# Let's discuss SOLO by John Powell



## dcoscina (May 30, 2018)

Disclaimer: I haven't seen the film yet, only listened to the soundtrack several times. 

When I initially began listening to this soundtrack, my ears were greeted with The Adventures of Han composed by franchise composer and music demigod John Williams. Nice theme, very much stylistically similar to his recent SW fare. Did it grab me immediately like Rey's Theme? No, not exactly. It is good but didn't knock me out. 

Then I was onto Powell's original work. The first couple cuts were exciting pieces featuring a lot of orchestral fireworks and the franchise staple brass accents but also fused with Powell's contemporary sensibilities. I liked what I heard and it delivered what I expected. But things got busy for me and I had to amend my listening of the entire soundtrack as I had a couple tight composing deadlines myself I had to work against. 

A couple days later, I resumed listening and my experience was totally different. Where I initially had been pleased with how the music sound but slightly ambivalent, tracks from The Marauders Arrive and onward elicited the same enthusiasm and elation that I'd gotten from hearing the original trilogy by Williams. There was still plenty of action writing but thematic writing becomes more omnipresent and the score has a chance to contrast these pulse-pounding moments with quieter dramatic cues like "Lando's Closet". Tracks like "Mine Mission" with its focus on 3 part counterpoint or "L3 and The Millennium Falcon" with one of the most beautiful renditions of the SW main theme display not only a quiet reverence to the franchise musical landscape but balance it with fresh originality. 

I've been a fan of Powell's music ever since I heard Face Off back in 1997 and I'm elated that he landed this assignment. It's a great score and one that actually makes me want to see the film (which I had little interest prior to listening to the music). 

p.s. Powell's love theme is about as great as "Han & Leia" from ESB and infinitely better than Williams' Across the Stars. It's got that sense of classicism married with the harmonic tapestry of the Golden Age era films. It soars without fallen into contrivance or being saccharine. Really lovely stuff.


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## NDRU (May 30, 2018)

Hmm. I have yet to watch the film. But I do suggest, listen to the soundtrack in context of the story and the film.

From my composer perspective, I tend not to discuss anything about it, until I watch the movie with the soundtrack. I am often tempted to listen to the soundtrack prior to watching the movie. Again, very tempted because people said it was food, it was awesome...

Don't get me wrong, it is totally fine to listen to the soundtrack anytime. But I rather watch the movie with the soundtrack. Just to dig the ideas, effort and time the composer put in to make the music work for the scene. 

I recalled Powell mentioned, for his Bourne score... hearing it for the first time, many people flipped, due to the fact it was super minimalistic, even in context to the film. Some 'people' didn't like it. Then again, the prejudice and preferences evolved over time.. Powell, started something really cool, a new genre. He noted that, some of the music aren't even meant for stand-alone listening   it all depends.

Just my few cents. Forgive me for the weird placement of my words.


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## NDRU (May 30, 2018)

I have to apologize, don't take it the wrong way. I am not taking your post in a bad light nor I am discouraging you from what you are doing. I was just chiming it since I read your whole post (like I acknowledge what you have just said). Cheers!


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## dcoscina (May 30, 2018)

anbg90 said:


> I have to apologize, don't take it the wrong way. I am not taking your post in a bad light nor I am discouraging you from what you are doing. I was just chiming it since I read your whole post (like I acknowledge what you have just said). Cheers!


I didn't take it that way. I'm not discouraged by others as to how and why I listen and enjoy the music I do. I was just relating the experience of listening to this particular score and attempted to generate discussion about the music and why people like it.


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## NDRU (May 30, 2018)

dcoscina said:


> I come from an era where film scores were constructed in a way that they imparted the narrative superbly and without the benefit of the listener having had seen the film. I'm not sure if you misunderstood my post but it is very positive IMO. I was just providing a little context. Powell is a great composer, and a favourite of mine. I hadn't intended to infer that there was any bad writing in the score but rather it is such a well crafted one that I can compare it to Williams' original trilogy, a very high compliment as I do not make such comparisons lightly.



