Movie/TV/Game Scores Through The Ages - Alan's Personal Favourites

Thor prerring cheesy synths over brass flourishes?
Yes, I'm positively amazed at that.


Supes would take it for me as well, it's just beyond iconic.
And while I agree the whole presentation of the score as presented on 2-3 disks in the last releases is too much for me as well (I agree with the more whimsical stuff being jarring), a nice 50-minute cut is, and always has been, part and parcel of my listening experience.

Much as I like The Fury, it wouldn't have come second for me: Rosenmann's The Lord Of The Rings takes that honour. I still can't believe how generally unpopular that score is! It's one of the highlights of the decade for me! Smart, harmonious where needed, deeply dissonant where appropriate, challenging, lyrical. Great stuff!

Jarre's Crossed Swords and Poledouris' Big Wednesday deserve accolades as well.
Thoroughly enjoyable listens, the both of 'em.




I have never ever found that album anywhere else but under 'Soundtracks' in stores, so for me it qualifies!

Innit! Da mans crrrrrazeeee!

Well said. You speak much truth and wisdom.

Peter

What really annoys me is that I can't just put my hand on the CD I have to remind me of the score. It's in a box somewhere. And the digital copy I have is on back-up drives that are not as convenient as just lifting the CD off a shelf and putting it into the player.

when is the next year coming

This year's choice is a really difficult decision - not because of the composer because that's undoubtedly (for me) Jerry Goldsmith but because of the quality of two sci-fi scores he gave us this year. At opposite ends of the spectrum, one that's full of atmosphere, dramatic, unusual orchestrations and with the occasional soaring reference...and was very much messed around with by an up-and-coming director. The other other score is much more conventional in terms of orchestration and with a couple of themes that are still amongst his best creations....but which to choose!

1979 - Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Jerry Goldsmith

There's not much in this one: Alien or Star Trek: The Motion Picture. I love the qualities of each of them, but I'd have to settle on the latter score because it reaches the heights of both thematic excellence (with Ilia's theme and the main theme) and also is a masterclass on how a composer can keep an audience interested - and feeling something - when essentially all the actors are doing on-screen is looking out into the middle distance. Anyone who pays attention to what I usually say about this score knows how highly I regard Goldsmith's talent with tracks such as "The Cloud", "Vejur Flyover" and "The Force Field." Pure genius.

And I've not even mentioned tracks such as "The Enterprise" or "Klingon Battle". The list of wonderful tracks goes on and on. I only recently managed to hear the additional unreleased tracks for this score and on hearing them I'd just love to see an expanded release to really get down and enjoy what could be my favourite Goldsmith score.

Goldsmith's other sci-fi score, Alien, is also a wonderful score with many great set piece tracks: the eerie main theme, "The Passage", "The Skeleton", "The Shaft", "Out The Door", and this was the film that exposed me to Howard Hanson's piece used for the end credits as well as tracks from Goldsmith's Freud (and great tracks they are too!)

Other scores from this year include John Barry's Hanover Street (a bit repetitive but a lovely (and typical) Barry theme), Henry Mancini's relatively low-key and reflective Nightwing (I like how it's quite different from a typical Mancini score) and Leonard Rosenman's brutal Prophecy.

I should really mention here, John Williams' Dracula. Not because I consider it a favourite from this year but because if I don't mention it at all I'll probably be criticised for it!!

TV themes from 1979? Stu Phillips' Buck Rogers In The 25th Century was a staple highlight on a Saturday night, Vladimir Cosma's romantical and lovely theme for Kidnapped (as it was known in the UK) is one I remember with fondness and the recently commented theme for Life On Earth (Edward Williams), although short, was a great introduction to this landmark series. I'd always wait until the final end credits would pass because of the beautiful solo string passage that seemed so out of the blue when heard and then that final statement of the title theme. Those were the days when there would not be the intrusion of today's "voice-over man" that ruins a lot of end credit music.

I agree with everything you said there Alan, 100%, for me too, boring as it makes for conversation, there could be no other choice.

You did omit one score though, John Barry's The Black Hole, a far better score than the dreary Hanover Street.

This is definitely more of a listening experience topic. I'd say that the majority of titles I have are from movies I have not seen. Though that applies to more recent films. Back at the beginning of the '80s my movie watching would determine which scores I would purchase.

Though there are many current purchases that are for movies of this time.

For 1979 my top contenders would be Star trek-The motion picture (Goldsmith), Il prato (Morricone), Dedicato al mare egeo (Morricone) and Tess (Sarde). The winner for me would be Star trek-The motion picture as well.

Peter

as boring as this is Star Trek was the logical choice

of course i didn't mean star trek was boring just the logical choice.

does the pope say mass?

1980 - The Empire Strikes Back - John Williams

The baton's handed back to John Williams for 1980 for this awesome score that I remember pouring over for many an hour. A 2-LP set of this glorious music!! Everyone knows this score and I don't need to convince anyone of how great it is. For many, it's their favourite Star Wars score (though I think I still prefer Star Wars itself.)

Standout tracks are many (though several have been joined together over the years to form maybe-too-long tracks with even longer titles) but the whole "Battle of Hoth" is a joy, "The Asteroid Field" still excites, as does Han's freezing through to the departure of Boba Fett.

Not much else comes close to this on scale though Williams' themes for Superman add a lot to Superman II and make it worth a mention (I personally prefer this second film over the original.) Other scores of note for 1980 include Horner's Battle Beyond The Stars, Elmer Bernstein's Saturn 3, Richard Band's The Day Time Ended and (a recent discovery) Bill Conti's The Formula. Mention should also be made of John Barry's Somewhere In Time. I first heard this in the film itself and was immediately struck by how emotional it was. Great individual themes include John Carpenter's The Fog.

TV themes that got my attention in this year included the use of Vangelis' music in the Carl Sagan vehicle Cosmos, Keith Mansfield's "International Athletics" signature tune for all things athletic, Mike Post's Magnum P.I., Graham de Wilde's theme for Whicker's World and Stanley Myers' themes for the Rock Hudson sci-fi serial The Martian Chronicles (which was never as exciting as I hoped it would be.)

A final mention for the music used in the film The Shining. I recently went on a hunt for as much of this music as I could find and went through the film seeing where it all fitted - and it all fits wonderfully well. Definitely an improvement over what Wendy Carlos had in mind for the score (as heard in the "Rediscovering Lost Scores CDs.)

I've only ever seen the cover of The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. Maybe if I had heard it it may have featured more prominently.

I've a feeling there's going to be much agreement about The Empire Strikes Back - maybe until Thor pitches in with a comment or two.

Next year may be a bit different?