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Author	Topic: Underrated Favorites

Steve Hughes Oscar® Winner	Some composers aren't mentioned as often as the Goldsmiths, Horners and Elfmans, but what about the slightly lesser known names -- composers like Bruce Broughton and David Newman, two of my favourites. Apart from the big boys, what about the "B-List" composers you admire?
posted 04-18-1999 10:22 PM PT (US)

Mary Oscar® Winner	Rachel Portman! I loved Emma. Or is she considered one of the big kids? Maffer
posted 04-18-1999 10:27 PM PT (US)

Audacity Oscar® Winner	Steve, Awesome topic, there are a lot of composers, that don't get as much credit as the "big guys", that write some awesome music. Cliff Eidelman's Star Trek VI is great, so is Gary Chang's Under Siege. And your right Bruce Broughton is good and I love David Newman's scores to The Phantom and Hoffa. I think my favorite score by a "B-list" composer is Christopher Gordon's score for Moby Dick. Audacity
posted 04-19-1999 05:11 AM PT (US)

S Smith unregistered	You don't usually hear Trevor Jones mentioned with the big names, but he seems to be getting a lot of work lately, so he may be there soon.
posted 04-19-1999 09:45 AM PT (US)

Matthew Oscar® Winner	Joel McNeely John Debney Graeme Revell David Newman These are all wonderful composers that at this point in time are underrated.But Slowly I believe will start to really be recognized,and will see their names alot more.
posted 04-19-1999 11:56 AM PT (US)

spunkyxl unregistered	Micheal Nyman, with his brilliant score to Gattaca, is underrated as it Mark Isham.
posted 04-19-1999 12:20 PM PT (US)

spunkyxl unregistered	Micheal Nyman, with his brilliant score to Gattaca, is underrated as is Mark Isham.
posted 04-19-1999 12:20 PM PT (US)

pietari Oscar® Winner	If Jones is indeed underrated he is definitely the one to be upgraded to A-list now! Others: John Ottman Preisner Christopher Young Christopher Gordon Christopher Gunning Kevin Kiner Don Davis (may be A-list now with Matrix) I don`t think Ghang is underrated since he is singlehandedly responsible for some of the most boring music ever. Pietari
posted 04-19-1999 12:20 PM PT (US)

Magdi Oscar® Winner	Broughton and D. Newman are both very versatile and powerful composers. In my opinion Chris Young is the best not-on-the-A-list-composer. Nice B-composers: Robert Folk (the Selected Suites Double-CD has brilliant stuff on it) and Frederick Talgorn (never heard about him? Try "Robotjox"!)
posted 04-19-1999 01:45 PM PT (US)

LesterMoos unregistered	Debbie Wiseman has composed some beautiful music. I just got Wilde-actually I won a copy of it from Cinemusic and it like it more than I thought I did. Exactly how would you determine whether a composer should be on the A-List or not? Is there a certain number of scores he/she needs to have written? or is it just recognizable names? Does Marc Shaiman count? I love his score from American President. NP Wilde
posted 04-19-1999 03:23 PM PT (US)

Gae Oscar® Winner	One of the cleverest most talented composer around who does'nt seemed to be mentioned much(although he is succesful) is Marc Shaiman. His scores to City Slickers I and II are amongst my favourites. If Tom and Jerry were ever to make a major comeback Shaiman would be the first on the list to write the type of clever/witty music needed in the style of the old classic cartoons of the 40's. Gae
posted 04-19-1999 03:23 PM PT (US)

S Smith unregistered	Throw Carter Burwell on the list.
posted 04-19-1999 03:33 PM PT (US)

Matt Oscar® Winner	Graeme Revell, The Saint is a GREAT score. Mark Isham as well, loved October Sky.
posted 04-19-1999 03:53 PM PT (US)

Kevin Oscar® Winner	One name that hasn't been mentioned is Randy Edelman. His score to "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" is wonderful. In fact, it's so wonderful, it's being used in a number of trailers for movies. Kevin NP - Roxanne (Smeaton)
posted 04-19-1999 06:59 PM PT (US)

Matt Oscar® Winner	True, though I consider Edelman to be one of the big boys after Dragonheart. I say that if a couple of your scores are in previews you're no longer small potatos(god, i feel like Dan Quayle, is that the plural of potato?)
posted 04-19-1999 07:32 PM PT (US)