Absolutely! I agree that; "where film scores were constructed in a way that they imparted the narrative superbly and without the benefit of the listener having had seen the film". 

I love Powell too!


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## NDRU (May 30, 2018)

dcoscina said:


> I didn't take it that way. I'm not discouraged by others as to how and why I listen and enjoy the music I do. I was just relating the experience of listening to this particular score and attempted to generate discussion about the music and why people like it.


 
Let's get the discussion started! And... I think we just did.


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## NDRU (May 30, 2018)

anbg90 said:


> Let's get the discussion started! And... I think we just did.



TBH, I think what I have commented isn't the point of this discussion. Let's move along.


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## dcoscina (May 30, 2018)

I think it's amazing that he wrote a Bach-styled invention (technically a sinfonia) for Mine Mission. I mean, who the hell does that anymore?


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## NDRU (May 30, 2018)

dcoscina said:


> I think it's amazing that he wrote a Bach-styled invention (technically a sinfonia) for Mine Mission. I mean, who the hell does that anymore?



What we hear from John, is just the tip of the iceberg. My friend worked in John's music team to put up Solo score. It's a team of amazing people!

Here is John talking about Solo in this video.


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## lucianogiacomozzi (May 30, 2018)

I liked the score, it fit the picture well, it evoked the gritty (and tension building) sense of the world of Solo with that sweeping "Star Wars" thematic backbone in every Star Wars theme. Wasn't the best by any means but it was far from the worst!


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## dcoscina (May 30, 2018)

anbg90 said:


> What we hear from John, is just the tip of the iceberg. My friend worked in John's music team to put up Solo score. It's a team of amazing people!
> 
> Here is John talking about Solo in this video.



Yeah I watched this video a couple times. I'd love to interview him but more from the musician end of it. He have an interview years ago where he discussed his career (started with an M1 back in the late 80s if memory serves). I'd also love to hear how he worked with Williams' material which stems from a very different compositional methodology than what most of us employ these days. Because Powell's score has the same dynamism and musical depth as Williams' SW fare. I personally like Powell's themes better than Williams' Han Solo theme. Sorry but I do....


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## Fry777 (May 30, 2018)

dcoscina said:


> I think it's amazing that he wrote a Bach-styled invention (technically a sinfonia) for Mine Mission. I mean, who the hell does that anymore?



Could you elaborate on that please for the non educated people like myself ? 

I really enjoyed the score in the movie, and I've listened to it a few times since, I think John did a great job !


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## dcoscina (May 30, 2018)

Fry777 said:


> Could you elaborate on that please for the non educated people like myself ?
> 
> I really enjoyed the score in the movie, and I've listened to it a few times since, I think John did a great job !


There is a section of this cue where Powell writes in a fugal style where there is a subject and answers playing in counterpoint against one another. You have the trumpets playing, the lower brass and the strings all creating harmony through interweaving lines as opposed to block chords with a melody (homophonic writing). This is also known as polyphonic writing.


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## MPortmann (May 30, 2018)

Enjoyed the movie. Score was great fit for the movie. How much of this movie was score? Not many moments without music. JP is so versatile and skilled. Favorite moments were the action music for the ‘train heist’ and the ‘stealing the unprocessed cosxium’ scenes. 

Still amazing to hear the short JW motifs that we’re dropped in here and there. There’s an old interview from JW on how much time he thought and spent on finding and developing rhythm hooks as much as the melodic hooks.

Fun to hear Darth Vadar theme (think that’s the title?) played over the intercom system in major happy chords rather than minor. The scene where Solo gets transported to become fighter.


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## MPortmann (May 30, 2018)

I didn’t see that JW wrote several of the themes.


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## Architekton (Jun 2, 2018)

I actually find music pretty shallow in Solo...I dont remember a single theme, except the originals from Williams here and there. Pretty forgettable...


