Liberty, you are obsessed.

and proud of it! I love that music! honest! do you?

I haven't, but I'll look into it. I just meant that you were obsessed with the movie in general.

Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings), Harry Gregson-Williams (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; Flushed Away), and Hans Zimmer (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron, Pirates of the Caribbean, Kung Fu Panda, Despicable Me)

@ Lys. Glad you're enjoying Braveheart so much. I still believe that Legends of the Fall is the superior score, but they're both really good. I think one of the things that I dislike about Braveheart is how it feels so restrained, especially after listening to Legends. I guess I just prefer my drama scores to be a bit... bigger.

That's perfectly fine (about The Mission). I actually haven't listened to the album in a long time... It's an album that has several great tracks, but not really a complete, great listening experience. The dissonant tracks probably work well in the film, but on album.... well.

I hope you like Goldsmith's Legend when you hear it. From our previous track record, I'm afraid you might not like it.

BTW, I will answer the PM you sent me this evening sometime. Life has been quite busy the last few weeks....

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Well, I have been exploring a few recent soundtrack releases recently:

Inception (Hans Zimmer): From what I've heard, this one sounds like a murky combination of The Dark knight and The Thin Red Line. It has one really powerful two-note theme (why is it always "two-notes"?), but the rest of the score sounds rather dull. Lots of low strings just wandering around, no solid melody (as far as I can tell).

Predators (John Debney): I must admit I had some high hopes for this score. I really enjoyed Alan Silvestri's first two Predator scores and was hoping Debney would use some of the pre-exciting themes and motifs in his work. Thankfully, he did.... but he also added electric guitars. Not a good choice for this series IMO.

Anyway, I'll be sticking with my Predator 2 album. Debney made a nice try and would have succeeded... if he had just dumped the guitars.

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And I've recently purchased two new albums:

Twilight 3: Eclipse (Howard Shore)
Outland (Jerry Goldsmith)

Both albums are good, though Outland is better. (no, I'm not biased in the least) I've already posted a review of Eclipse on my blog and will be posting a review of Outland soon.

What's wrong with electric guitars on a Predator film soundtrack? If anything screams Heavy Metal, it's Predator movies.

GB

The problem is that Debney tries to use the guitars as percussion instruments. Which could work, but in this case it does not. The guitars practically ruin the Predator theme at the end of the album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEdaws1wteM&feature=channel

*The Predator theme starts around 3:03

Then again, you'll probably like this, GB.

Funnily, I would say that if anything, Legends is the more restrained of those two Horner scores. Maybe the battle music is more intense, but it doesn't quite have the epic, almost syrupy (in a good way) sweep of that main Braveheart theme. Of course, I have seen Braveheart, so I have more of a personal connection to it (plus I just love Celtic-inspired music! ) and I've only heard to Legends once. But I did like what I heard, and I will listen to it again.

I was a little surprised to read your initial review of The Mission after seeing it on your top 5 list. Doesn't sound like the sort of reaction that would garner it such a high position in your favorites ... have you been going sort of up and down with this score, PC?

Really? That is sort-of odd. Legends has the more grand, sweeping orchestrations and some great, well defined themes. Braveheart on the other hand seems somewhat more low key and meandering (in a good way).

I guess this simply falls into personal taste. *shrug* Also, I'm going by the albums alone, not how the score fits in the film. Still need to watch Braveheart at some point... Probably skip the overblown soap opera that's Legends, though.

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Yes, at first I disliked The Mission, then found out there were some great cues and now I don't really care for it again. Like I mentioned earlier, it's been several months since I've listened to the album, which usually does not happen with the scores that I really like.

I still think it has some great music in it, just not one of my top favorites. Speaking of which, I should re-work my top 5 list.

Not surprised you didn't really like the Inception score, Cor. I listened to the samples on Amazon and wasn't impressed. After Zimmer produced such a fun, unusual score for Sherlock Holmes, I was expecting something a little more creative and less generic Zimmer.

I'm not convinced that those are actual electric guitars in the Predators track PC004 (they sound more like samples to me). But I see what you mean. The problem isn't that a guitar-like sound is used, the problem is the Industrial Break counter-rhythm in the middle of a Symphonic Swell. The rhythms don't mesh, and the result is somewhat discordant.

A better approach, if one wanted to blend a more Metal sound into the Symphonics, would have been to stay with the Movement instead of trying to counter it. As the rhythm became faster towards the end of that piece, the Guitar could have given it a perfect Symphonic Metal vibe if used appropriately.

GB

These are my all-time favorite soundtracks!

