# Top 40 greatest soundtracks



## choc0thrax (May 31, 2005)

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005250057,00.html

I never thought i'd see Gladiator ranked above Schindlers list, Jurassic Park, E.T. etc. but there it is! Poor Elfman didn't even get one score in there.


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## Herman Witkam (May 31, 2005)

And where's Goldsmith? I guess no one ever heard of Bernard Herrmann either, and what the hell is Badelt doing there? :D


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## Niah (May 31, 2005)

Top40 most popular soundtracks.


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## choc0thrax (May 31, 2005)

Most popular by sales figures? By reading the first paragraph- "THE epic Lord Of The Rings movie trilogy has the greatest soundtrack of all time, according to a new survey." I figured it was greatest soundtracks ever. If it goes by sales then I guess it makes sense as so many people have no taste in music. :D


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## choc0thrax (May 31, 2005)

I hope you dont attack me but I think the joke is Gladiator beating E.T. and Jurassic park etc. *Runs for cover


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## José Herring (May 31, 2005)

Folmann said:


> Way too much Williams on the list and Jurassic Park before E.T and HP is a joke, unfortunately a bad joke.



Was it you that said you had no formal music training?

HP is a masterpiece. Anybody else would have given that score a rinky dink kids music approach. But that opening theme with those 32note runs in the Violins is a stroke of Genius. Not to mention that the writing is so sensentive and carefully planned out with not a note that doesn't contribute to the structure of the piece. 

The music has subtely and variety not really found in film music these days. I was actually shocked that he had the guts to write that kind of music.

I just don't get people sometimes. I guess if it doesn't sound like "one big synth" them music just goes over some people's head.

HP a joke. Yeah, I'm sure he's laughing his way into immortality.

By the way. What are you working on these day?

Jose

:roll:


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## PaulR (May 31, 2005)

Folmann said:


> Way too much Williams on the list and Jurassic Park before E.T and HP is a joke, unfortunately a bad joke.



Why? Jurassic Park is the best theme he wrote in that genre.


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## choc0thrax (May 31, 2005)

Jurassic Park is the first movie I ever noticed film music while I was ina theatre when I was 13. Amazing score and one of the top 10 scores of the 90's IMO. 8)


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## dcoscina (May 31, 2005)

I was glad to see Yared's English Patient in there although I think Talented Mr. Ripley is as good if not better IMO. 

I was a little surprised that Shore's LOTR was the top soundtrack. But I guess the multitudes of people like whole notes .

Sorry, that wasn't nice. I'm seeing the LOTR symphony in Toronto this weekend actually. A friend of mine is speaking at it before it begins. And I like lots of cues from FOTR. Not quite as enamoured with TTT and ROTK but I' respect Shore's skill. You know, he orchestrates all of his own music. That's rare these days, especially with the time lines Hollywood has got its composers adhering to.

Jose, I TOTALLY agree- The Thin Red Line is far far superior to Gladiator in terms of pure music but I'm not surprised Gladiator sold more copies. It was a far more popular film.


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## choc0thrax (May 31, 2005)

I've only heard one track from The Thin Red Line (Journey to the line I think) and I almost fell asleep. Can anyone reccomend a really good track from that score?


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## dcoscina (May 31, 2005)

josejherring said:


> Folmann said:
> 
> 
> > Way too much Williams on the list and Jurassic Park before E.T and HP is a joke, unfortunately a bad joke.
> ...



Yes he said that but listen to his music. There's a lot of intuitive skill there Jose. Remember that some great composers weren't formally trained. Schoenberg wasn't and only had some lessons from Zemlinsky. Canadian modernist R Murray Shafer got his degree in visual art, not music and he's come up with amazing pieces.

Now, I do agree with you that Harry Potter has some friggin' fanstastic writing. Listen to "Window to the Past" from HP3 which features a beautiful English modal theme played on recorder. Or "Qiddich Year 3" that gets back to Williams' coloristic writing of the '70's including his patented 7th inversions played on horns. Damn that stuff kicks. 

I agree with Jose that Williams often imbues a higher musicality to the most mundane of pictures. Look at Sabrina- a totally crap remake but featuring a piano rhapsody that Rachmaninov would be envious of (well maybe not quite but it's damn close!). Or the melodrama of Stepmom. Williams chose to compose a beautiful cavatina for guitar and orchestra.

I think this is what frustrates me with Williams haters. They honestly don't grasp the level of this guys musicianship. Seriously. No one writes at his level. Take a look at his full scores and you will see what I mean. It's not just the orchestration but his use of motives, harmonic, form and melody. It's just outstanding.


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## dcoscina (May 31, 2005)

Folmann said:


> Totally agree! Track 5 from Talented Mr. Ripley (Crazy Tom) is probably the best piece of motion picture ever scored in my totally not humble opinion.



