YOUR ALL TIME FAVOURITE FILM SCORE ALBUMS!!!

Of course you are.

2 days after Timmer's post and no other 21st entries? (besides mine, below)

#21: NINE HOURS TO RAMA and THE LION (1962) by Malcolm Arnold, on Vocalion CD (2008).

Two ultra rare soundtracks on one CD re-mastered by Dutton laboratories. No way this album would get eliminated from my favorite 50, though for several years I wasn't even aware this was released because there were earlier bootlegs with the same content already in circulation.
When I finally purchased this disc, it was in 2012 (after having learned it is legit).

The music has been familiar to me, though, since the early 1990s when I had acquired used LPs on each [both were on London records here in the U.S., but were issued on Decca in the U.K. (according to my understanding)].

THE LION is not exactly my favorite Malcolm Arnold score, but's very nice. In my assessment, THE LION doesn't offer anything that Arnold hadn't already done with his earlier THE ROOTS OF HEAVEN.
Both showcase Arnold in his 'African' modes. His trademark percussion being an essential musical ingredient in the foreground. Arnold's theme for the Pamela Franklyn character (who is the juvenile in THE LION's cast) is in the 'British light classical' mold. THE LION was recorded in London during May of 1962 (52 years ago this month )

Of greater interest to me is NINE HOURS TO RAMA. For over 20 years, NINE HOURS TO RAMA has been my favorite film score to depict India.
The film is set in 1948 around the events leading to Ghandi's assassination. Malcolm Arnold underscores the suspenseful plight of the protagonist assassin as well as the loveliness of the lady Rani, both with woodwinds with 'Eastern' colorings. The source music is neither marches nor jukebox tunes nor any other such pop music which typically surfaced onto LP programs. With RAMA, Arnold utilized genuine Indian musicians and their instruments without any Westernizing aspects. [the Indian music within is not Bollywood but classically Indian (as what might be heard in India during the early 1900s)]

Listeners who don't care for Indian scales and intervals will probably not cotton to this soundtrack, but for me this one's a delight!

My pick:

21. MIAMI VICE (Jan Hammer)

As far as I know, TV score albums are also allowed? If not, let me know and I will replace it with something filmey.

While I do indeed have a nostalgic relationship to the tv show (like most people my age) and the music within -- both score and songs -- it wasn't untill 2002 that I acquired Hammer's own glorious 2CD set from One Way Records with nothing but score tracks. This is some of the best electronic music ever written, and each track is a journey onto itself. A mix of jazz fushion, electropop, funky hooks and lofty textures.

When I wrote my thesis back in 2001-2004, this was on constant rotation in my ancient PC CD player (I used headphones, obviously, since I was seated in a think tank at the university), so it got me through that and I do -- in fact -- associate it more with that setting now. Weird.

I understand that the album is hard-to-find these days, especially for an affordable price.

I omitted TV albums like those as they are compilation albums, which are pretty much "best of" albums by definition.
But that's merely a personal preference.
I'll put up my 11-20 list soon!
(God, I'm lagging behind!)

No 21:

Batman - Danny Elfman (1989)

I love the entire score, not only the highlights. The film for me is the quintessential Batman film and the score is its perfect musical companion. It is by far my favourite Elfman score. Composition, orchestration and album presentation are outstanding. I kind of missed out on the remastered edition but no matter: I think the commercial release represents the album just fine.
No 22 will be a STAR TREK score.

Volker

It's a score I think is very good but which oddly I rarely am in the mood to listen to.

Spock: If I were human I believe my response would be "go to hell." If I were human."
Chekov: Course heading, Captain?
Kirk: Second star to the right and straight on till morning.

No. 22: STAR TREK VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) by Cliff Eidelman

The fans of James Horner may forgive me but this is my second favourite STAR TREK score. I love the film, I love the C&C edition of this score. Although the expansion did not add too much to the original release.
I once read, that Roddenberry hired eidelman to adapt Holst's THE PLANETS for the film, but the Holst estate would not have it. Eidelman's overture is heavily influenced by the MARS suite anyway. It works magnificently.

Remember the final sequence? Kirks final testimony and the autographes of the actors being written on the screen? Eidelman's soaring "Sign Off" fanfare? I cried like a baby when I first eperianced that. It still gives me goosebumps.

To few scores I have such an intense emotional connection.

Volker

I have NO idea!

If you have one of the Prague rerecordings then it's possible. None of the themes in this movie have become famous outside of us film-score-geek minorities.



Very good score but miles behind the scores for Treks I, II & III imo. I'm happy with the regular release too.

I could give you a clue but it would immediately give it away. I'm not dragging this out so I'll put that massive clue up in about half an hour.

Something to do with Thomas' dad, maybe, being involved somehow?

Here you go...

MASSIVE CLUE

Indeed! It's certainly not Rita Hayworth*.

*for uber-geekdom only

I was referring to the book there. Stephen King's novella is called Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.

( but yeah, her poster is first one up on the cell wall in the film too )