YOUR ALL TIME FAVOURITE FILM SCORE ALBUMS!!!

The number one spot is a very tough one for me.
One the one hand I completely agree with Timmer's choice of Conan The Barbarian. It's an album that completely and utterly blew me away at the first (and every subsequent) listen.

On the other hand, I'm right there with the Captain: Return Of The Jedi is the first vinyl soundtrack I bought myself as well, and there is a massive amount of memories attached to that particular album (even though I also join the Captain in preferring -and really only revisiting- the Arista issue).
One of them is that I tended to hide the album every weekend or evening we went out.
At the time, we recently had a break-in at our house, and while the bruglars were interrupted early by my father waking up, there was a mood of insecurity and fear pervading our family (it got so bad that a few years later my parents sold the house....the worst thing they could have done, but that's another story), and I got so caught up in it that I hid my precious Jedi record. After all, it would be pretty much the first thing any burglar would pick up, right?
Ah, I was so young.

Anyway, to break the stalemate I am going in another direction.
While these two are definitely my one and two spots for favourite score, my favourite album must be the Decca rerecording of Rozsa's Ben Hur.

I know I've sung the praises of this album (together with the magnificent Quo Vadis) before, and the reason still stands firm in this thread: it is an album that solely consists of highlights. There simply is NO track that dips beneath the "five star" line. It is, in my opinion, by far the very best soundtrack album ever produced: recording, mastering, orchestration, track selection, and resequencnig (well, it's not so much resequencing as it is a rewriting of the original film score material into suite compositions).
All incredibly well executed, with a result that continues to amaze and move me to this day, no matter how often I hear it.

The experience of being burgled ( ...and from personal experience ) is no laughing matter but I had to smile at this reasoning. As a teenager we ( my family home ) got burgled and the first thing I checked was my paltry little pre-Star Wars record collection, I doubt it consisted of much more than Goldfinger, Jaws and The Good The Bad and The Ugly and a small handful of others, thinking any thief would find that the most precious of plunder.

On the down side he/they/it did take my state-of-the-art cassette recorder complete with hand held microphone for recording themes off the TV

There are times when I'm all for the ancient Arabic art of offending hand removal.

Cool story. And what a man! I like the 'twist' about the tea, in particular, as I've never been a big fan of fighting and real-life violence, no matter the motivation.

I think that we could work with a couple of stickies.

I'll let you guys decide.
Tom

Anyway, after some deliberation of a large handful of scores I've decided on my 2nd choice...


# 2 THE LION IN WINTER - JOHN BARRY ( 1968 )

An album I've bought 4 times ( twice on CBS lp, Varese and Silva Screen ) and it's hard to believe that when I first heard this on a library clear-out for 30 pence that I hated it, but I was only 15 yrs old and not used to choral music back then.

Not one wasted note from beginning to end, this, to me, is one of the most sublime choral scores ever written, it may surprise some people that there is synth in this score, a very subtle sound that gives it that something extra and, I believe, missing from Silva's very fine and complete release ( though I'll have to give the Silva another listen to confirm that? ). John Barry truly knew how to write for choir, whether it was big and apocalyptic or, and more importantly IMO, with sublime subtlety, one of my all time favourite film scores and album.

Tim, we're talking about favorite film score albums, right? So compilations count?

I've got to listen to The Lion in Winter again. I've got the Silva recording.
I always found it completely overblown and borderline rediculous. Just don't tell anybody or I will never be alowed to post here again.

Nowhere near as good as the original. Though I do like the Silva.

Well, my 2nd favourite score is somewhat controversial. The first score album (on vinyl) I ever owned:

Chariots of Fire (1982) - Vangelis

It was during the Olympic Summer Games of 1988 in Seoul that the film aired on German TV. I had never heard of that film before (German title: Die Stunde des Siegers / The Victor's Hour). Yet I was intrigued by what the TV magazine had to say about it. I taped the film, saw it and loved it forever. That film touched me profoundly. I loved the actors, the photography, the production design and above all: The story and the score.
Ever since it was my experiance that people either share my perception of the film or they deem it an unbearable bore.

I knew the title theme from radio and now saw a chance to get it on vinyl. This was my discovery of Vangelis. This way I first learned that film scores were being released on vinyl.
My father was good enough (or I was intrusive enough) to drive me 70 km to Cologne where I spent part of my birthday money on that LP. I still own it.

It has always stayed that way: Before the score cometh the film. If the film touches me, the score has a good chance to end up in my collection.

Few films have touched me like "Chariots": "Dead Poets Society", "Schindler's List", "The Mission" ...
The opening sequence of that film still lets me tear up. The speech Eric Liddell gives I know by heart, I hear the boys choir and the church organ performing "Jerusalem", then the scene changes: young men running along a beach, an older man stands watching, his dog gives chase and here comes Vangelis' magic. Great God, this film truly reveals the meaning of life.

Now, the album feels more like a studio album than a film score. A disturbing amount of score is missing from the album. Instead we get a little electronica symphony on the flipside. That does not feature in the film but is one of the most beautiful peaces of music I ever encountered. I would love a release of the score more true to the film. But Vangelis does not seem to be inclined to support such productions.

There are people out there who like the title theme but do not like the score. Well, such is life.

In 2012 Vangelis revisited the material for the London Stage Show. Ironically that album sounds much more like a film score. The main theme is developed into several variations, characters get their own theme who did not have one before. Actually I would love to see the film with music from this album tracked in.

One theme that will always be my own little personality anthem: Titles from "Chariots of Fire"!

() Volker

RE: Barry's suspense music being skippable, its weird how Zimmer's influence has made suspense/lower-level action music much more sonically pleasant than it used to be...e.g. I'd rather listen to the 8-minute "Secondary Protocol" from Armageddon, which is all supsense, than the equivalent music that Morricone or Delerue or Barry would have written (Goldsmith and Williams could be exceptions here) for such a scene. And yet at the same time, the Zimmer influences have generally downgraded the quality of the more melodic/romantic parts of an average film score...paint-by-numbers textbook chord progressions rather than sweeping, lyrical, unexpected themes.

I knew this one was near to your # 1

Glad you enjoyed some of The Lion In Winter ( and knowing you these many years I'm sure I could name the tracks you didn't like ).

Volker and Matt, whether I agree with you or not doesn't matter, fascinating thoughts and opinions guys, keep it up.

I said NO earlier but I'm not so sure now? Is this worth putting to a vote? What does everyone else think???

I think we should all walk around in women's underwear. 'tis the season.

I'm having a difficult choice picking The Prince of Egypt or Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

If I want to tackle this personally, The Prince of Egypt always wins. It's clearly Zimmer's most mature composition, it's such a difference from the scores he's known for and it carries some of the all time best tracks ever composed. I mean why can't we get enough of 'The Burning Bush'? Because it's one of the strongest musical melodies ever put on scene. And don't get me started on the unreleased (and unused) finale that's replaced by Deliver Us at the end of the film. Now that's pure The Ten Commandments bliss.

But then you have Return of the Jedi, hands down the best Star Wars score (and that's saying a lot). It has everything that makes Star Wars great, but with an extra dash of colour, emotion and playfulness. I mean the choral emotion raging through Luke and Vader's final fight is unparalleled. And to think of Leia's gentle theme or the many amazing battle cues. Ah I can't pick which one's first.

So they both share 1st place

The Prince of Egypt / Star Wars: Return of the Jedi