What are you listening to now?
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Cool. We should have a Zimmer thread already. I’ve been kinda waiting for the right moment.
What keeps you? 😉
Interesting how Morricone simply recycled some unused themes from the Belmondo action vehicle The Professional (1981) for this 1985 erotic thriller (according to Wikipedia; I have not seen the movie). And since the recycled (and unused) material gets re-worked and is embedded in a different context, it’s a different score.
Still, this makes a good “companion piece” for Morricone’s more famous THE PROFESSIONAL score.I think Rob Simonsen was more interesting before he hit it big. Like this charming, indie-pop-ified score from 2013, WISH I WAS HERE from 2014 and especially my favourite NERVE from 2016. Smaller acoustic ensembles, synths and not a lot of contemporary “tropes”.
Not sure who composed what, but it’s really a beautiful album.
And here the live shot from my living room, without a direct connection to the LP in the background. 🙂
There were several attempts to copy the new, successful Disney formula in the 90s. This 1995 film was one such failed attempt. Folk’s music does its best to channel Menken as well, and although it doesn’t reach that level, it’s still a rather entertaining score taken on its own. Fullbodied and charming. Bears a lot of similarities to his NEVERENDING STORY 2 score, especially those “Opening Titles”.
And another Folk – big and boisterous orchestral action score (with a little bit of DNA from JURASSIC PARK?). But the question is — why was Dan Wyman’s score for the first film never released? It was his final score, I think, before he went into teaching.
I still remember Lukas Kendalls hyperbole review of Lawnmower Man 2:
“If I live to be 100, I may never listen to this score again. But it’s still infinitely better than Dan Wymans score for LM1.”
He, he…that sounds like vintage Lukas. Of course, he’s way off in this case, it’s a delightful romp of a score — the kind that film score fans drool over these days.
As for Wyman’s score, he was more into electronics, of course, and frequently worked with Carpenter. It’s been more than three decades since I saw the film, so I can’t remember any of it in context, but there is a clip on YouTube, at least. Doesn’t sound very interesting, kinda ambient, but maybe with potential:
Embarassingly, when I got this in 2014, I didn’t really know who Robin Guthrie and Harold Budd were. But of course now I do. Guthrie being one of the founders of Cocteau Twins and the late Budd a legend in the ambient/minimalism genre. It all comes together wonderfully in this deliciously moody score — those ethereal guitar licks, the slow-moving progressions, the comfy synth cushions on which everything rests. Definitely a highlight score of that year.
Oh what joy!
Listening to Gremlins, once more I remember what a daring, experimental and inventive composer Goldsmith was. I very much loved the score when the film came out and was deeply, deeply disappointed in the soundtrack album of its day. I watched the movie several times in the 80s just to hear the music.
Thankfully, FSM eventually released the real deal.I’ve always been critical of Goldsmith’s synth noodlings, but the “Gremlins Rag”, man, the “Gremlins Rag”. I dig that.
But of course now I do. Guthrie being one of the founders of Cocteau Twins and the late Budd a legend in the ambient/minimalism genre.
Cocteau Twins were as a Band one of the rare cases who got constantly better and better during their career and really ended it with their best album. I regreted when they finished but I didn’t follow the band members’ careers afterwards. I just recognized Elizabeth Fraser’s name on some soundtrack albums, e.g. by Craig Armstrong or Howard Shore.
I sampled that yesterday. It’s a difficult score to assess. First, Zimmer’s fluffy “dramedy” scores have never been favourites of mine. Second, it was nonetheless comforting to know that he’s still able to channel that old Brooks style, with warm orchestral elements. But then third again, although he channelled it pretty decently, it was somehow without the melodic flair of those from 20-30 years ago. It’s just “there”. So yes, I’m torn in all kinds of directions with this.
An excellent Goodwin sampler, this. I prefer the second, more pastoral part over the boisterous first half. Sadly, it doesn’t have anything from my favourite Goodwin score, VALHALLA (also his last), but thankfully that was released on Plantsounds a couple of years ago. Have that on CD even, and reviewed it here (Google translated version).
I owned this FSM CD, then (stupidly) traded it away, or sold it. Don’t know why. But it was too long, I remember that; I’ve made my own 49-minute playlist that makes it come alive. Dark and suave all at once, with some of those baroque jazz melancholy elements I love. I know the film is a cult classic, but I actually prefer the Will Smith version!
Inspired by Jon’s Tangerine Dream filmography, I pulled out one of my old TD albums (although this one is not film music).
It’s a double LP with two of their earliest releases, ALPHA CENTAURI (1971) and ATEM (1973). I’m no Tangerine Dream expert, but surely this must be more experimental than most of their later work. There’s not a lot of melody or rhythm, and although there are some ambient and/or tonal layers in ALPHA CENTAURI, for instance with flute and organ, the synth and percussion overlays are pretty wild and weird. ATEM is all psychedelic moods. Quite fascinating! I felt totally spaced out after listening. 😀Would have been a cool entry in the Tangerine Dream thread, Nils. But yes, I’ve sampled it. I’m afraid it’s too “out there” for my taste, as is most of TD’s 70s ouput. But by all means fascinating. However, I find myself more drawn to the psychedelic noodlings of Pink Floyd, for example.
Would have been a cool entry in the Tangerine Dream thread, Nils. But yes, I’ve sampled it. I’m afraid it’s too “out there” for my taste, as is most of TD’s 70s ouput. But by all means fascinating. However, I find myself more drawn to the psychedelic noodlings of Pink Floyd, for example.
Yes, I wasn’t sure if it should go in this thread or in the TD thread. As you can see, it ended up here. 🙂
And I agree that Pink Floyd is a bit more accessible when they’re in a similar mood.
Norwegian Rockband FastLoaders plays music from the classic C-64 video game soundtrack of THE LAST NINJA by Ben Daglish:
Anyone here played that game back then, too?
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