Regarding the Williams bit....I would have to agree with you that the stuff that Williams did in the 70s and 80s (except Superman), his scores ARE rather dry and boring after those melodic themes. Take Indiana Jones for example...Raiders of the Lost Ark had two worthy themes, Marion's theme and the Raiders March. The rest weren't really all that interesting.

BUT, now that we are in the 90s, I have come to realize that Williams has finally concentrated more on the overall score as opposed to a theme. Saving Private Ryan and Amistad come to mind. I was thoroughly impressed by both the movies and the music. SPR has a sweeping and very smooth transition between tracks, and each track is memorable is in its own right. Maybe it's just me, but I think Williams outdid himself on The Phantom Menace, incorporating his 70ish style with a modern approach.

As to Goldsmith's grandest this decade- it depends on your definition of grand and what criterion that runs by. Personally, I think the best he's done this decade has included Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Star Trek: First Contact, The Mummy.

But to decide the grandest, for me, would be to compare any score this decade to the grandeur of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. From my perspective, it is the quintessential Goldsmith experience. I'd have to judge it against that- sort of unfair, but that's how I see it.

As to what you said about Williams scores being dry apart from their themes, my response would be "Ehhh... sometimes... maybe..." For instance, I don't think this applies to any of the Star Wars scores, or to Jurassic Park, or The Lost World, or Jaws, or E.T., or Superman, or The Last Crusade, but perhaps it does apply to Raiders. Actually, the more I think about, the more I have to disagree. Usually, if I enjoy the themes to one of William's scores, I enjoy the rest. I find his action cues stirring and exciting, and his moments of drama inspiring. And Norman, I agree with you on The Phantom Menace. Definitely not the CD release, but the actually full score, in the movie's sequencing, I think is really great.

I've wandered miles off-topic, haven't I? What is Goldsmith's grandest this decade? The Edge, First Knight, and The Mummy would be my picks, but I haven't heard The 13th Warrior yet.

Here are a few in Raiders: Desert Chase, The Basket Game, Airplane Fight...
In Last Crusade: Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra, Belly of the Steel Beast.

All his Star Wars scores have awesome cues full of complexity. Now don't get me wrong, Goldsmith is great also. I think Goldsmith uses a more thematic approach. In almost every cue you have the same melody. I like how Williams strays away from the theme and uses tid bits here and there.

Besides all this, I really enjoy listening to The 13th Warrior.

Aaron

I don't really like to bother with figuring out a best of the decade or anything like that for Goldsmith. Like many of you, I love all of his music! Perhaps we could pick something easier that would be more easily agreed on? How about this?

Best Jerry Goldsmith Score Written For A Viking Film...