apes, composed by Jerry Goldsmith (one of my top 5)

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    Insect Overlord Progatron's Avatar
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    Great thread idea! I love a good film score, and these days that applies to a lot of TV series as well. Looking forward to seeing what emerges here.
    Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Progatron View Post
    Great thread idea! I love a good film score, and these days that applies to a lot of TV series as well. Looking forward to seeing what emerges here.
    TV has quickly caught up with big production movies. Thankfully we moved beyond the Mike Post and low budget scores for shows.

    Here's a great one from Bear McCreary's theme from Black Sails

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  4. #4
    The Goldsmith PotA score is among my favorites that isn't Korngold or Herrmann.

    I'm an old-schooler. I prefer motifs and melodies to the current style popularized by Hans Zimmer. Although I like the Hildur Guđnadóttir score for Joker quite a bit, the last one I truly was able to listen as music was the Lord of the Rings score by Howard Shore.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Splicer View Post
    I'm an old-schooler. I prefer motifs and melodies to the current style popularized by Hans Zimmer. Although I like the Hildur Guđnadóttir score for Joker quite a bit, the last one I truly was able to listen as music was the Lord of the Rings score by Howard Shore.
    My entry was the jazzy scores of Schifrin, Bernstein, Mancini, Jones and others, then came the avant-garde/post scores of Morricone, Zimmer, Hildur, Johannsson, T. Newman, then the motif and melodic scores of the classics, Williams, Newton-Howard, etc.

    Now I love them all and can easily bounce from one to another.

    What did you think of the Chernobyl score? She recorded reels of found sound at the actual site of the reactors and incorporated with her awesome cello.

    One more to add, I love the quirky scores of Elman.
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  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Just Eric View Post
    What did you think of the Chernobyl score? She recorded reels of found sound at the actual site of the reactors and incorporated with her awesome cello.
    Loved her score for Chernobyl as much as I loved the series (lots). Anything Ben Frost touches turns to musical gold to me as well (more recently, he did Dark and Raised by Wolves, also did Fortitude a few years back). Roly Porter dropped one of my fave albums last year (Kistvaen), but also did a really cool simmering score for "The Beach House" that I hope will be released someday.

    "Mandy" was both my soundtrack of the year and film of the year when it dropped, and is easily the Johannsson I return to most frequently.

    "Blade Runner 2049," "Dunkirk," "Interstellar"...yeah, I'm a Zimmer fan.

    Also a big synth soundtrack fan so stuff like Carpenter, Umberto ("Archenemy"), and the glorious Steve Moore of Zombi ("VFW," "Bliss," "Mayhem," "Cub," many more) and of course Vangelis usually wins me over.

    One that shouldn't really work, but actually does and really really well, is the soundtrack Philip Glass made for the 80's horror classic "Candyman." At a point when many horror soundtracks were basically a dude riffing on a Roland D-50 string patch, Glass took the assignment seriously and IMHO helped elevate the film with a beautifully haunting score.

    In terms of the old classics...I'm a romantic and Ennio Morriocone's soundtrack for "Cinema Paradisio" is one of my all time desert island discs.

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    Member chalkpie's Avatar
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    Eric - do you dig Morricone's scores? Yeah it's a loaded question since it's sooo vast....
    If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.

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    Quote Originally Posted by battema View Post
    "Blade Runner 2049," "Dunkirk," "Interstellar"...yeah, I'm a Zimmer fan.
    Both amazing.
    If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.

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  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by chalkpie View Post
    Both amazing.
    I might actually be as excited to hear Zimmer's score for "Dune" as I am for the movie itself.

    One minor note on "Blade Runner 2049"...I love it, but it's also worth noting that Zimmer was only brought onto the production fairly late in the game. imagine what he might have done if he'd had a few more months to craft the soundtrack.
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  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Just Eric View Post
    What did you think of the Chernobyl score? She recorded reels of found sound at the actual site of the reactors and incorporated with her awesome cello.
    I just like her music. There's an intangible quality to it. Moodiness. Darkness. It's among the few non-traditional styles I like.

