Great film scores/soundtracks ???

[SEAWOLF97]

.
I'm stuck inside right now, so catching up on my DVD/BD acquisitions this last year. The one on top was an old favorite, but re-remastered. NxNW.

Besides being a star powered, location hopping, AH classic, I came to the conclusion
that what really pushed it over the top was the soundtrack.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053125/

B. Herrmann https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Herrmann was just masterful at this genre. Worked frequently with Hitchcock.

Guess I really appreciate his mood & suspense tracks.

Q. ? Do you have movie/film soundtracks in mind that are almost characters in their own right ? Favorites ?

An Academy Award-winner (for The Devil and Daniel Webster, 1941; later renamed All That Money Can Buy), Herrmann is particularly known for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock, most famously Psycho, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo. He also composed scores for many other films, including Citizen Kane, Anna and the King of Siam, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Cape Fear, Fahrenheit 451, and Taxi Driver. He worked extensively in radio drama (composing for Orson Welles), composed the scores for several fantasy films by Ray Harryhausen, and many TV programs, including Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone and Have Gun – Will Travel.

[SEAWOLF97]

.
yesterday I got out the DVD of "Cat Ballou"

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059017/

ST was nothing special , but Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye play two singing minstrels , invisible to everybody in the scene, who strum their banjos , sing to the camera and advance the plot. That was a great musical extra.

https://www.imdb.com/video/vi1522336025?ref_=tt_pv_vi_aiv_1

[Ducatista47]

A soundtrack consisting of solo performances on a single instrument, and on one of the all-time classic films. Anton Karas played his own compositions on a zither and you know the theme song even if you don't know what it is called. If I recall correctly, the opening credits are run over a tight closeup of the zither strings vibrating to play the theme song. The musical performance open the movie.

Other than The Third Man, I tend to favor the output of particular soundtrack composers/creators before thinking of random films. Mark Isham, Lisa Gerrard, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and David Lynch come to mind.

Some pop music stars have been chosen for inclusion on soundtracks so many times they have become woven into Hollywood's fabric. Madonna is currently cited on IMDB 451 times in that role as writer or performer. The film "At Close Range", while the soundtrack is by Patrick Leonard, is musically dominated by Madonna's composition "Live To Tell" starting with a note or two and building through the film's run time, being fully presented in the closing credits with her vocal finally added. It's a serious film and the effect is that of an extremely evocative character.

A vintage Pathe feature of Karas. It is an extra feature on the DVD of The Third Man. This footage of a posh London club is vintage gold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFz79SBnuk8

[Robh3606]

The Third Man

Oh absolutely that zither soundtrack was just awesome one of my favorites! I also really like the sound track to Casablanca.

Rob :)

[SEAWOLF97]

Oh absolutely that zither soundtrack was just awesome one of my favorites! ...
Rob :)

Totally agree , soon as I heard that theme, it was like an old friend.

Never knew exactly what a zither was :dont-know:


In modern soundtracks ... I tend to enjoy many by Hans Zimmer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Zimmer

especially the ST for "Crimson Tide" . It does everything a ST should do ..sets the mood/scene , manipulates the emotions. That one is spooky and can shake the windows.

plse give this a try and see ===>>>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRhsJ_KQf6w

[Ducatista47]

especially the ST for "Crimson Tide" . It does everything a ST should do ..sets the mood/scene , manipulates the emotions. That one is spooky and can shake the windows.

plse give this a try ===>>>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRhsJ_KQf6w

Zimmer refers to himself as old school, so I should have guessed he would wrap it up with the Mariner's Hymn. For those like myself who can never remember the lyrics, here they are. I expect you know them, being ex Navy.

Words: William Whiting (http://www.bookofhours.org/hymns/composer.htm#whiting_william) (1825-1878), 1860.
Music: Melita (http://www.bookofhours.org/hymns/name.htm#melita), John B. Dykes (http://www.bookofhours.org/hymns/composer.htm#dykes) (1823-1876), 1861.

1. Eternal Father, strong to save,
whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
its own appointed limits keep:
O hear us when we cry to thee
for those in peril on the sea.

2. O Christ, whose voice the waters heard
and hushed their raging at thy word,
who walkedst on the foaming deep,
and calm amid the storm didst sleep;
O hear us when we cry to thee
for those in peril on the sea.

