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

Definitely Tom, as is Gerhardt's.

1988 - Last Rites - Bruce Broughton

I'm going to get a lot of stick for this choice - more so than for most of my other choices I'd imagine - because with my other choices that people disagreed with, at least I chose another popular title. Here, I've gone for a score that very few people would put in their top 5 (or top 10). Maybe even not many people will have heard it.

I've gone for this one because the score as a whole is one that I enjoy. There are many other scores from this year where there are 1, 2 or 3 tracks that are superior to anything found on Last Rites - titles such as Drowning By Numbers (Nyman), Chouans! (Delerue), Haunted Summer & Hellbound: Hellraiser II (Young), Rambo III (Goldsmith), The Thin Blue Line (Glass), Willow (Horner) - but Broughton produces a score in this year that consistently appeals. There's such a lush and gorgeous main title, baroque-influenced tracks, sensitive acoustic guitar passages and exciting action/chase cues. All coming together to provide a satisfying and enjoyable listen. And there's not too much synth drums which is a bonus.

A couple of TV scores stand out from this year: Klaus Doldinger's cheery tune score to something called Nonni und Manni and Geoffrey Burgon's regal score to The Chronicles of Narnia. Brad Fiedel's smoky jazz theme to the US TV show Midnight Caller (whatever happened to the lovely Wendy Kilbourne?) And I can't let the year pass without reference to the use of Edward White's piece "Puffin' Billy" in the Pixar short Tin Toy.

Chris Young's Hellbound: Hellraiser II score would feature in at least 2-3 of my favourite tracks of 1988 - "Hellbound", "Something To Think About" & "Headless Wizard" are all excellent tracks. As is Silva's suite found on the Definitive Horror Music Collection.

I'm hoping that no one has heard Last Rites so thay they can't argue with my choice!

your selection

And they are yours to my friend. I'm not trying to give you a hard time at all. My choice would have been Hellraiser II but I've a fondness for Young. As you've said many times these are your choices. Sorry if I offended you
Tom

My favorites from 1988 are all pleasant little melodic scores: Cinema Paridiso (Morricone), Memories of Me (Delerue), and Magdalene (Eidelman).

I'm very intrigued as to what comes up in 1989 - 1990 as I was barely in the country throughout those two years, I remember having a lot of catching up to do concerning film scores.

Last Rites seems to have quietened things a bit. I can't even find a review of this score. Seems like a VERY personal choice on my part!

I must admit that I don't really have much of a connection to most of your 1988 picks, Alan, even though I've heard a few of them. But I'll echo your NARNIA pick....a beautiful, beautiful score by Burgon. I only wish there was more released than the skimpy suite on the Silva set.

Anyways, honourable mentions of 1988 include RAIN MAN (Zimmer), MIDNIGHT RUN (Elfman), SCROOGED (Elfman), MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO (Hisaishi) and WILLOW (Horner).

Kamen's DIE HARD is a favourite of many, but not one that really triggered my interest. ROGER RABBIT is also good, but a bit too whimsical and mickey-mousey for my taste.

So my pick would have to be:

BEETLEJUICE (Danny Elfman)

I don't think I've listened to Beetlejuice outside the picture. I think I found it a bit too full-on Elfman for my taste.

Big fan of Beetlejuice, bigger fan of Chouans!, which is actually the score that drew me into Delerue!
No question in my mind that that marvellous, dramatic powerhouse of a score, with its excellent dramatic touches and themes would be my number one by a mile!

I have never gotten into Broughton, and in all honesty...I haven't even heard of Last Rites....

BUT...

...sure makes it sound appealing!
I shall go and seek this one out! Sounds eminently like a cup of tea I'd be more than passingly curious to sample.

Even with

not too much synth drums

Anyway, my Top V:

1-Chouans! (Delerue)
2-Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Silvestri) (Love that score, even if it IS Stalling on steroids)
3-Beetlejuice (Elfman) (Hectic, but one of the most fun scores ELfman has churned out)
4-Rambo III (Goldsmith) (Prefer the first, shorter CD release as I think there really is not enough new material to sustain a 50 minute album)
5-To Kill A Priest (Delerue & Preisner) (incredibly dark score, but full of heart)

With honourable mentions to Morricone's hypnotic Secret Of The Sahara, Serra's entrancing Le Grand Blue and Peter Gabriel's moody minimalist The Last Temptation Of Christ.

And on the TV front I'd say a nod to Howard Goodall's work on Red Dwarf is well warranted!

Must admit I've never heard of Last rites either. Something I shall have to look into.



Yeah baby! Here's a Red dwarf suite I once made for youtube-> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvVyabHUZ7g

My winner for 1988 is without doubt Cinema Paradiso. Lovely throughout with three equally brilliant themes. Other great scores worth mentioning are Morricone's Time of destiny and Secret of the Sahara, Delerue's Chouans! and Memories of me, Young's Hellraiser II, Horner's Willow and Goodman's Dirty rotten scoundrels.

Peter

I would certainly recommend Broughton's score (obviously). Secrets of the Sahara and Cinema Paradiso are two scores that I just can't see the appeal of!