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The Role of Compilations (and a recent effort)

General Discussions » The Role of Compilations (and a recent effort) (Posts 1 to 30 of 71)

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  1. Does anyone else still make CD compilations of soundtracks for those who dive less fully into the form than we do?
    It's always been one of the pleasures of being a soundtrack appreciator for me: that ability to open people up to a type of music they're not so used to. In the age of the iTunes playlist, compilations on finite recordable media may seem less relevant. Yet I discovered for myself earlier this week of trying to put together an album that I felt had flow, story, diverse texture and a lot of great music that making a compilation is as worthwhile a challenge as ever.

    I made two CDs for someone else, but as time is short, I'll only list one of them. The method of compilation was to collect about 100 potential tracks that I felt would fit this person's taste. Then try to whittle it down. Then, failing that, pick a first track. The first track implied the second, the second implied the third. I knew that I would want to hit a certain track mid-album, and would have to bridge the mood to that point. A lot of fun really. (And yes, that is such a nerdish perspective on the whole thing.)

    In some cases, the choices will seem perverse to soundtrack fans. (There are a handful of non-soundtrack cues here.) But I'm not trying to distil the art into one cd. I'm just trying to make someone smile with an album.

    1. 'Part I' from The Sea (Bjornstad / Rypdal / Darling / etc) (not a soundtrack)
    2. 'What are you asking me?' from The Village (James Newton Howard)
    3. 'The Flame Within' from The New World (James Horner)
    4. 'Generique' from Une Hirondelle a fait le Printemps (Philippe Rombi)
    5. 'Will and Amira' from Breaking and Entering (Gabriel Yared)
    6. 'Becoming George' from A Single Man (Abel Korzeniowski)
    7. 'The Departure' from L'amant (Gabriel Yared)
    8. 'Reign of Love' from Vive la Vida (Coldplay) (not a soundtrack)
    9. 'Sleeping is Naturelle' from The 25th Hour (Terence Blanchard)
    10. 'Sleepwalkers' from Rescue Dawn (Klaus Badelt)
    11. 'Pour Barbara' from A Man's Tragedy (Ennio Morricone)
    12. 'Ratatouille Main Theme' from Ratatouille (Michael Giacchino)
    13. 'Something Dark is Coming' from Battlestar Galatica Season 2 (Bear Mccreary)
    14. 'Old Family Souvenirs' from U-Turn (Ennio Morricone) (a stunning piece I recently re-discovered)
    15. 'The Angel' from Lust, Caution (Alexandre Desplat)
    16. 'The Greatest' (Cat Power) from My Blueberry Nights (Various - not written for the film, of course)
    17. 'Gracias' from Tetro (Osvaldo Golijov)
    18. 'The Father' from Let the Right One In (Johan Soderqvist)
    19. 'Marry Me, Bella' from New Moon (Alexandre Desplat)
    20. 'Roslin and Adama Reunited' from Battlestar Galactica Season 4 (Bear Mccreary)
    21. 'End Credits' from Practical Magic (rejected) (Michael Nyman)

    Those of us who've been into film music long enough could probably generate a near infinite number of soundtrack compilations. I have particularly enjoyed listening to this one myself in the last few days.
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
    •  
      CommentAuthorSunil
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    franz_conrad wrote
    Does anyone else still make CD compilations of soundtracks for those who dive less fully into the form than we do?


    Yes, i often does that.
    Racism, Prejudices and discrimination exists everywhere.
  3. Clearly the kind of post that was calling for a yes/no answer. tongue
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    I still make them for people, too. Rarely for myself, but I did make a Christmas playlist for the house, so to speak. I didn't put too much thought into it, but it all sounded fairly Christmasy and seemed to do the trick!

    I generally make composer specific playlists to encourage people to appreciate composers rather than film music as a whole. (Mostly because those I make them for people who already do.) A well thought-out and successful playlist is a satisfying feeling!