Yup. I have the conductor's score to that and it's great to see all of the lines and form that Yared uses. Yared IMO is one of the most vastly underrated and underutilized composers right now. And his TROY is the best score I've heard in the past 10 years. Period. It smokes LOTR. Or Gladiator. Or anything epic. My opinion only mind you.


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## José Herring (May 31, 2005)

Yeah, turns out Shore is a pretty serious composer. Never really knew that before.

I've never really had a problem with his music. I know a few guys that do, but if you look at what he went through to get to where he is and the amount of stick to itiveness that he's displayed I think you'll see that he's where he is for a reason.


Cheers,

Jose


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## dcoscina (May 31, 2005)

choc0thrax said:


> I've only heard one track from The Thin Red Line (Journey to the line I think) and I almost fell asleep. Can anyone reccomend a really good track from that score?



I love Journey to the Line. It's kind of like a concert procedure piece, where things keep building and building. It's a great effect and it's one of the few cases where I LOVE Zimmer's doubling of the French Horns with his classic CS80 brass sound. It sounds massive and excellent.

I don't remember what track it is but the piece with the harp and winds is nice. I also like how Zimmer integrates Mozart's Requiem into the fabric of his music on the pentultimate track. I heard it took him a year to write this score and the quality shows.


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## dcoscina (May 31, 2005)

josejherring said:


> Yeah, turns out Shore is a pretty serious composer. Never really knew that before.
> 
> I've never really had a problem with his music. I know a few guys that do, but if you look at what he went through to get to where he is and the amount of stick to itiveness that he's displayed I think you'll see that he's where he is for a reason.
> 
> ...



Shore is really at the top of his game right now. KING KONG looks to be another Shore project that will gain him more fans too. I always like his BIG score because it was so bright and melodic and totally divergent from his brooding style that most associate with his name.


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## Ned Bouhalassa (May 31, 2005)

josejherring said:


> Folmann said:
> 
> 
> > Way too much Williams on the list and Jurassic Park before E.T and HP is a joke, unfortunately a bad joke.
> ...



Jose, I don't know what you ate today, but perhaps you had too many hot peppers? Look, you can disagree with Folmann about another composer, but you don't have to take it personally. And you certainly shouldn't be so condescending to another VI member. 

BTW, someone doesn't have to be a working composer in order to have a legitimate opinion about soundtracks.


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## José Herring (May 31, 2005)

Ned,

Where were you when he was coming after me yesterday?

Then we had a running joke over using this :roll: 

I guess he can question my ability to do sample mockups but I can't question his judgement about more legit composers.

That's alright. I get it.

Jose


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## choc0thrax (May 31, 2005)

Folmann are you Draagen?


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## José Herring (May 31, 2005)

I think that Ned doesn't understand the special relationship we've developed over the last 24hrs.

I assume that HP means Harry Potter and where you put it in the sentence makes it read that you think that HP is a joke.

So maybe it's not me who misread it.

:roll: 

Jose


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## Ned Bouhalassa (May 31, 2005)

josejherring said:


> Ned,
> 
> Where were you when he was coming after me yesterday?



Actually, Jose, I was probably not moderating the section where you guys were posting. Please don't be paranoid about me. I don't have any favourites* 

* Except Simon. And King Idiot. And Frederick. And Sharmie. And Patrick. And Scott. And Peter. And choco. And Hans. And Aaron. And Niah. And Jamie. And Sid. And Theo. And Andy B. And Evan. And Luca. And Marsdy. And Alan. And Herman. And Handz. But surely, not Folmann. :roll: 

PPS: :roll:


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## Herman Witkam (May 31, 2005)

Ned Bouhalassa said:


> And Herman.


What kind of privileges does that include? :D


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## Ned Bouhalassa (May 31, 2005)

Oops! :oops: I didn't mean to include you! Sorry...


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## José Herring (May 31, 2005)

Ned Bouhalassa said:


> josejherring said:
> 
> 
> > Ned,
> ...



LOL!!! :lol: 

Jose


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## Herman Witkam (May 31, 2005)

josejherring said:


> Yeah, turns out Shore is a pretty serious composer. Never really knew that before.
> 
> I've never really had a problem with his music. I know a few guys that do,



Yeah - me too. See this thread:

http://vsl.co.at/forum/viewtopic.php?t= ... sc&start=0


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## Herman Witkam (May 31, 2005)

Are you guys just in it for the number of posts or what?


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## Ned Bouhalassa (May 31, 2005)

Don't worry, dear F. You'll join the 'in' club soon. Just make sure that cheque doesn't bounce like last time! :roll:


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## Alex W (May 31, 2005)

dcoscina said:


> choc0thrax said:
> 
> 
> > I've only heard one track from The Thin Red Line (Journey to the line I think) and I almost fell asleep. Can anyone reccomend a really good track from that score?
> ...