James Oscar® Winner	The fans of Richard Band are far and few, but I'm definitely one of them. Although he's not too useful with electronics, if he's given a large orchestra this man can work magic. I'd have to say that THE ALCHEMIST is my favorite Richard Band score, and I'd like to see him expand beyond B-movies. But he's been composing in low-budget sci-fi for over 20 years, so I guess he doesn't really want to do anything else. I think somebody already mentioned Zbigniew Preisner, but I'll mention him again. I especially loved his frightening score to EUROPA EUROPA, but unfortunately it was never released on CD. Finally, John Debney is a wondeful composer. He definitely needs to stop doing movies like LOST AND FOUND and MY FAVORITE MARTIAN and start composing for movies that will show us how far he really can go, because personally I think that this composer's talent has no limits.
posted 04-19-1999 07:35 PM PT (US)

S Smith unregistered	I don't necessarily think that it has to do with how many scores you do or how they're used. Now, I don't necessarily agree with this, but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that people like Williams and Goldsmith have dominated film music so long, people tend to think of them first. And that's not to slam them or to take away from the "underrated" composers. I think that's just the way it is. However, more and more I'm starting see Trevor Jones, Mark Isham and other overlooked composers getting a lot of work. That's good.
posted 04-19-1999 11:19 PM PT (US)

Ed Coleman Oscar® Winner	I don't think anyone has mentioned George Fenton: Dangerous Beauty Ever After Memphis Belle In Love and War or Basil Polidouris: Starship Troopers Hunt for Red October Jungle Book Les Miserables Conan the Barbarian These guys are definitely underated.
posted 04-20-1999 06:10 AM PT (US)

pietari Oscar® Winner	Funnily enough lot of the composers mentioned here are getting or have been getting a lot more recognition nowadays. Poledouris was and in some ways still is an underrated composer (HEdid compose Conan the Barbarian after all!) Fenton used to be severely underrated but is finding much more demand nowadays in romantic comedies et al. PIetari
posted 04-20-1999 10:10 AM PT (US)

Matt Oscar® Winner	Basil is definately NOT an underrated composer. granted he is not mentioned as much as williams etc, but people know who he is, and hes got an impressive resume. Anyone who is into scores knows his name, and people who are not remember his stuff, just not his name. NP: Payback [This message has been edited by Matt (edited 04-20-99).]
posted 04-20-1999 11:05 AM PT (US)

S Smith unregistered	I think I alluded to this in a previous post, but I don't think that any of these composers are really underrated, at least talent-wise. By the sheer fact that they're recieving mention here means that they obviously have some talent. It's just that you don't often hear their names mentioned as much as other composers. I guess it should be "under-mentioned" composers.
posted 04-20-1999 04:31 PM PT (US)

Widescreen Oscar® Winner	Some people rarely consider the work of this composer, because her work has an amount that i sless compared with that of others- Shirley Walker- she's the reason Batman and Backdraft stand up so well as scores- the orchestrator is the unsung hero of a music score- and a great way to get into the scoring business as a composer. Don Davis (the Matrix) orchestrated with Michael Kamen and did TV quite frequently before getting the work he's done and is doing now.
posted 04-21-1999 11:02 PM PT (US)

Ben Penserga Oscar® Winner	What about Randy Newman?
posted 04-22-1999 09:03 PM PT (US)

Matt Oscar® Winner	considering Randy Newman has been up for several oscars, id say he isnt under rated, wouldnt you? NP: Schindler's List
posted 04-22-1999 09:57 PM PT (US)

Will Oscar® Winner	Vince DiCola. Even though he got a Razzie Award for the worst score in Rocky IV(?) but he got me into film music for the fantastic job for Transformers: The Movie. And I would also like to add in Dave Grusin (The Firm, The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Goonies).
posted 04-23-1999 03:31 AM PT (US)

S Smith unregistered	Hey, I liked the music to "Rocky IV"
posted 04-23-1999 09:51 PM PT (US)

Sean Bires Oscar® Winner	I'm surprised the score to "GATTACA" is not mentioned on this messageboard that much. This is my absolute favorie soundtrack. This score's great, with great songs of sadness and hope, and full of depth. Get the soundtrack (by Michael Nyman), your brain will explode when you hear how good it is. Also, see the film too... the film is also one of my favorites. It should have been nominated for more things than it was. Also, "SPHERE" is another favorite of mine, with its claustrophobic action songs and its dark, moody, atmospheric songs like "Wave" and "Main Tities". Even though the film wasn't that good (especially when compared to the great novel), the music in it is great. Other underrated scores (probably because they are from japanese-animated films) include Kenji Kawai's intresting and moody score to "GHOST in the SHELL", and the great score to "AKIRA". [This message has been edited by Sean Bires (edited 04-28-99).]
posted 04-28-1999 04:06 PM PT (US)

