Aaron Collins

At first I shunned this one because I just couldn't see myself acutally posting my response here, but I don't like the score very much. It is ...well not very good. I just don't see why people like this score so much. I bought because everyone says it is so good and was very dissapointed. Dragonheart, Dragon heck Kindergarten Cop are much better.

Well, that's all I gotta say, glad I have one guy in my corner. It was getting kind of lonely here.

The orchestration is terrible in most Edelman scores. I even think Dragonheart has bad orchestrations. A great theme can be ruined by orchestration or it could be boosted up with great orchestration. My personal favorite orchestrations are by Williams. He knows exactly what instrument should get what!

Gettysburg has some good themes, but very sparse in the score!

Aaron Collins

Randy Edelman is a talented composer and he has a niche for some great themes, but I believe his soundtracks can be 100 times better if they were better orchestrated. That is my opinion! I can not change that Aaron(Audacity).

Later,
Aaron

Well I still have not had someone explain to me fully what an orchestrator does, but all Edelman's scores sound fine to me.

I just get mad cause its the same old thing, someone always says bad stuff about Edelman's orchestrations. I guess its the same reason why Horner fans get mad when I say he re-uses stuff

Edelmann's orchestrations probably get a bad rap because they suck!

Okay, should I get this or not... I'm not normally a fan of Edelman... I wasn't even that impressed with Dragonheart. I think his best score ever was the never-released Ghostbusters 2... I have the finale from Gettysburg on a Kunzel compilation and I think it is a phenomonally outstanding track. How does the rest of the score compare to that cue?

Someone please topple me to one side here...

Well, I decided to pull out this score and give you a brief analysis of it!

The opening theme is a ebbullient, rousing opening(All Major). Then we have a brief transition to a guitar solo. To me, the whole orchestration sounds cheesy! It has that broadway sound to it. Then we have a very nice horn duet that is fantastic! The opening track is overall fantastic.

The second track is the opening theme reworked with minor chords under it. We then have a nice clarinet solo with underlying strings. The rest is the same as the beginning of this track.

The third cue opens with a Disney-Like theme. Very Homeward-Boundish. Following is a grandiose version of the theme. The next 2 mins of this track is all power! But, like I said it is very Disneyish! It then jumps into a more militaristic tone. This is one of the spots that sounds synthesized(for example the percussion and the brass 16th's).

The next track begins with a guitar arpeggio. The next part is one of the most annoying themes I have heard! The theme is played by an annoying synthesized flute. The cue is mostly all synthesized. One of the let downs on the cd. This is supposed to be a catchy theme, but it is rather irritable. It ends with another example of bad orchestration!

The next cue is just another sadder sounding version of the theme. This is very stringy, but in a bad way!

The next cue starts with it sounds like synthesized brass. Following that is a spanish sounding nuance in the guitar. The next part that follows is one of the more exciting things on this cd! We are introduced to a a militaristic motif in the horns in the trombones. For some reason a lot of this cd sounds really synthesized. Or better yet it sounds like the Oscar's pit orchestra! We are then back to the guitar solo. Very cheesy in my opinion! Great elevator music!

The next track is a good display of Edelmans orchestration. We have a bunch of opening chords with absolutely nothing accompanying them! Put at least something there, maybe a rhythmic passage in the flutes.

WELL I WOULD FINISH THIS, BUT THIS MUSIC IS HARD TO LISTEN TO ALL THE WAY THROUGH!

Edelman has a distinct sound and I do not like it! His orchestrations are really bad!!! Aaron, when I say orchestration I mean:

When a composer composes he writes out the basic themes on manuscript paper. He puts in a melody, a countermelody, a rhythmic line, and some harmony. The orchestrators job is to add some more passages and nuances in the music and write it out in full score. I prefer when composers orchestrate themselves.

Edelman has no complex things going on! It is just your basic chords and themes! If you like his style, then get the darn soundtrack! It does absolutely nothing for me except take up space!

If you can find it buy it for 14.99 but that is your own decision!

Hope I helped,
Aaron Collins

NP: Gettysburg

He can write great themes, but here. Well, I don't like his style much but I buy his cd's because he has talent in melody. But again, Gettysburg does nothing for me either.