Alan Silvestri
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Having just reviewed his latest, THE ELECTRIC STATE, here (disappointing), but being blown away by his gorgeous HERE last year, I thought we should do a Silvestri thread.
As I made clear in the “Origin Story” thread, THE ABYSS is one of the three scores I credit with my film music interest. And I was massive fan all through the 90s and early 2000s. Even interviewed him once. Top 10 composer until relatively recently, just outside now. But in the last 20 years, the highlights have been missing. HERE was an exception to the rule. An odd, fine track here and there, but overall underwhelming. Pretty much the same career trajectory as James Newton Howard and Danny Elfman — also two massive favourites that have fallen a bit due to this reason.
BUT….there’s plenty from his past to cherish. It goes without saying that THE ABYSS is my favourite of his. What’s yours?
ABYSS is a favorite of mine, too. Also BACK TO THE FUTURE, DELTA FORCE (friends and I were into these action movies in the 80s a lot ;-), ROGER RABBIT or the CHiPS tv stuff. So mostly older ones but tere are lots of others I like. His AVENGERS theme is also good later one. He never reached nowhere near a favorite level like GOldsmith or Williams did.
Of “recent” Silvestri, I find his score to Allied quite good in all its simplicity, sugar coated love theme on autopilot included. This, together with the minimalistic tension music and slow buildup makes the music able to keep my interest for the album’s running time. I’m also a sucker for good big band re-recordings, and the tracks here are above decent. Haven’t yet seen the film – any good?
Silvestri often has great main themes and often nice single big band tracks like in Back to the Future, Mouse Hunt, Death Becomes Her or Allied.
I thing Silvestri is a little lazy when it comes to development and variations of his themes. Mabe a reason why he, unlike Elfman and Newton Howard, went for concerto composition. Or did he?
My favourite Silvestri score albums are Endgame and Contact.
Apart from that I find listening to a complete Silvestri soundtrack album a little tiring.But many of his tracks I would easily put on a best film music ever sampler.
What about the Night at the Museum scores? I’ve read good things about those, but never managed to get into them.
Same. Great main theme. And pretty good western pastiche tracks.
The OST of the first has over 30 tracks, most of them under one minute long. A little repetetive, like most Silvestri scores. But for me probably top 5 Silvestri. At least top 10.What about the Night at the Museum scores? I’ve read good things about those, but never managed to get into them.
I love how the main theme seems to sing out “Night at the Museeeeeeeeeum”.
Top 5:
1. THE ABYSS
2. Cast Away
3. Flight of the Navigator
4. Contact
5. Forrest GumpWait, what? No BACK TO THE FUTURE? That’s right. Absolutely adore the films. Seminal part of my childhood. Own the DVD box, seen them countless times. But the scores never did much for me, outside the theme. The third is an okay western score, but the first two (and especially number two) is a whimsical, aggravating mess for the most part.
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