Brue Oscar® Nominee	I would say that on composer who isn't classified as B-list, but at the same time is rarely mentioned with the "big boys" (even though he has four oscar nominations to his credit) is Ennio Morricone.
posted 05-01-1999 10:06 AM PT (US)

Scorro Oscar® Winner	At some point in time become familiar with the great works of Georges Delerue. You will be glad you did, and wonder why so relatively few are collectors of his scores.
posted 05-03-1999 12:13 AM PT (US)

JeffreyJ unregistered	I think Marco Beltrami is an up and coming composer even though he is still underrated. Jeff
posted 05-03-1999 12:21 AM PT (US)

Scorro Oscar® Winner	Well, this thread started with a mention of David Newman, a composer until today I was aware of but had no scores by. Today I do, and amazingly enough it's got a camouflaged, elephant's hind quarters on the cover and the title Operation Dumbo Drop. For $1.99 I thought "Why not?, I like jungle music", and went for it. It's good, and I like the way he approached scoring a movie of this obviously B-grade level. I'll give a listen to his other offerings. So, if you happen to see ODD in the bin for $1.99, it's not a bad way to discover David Newman.
posted 05-04-1999 03:55 PM PT (US)

BOND unregistered	Don't forget Brian May, his work on the Mad Max films and Cloak and Dagger was extremely well done and fit the films well. Also I think Burkhard Dallwitz (The Truman Show) is a good composer.
posted 05-06-1999 07:04 PM PT (US)

Maestro Sartori Oscar® Winner	Michael Kamen just doesn't get the recognition he deserves, as well as George Fenton, Alan Silvestri and Mark Mancina
posted 05-13-1999 03:45 AM PT (US)

Wolfie unregistered	Arthur B. Rubinstein comes to mind. Just love his TV score SCAREGROW AND MRS KING as well as his features WAR GAMES, BLUE THUNDER (the brass stuff) and THE HARD WAY. The way he makes fun of action and comedy scores in and with HARD WAY is incredible. Just listen to that trailer music in the movie alot of fun.... Wolfie
posted 05-13-1999 08:14 AM PT (US)

SFT Oscar® Winner	Does it really matter wether or not a composer is A-list or B-list? They can still created wonderfull music regardless of their popularity. SFT NP: Aliens, James Horner
posted 05-13-1999 10:18 AM PT (US)

Widescreen Oscar® Winner	I'd like to add here that everyone has practically forgotten John Powell. His choice of scores to do is interesting. His score for Face/Off is actually very good, and I think most people just like to badmouth action scores for their lack of depth or complexity. That's a movie's fault and therein whatever source can be blamed, but the music lifts the movie. whenever somebody talks about the score more than the movie, chances are the movie wasn't that good. Face/Off and John Powell serve as exceptions to all rules here.
posted 05-17-1999 09:46 PM PT (US)

Black Rain unregistered	I think Bill Conti is underrated although he used to score a lot of movies. The score to "The Scout" was one of the best I've heard and his score for "Wrongfully Accused" was also very good even thought the movie stunk. It's to bad he doesn't work more because he is still very good. I don't know if it's his choice or not.
posted 05-23-1999 09:53 PM PT (US)

Al Oscar® Winner	I think one of the most underrated composers of the 90s is Joe Vitarelli. His score to Commandments is one of my favorites. His ability to mix jazz, bouncy themes, and sweeping themes into a score makes for some very fun listens. Unfortunately, Commandments is not released, but Kissing A Fool has been. Although not as powerful, it's mixture of jazz and a great trumpet theme make for a good listen. His name is one that I look forward to seeing more in the movies. Kudos for those who mentioned Broughton, Shaiman, Bill Conti, and Alan Silvestri- (hey, I liked the score to Holy Man)
posted 05-24-1999 08:43 PM PT (US)

Floyd Pepper Oscar® Winner	What about these people: James Bernard? Carter Burwell? John Corigliano? John Frizzell? Wojciech Kilar? Zbigniew Preisner? Frederic Talgorn? I think it is very rewarding listening to some of their works as for example: She, And The Band Played On, Altered States, Resurrextion, Beavis & Butthead Do America (very underestimated), The Double Life of Veronica, Bleu, Le Brasier, Robotjox... Wich score belongs to which composer? Find it out and listen and enjoy...
posted 06-02-1999 04:53 AM PT (US)

AJ Johnson unregistered	Graemme Revell (The Crow), John Barry (Game of Death) and James Horner (Sneakers) are 3 of my favorite composers who I consider underrated.
posted 06-07-1999 03:54 PM PT (US)

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