Good to see ya sticking up for the Z there dcoscina.


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## choc0thrax (May 31, 2005)

So again, does anyone know a really good track from that score??


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## José Herring (May 31, 2005)

choc0thrax said:


> So again, does anyone know a really good track from that score??



Yeah, the one with the sustain cellos and the big bass drum :wink: 

Jose


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## José Herring (May 31, 2005)

Folmann said:


> Hahahaha... You guyz are funny... Fortunately the majority of human beings don?t agree with you...
> 
> :roll:



Unfortunately the majority of human beings don't even know who the Z man is. He's a film composer and most people are barely aware that films have music. Even people who make films!

Ah, such a lonely life.

Jose


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## dcoscina (May 31, 2005)

Alex W said:


> dcoscina said:
> 
> 
> > Good to see ya sticking up for the Z there dcoscina.



Of course! I happily give credit where credit is due. There is something almost transcendental about Zimmer's Thin Red Line. I think I like it because it allows me to zone out into the ether. There's probably a lot of academics who still would crap over the construction of the music but I think it's well composed and well orchestrated. It's the most natural sounding insofar as the acoustic sections go. And heck, I just plain like it.


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## Alex W (May 31, 2005)

josejherring said:


> Folmann said:
> 
> 
> > Hahahaha... You guyz are funny... Fortunately the majority of human beings don?t agree with you...
> ...



Yeah, but it's a great life. I'm sure Z's happy.

When you think about it, the John Williamses and the Zimmers have the perfect level of fame. They are (for the most part) well respected within their industry and they're bloody rich, but they don't get mobbed (or even recognised) walking down the street. Apart from a goose that shits out golden eggs, what more could ya want?


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## José Herring (May 31, 2005)

Alex W said:


> josejherring said:
> 
> 
> > Folmann said:
> ...



Oh so very true Alex. That's why we're all working so hard at it.

Jose


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## Alex W (May 31, 2005)

dcoscina said:


> Alex W said:
> 
> 
> > Good to see ya sticking up for the Z there dcoscina.
> ...



Yeah well as I said, it's good to see


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## Niah (May 31, 2005)

The Thin Red Line is a totally OBE (Out of Body Experience). One of my favorite films of all time. 
The score is, for a lack of a better word - perfect. It fits like a glove and complements the introspective feel of the film.

I guess great movies make composers write great music.

PS: Choco do yourself a favor and go rent The Thin Redline, you won't get a better experience of the score than that and it's a must-see.


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## Alex W (May 31, 2005)

Niah said:


> The Thin Red Line is a totally OBE (Out of Body Experience). One of my favorite films of all time.
> The score is, for a lack of a better word - perfect. It fits like a glove and complements the introspective feel of the film.
> 
> I guess great movies make composers write great music.
> ...



I agree, inside the movie is where that soundtrack sounds the best.


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## choc0thrax (May 31, 2005)

I had to endure that long ass movie in the theatre when it came out, my friend dragged me to it. I don't really remember anything except was there like some hoboish guy in a hallway or soemthing? I remember trees and grass though, I think there was a lot of that.


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## choc0thrax (May 31, 2005)

Probably me.


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## Alex W (Jun 1, 2005)

Folmann said:


> Thin Red Line "Light" is absolutely stunning. I wonder who really wrote it...



I don't understand, what do you mean by that?


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## Alex W (Jun 1, 2005)

Folmann said:


> I wonder who wrote it. I wonder who orchestrated it. I wonder who really did it.



I would say Hans Zimmer really wrote it.


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## José Herring (Jun 1, 2005)

I would say "Thin Red Line" is the real Zimmer.

Now other stuff. You can never be too sure. But, TRL really sounds like him going back to the old days when he didn't have all the "help". I still think one of the best scores is "Backdraft". That was really him before the factory days and it's a brilliant score. TRL reminds me of that. His subtle yet very emotional and sensitive writing.

I actually think that the sound that people associate with Zimmer isn't really his sound at all. It's the combination of the old crew at media ventures. His sound to me was always very personal and simple before MV. Now that MV is going through internal termoil I'm actually hoping he steps away from all that stuff and returns to that which is closest to his heart.

To tell you the truth I don't think that I've ever heard a "typical" Zimmer score that was written only by him. I think scores like "Backdraft", "Driving Miss Daisy", TRL, "As Good As it Get's" and some of the lighter scores seem to be more to his lighter care free personality. Those big action scores came to him and he found away to make it briliant but I never thought that it was that personal to him or that he was really writing that by himself.

It was his partner Jay Rifkin who called MV a "well oiled machine". And that's what those huge action scores sound like to me. Slick machine music crafted by the hands of many rather than the hand of one composer.

Jose

edit: For the Zimmer fans please send all rotten tomatos to my private email address. Thank you.


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