What are your top 5 favourite James Horner scores?
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We’ve had two James Horner reviews on our site recently. So I thought I’d ask: What are your top 5 Horners?
I think mine are:
1. THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS
2. Avatar
3. Aliens
4. Braveheart
5. TitanicYeah, I know. All very predictable, except maybe no. 1. But I have about 70 Horner scores, and I could mention tons of runner-ups.
Maybe Aliens, Braveheart, Brainstorm, Star Trek II and Willow, Legends of the Fall is nice although a bit very saccharine. Titanic is probably one of my less favorite ones 😉
My list would probably be something like this:
1. Krull
2. Living in the Age of Airplanes
3. Sneakers
4. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
5. AliensWhy Star Trek III and not II, you may wonder, with II being many people’s favorite? Well, I never really liked the main theme from II, for one thing. I always thought it sounded uninspired an forced. I remember being very disappointed with it, after having been spoiled at that point with all the great Williams themes from the first two Star Wars films, as well as Goldsmith’s wonderful Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Of course, Horner’s ST II theme IS used quite a bit in III also, but III has a lot of other material that I think surpasses a lot of what II has to offer: The Klingon action material, and the music for Spock and Vulcan, particularly the Katra Ritual sequence.
Interesting that you have KRULL as no. 1. I’ve had the 2CD forever, but except a track or two, it’s never done anything for me (it’s exasperating; and too much ‘horror’ material). But I’ve recently re-programmed the tracks into the old Southern Cross programme (the short, original one), and have high hopes that this new presentation will lead to a new appreciation of this score.
How could I forget KRULL, that’s a favorite Horner of mine as well. Only know the Southern Cross version.
You’re right, Thor – the KRULL 2CD IS a bit too much to get through in one sitting. I don’t think I’ve ever done that myself! But in appropriate doses, I really enjoy the wonderful energy and vigour in Horner’s writing here. And he was barely 30 at the time!
My taste hasn’t changed that much since 2018, but I’ve grown more and more fond of the calm over the rambunctious action stuff.
Maybe my top 5 would look like this:
1. THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS
2. Apollo 13
3. Legends of the Fall
4. The New World
5. House of CardsOr something.
I really wanted to squeeze more of the calmer, explorative Horners in there, but it would be disingenious. And I had to let go of some teenage favourites (APOLLO 13 and LEGENDS OF THE FALL stay on).
I definitely prefer Horner’s earlier stuff, preferring more the style he had when he first started out over his meandering later scores:
1. Aliens
2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
3. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
4. Brainstorm
5. KrullIn 3 days, it will be 10 years since James Horner died.
Would be great if we used this time to reminisce a bit. How did you discover Horner? What’s your general take on his work? How do you rank him among your favourite composers? Do you remember where you were when you got the news about his death? And – of course – more top 5 lists are welcome.
Starting from the end. To be honest I didn’t really hear about Horner’s death when it happened. I might have even only hear about it, when there was a discussion, who will score the Avatar sequel when he is not around anymore.
I first heard about Horner in a radio show that I caught by accident, called “filmharmonic concert”. It seemed to be a one time thing as I permanently tried to find the radio station and the time, but couldn’t find it anymore. That was in the early 80s. And the host told the story, how young Horner sat in front of the door of director Peter Yates to get the gig and how it payed out with a great symphonic score. They played a track and then I wanted the album. I found it within the next Month in the store window of the little cinema in my area.
And this is in that sense spectacular for me as, like I said, the radio show was a one time occasion that I caught by accident. And I spend a lot of time of my youth in that cinema. But that was the only time that they sold soundtrack records.
Next contact with Horner was the TV premiere of Wolfen, which was praised for it’s visual effects. So, I had to see it. There I already recongized a lot of similarities with Krull in the typical Hornerisms. Then I lost a little bit track of him.
Until Aliens. Aliens wasn’t only the greatest movie of the year. I was blasted away by the score. Really loved it.
Later on I loved it less and less, when I found, that almost all elements of the score that I loved also appeard in scores like Gorky Park, Brainstorm, later Patriot Games and many more. Suddenly it wasn’t so special anymore. Then I didn’t pay much attention to his scores anymore, even when I watched the movies.Next touchpoint for me then was Titanic. Not only because Horner’s score was so great, but because sudddenly movie soundtracks were more than before a topic in the media and public discussions.
And then of course Avatar which was a huge disappointment musically. Same for his Magnificient Seven.
In the past two years I was discovering then a lot of his scores after following some discussions around him on JWFan. In the meantime I have a very little collection of his scores. If I needed to select my five favourits I would probably list A Beautiful Mind, Casper, Braveheart, Iris, Aliens. In no particular order.
Ouch on AVATAR, which I think is one of the best things he ever wrote.
But interesting origin story. I can’t remember how I got into Horner. I do remember where I was when he died, though. An SMS ticked in while I was still in bed, just about to get up in the morning. It was from a Norwegian acquaintance, who gave me a heads-up. I got up quickly, checked the news/messageboards, and there it was. I was shocked, still the most shocking composer death I can recall.
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