    I am surprised you managed to get a JNH cue in there though! biggrin
  5. Steven wrote
    I am surprised you managed to get a JNH cue in there though! biggrin


    While I think he can be a bit like a second hand A-list talent sometimes, I can't speak much evil about the Shyamalan scores, particularly SIGNS and VILLAGE. wink
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
    •  
      CommentAuthorMarselus
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    Actually Erich Kunzel and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra releases are great compilations for those casual listeners that would never bother to look for an specific composer / score.
    Anything with an orchestra or with a choir....at some point will reach you
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010 edited
    franz_conrad wrote
    Steven wrote
    I am surprised you managed to get a JNH cue in there though! biggrin


    While I think he can be a bit like a second hand A-list talent sometimes, I can't speak much evil about the Shyamalan scores, particularly SIGNS and VILLAGE. wink


    *holds an analogous knife to the CD of Iglesias's The Dancer Upstairs in a threatening manner*

    I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that? What did you say?

    wink
  8. You're right. SIGNS is crap. But I can't retract about THE VILLAGE. It really is very good.
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    Hmm, I'm not sure whether to put the knife away of keep it poised at the score you love so?

    I'll get back to you on that one... biggrin
    •  
      CommentAuthorplindboe
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    Looks like a fascinating compilation, franz. I'm curious about the other one now. smile Think I'll try to program in those cues so I can listen to your compilation.

    I think I'm the kind of person who would love to create CDs for people, but alas I currently don't know anyone who I think is open enough to film music. There's nothing worse than spending alot of effort and time on a CD, and then the person listens to it once, says it's nice, and never listens to it again.

    I have in the past made a 800 mp3 DVD for my brother, who likes film music, but not as much as me of course. I've made some Morricone CDs for my mum some years ago and she loves them and often listens to them. I had a boss once I converted to morriconism, and I probably made 10-15 CDs in all for him. Didn't get a raise though. sad

    Peter smile
    •  
      CommentAuthorErik Woods
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    Here is one of my favorite personal compilations.

    This is a copy and paste from THIS thread.

    -----

    I thought I’d give this a shot and let me tell ya… coming up with only one CD to showcase decades upon decades of film music history is a toughie… but this is what I came up with...

    ERIK'S ULTIMATE FILM MUSIC COMPILATION

    1. "Main Title" from The Sea Hawk - Erich Wolfgang Korngold (2:06)
    Moscow Symphony Orchestra conducted by William Stromberg

    2. "The John Dunbar Theme" from Dances With Wolves - John Barry (2:20)
    Original Soundtrack Recording

    3. "Main Title" from The Agony and the Ecstasy - Alex North (3:01)
    Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Jerry Goldsmith

    4. "Conquest" from Captain from Castile - Alfred Newman (3:21)
    Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Cliff Eidelman

    5. "The Enterprise" from Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Jerry Goldsmith (6:13)
    Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Jerry Goldsmith

    6. “End Title” from Steel Magnolias – Georges Delerue (3:36)
    Original Soundtrack Recording

    7. “Rocketeer To The Rescue/End Title” from The Rocketeer – James Horner (6:36)
    Original Soundtrack Recording

    8. “Kitchen/The Orgy” from Conan: The Barbarian – Basil Poledouris
    Original Soundtrack Recording

    9. “Ecstasy of Gold” from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – Ennio Morricone (3:29)
    Orchestra and Chorus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Ennio Morricone

    10. “Prelude and Rooftop” from Vertigo – Bernard Herrmann (4:56)
    Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Joel McNeely

    11. “ Songs for Audrey (Charade – Two For The Road – Moon River)”
    from Movie Memories: A Golden Age – Henry Mancini (6:02)
    The Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Kaufman

    12. “Batman Theme” from Batman – Danny Elfman (2:38)
    Original Soundtrack Recording

    13. “Main Title: Morgan’s Ride” from CutThroat Island – John Debney (4:39)
    Original Soundtrack Recording