3. Most Holy Spirit, who didst brood
upon the chaos dark and rude,
and bid its angry tumult cease,
and give, for wild confusion, peace:
O hear us when we cry to thee
for those in peril on the sea.

4. O Trinity of love and power,
our brethren shield in danger's hour;
from rock and tempest, fire and foe,
protect them wheresoe'er they go;
thus evermore shall rise to thee
glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

[SEAWOLF97]

Zimmer refers to himself as old school, so I should have guessed he would wrap it up with the Mariner's Hymn. For those like myself who can never remember the lyrics, here they are. I expect you know them, being ex Navy..

this is the only one I could remember

O hear us when we cry to thee
for those in peril on the sea.

I did spend a lot of time at sea, you need all the help you can get out there.
landlubbers have no idea of the power the ocean presents.

[Ducatista47]

landlubbers have no idea of the power the ocean presents.
I never sailed saltwater, but I did my share on Lake Michigan. We once put out in a violent storm in a twenty-seven foot Seabird yawl. The power of the lake was such that we might as well have been on a cork. We might have made it but the skipper's wife, who was pregnant, became quite hysterical and we put about. Between the waves covering the boat and the wind, one did have to hold on for dear life. I was on the foredeck trying to rig a storm jib and it really was one hand for the ship and one hand for yourself. I hope to never see a hysterical person again. You can't help them in any meaningful way.

By the way, if it had been Lake Superior we never would have tried it. You might find this interesting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Lg9HygEJc

[SEAWOLF97]

I never sailed saltwater, but .....

our little boat (CVA-64) was nearly a 1/4 mile long. When we went out for sea trials, near Vancouver Island, we hit some "heavy weather"

I have 2 pics that were taken from the aircraft elevators .... 1 in a wave trough , water about 15 feet below water line.
Other with white water breaking over the flight deck (85 feet above the water line)

Even the Chief lifers were getting sick .... could hear the keel groaning & flexing.
Pity the sailors in smaller boats in those conditions. :eek:

Just watched the movie Titanic.

While a big ship, I wondered how it's size compared to the ship I served on, USS Constellation ? answer : When it was built the Titanic was one of the largest ships built. It's total length was 882 feet and 9 inches long. Since then ship building has come a long way. A United States aircraft carrier is 1,092 feet long. If the Titanic was placed on it's deck the ship would have 210 feet of deck room left.

[Fritz The Cat]

In southern Germany and Switzerland the Zither was very ordinary in the first half of the 20th century. There stood a Zither nearly in every home. The popularity of this instrument is explainable with the simplicity of the playing, especially for the beginners. The player doesn't have to know or learn sheet music. There is a special sheet for every song. You have to put it under the strings of the Zither. It shows the sequence and the string you have to pluck and which finger is needed. Today this instrument is not popular anymore. Today thousands of dusty old Zithers stand in the second hand shops...
In Switzerland we play the Zither not by plucking. We hit the strings with tiny sticks. It is called "Hackbrett". This popular instrument is not only used in Alpine folk music, but very often also in Pop, Rock or Jazz. Look an listen here, if you are interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxcEpUelAPU

[Ed Kreamer]

Colleagues;

I just watched the film Ad Astra, and found myself disappointed in the music. The opening music was by Max Richter (I think) and I thought was appropiate to the film. but much of the music was shall we say not noteworthy no pun intended.
I wondered what a great composer like the late Jerry Goldsmith (may he rest) could have done with it.

I very much enjoy listening to great film music, and here I'll list a few;

A Streetcar Named Desire( North)
Ben-Hur (Rozsa)
Lawrence of Arabia(Jarre)
The Sea Hawk (Korngold)
Star Wars (Williams)
The Ghost and The Darkness (Goldsmith)

Film Music is an odd beast, and even a great composer, who is a hired hand no matter how great, can find himself in epic battles with the Director and or Producer like Bernard Herrmann vs. Alfred Hitchcock or Jerry Goldsmith vs. Ridley Scott.
Ultimatly the producer calls the shots. In an interview shortly before his passing, Jerry Goldsmith said he still was unsure of what Scott wanted for Alien, even after 35 years..

Good film music can rise above the film and give a transcendant experience to the listener.

