[Closed] Now Playing - Part XV

Amazing Grace is one of those scores that takes the right mood, and an appreciation for subtlety. I think its absolutely lovely.

Was Playing:

Kung Fu Panda (Zimmer & Powell)
The recording quality is amazing, I am just realizing that after listening to the actual CD on my 5.1 system. Much broader, fuller, deeper, richer sound than most Team Zimmer scores. I also saw the film twice, and it works pretty well in there too.

Iron Man (Ramin Djawadi)
Playing it on my 5.1 system for the first time, I actually enjoyed it immensely for the first time as well. Good headbanging music

About to play:
The Happening (James Newton Howard and Kelvin Wheelbarrow)
Now for some REAL music first time hearing it outside the film.

NP: LoTR - The Return of The King Complete Recordings - Howard Shore

I was WAITING and WAITING for this since 2003, what an amazing experience! I, for one, never get bored listening to even one single track on any discs. Discs 3 and 4 are pure magic! The OST is probably the worst of all three (except the awesome White Tree track) and this release does the masterpiece justice!

Signs is one of my All time favourite scores, But The Village and Snow Falling On Cedars too.

NP: Secret of Sahara (Zimmer's Hero)

A really inventive score. This trumpets, this flutes, this guitars touch and this vocals.

A weird listening experience.

HARRY GREGSON WILLIAMS - gone baby gone

Very touching and fragile score, moody with the usual HGW orchestration and string arrangements but with an added refinery we don't usually meet in his work. Deeply moving listen for a surprisingly good movie, recommended.

Yeah, it's a really nice score. My favourite track is Lionel, I don't know why, it's just got that great sense of movement and seriousness which always reminds me of Spy Game.

The exams are over. What's the best score to round the term off?

NP: Dinosaur - James Newton Howard

The Egg Travels and The Courtship - marvellously uplifting!

yeeeees! With secret of the sahara!

NP: The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions Suites - Don Davis

Still playing my Best of the 2000's playlist and I'm currently get knocked on my ass by Don Davis' absolutely incredible music from the two Matrix sequels. While the films didn't live up to the original, Davis' scores did. The Davis/Juno Reactor collaboration on this two action highlights was a match made in heaven. The driving techno over top of Davis' brilliant orchestrations is simply mind blowing. The two no doubt worked closely together to make sure that every aspect of their particular craft worked together and not against each other. For instance, in "Mona Lisa Overdrive," Davis' strings race over top of Reactor's electronic drum loops in perfect harmony.

Another highlight is "Neo Miraculous" which is heard near the end of the The Matrix Reloaded suite. I can't say anything that will do this brilliant track justice. Again, its film music at its all time best. Gigantic orchestra and choir combining to create one of the most emotional and powerful cues of the decade. And the hint at the Neo/Trinity love theme... gorgeous! I love that Davis waited until the last film to fully develop that theme.

And then we get into Revolutions where I wasn't as impressed as I was with Reloaded but the last 4 tracks on the album are up there with the best of the best in the trilogy. And I might be alone in saying this but I simply dig Navras. The combo of Indian music and lyrics, Juno Reactor's techno and Neodammerung is jaw dropping.

After the Matrix comes suites from Angels in America, Birth, Blizzard and Sky Captain.

-Erik-

Classic FM At The Movies Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

This is a 3 CD set that my mate at uni bought for me, and it's fantastic compilation of film music. There's some fine recordings of well-known film themes here, and some lesser known ones or ones that I haven't listened to that many times. So I made a playlist of all those I either hadn't heard before or rarely listened to and it makes a wonderful listen!:

Ladies In Lavender - Nigel Hess
Out of Africa - John Barry
Witness - Maurice Jarre
The Stepford Wives - David Arnold
Finding Neverland - Jan A.P. Kaczmarek
Girl With A Pearl Earring - Alexendre Desplat
Arsène Lupin - Debbie Wiseman
Stage Beauty - George Fenton
Shakespeare In Love - Stephen Warbeck
Oliver Twist - Rachel Portman
Dangerous Moonlight - Richard Addinsell (my favourite of the lot)
The English Patient - Gabriel Yared

All that makes one fine playlist, all brilliantly performed with excellent recordings.

Why, did you think I'd pick the David Arnold?

Barry's track (the one I was most familiar with from that playlist) is my second favourite of the bunch. Wonderful theme, and I saw it played live by the LSO which also made me love it even more.

I know a few of his scores (which is probably still only 1% of his output...) and I think he's never been better.

Of course, there are many other great Morricone scores like The Mission, his work for Sergio Leone, etc., but this is the only 2CD score I own that I can listen to in one session.

Could never get into that one... however, one Desplat that I absolutely adore and underrated back in 2004 was...

NP: Birth - Alexandre Desplat

Easily the best thing I've heard from the composer... but then again I haven't heard a lot of Desplat's earlier material. The was initially on my Top 10 of 2004 but after seeing the film I felt that it didn't have the same power in the movie as it did on CD. So, it slipped to 11th spot but I still consider it to be one of the finest scores I've heard. <-- I know... strange Jordi behavior... don't ask.

From the absolutely stunning "Prologue" to the bizzare ascending motif performed on the bells accompanied by harp, low strings and a synth "heartbeat" heard during "Under The Spell" and "Day Out"... it's a haunting, mesmerizing score that I seem to come back to a lot.

-Erik-

NP: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - Edward Shearmur

Fantastic old school film music. The second best score of the decade! And that Manta Squadron Theme... goosebumps baby!

-Erik-

NP : HIGHLANDER - Michael Kamen



A full score release complete with Queen's material too.....please!!!

But still one of the worst of the Zemeckis/Silvestri collaboration which is why I can't rank it as high as you guys. I expected much more.

However, "The Seduction" is chilling.

-Erik-

The movie was a friggin' blast. No problems there... over the top fun! But the score is way below average when you compare it to other Zemeckis/Silvestri films. The only two lower would be Death Becomes Her and Romancing The Stone. You'd have to come up with a pretty darn convincing argument to suggest that Beowulf is better than The Back To The Future Trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Contact, What Lies Beneath, Cast Away and The Polar Express.

-Erik-