    14. “Main Title” from To Kill A Mockingbird – Elmer Bernstien (3:21)
    Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Elmer Bernstein

    15. “Show Me Your Firetruck” from Backdraft – Hans Zimmer (3:34)
    Original Soundtrack Recording

    16. “Ride of the Cossacks” from Taras Bulba – Franz Waxman (4:55)
    The National Phiharmonic Orchestra conducted by Charles Gerhardt

    17. “Miracle and Finale” from Ben-Hur – Milklos Rozsa
    The National Philharmonic and Chorus conducted by Miklos Rozsa

    18. “Finale/ End Credits” from The Empire Strikes Back – John Williams (6:18)
    Original Soundtrack Recording – The Star Wars Anthology Box Set

    Total Time: 79:01

    The one score I really wanted on there was Signs. I'll save that for Volume 2. wink

    -Erik-
    host and executive producer of THE CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO PODCAST | www.cinematicsound.net | www.facebook.com/cinematicsound | I HAVE TINNITUS!
  12. Interesting topic (through the tinted spectacles of 3-4 Taliskers last night and a bottle of cheeky French red wine today (so far)).

    I can safely say that I have never put together a compilation CD of film music for anyone - I know no-one who would have the interest to want one. Most of the people I've come across tend to think of film music as some weird interest (even though they could hum some of the better-known movie themes - and like them!)

    Which makes messageboards such as this such a godsend!! Imagine us having this interest without the internet!
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    You know no one who would listen to film music? That sucks. Most of my family and a few of my friends like film music. Not as much as me, but certainly enough that they ask me for the odd score now and again.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    Same as Steven, I've copied off quite a few scores for people over the years and made compilations too.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
  15. My wife, Anne, does say that she likes the occasional movie score - which is nice. She certainly likes Zimmer's Backdraft and she's been to listen to "The Lord of The Rings Symphony" when it played in Antwerp, as well as an evening of Bernard Herrmann music (conducted by Joel McNeely) at The Festival Hall In London a few years ago. So that's nice!

    But, I've invariably been met with some incredulous looks when I've said that I listen to film music - even with family. And, over the years, I've just kept my interest to myself.

    Sad, but true.

    (And now, with a bottle of red wine in me I'm just off to have a bout of depression in a corner somewhere!)
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    Don't keep your interest to yourself! I take every opportunity to tell people my tastes in music. The ones that are interested are the ones worth getting to know; the ones that that think it's weird... well, they usually get a lecture. So it always works out okay. biggrin
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    That's a real shame Alan. Both my mum and dad enjoyed some film scores, particularly my mum who loved a lot of Rozsa, Barry, Williams and even some Goldsmith, Masada being a favourite, even my older brother liked some film music and it would amuse me to get home from school to find him listening to a Bond or Spagetti western soundtrack.

    In fact I've rarely come across anyone, friends or work colleagues who didn't at least like some film music.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
  18. My experience since Star Wars has certainly been (predominately) a solitary one - and one that I have grown to keep to myself.

    And I'm listening to Randy Edelman's "Silently Yearning For Centuries" from The Mummy:Tomb of The Dragon Emperor at the moment and the whole feel of track, and the realisation that I've not had as fulfilling an experience as others here just makes me want to cry!

    Ignore me, it's the wine!!
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    FalkirkBairn wrote


    And I'm listening to Randy Edelman's "Silently Yearning For Centuries" from The Mummy:Tomb of The Dragon Emperor at the moment and the whole feel of track, and the realisation that I've not had as fulfilling an experience as others here just makes me want to cry!

    Ignore me, it's the wine!!


    Yeah, but that's mostly because you're listening to Randy Edelman's score for The Mummy: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor!
  20. Steven wrote
    FalkirkBairn wrote


    And I'm listening to Randy Edelman's "Silently Yearning For Centuries" from The Mummy:Tomb of The Dragon Emperor at the moment and the whole feel of track, and the realisation that I've not had as fulfilling an experience as others here just makes me want to cry!

