[Closed] Now Playing XLIV

Isn't it a complete release, not a re-recording? James Fitzpatrick asked about a re-recording apparently said that someone else "owns" the score at the moment, so I guess that'd be the complete release of the original?

Harry Gregson-Williams - Spy Game

One of my three favorite HGW scores. Quite intelligent (something that I sadly won't say often about this composer's work), working quite brilliantly in one of the most intellectual Tony Scott movies (I would say, belonging to his top five and being quite high on it, though not many people would agree with my list, I presume). Very good combination of orchestra (quite big and traditionally dramatic in a way) and modern hip electronics addressing both the intellectual game at heart of the movie (Redford's actions in Langley) and the flashback action (be it Vietnam, Beirut or China) and emotions (the relationship between the two, also the subplot between Brad Pitt's Bishop and the Catherine McCormack character).

Very listenable even if at times overbearing (All Hell Breaks Loose and, to many probably, Back at Su-Chou).

I also love Man on Fire

Spy Game and Man on Fire are gorgeous. Domino is pretty, pretty good too; then it all went downhill from there, with the exception of Kingdom of Heaven, which is very, very good as well.

A Basil splurge today and here's one I never get bored of...

NP : STARSHIP TROOPERS - Basil Poledouris


Magnificent!

Well, as i said, from domino on wards, started the downfall; nowadays, for the past 5 years that is, he puts out some of the least interesting, most draft and uninspired bored-fests out there, when it comes to major Hollywood film scores.

Me neither. Nor Harry Gregson-Williams in general.

A re-recording would be the best for modern sound quality. I've played the Silva suite from that score until it wore out the FLAC files. But a well-remastered re-release of the original would be interesting too.

Interesting comment on Paul Lewis and Bernstein's theme.

I do like some of his more orchestral stuff, and I think he can write some good themes, but like so many of the RC graduates (all of them except John Powell, really) he hasn't exactly managed to live up to the promise he's shown.

Really? The lack of themes is one of the reasons he doesn't connect to me. That, and the fact that his 'textures' aren't that interesting either.

I like a great many RC composers, but HGW is not one of them.

This man has huge potential. If only they let him be.

I like him because he writes themes that are relatively long-lined. They aren't necessarily super-catchy but his better scores are usually quite strong in a thematic sense. Arthur Christmas for instance, which is easily his best score in recent years (and yet oddly overlooked), had a nice heartwarming one (listen to the track "Dash Away"). Prince of Persia had a pair of good ones, as did his Narnia scores...hell, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas' main theme is almost overused! And don't forget that he was the one responsible for the thematic material in Shrek, which is among the few themes that my sister (decidedly not into scores) can recognize. One of his early and very obscure scores is The Magic of Marciano, and that has an absolutely gorgeous melody at its heart.

I have a funny story with the theme to Sinbad. Each time I try to hum that theme, I suddenly run into Silvestri's Mummy Returns. And I'm not a fan of Silvestri!

Indeed!

For me this is # 1 most wanted release of the year for me, by a looooonnnnnnnnnnnnng way.