    I also like the jazzy scores of the 60s-70s. John Williams' throwback score for Catch Me If You Can was terrific.
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    Agreed - great idea for a thread, and including tv is spot on (I even have a soft spot for the old Mike Post stuff, and Mark Snow's work on The X-Files was, IMO ground-breaking).

    Um, anyone else notice a couple of familiar faces in this video?

    Quote Originally Posted by Just Eric View Post
    Here's a great one from Bear McCreary's theme from Black Sails

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  12. #12
    I love Bernard Herrmann’s scores for the Hitchcock movies. Made the mood.

    Love Jan Hammer’s Miami Vice work. Unfortunately, very little of the actual background music has been released.

    I know Eddie Jobson did the music to Don Johnson’s later series Nash Bridges, but I’ve never seen it.

    I like Hans Zimmer, but I cannot listen to the Bladerunner 2049 soundtrack by itself. I think I might’ve bought it before I saw the move. It fits the movie perfectly, but there’s no musicality to it.

    Loved Tom Hanks soundtrack to That Thing You Do! He really caught the pulse of the era.

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    Quote Originally Posted by battema View Post
    One that shouldn't really work, but actually does and really really well, is the soundtrack Philip Glass made for the 80's horror classic "Candyman." At a point when many horror soundtracks were basically a dude riffing on a Roland D-50 string patch, Glass took the assignment seriously and IMHO helped elevate the film with a beautifully haunting score.)
    John, I just downloaded the "The Music of Candyman" release. Did a little research on this and see that there has been one or more bootlegs of this earlier to compensate for the music not being released for many years. Have you encountered any of these and if so is any of it worthwhile in addition to the remixed version of Candyman and Candyman 2?

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    Quote Originally Posted by yodathedog View Post
    Love Jan Hammer’s Miami Vice work. Unfortunately, very little of the actual background music has been released.
    You can listen to the whole OOP 2CD at this link:

    https://www.discogs.com/Jan-Hammer-M...release/375899

    Quote Originally Posted by yodathedog View Post
    I know Eddie Jobson did the music to Don Johnson’s later series Nash Bridges, but I’ve never seen it.
    Not memorable.

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    Quote Originally Posted by battema View Post
    "Blade Runner 2049," "Dunkirk," "Interstellar"...yeah, I'm a Zimmer fan.
    Interstellar is Zimmer's best score, no contest. Love it. I like his music for the Dark Knight trilogy, too.

    Quote Originally Posted by battema View Post
    Also a big synth soundtrack fan so stuff like Carpenter, Umberto ("Archenemy"), and the glorious Steve Moore of Zombi ("VFW," "Bliss," "Mayhem," "Cub," many more) and of course Vangelis usually wins me over.
    Tangerine Dream, of course.

    And going all the way back to this classic!


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    Quote Originally Posted by battema View Post
    "Blade Runner 2049," "Dunkirk," "Interstellar"...yeah, I'm a Zimmer fan.
    Dude (sorry couldn't resist), Zimmer is such a divisive composer. Half the fans love his creative sparks and innovative way of melding music and motion, while the other half think he is a charlatan besotting the entire profession. I fall in the former. Zimmer is not like any other composer, however there are now many like him.

    For Inception the level of meta in the score from sampling a note from the Edith Piaf song to become the "ticking clock" of the score, the tempo multiples (4/4 and 3/4 concurrent) that modulate for each dream level and the final touch of having the first and last note of the score being the same to signify the Moebius strip quality of the story - brilliance.

    The genius of Dunkirk is from the trio of Nolan, Zimmer and Richard King, sound editor. The ticking clock, the melding of score and movie sound, the sense of anxiety and unease, and intensity. Coming in close to the Dunkirk opening sequence is the Up the Down Trench run from 1917 by Thomas Newman. Cool video below about the unique approach to making the film.