    Ignore me, it's the wine!!


    Yeah, but that's mostly because you're listening to Randy Edelman's score for The Mummy: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor!

    biggrin

    Cheers, Steven!
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorBregje
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    I finished this compilation last week and gave it to my mother and sister and mother in law and will probably give it to friends too. It's just personal choices. And I tried to show different composers although many are still missing of course. I also avoided action tracks and such and tried to keep it quiet for a first film music experience. I could have presented the disc a bit better and more proudly or could have said YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS!! but instead I just gave it, looked away and said: here's some of my music, if you like...

    What do you say when you give your music to people to listen to? I'm really curious to know.

    What I enjoyed too was putting the tracks in the right order and listen how they flow one after another.

    1. Home Coming – Rambo: First Blood - Jerry Goldsmith
    2. In Search of the Grail – Merlin – Trevor Jones
    3. Stone in my Heart – The Thin Red Line – Hans Zimmer
    4. Leaving and the Search – Conan the Barbarian – Basil Poledouris
    5. Building the Crate – Chicken Run – John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams
    6. Arrival to Earth – Transformers – Steve Jablonski
    7. Mei and Leo – House of the Flying daggers – Shigeru Umebayashi
    8. Lovers (Flower Garden) – House of the Flying Daggers – Shigeru Umebayashi
    9. Comptine D’un Autre Eté: L’apres Midi – Amélie – Yann Tiersen
    10. Finale Salute – Hart’s War – Rachel Portman
    11. Agnes of God – Georges Delerue
    12. The Gravel Road – The Village – James Newton Howard
    13. For the Love of a Princess – Braveheart – James Horner
    14. Evenstar – Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – Howard Shore
    15. Forth Eorlingas - Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – Howard Shore
    16. Across the Stars – Star Wars: Attack of the Clones – John Williams
    17. In Rosa Vernat Lilium – The Nativity Story – Mychael Danna
    18. Chevaliers De Sangreal – The Da Vinci Code – Hans Zimmer
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    Bregje wrote
    I finished this compilation last week and gave it to my mother and sister and mother in law and will probably give it to friends too. It's just personal choices. And I tried to show different composers although many are still missing of course. I also avoided action tracks and such and tried to keep it quiet for a first film music experience. I could have presented the disc a bit better and more proudly or could have said YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS!! but instead I just gave it, looked away and said: here's some of my music, if you like...

    What do you say when you give your music to people to listen to? I'm really curious to know.


    Same as you. If you create high expectations, or 'pressure' them into liking something, there's all the more chance they'll not be so impressed by what they hear. So I think it's always best to underplay it a bit... but at the same time somehow convince them to listen to it. dizzy
    •  
      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    Wth the advent of MP3s and MP3 players, I seldomly do compilations any more.
    Not that I had much chance to anyway, as nobody in my vicinity is at all interested. sad

    However the times that I did, I found a good presentation helped considerably (looking good is simply a good enticement). That, and an explanation of the chosen tracks. And I don't mean their role in the film or musicological worth, but the reason why I included them, and what they mean or do to me helped people considerably to ease into a musical genre that really seldomly was their own comfortable one.
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
  24. I've made about six compilations (with two in the works) myself. On some rare occassions I only enjoy one or a handful of cues from a CD (when I love a score, the whole CD is gold to me). Some track examples:

    "Space Age" (Jay Chattaway): "Dance of the Blue Wonder"
    "Mulan" (Goldsmith): "Overature"
    "Planet of the Apes" (Elfman): "Main Title"
    "The Book of Stars" (Gibbs): "Main Title"
    "Mario Bros." (Silvestri; unreleased): "Inviting Daisy"
    Two cues from "Outland"


    I take all the cues from various film and TV scores, and try to arrange them in emotional order. Here is the first compilaton I made:


