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GOLIATH AND THE BARBARIANS. Working on the end of my review. For those of you who don't know this was a film which had two scores. The Italian and then when it came to America, AIP had Les Baxter do another one.
Thomas

Night Crossing (Jerry Goldsmith)

It's fantastic I discover little forgotten gems from time to time, scores I didn't give a chance or just forgot about. This is one of those early 80s Goldsmith in the style that I absolutely love... But I had to give it a few listens before it finally grabbed me... now the underscore is every bit as gripping as the glorious flying cues. I've never heard of the film and it sure must not have been a hit, but the score is here to stay. I love that Poltergeist style brass that plays around the percussion and strings.

np: Passenger 57 - Stanley Clarke

Great score. Half of this score feels like a jazz fusion studio album rather than a film score, but that's just fine by me, since I'm enjoying this as music, with the drum/bass/guitar/sax combo providing a rather summer/breezy feeling to the score. That said, the obviously dramatic stuff isn't bad at all. They do function rather well in the movie, albeit being a bit anonymous at the same time. Some interesting ideas spreading about, like the rhythmic pulse of low brass/percussion accentuated by high end brass statements all building and building, similar to what Goldsmith would do later with Executive Decision. "Ferris Wheel" is a very good track as well, with the some very interesting brass/woodwind interplay punctuated by percussion and trumpet, which is later joined by a nice back beat and strings. Good stuff.

we all miss him, Mulan just shows it more

Not to mention the military theme that opens the album (Capricorn One's close cousin).
The beautiful 'family' theme.
And the stunning orchestration in the final escape cue that reminds me of 'Vejur Flyover' (or is it 'Spock Walk'?) from Star Trek: The motion Picture.
Must put it on again!

Indeed; Cheri is incredibly charming; you prefer it over Coco Chanel, Michael?

NP: Golden Compass - Alexandre Desplat

I for one like this score. I don't know how it plays in the movie but it's a very good listen on CD, especially the action and fantasy material.

I saw Golden Compass in theater and I didn't like the score. Or rather I should say the music was not what I expected from the books. I felt the score was a bit too... cute (especially Mrs Coulter's theme). But the movie missed an opportunity to be an awesome film, so I didn't much care about the score.

Pullman's original books remind me of Miyazaki films (European medieval-esque world where technology and magic exist together), so I expected epic orchestral score mixed with lots of synth (aka Hisaishi's Laputa or Nausicaa )



NP: Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind - Joe Hisaishi

Some of the synth sounds are a bit dated, but orchestral parts are amazing. A Battle Between Mehve And Corvette is a great action track!

I do. Both are good, but the many different forms of the themes in CHERI have won me over.

What's it like? Anything like Howard Shore's Eastern Promises?

Gave my first listen of Jerry Goldsmith's One Little Indian earlier on. It's very much in the same vein as Rio Conchos (and I mean very similiar), except lacking in the action a little and not as soaring a theme. That's not a bad thing, it's actually very a good western score positively dripping with Goldsmith's unique sound. Quite a light-hearted western score too, so it's a very pleasant listen throughout. Definitely worth adding to your collection if you're a fan or westerns and Goldsmith I'd say.

Anyway, now for the "real" thing:


Rio Conchos Jerry Goldsmith

My second favourite Goldsmith western theme after Take a Hard Ride. Bloody awesome.

No; it has a persistent raw cello which is slightly off tune in places and with a rather "loose" performance sometimes, which is deliberate i guess (to match the movie's specifics of the storyline and the central character's characteristics ) which is on top of almost everything; the latter being constantly changing in style, tempo and rhythm-large scale symphonic Beethoven wanna be music or small pieces in the form of cello-piano sonatas; strong themes are either absent or hard to find (as i am yet on my initial couple of listens) and as a listening experience on CD feels rather disjointed, somewhat dark and offbeat. Nothing like the brilliance of Atonement of the beauty of Pride and Prejudice for instance. Will see it if improves for me in the near future.

Hmm.. doesn't sound like my kind of thing. Yet I will give it a listen and see what it's like anyway

Perhaps it's the type that works more well in movie rather on CD.