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STANLEY MYERS

General Discussions » STANLEY MYERS (Posts 1 to 11 of 11)

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      CommentAuthorCobweb
    • CommentTimeNov 29th 2014
    During the 1980s, Stanley Myers functioned as a mentor to Hans Zimmer whilst establishing collaborations with directors such as Jerzy Skolimowski, Nicolas Roeg, Nico Mastorakis, Stephen Frears, etc.

    Zimmer did not get attached to higher profile Hollywood productions until around 1988/'89, but during the ensuing decades Zimmer's status escalated greatly and his reputation unfortunately overshadowed the contributions to film scoring by Stanley Myers.

    Before Zimmer's star arose, I became acquainted with the name of Stanley Myers (also during the 1980s) via reference books on DOCTOR WHO that listed Myers as composer for the William Hartnell serial "The Reign Of Terror". On the basis of this single association, this Whovian began to search used record stores and used book stores and soundtrack price guides for any and all soundtracks by - and film score information on - Stanley Myers.

    One of my earliest acquisitions (around 1987) was the 1967 RCA Victor LP of Joseph Strick's adaptation of James Joyce's ULYSSES, which appears to have been only the 2nd feature film scored by Myers.

    I was hooked on ULYSSES after the very first listen. The music was stylistically all over the place in its efforts to comment upon the stream-of-consciousness approach of the literary source and the film.
    To this day, I still consider ULYSSES as a most Charles Ivesian music score with its free associations and deliberate distortions upon anthems, hymns, folk songs, pub piano, brass marching bands, etc.

    In the years after 1987, I've amassed quite a bit of LPs, VHS tapes and DVDs on films with music by Myers.
    Some of the director collaborations prior to the 1980s include: Joseph Strick, Pete Walker, Volker Schlondorff and Jack Smight.

    Though I don't consider myself a Stanley Myers expert, I feel (especially since joining online forums during 2010 & 2011) that I might be the only collector on the planet who has gone far and deep into the filmography and discography of Stanley Myers. The fact that MainTitles did not even have a thread on Stanley Myers (until I created it) is symptomatic of the neglect that has befallen onto this composer.

    Below is my input on Myers and my rankings of his film music, with my medium source indicated:

    FOUR STANLEY CUPS

    1. HOUSE OF MORTAL SIN (DVD) (aka THE CONFESSIONAL)
    2. (THE BALLAD OF) TAM LIN (VHS) [aka THE DEVIL'S WIDOW)
    3. INCUBUS (DVD)
    4. ABSOLUTION (DVD)
    5. THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS (DVD)
    6. THE COMEBACK (DVD)
    7. THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES (CD)
    8. THE HOUSE OF WHIPCORD (DVD)
    9. SCHIZO (DVD)
    10. FRIGHTMARE (DVD)
    11. SITTING TARGET (CD)
    12. THE NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY (DVD)
    13. ULYSSES (LP & DVD)
    14. NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY (LP & DVD)

    THREE STANLEY CUPS

    15. EUREKA (DVD)
    16. THE TORRENTS OF SPRING (CD)
    17. THE WIND (DVD) (with Hans Zimmer)
    18. CONDUCT UNBECOMING (DVD)
    19. BLIND DATE (1984) (LP & DVD)
    20. LADY CHATTERLEY'S LOVER (LP & DVD)
    21. COLD HEAVEN (VHS & CD)
    22. HISTOIRE d'O: CHAPITRE 2 (CD)
    23. THE NEXT ONE (DVD) (aka THE TIME TRAVELER)
    24. PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN (DVD)
    25. THE RAGING MOON (LP & DVD) (aka LONG AGO TOMORROW)
    26. VOYAGER (CD & DVD) (aka HOMO FABER)
    27. THE WITCHES (1990) (DVD)
    28. COUPE DE GRACE (DVD)
    29. TRACK 29 (VHS)
    30. CASTAWAY (1986) (LP & DVD) (with Hans Zimmer)
    31. THE DEER HUNTER (LP)

    TWO STANLEY CUPS

    32. IRON MAZE (DVD)
    33. TAFFIN (DVD)
    34. WISH YOU WERE HERE (DVD)
    35. THE WILBY CONSPIRACY (DVD)
    36. THE BLOCKHOUSE (DVD)
    37. ROAD MOVIE (DVD)
    38. BORDER COP (DVD)
    39. PRICK UP YOUR EARS (LP & DVD)
    40. MOONLIGHTING (DVD) (probably the beginning of the Myers/Zimmer relationship)
    41. ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDERSTERN ARE DEAD (DVD)
    42. INSIGNIFICANCE (LP & DVD)
    43. X, Y AND ZEE (DVD)

    ONE CUPPA

    44. TROPIC OF CANCER (VHS)
    45. KALEIDOSCOPE (LP & CD)
    46. TRUSTING BEATRICE (CD) (aka CLAUDE)
    47. OTLEY (LP)

    [FYI: the rare British LP of TAKE A GIRL LIKE YOU is one by Myers that I never came across. In the late '80s, I did buy a cassette of PAPERHOUSE but not long afterwards discarded it because I didn't care for it at the time. I think PAPERHOUSE was more Zimmer and less Myers, IMO].
  2. Hans always is the first to appreciate Myers' input in his career. I'd like to point out that Richard Harvey and Harry Gregson-Williams were also initially mentored by him.

