JOHN POWELL

I agree. I remember the days of 30~35 Varese releases. Sad times.


And my answer to the issue of a score with 30 minutes of great music and 50 of dull music is: gosh darn it, get a better composer!!!

But like I said: if the score can't hold up to that length then just get a better composer. If a guy sucks, we deserve to know this. It's not fair to paint him under an unfairly glorifying light by only including the highlights of his scores.

But then we are talking about scores which weren't designed for album purposes in the first place. Sure, nothing's stopping a producer from at least trying to make a good album out of a score, and I'm certainly glad they do, but scores are about musical narrative and storytelling, not necessarily or intrinsically about "great albums".

I guess.

But then we come back to the age-old difference between people who like film music because they think it's good music, and people who like it because it reminds them of films they've seen. If I want to spend 80 minutes being reminded of a film then I may as well spend 90 minutes watching the film rather than 80 minutes listening to its soundtrack album.

As Steven says, the music was not designed for an album, which is precisely the reason that presenting all of it, in film order, is rarely a good idea. I want the best listening experience possible.

Actually, a film composer makes music that suits the FILM best. That's his first priority. If it holds up alone, then great. Bonus! Not all do that, though, and ESPECIALLY not those that are presented verbatim as in the film, A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MEDIUM with completely different musical rules. We have to separate between music that happens to have an "autonomous" quality about it (numerous themes, interesting textures etc.) and music adapting itself to a different medium. Two different things.

Brad Fiedel's TERMINATOR scores are superb film scores, but not that great alone, especially not if presented C&C. Here's a case where a suite would be a far better representation of the score on CD and that would provide hours of listening pleasure.

The only way a film score can provide sufficient listening pleasure for me is if it is as far removed from the film and the film's narrative as possible, yet retaining the musical integrity.

I have a slogan that reads "the purpose of a soundtrack album is not to retell the film musically, but to recommunicate its music musically!".

Seriously, I think the film composer's ONLY thought should be: what music suits this film; the mood; the narrative? WHEN should there be music etc. If that means droning soundscapes with little musical value, then GREAT. If that means a simple, plonking guitar theme throughout the film, then great. That's what the film called for. That is IN NO WAY a statement of the composer's quality....if anything, it says something about how GOOD he is, understanding what the film demands (in conversation with the director). If film composers wanted to compose music that stood on its own very well....well, then they wouldn't be composing film music in the first place. OF COURSE, there are those composers whose styles are very "autonomous" in the first place.....who compose music that is based on the rules of, say, classical symphonic compositions (Williams, Goldenthal etc.). But even they would have to re-arrange, adapt, inverse, abbreviate their music the moment it swaps medium. Music works differently on film and CD!

It is up to the record producers (who are sometimes the composers themselves) to make this adaptation or transition as smooth as possible. They KNOW music, especially if it's their own, and know what to remove, what tracks should follow what, what "segments" of the album should have this and that sensation so that it becomes a coherent experience that flows naturally like any other type of music. At least as much as possible (film music will almost always have more "specific" qualities than other genres). But this is something that happens AFTER the film has been composed and AFTER the music has been fit to the scenes in question. Now we're turning from film to CD, and have to rethink the material, just as one has to re-think the literary material in a filmatic adaptation.

If romantic composers of the late 19th and the 20th century lived to see your discrimination of programme musical material from "real, standalone music" (exaggerating to make a point), they would surely be kicking your tiny butts.

I just had a dream I was listening to a Bolt Academy Promo! Looks like it's grown on me a lot

Yeah, but it's appropriate enough for Bolt

At least it's not *so* weird

Fingers crossed!

I have the opposite view. I think the unfair thing is to present a score C&C. As I've said repeatedly, music works differently on CD than it does in film, and when the music "swaps" medium, you have to do something about it; you have to adapt it to fit the new medium. It's unfair to "force" the properties of one medium onto the properties of another.

But again, I respect your different approach to the soundtrack album experience, and it probably comes from our different paths into the interest - you probably came mostly through movies while I came mostly through music (evolution from prog rock to instrumental electronic music to film music).

I'm bored of this discussion now. I don't care anymore.

Was Kung Fu Panda performed by the China National Symphony? It was a big deal when they announced Powell was on the project too, and then *nothing*.

It was announced when Zimmer was the single composer to score it. Then they talked about it when Powell joined in. The credit is nowhere to be found on CD though.

I don't think so. "Movie music master Hans Zimmer will be heading to China to absorb the culture and get to know the Chinese National Symphony -- all as part of his preparation to compose for a forthcoming feature film that is set in that ancient land." does not imply that the CNS will record the score.