    Chalkpie:Eric - do you dig Morricone's scores?
    Love Morricone. For how deeply ingrained it is into popular culture, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly score, taken outside the film, would be a renowned avant-garde suite. Throw together make chorus, ocarina, flute, trumpet, and some "screamed" wa wa wa vocals that who knows how he got those singers to create - what was the musical direction to those vocalists? Unlike Batts, I'm less enthused by his melodic works, Gabriel's Oboe, Cinema Paradiso. Both excellent songs, just not my Morricone go to.

    fyi - Ecstasy of Gold is one of my all time favorite songs. Edda Dell'Orso's soprano is divine.

    Splicer said:I also like the jazzy scores of the 60s-70s. John Williams' throwback score for Catch Me If You Can was terrific
    Before diving headfirst into soundtracks I had only known Williams for his Jaws and beyond scores, including the wonderful Cath Me If You Can jazzy score. Like any self-respecting music geek I had to learn as much as possible about the music, the musicians and composers, so it was that I discovered the Johnny Williams era, partnership with Irwin Allen, from Lost in Space to Towering Inferno and beyond, the Johnny Williams Trio, his jazz piano background and more.

    My favorite of Williams -

    Dracula
    Towering Inferno
    The Eiger Sanction
    The Battle of Hoth / The Asteroid Field from the 1997 Special Edition release of The Empire Strikes Back
    And one of the all time best mix of music, practical effects and cinematography, The Desert Chase from Raiders of the Last Ark
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    Member dropforge's Avatar
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    For me, personally, Williams has never topped his Superman score. I love it.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by zappaeverafter View Post
    John, I just downloaded the "The Music of Candyman" release. Did a little research on this and see that there has been one or more bootlegs of this earlier to compensate for the music not being released for many years. Have you encountered any of these and if so is any of it worthwhile in addition to the remixed version of Candyman and Candyman 2?
    I haven't, no...all I have is the Orange Mountain Music edition on CD
    If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
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  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by yodathedog View Post
    I like Hans Zimmer, but I cannot listen to the Bladerunner 2049 soundtrack by itself. I think I might’ve bought it before I saw the move. It fits the movie perfectly, but there’s no musicality to it.
    Respectfully, I would disagree. A piece like Sea Wall not only managed to elevate the climax of the film, but is pretty grand listening all on it's own too. IMHO of course

    If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
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    Quote Originally Posted by yodathedog View Post
    I love Bernard Herrmann’s scores for the Hitchcock movies. Made the mood.
    Love Hermann. All the Hitchcock scores are great, but my favorite is North By Northwest where he creates a movie's worth of music out of one simple motif. What gets spun most in my house is Taxi Driver, Journe to the Center of the Earth, Jason and the Argonauts and Cape Fear
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  22. #22
    It is not a traditional score per se but IMHO one of the most powerful movie score is an use of “ In A Godda Da Vida “ song in Manhunter from 1986


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    Quote Originally Posted by Just Eric View Post
    Love Hermann. All the Hitchcock scores are great, but my favorite is North By Northwest where he creates a movie's worth of music out of one simple motif. What gets spun most in my house is Taxi Driver, Journe to the Center of the Earth, Jason and the Argonauts and Cape Fear
    A number of mentions about Herrmann so far, but not yet my favorite score by the maestro and my all time favorite score, period. Mysterious Island. Seeing the movie on the big screen when I was all of 9 years old, the music grabbed me before I even had any interest in that area! Bucket list for me is to see the entire score performed live to the film. I have already had that pleasure with Psycho, North By Northwest & Vertigo.

    And, yes, Herrmann is my favorite among film composers. But as I hear more and more Morricone, that lead is shrinking.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Progmatic View Post
    It is not a traditional score per se but IMHO one of the most powerful movie score is an use of “ In A Godda Da Vida “ song in Manhunter from 1986
    The film having been helmed by Michael Mann, that entire soundtrack (songs + score) is unabashedly Miami Vice-inspired. Believe me, that's not a complaint!


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    John Barry...killin' it!


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