# Rambo: First Blood ->Jerry G



## C M Dess (Jun 13, 2010)

I want to delete all my posts


----------



## José Herring (Jun 13, 2010)

He was a master. He kind of became a little out of style, but these days his work is worth revisiting. People are asking me these days for more Goldsmith and Silvestri type scoring. To which I say, THANK GOD!!!


----------



## dcoscina (Jun 13, 2010)

I did a small piece based on his Rambo theme a while back. Fact is, of all film composers, I have to admit I'm most influenced by Goldsmith even if Williams is my fave composer. Jerry was a close second.

http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=64233


----------



## Ashermusic (Jun 13, 2010)

As good as there has ever been IMHO.


----------



## dcoscina (Jun 13, 2010)

It doesn't hurt that Jerry was a huge fan of Bartok who is fast becoming my favourite composer. It's a close tie between him and Prokofiev...

I think Goldsmith also liked Berg a lot. And Stravinsky.


----------



## David Story (Jun 13, 2010)

These also have a definitive, influential sound. His technique and most of his approach are current, even if his personal style is out of fashion. He did his best to elevate the film with music. More than a supporting role.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaT-JX5r8i8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OkFLdPaoZQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65BNBkjZ ... re=related


----------



## Stephen Hill (Jun 13, 2010)

Rambo, First Blood, is a great score. The asymmetric 7 meter works really well. Classic Goldsmith. Although dated, the synth sound is still cool.

This is the site I use for research: Score clips, Radio Interviews and Video Clips
http://www.jerrygoldsmithonline.com/index.htm

Back in High School, in the early 1970's, I wore out my QBVII film score album. I still have the LP. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0ieJ_TWYlU&feature=fvw

Also, back in the 1970's, while in High School and College, we played Goldsmith scores transcribed for band: Patton, Papillon, The Wind and the Lion, etc. Exciting for us kids at the time, to actually rehearse, and then play Goldsmith’s music live at concerts. 

The Wind and the Lion score is still one of my favorites. I still have this LP that I bought back in 1975. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSUlzwqQjAY
Very colorful Middle Eastern orchestration.


----------



## Dave Connor (Jun 13, 2010)

Went to watch David Newman conduct the American Youth Orchestra (?) at UCLA doing Goldsmiths 70's period. Simply stunning music (including Papillon and The Omen with a live chorus.) I think he's the best ever in film. Too many home runs and grand slams in countless styles and genre's. No one else has that kind of track record or versatility.


----------



## SvK (Jun 21, 2010)

Check out a later JG score for 1996 "The Edge"...it's not as clever as say "Montain Hunt" from Rambo...but the action cues are so visceral....

THE EDGE (the one about the killer bear) GREAT SCORE...

SvK


----------



## SvK (Jun 21, 2010)

"Something very special happens with the horns in part one when Rambo bursts out of the police station. Was that arch I wonder, the movie really shifted into another realm after that"

That's "Mountain Hunt"....best piece of Orchestral Action writing ever.....

SvK


----------



## SvK (Jun 21, 2010)

Lots of dominant chords...Really big on jazz harmonies.....And odd time EVERYWHERE.......that's key to the JG action sound.......

nothing kills action music more than a steady regular meter.....JG knew that......

SvK


----------



## SvK (Jun 21, 2010)

My favorite John Williams score is the one where he imitates Jerry Goldsmith: JAWS 

SvK


----------



## midphase (Jun 21, 2010)

Looking forward to Choco's putdown of Goldsmith...I know I know...the best of Goldsmith can't equate The Thin Red Line score!


----------



## lux (Jun 21, 2010)

Jerry's fan here too


----------



## SvK (Jun 21, 2010)

iTunes music store has it.....enjoy!

Best,

SvK


----------



## Ned Bouhalassa (Jun 21, 2010)

Another BIG fan here! I love Total Recall. =o


----------



## David Story (Jun 21, 2010)

+1 Mountain Hunt. The 5+7 is clear, edgy and catchy at once. And those string textures are uncanny and beautiful. The heroic brass have poignant moments, rare in action.
I like Total Recall a lot, it's like Rambo also.

I was at the AYSO concert, awesome to hear those moments live. Aliens, Omen are powerful because the score is the corpus of the film.

Jaws is Herrmann influence to me. The film was temped with BH.

JW is happy to borrow from anything that works. AI has minimalist passages. He's great at moving from one texture to another. Goldsmith is the most facile of all at sudden changes.

JG is the scariest, JW the most romantic, but they borrowed from each other and anything else that makes into the cinematic vocabulary.


----------



## jamwerks (Jun 22, 2010)

Dave Connor @ Mon Jun 14 said:


> Went to watch David Newman conduct the American Youth Orchestra (?) at UCLA doing Goldsmiths 70's period. Simply stunning music (including Papillon and The Omen with a live chorus.) I think he's the best ever in film. Too many home runs and grand slams in countless styles and genre's. No one else has that kind of track record or versatility.



Anybody know if these (written) scores are available to buy for study?


----------



## musicpete (Jun 22, 2010)

SvK @ 22.6.2010 said:


> iTunes music store has it.....enjoy!
> 
> Best,
> 
> SvK


And if you want decent audio quality (where you can actually hear the instruments, nearly full frequency range and no compression artefacts), there wa just released a complete edition of this late gem by Lalaland. It's limited, so you may want to hurry. The best material of the score remained unreleased until now.

Another suggestion: Try "Total Recall". IMHO this was Mr. Goldsmiths magnum opus. Wicked meter changes, driving rythms, strong development of thematic material. Also heavily influenced by Bartok. Wonderful music!


----------



## musicpete (Jun 22, 2010)

Wow, it would mean REALLY a lot to me if I was ever able to study those in detail... Unfortunately this is in the excessively long list of things that I will never experience. :(


----------



## jamwerks (Jun 22, 2010)

If no publisher wants to publish these scores (there would be money to be made), some foundation should make them available on the web.


----------



## Ed (Jun 28, 2010)

SvK @ Mon Jun 21 said:


> THE EDGE (the one about the killer bear) GREAT SCORE...
> 
> SvK



I remember thinking the theme was awesome when I saw it years ago!


----------