Soundtracks that have won Oscars & deserved it & are my #1 fave!
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2002/Howard Shore) One Soundtrack to rule them all!
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2004/Howard Shore)
The Soundtrack really "glorifies" the books & the movies, and it tells the story very emotionally & truthfully. Full of many different mixed feelings, that are all great to listen to! Honestly ,there is no other soundtrack like LotR, & we're all thankful to God, PJ, & Howard Shore for that.

Soundtracks that have been nominated for a best score Oscar, but never won, but should have.
1. The Passion of the Christ (2005/John Debney) Very astounding, emotional music, with wonderful cultural themes & instruments. If Howard Shore had done it, it would've won, I bet.
2. Pride and Prejudice (2006/Jean-Yves
Thibaudet) I loved all the piano scores & the folk & ballroom music! That's my kind of happy, everyday music, besides Gregorian Chant, LotR, & Poliphany.
3. Ratatouille (2008/Michael Giacchino)
4. Sherlock Holmes (2010/Hans Zimmer) Amazing, energetic, Victorian-mystery-gypsy-style music! Well done with no orchestra at all, just solos & their interesting & eccentric instruments.

Soundtracks that should've been at least nominated for an Oscar
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2003/Howard Shore) This soundtrack should've been nominated for an Oscar in the Oscar year 2003, since there seriously weren't any good movies/soundtracks then. Not even pixar.
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2007/Hans Zimmer) Very energetic music, with an amazing orchestra!

My other favorite soundtracks starting that are not #1, but still awesome; starting with the most liked:
1. How to Train Your Dragon (2011/John Powell) At first I thought this movie was going to be one of the most corniest movies of the year, until I was forced to watch it. In fact, I think this will be my 3rd fave of the year. Hope it gets nominated for Oscars! The music was spectacular! Uplifting! Soaring! Almost as good as Howard Shore's! I love the Celtic feel! A step back in time to another world.
2. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2006/Harry Gregson-Williams) Very nice! Has a very Narnian feel to it! Loved Tumnus' lullaby! It would've been even more AWESOME if Shore or Zimmers did it!
3. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2009/Harry Gregson-Williams)
4.Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2004/Klaus Badelt)
5.Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2008/Hans Zimmer)

Phew! That's a loooooong list! Hope y'all enjoyed it!

Pieces from The Fountain score have been coming up on my Pandora station a lot lately, so I browsed YouTube for more. Luckily someone has uploaded the entire soundtrack and I was able to listen to it all. There's a lot of repetition, since there are only a few different themes, but each time they're repeated, they're changed just enough to make them fresh and different. "Death is the Road to Awe" is my favorite track from it, but the entire score is lovely moody awesomeness. It's definitely at the top of the list for future soundtrack purchases.

Recent soundtrack purchase: The Last of the Mohicans

You can definitely tell two different composers worked on this one, since there's an obvious difference in musical styles. Still, I absolutely love this one. "Promentory" is particularly awesome.

After viewing a LotR video that someone created set to "Requiem for a Tower", I ended up buying the Requiem for a Tower/Dream EP. I've read more than a few comments that stated "Requiem for a Tower" could make anything epic and I believe it. "Requiem for a Dream" is pretty incredible too, less bombastic and more emotional and haunting.

*must give The Last of the Mohicans a listen ... have been meaning to for some time*

Well, my copy of As You Like It finally arrived the other day. I've been listening to it pretty much constantly ever since. All in all, another excellent purchase, if I do say so myself. *pats self on back* At first I wasn't too sure about it - the thematic material seemed to come in fits and starts - but after listening to it again, it feels much more cohesive than it did the first time 'round. The orchestrations are just fantastic. I love the instruments he chose! The violin is very prominent (what is it with Bryce Dallas Howard movies and violin scores? ), but the cello, woodwinds, and various Eastern percussion instruments are also used extensively. And the last track, in which the violin soloist goes back over all the thematic material in the film with the the support of the orchestra, is worth the price of the whole set. One of Doyle's best, I think - maybe not quite as good as Sense and Sensibility or Henry V, but certainly much better than the likes of Much Ado About Nothing, which I can't help comparing it to, as it is another case of Branagh and Doyle doing a Shakespearean comedy. Thankfully, As You Like It eschews most of the earlier score's sticky sweetness in favor of reflective autumnal breeziness - if that makes any sense at all.

I love the theme of The Chronicles of Narnia.

Does anybody know the full list of Pride and Prejudice 2005?? I am kind of having a hard time looking for some songs there...

^do you mean the track list? Here's a list of them

Dawn
Stars & Butterflies
The Living Sculptures of Pemberly
Meryton Townhall
The Militia Marches In
Georgiana
Arrival at Netherfield
A Postcard to Henry Purcell
Liz On Top of the World
Leaving Netherfield
Another Dance
The Sercret Life of Daydreams
Darcy's Letter
Can't Slow Down
Your Hands Are Cold
Mrs. Darcy
Credits