    MULAN (Jerry Goldsmith, R.I.P.)
    1. Overature 7:05

    WATERSHIP DOWN (Angela Morley, R.I.P.)
    2. "Kehaar's Theme" 2:46

    STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE (John Williams)
    3. "Leia's Theme" 4:23

    STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION (Jay Chattaway; TV series)
    4. Episode: "The Inner Light" (suite)

    THE MIGHTY (Trevor Jones)
    5. "My Noble Knight" 8:13

    THE PRETENDER (Velton Ray Bunch; TV series)
    6. "Jarod's Mom" 2:00

    ENTERPRISE (Velton Ray Bunch; crappy Star Trek spin-off TV series)
    7. Episode: "Similatude": "Rememberence In Death" 3:47

    COMMERCIAL (Ted Kuhn)
    8. "Legend" (Polo clothing) 0:30

    TIME TRAX (Gary McDonald & Laurie Stone; TV series)
    9. Suite from a promo CD 4:23

    SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (Georges Delerue, R.I.P.; rejected score)
    10. Re-recording suite conducted by him a few years before death 11:50

    AIR FORCE ONE (Jerry Goldsmith, R.I.P.)
    11. "The Hijacking" 7:47

    DARK CITY (Trevor Jones)
    12. "You Have the Power" (EDIT: first 4:33)

    PLUNKETT & MACCLEANE (Craig Armstrong)
    13. & 14. "The Hanging" / "Escape" 4:17 / 1:15


    STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (Jerry Goldsmith, R.I.P.)
    15. "Klingon Battle" 5:26

    THE X-FILES: FIGHT THE FUTURE (Mark Snow)
    16. "Corn Copters" 2:31



    IT get harder as you've used so many cues, later on, to make a good listening experience. I am still struggling to Comp. 7.
    The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else.
  25. plindboe wrote
    Looks like a fascinating compilation, franz. I'm curious about the other one now. smile Think I'll try to program in those cues so I can listen to your compilation.
    Peter smile


    If there's any cues you're missing, let me know. I will post the other list for sure.

    Erik Woods wrote
    Here is one of my favorite personal compilations.

    I thought I’d give this a shot and let me tell ya… coming up with only one CD to showcase decades upon decades of film music history is a toughie… but this is what I came up with...

    -Erik-


    THAT is a VERY game effort. Well done. I'm going to try and make that one myself, just to hear it.

    Bregje wrote
    What do you say when you give your music to people to listen to? I'm really curious to know.

    What I enjoyed too was putting the tracks in the right order and listen how they flow one after another.



    In answer to your question, very often people ask me to make one, so I never really have to make an explanation. There was a time when I tried to give one to a girl I quite liked as an ice breaker, but I never heard back on that one.

    I really agree with your second remark. It's always a little discouraging when two cues don't sit together well, but it's great when with a bit more burrowing, you find another combination that does.

    Your compilations looks great, btw.

    Martin Provost has great skill with compilations. I still listen to his 1989 compilation from time to time.
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2010
    You liked her as an ice breaker? Maybe that's why you never heard back.
  27. Oh go split an infinitive. biggrin
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2010 edited
    Thing is, I'll probably try. biggrin
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2010 edited
    I've always felt that there is an artform to making good compilations, just as there is in compiling a representative soundtrack album. It's not just a question of picking out random tracks, nor is it about tracks that flow nicely into each other. There also has to be some sort of narrative or overarching design behind the WHOLE album. An example of an excellent compilation is the Varese 30th Anniv. set, four CD's that each tell a "story" and contain a given mood even though the tracks on the same CD are from vastly different films.

    In some cases, however, it makes sense to "deviate" from this philosophy somewhat, for example if you're going to showcase the history of something - from beginning to end. I've made one such compilation myself, showcasing (a selection of) the history of Norwegian film music:

    Here is the cover, track titles and "liner notes".
    I am extremely serious.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2010 edited
    Steven wrote
    You liked her as an ice breaker? Maybe that's why you never heard back.


    wrong post shame
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt

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