*This score is particularly prolific for me. I hadn't heard a note before picking it up, but 'American Symphony' serves as one of the most fitting composer suites I've heard. It contains all of the elements of Kamen's scoring style (strong classical influence and the rock and roll combination).

NP-Tears of The Sun

(see me going ga-ga, drooling all over the place and wetting my pants like a true fanboy: http://www.moviemusic.com/mb/Forum1/HTML/012161.html )

quote:

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Originally posted by Dinko:
Symphonic Film Spectacular 1
Symphonic Film Spectacular 2
Symphonic Film Spectacular 3

(see me going ga-ga, drooling all over the place and wetting my pants like a true fanboy: http://www.moviemusic.com/mb/Forum1/HTML/012161.html )

[Message edited by Dinko on 12-09-2003]

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This is just in the last week or so:

Angels in America: Thomas Newman

The Missing, Beyond Borders & House of Sand & Fog: Horner

Cat in the Hat: David Newman

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King: Shore

Place Vendome: Richard Robbins

Gorghemast: Richard Rodney Bennett

Compact D'Or: Vladimir Cosma (compiliation)

Alias, Call to Duty, Medal of Honor: Frontline: Giacchino

Man on the Train: Pascal Esteve

Seaforth: Jean-Claude Petit

Sylvia, L'Idole: Gabriel Yared

Lost In Translation: Various

Chicago: Elfman, Kander & Ebb

Reds: Sondheim, Grusin

James

Both of this are extremely wonderful scores full of moments of brilliance and bursts of life and energy. I especially love Zimmer's Matchstick Men, which strikes me as an absolutely delicious and unique combination of the excitement and inventiveness of a comedy Elfman score or a Dante Jerry Goldsmith and the thematic sensabilities of Nino Rota (definately unlike everything else I've heard by Zimmer). "Matchstick Men" even uses a wonderful variation of Nino Rota's "La Dolce Vita" theme for many of it's tracks...and the new arrangements of Rota's theme are wonderful. Zimmer really nailed this one on the head as far as my tastes go...It's by far my favorite score of the year.

Dylan

quote:

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Originally posted by Alexborn007:
*This score is particularly prolific for me. I hadn't heard a note before picking it up, but 'American Symphony' serves as one of the most fitting composer suites I've heard. It contains all of the elements of Kamen's scoring style (strong classical influence and the rock and roll combination).

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I saw the movie on TV last week, and it made me go back to listen to my Brahms symphony CDs again - something I hadn't done for far too long.

Me, I picked up Goldsmith's Looney Tunes...was disappointed at first, but after repeated listening, I couldn't get it out of my player. Must be his best score since Hollow Man, of those I've heard at least. I can't wait for his LSO anniversary piece.

quote:

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Originally posted by jonathan_little:
Tomorrow, UPS should bring me:
The Robe

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LOTR: Return Of The King - a terrific ending to the story.

UPS delivered these Monday:

The Robe - I haven't stopped playing this, a great score
Looney Tunes - not too bad

Picked these up earlier:

Islands In The Stream
Ivanhoe - Intrada re-recording
Julius Ceasar - Intrada re-recording
Zulu Dawn
Quigly Down Under
Chouans!
Poltergeist II Deluxe Edition
Godzilla Brass Band Symphony
Godzilla Millenium Best
Princess Mononoke
Jaws - Varese re-recording - very disapponting
Twilight Zone - Varese's 2 disc recording of Herrmann's scores
Akira Ifukube's Buddha
Akira Ifukube Toho 50th Anniversary 2 Disc Set
Akira Ifukube Melodius Compile
The Artistry Of Akira Ifukube 5

Still waiting for Varese to ship:

Varese Sarabande - A 25th Anniversary Celebration - Volume Two

Varese Sarabande - A 25th Anniversary Celebration - Volume One

Great Composers: Georges Delerue

1. Return of the King (Shore) - number one for all sorts of reasons.

2. Medicine Man (Goldsmith) - a good addition to my growing Goldsmith collection. Now to get Under Fire - the real pan flute in south America masterpiece!

3. Emma (Portman) - Sounds exactly like Portman's more recent score for the same director's Nicholas Nickleby (though the latter is better).

4. Black Beauty (Elfman) - Used bins are our friend! This score is not overrated.

5. Nowhere in Africa (Reiser) - Good, it drags a little at times, but it has some very fine moments.

6. Master and Commander (Gordon/Davies/Co..) - One of the year's best and most restrained scores. The thrilling percussion/woodwind writing of 'The Battle' gets the pulse racing all right.

7. A double CD of Shostakovich, the exact title of which I can't recall, but it contains the Royal Concertegebouw recording of the Jazz Suite, which I'd wanted to hear for a long time.

8. Ennio Morricone Film Music - one of the four discs recently put out by Milan, this one containing rearrangements of some of his best and least known film music. Very good, what can I say? The Moses suite doesn't concentrate enough on that score's wrenching main theme though! Good to hear Il Deserto dei Tartari and Lolita in new arrangements.

9. Band of Brothers (Kamen) - I haven't had time to listen to this yet.

10. Great Expectations (Doyle) - Doyle's best album? Ironically the only cue that really is out of place here is the beautiful 'Aria - I took her hand in mine'. The theme that appears in 'Pyramid of Pain' and 'The Price of Success' is just great, it's a pity there's not more of it in the score.

2. The Green Berets - Rozsa

3. Tora! Tora! Tora! - Goldsmith

4. The Winter Guest - Kamen

5. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves - Kamen

6. Mr. Holland's Opus - Kamen

7. Open Range - Kamen

(I know, a lot of Kamen. )

Picked this up today, and it is very good. I haven't listened to the songs, of course, but the addition of songs seems to be a purely commercial move by the company.

The score strikes me as VERY "contemporary dramatic Elfman." A highlight of this score is "Jenny's Theme," which is very beautiful (I don't know if anybody else has caught this yet, but it's essentially a variation of one of the more diabolical themes from his excellent "Frighteners" score), and I wish this theme would've been the heart of the score, the theme that the entire score was built out of, but it's not...it makes a few brief appearences. "Underwater" is by far my favorite variation of "Jenny's Theme" and it is, for moments, beautiful and quintessential Elfman...but it's far too brief...it should've been grandly expanded for the album.

I'm not floored by Elfman's "Big Fish," like I thought I would be (but not having circus music on there didn't help, and original Elfman circus music is what I really wanted from this score), but it's still a very good, solid, contemporary score. I look forward to giving it another spin later tonight, and I hope it grows on me. With that said, I'd highly recommend it, definately Danny Elfman's best score since "The Family Man," though millions of miles behind that score, in my opinion.

Dylan

-new Elfman circus music
-something very waltzy
-something with a big beautiful chorus

...and...well, I got neither of those things. But it's still a very good score, and I'm positive it will be magic in the film...but it's just not what I wanted. My favorite track is probably #22, which is about as full of a statement of "Jenny's Theme" we get (but I believe the theme still has a lot more to say than he was allowed to record...this is a theme that can be variated into a sweeping waltz or a circus tune...ah well). It's still very much a winning effort from Elfman, and it's especially very nice that he retired the techno beats for this. One thing's for sure is that it will get many full listens, I've already listened to it twice today and I intend to give it another spin tonight...so- it's good!! Very much recommended.