    And yes, Moonlighting was their first collaboration. I never really delved into Myers' own contribution.
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeNov 29th 2014
    Certainly not into Myers as much as you, Cobweb. Of course, there's the obvious THE DEER HUNTER -- his biggest hit -- but I am also fond of THE WITCHES. Lots to discover, I think.
    I am extremely serious.
  4. I'd like one of our esteemed British members to chime in here, because I know Myers was important, but I didn't research British cinema enough yet to be able to say anything much of note here sad
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
  5. The only score of his in my collection is Voyager / Homo Faber which is bundled with Jarre's The Tin Drum on a Milan album. A very fine score.

    Volker
    Bach's music is vibrant and inspired.
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      CommentAuthorCobweb
    • CommentTimeNov 29th 2014 edited
    PawelStroinski wrote
    I'd like to point out that Richard Harvey and Harry Gregson-Williams were also initially mentored by him.


    Yes, this is true. The German Ultraphone LP I have on LADY CHATTERLEY'S LOVER co-credits Richard Harvey along with Myers.
    This item was from 1981 and I think Myers relied upon Harvey to provide the synthesizer-based cues.
    Once Myers collaborated with Zimmer on electronic keyboards, I don't think Harvey worked again with Myers.
    Most likely, Harvey began receiving commissions of his own to write music for TV and outgrew the subordinate position as '2nd fiddle'.

    PS: Richard Harvey wrote quite a number of scores for the British anthology television series TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED. That series' primary composer - Ron Grainer - passed away during 1981, so this might very well have been the situation which bolstered Harvey's career.
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      CommentAuthorCobweb
    • CommentTimeNov 29th 2014
    Thor wrote
    Lots to discover, I think.


    True.

    There's much more inside Myers' filmography than what I've listed above. The difficulty in 2014 to attempt to discover some of the things I've mentioned is that probably most of them are out of print (previous media formats no longer available in the marketplace). I suppose locating video clips in YouTube is the most feasible approach aside from an occasional Myers-scored film on Blu-ray. http://www.criterion.com/people/8286-stanley-myers

    Unfortunately, Myers - as with many a British composer - had been attached to many productions which never hit the big time and are not remembered in posterity due to poor marketing/distribution or unavailability on broadcast/cable TV & home video, etc.
    This is what I label as the John Scott syndrome. Composers may be quite prolific regarding the quantity of their output, but most of them haven't been attached to a pop-culture phenomena which would deposit their names in front of large amounts of viewers and fanbases.

    Myers and Scott and many others did not get opportunities to write for a James Bond or a Star Wars or a Batman. And the types of films they did score are not the sort of films that people wanna watch.
    Give John Q. Public a choice to watch either "The Night Of The Following Day" or "Pirates Of The Caribbean", whadda ya think the Public will elect? wink
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      CommentAuthorCobweb
    • CommentTimeNov 29th 2014
    Captain Future wrote
    The only score of his in my collection is Voyager / Homo Faber which is bundled with Jarre's The Tin Drum on a Milan album. A very fine score.

    Volker


    Yeah, I have that Milan CD, too, Volker (Captain Future, that is - not Mr. Schlondorff smile )

    Glad I was able to snag a copy of that CD long after its 1991 release!
  9. Cobweb wrote
    Captain Future wrote
    The only score of his in my collection is Voyager / Homo Faber which is bundled with Jarre's The Tin Drum on a Milan album. A very fine score.

    Volker


    Yeah, I have that Milan CD, too, Volker (Captain Future, that is - not Mr. Schlondorff smile )

    Glad I was able to snag a copy of that CD long after its 1991 release!


    Same here. I secured a second hand copy about a year ago.
    Bach's music is vibrant and inspired.
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      CommentAuthorCobweb
    • CommentTimeSep 20th 2015 edited
    Varese Sarabande's LP-to-CD subscription series is offering the 1984 Nico Mastorakis Blind Date, which is one of the Stanley Myers titles that I've cited above in my initial post.

    https://www.varesesarabande.com/products/blind-date

    https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0799/ … 1442336994

    I expect there's little interest here @ MT on those Varese LP programs from the 1980s (just as there's little interest overall in the music of Stanley Myers), but I've nevertheless updated this thread about Blind Date because it's only available up through October 14th.

    If MT folk own no albums of Myers' music, then here's a chance to get one for only $10!

    I've passed over the other previous titles offered, so I need to join this subscription series myself and Blind Date serves as my motivation. smile
  11. I might order this. Chris' Soundtrack Corner is offering these titles individually, without subscription.

    Thanks for the heads-up, Cobweb!

    smile Volker
    Bach's music is vibrant and inspired.

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