[SEAWOLF97]

So I bought this LP as I liked the show and needed something in my hands when I came home after riding all day.
(to show I wasn't ''catting around" - I wasn't)

Put it on ...surprising , in a 70's kinda of way . It's nearly as good as the soundtrack of Mission Impossible (TV version)

[baldrick]

My favorite moviesong, from DaVinci Code:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24WWwhgCLgM

The whole Hans Zimmer Live In Prague (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5732482/) concert is quite fantastic and absolutely worth buying!

[Fritz The Cat]

One of the best soundtracks IMHO. A mission possible for Lalo Shifrin: http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?40612-With-a-little-help-from-Carol-Kaye&p=420861&viewfull=1#post420861

[1audiohack]

I liked Yesterday. Bohemian Rhapsody didn’t suck either. :)

Barry.

[SEAWOLF97]

One of the best soundtracks IMHO. A mission possible for Lalo Shifrin: http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?40612-With-a-little-help-from-Carol-Kaye&p=420861&viewfull=1#post420861

Lalo Shifrin also did the ST for "Bullitt"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRx8N7mJU9g

[SEAWOLF97]

.
2001: A Space Odyssey ..... really grand on a good HT

Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid ....Bob Dylan songs for the movie, some very appropriate. (esp. "Knockin on Heavens Door"

Goldfinger ..... another Tour De force

Lawrence Of Arabia ......... film wouldn't be the same w/o it.

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly ....... very memorable theme

and just for enjoyment, but not great

The Graduate.

[Fritz The Cat]

What about this one? http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?2724-What-s-Playing-Now&p=398301&viewfull=1#post398301

[SEAWOLF97]

and then, one of my favorites .....

Koyaanisqatsi

Philip Glass compositions from film start to end.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=Koyannisquatsi

[AlanD]

https://www.npr.org/2019/08/24/753877978/john-williams-and-anne-sophie-mutter-2-geniuses-for-the-price-of-one

“Across the Stars” is a great album that has John Williams re-scoring some of his classics for the violin and then having Anne Sophie Mutter playing (on a Stradivarius). Amazon Music HD has it in 24/96.

[Fritz The Cat]

In the best of all possible situations, a film score enhances the performance of the actors and strengthens the visuals. Ry Cooder's music has done just that and more. His guitar speaks for Billy's feelings with an understanding a director often thinks only she has. Ry's performance, along with the work of some very exceptional and talented musicians, makes this soundtrack versatile yet cohesive. (Liner notes on back cover by Michelle Manning)
The "talented musicians": Dickinson/Keltner/East/Tench/Escovedo/Calderon/King&Evans et al.
Ear cinema, indeed.

[jblwolf]

Henry Mancini-
The great race 1965
Pink Panther 1963
Cop show schemes1976
Enno maccaroni=
Collection of spaghetti westerns
Others
Electra Glide In Blue 1973
Cat Ballou 1965
The Horn meets the hornet -Al Hirt 1966 mono pref
Planet of the Apes 1968
Shaft 1971
Man with the golden arm 1956 MFSL CD

[Fritz The Cat]

One of my favorite soundtracks. Listen to the bass playing: Carol Kaye!

[Fritz The Cat]

Swinging London Pop-Art-Crime-Movie by Michelangelo Antonioni. Soundtrack by Herbie Hancock with Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Jim Hall and some strolling yardbirds. Great.

[Bozo73]

Easy Rider
The Third Man
The Exorcist
The Big Country
The Magic Christian

[hjames]

Blade Runner - The Esper Edition.
Nice compilation of all the tracks in the original film on a 2 CD presentation

87487

And I agree that Lawrence is also a superb soundtrack!

[hjames]

I just found this link in Philip Glass's Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/philipglass/status/1312436556469170176

87488

Still trying to find the actual tracks to check out

[Fritz The Cat]

and then, one of my favorites .....

Koyaanisqatsi

Philip Glass compositions from film start to end.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=Koyannisquatsi


German 1987 25-years-Island Records reissue. "If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."

[SEAWOLF97]

Here's How The Score Of 'Apocalypse Now' Originally Sounded

https://www.npr.org/2018/01/06/576054095/heres-how-the-score-of-apocalypse-now-originally-sounded

[SEAWOLF97]

Don't know how this thread got this far without mentioning ,,,

Amadeus (1984)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086879/

[Fritz The Cat]

Federico Fellini shows the story of Italian dancers Amelia (memorable Giulietta Masina) and Pippo (memorable Marcello Mastroianni). Music composed and directed by Nicola Piovani. Listen to "Il Megashow" B2. Grande Italianita amata!