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## GtrString (Jun 3, 2018)

Architekton said:


> I actually find music pretty shallow in Solo...I dont remember a single theme, except the originals from Williams here and there. Pretty forgettable...



Haha, but this is a sign that the music is complex and require you to listen more to get in deeper and have it grow on you.

Easy to consume themes, that instantly hits your ear with an unnatural contrast, repeats so they carve into your memory, built on short intervals so it is easy to follow.. is shallow.

I dont know if this is the case in Solo, though, but now you got me curious. Thanks!


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## aaronventure (Jun 3, 2018)

GtrString said:


> Haha, but this is a sign that the music is complex and require you to listen more to get in deeper and have it grow on you.
> 
> Easy to consume themes, that instantly hits your ear with an unnatural contrast, repeats so they carve into your memory, built on short intervals so it is easy to follow.. is shallow.
> 
> I dont know if this is the case in Solo, though, but now you got me curious. Thanks!


No, it's a sign of bad, forgettable music. Come on, man 

Catchy, easy to remember themes are the way to go. Developing them further to keep them interesting is the way to go (and also the hard part). I mean, that's basically what Star Wars music is. Very simple themes that evolve and develop.


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## sinkd (Jun 3, 2018)

Architekton said:


> I actually find music pretty shallow in Solo...I dont remember a single theme, except the originals from Williams here and there. Pretty forgettable...


This was my initial reaction watching the movie as well. I found that the drum loop-style action cues were actually distracting, pulling me out of the experience for a moment... I found my self thinking, "this doesn't sound like Star Wars." But I'm old. And I wonder if the musical universes of Clone Wars and Rebels might be connected. My kids (ages 20 and 17) have both watched all of those series and did not share my opinion, necessarily.


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## AlexanderSchiborr (Jun 3, 2018)

aaronventure said:


> No, it's a sign of bad, forgettable music. Come on, man
> 
> Catchy, easy to remember themes are the way to go. Developing them further to keep them interesting is the way to go (and also the hard part). I mean, that's basically what Star Wars music is. Very simple themes that evolve and develop.



I am with Aaron here. Whilst I have huge respect of both composers, I feel after listening more and more that the themes are most of the time for me not holding up. But to defend JP also a bit: I guess there was also very less time to create the score and while this rush = no quality is symptomatic for more and more movies, someone can´t expect maybe to have such great themes then. I mean _really really great themes_ which John created for SW, but also I.J., JP etc. back then in the days _needed weeks to grow and to shapen_. Such work ethics and things don´t exist (for most of the time) anymore. And so suffers the quality imo also. But I don´t blame the composers at all, more the studios who have often crazy short deadlines.


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## patrick76 (Jun 3, 2018)

Architekton said:


> I actually find music pretty shallow in Solo...I dont remember a single theme, except the originals from Williams here and there. Pretty forgettable...



I'm sorry I don't follow. So are you saying that remembering a theme would make the music not shallow? I get the idea of being able to write a memorable theme and develop it. That's great. A skill worth having certainly. But, to define music as being shallow because it doesn't have a memorable theme I think is just wrong headed. You are missing out on so much great music from having such a needlessly narrow view of how music must be crafted and what it must conform to.


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## Architekton (Jun 4, 2018)

Star Wars is/was and should always be filled out with iconic music themes...which certainly is missing in Solo! Too each his own. In some different movie, maybe this type of music would suit perfectly, but not Star Wars.


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## patrick76 (Jun 4, 2018)

Architekton said:


> Star Wars is/was and should always be filled out with iconic music themes...which certainly is missing in Solo! Too each his own. In some different movie, maybe this type of music would suit perfectly, but not Star Wars.



That's a fair point.


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## Tanuj Tiku (Jun 5, 2018)

No surprises here - John Powell nailed it. But, it is amazing to hear how he moves through Williams's original themes but also the general spirit of Star Wars music yet still injecting his voice in there very clearly. 

This is very unlike Rogue One which is a little boring and very much Giacchino but not Star Wars material. I respect his choice to stick to his own voice but I think it his weakest work so far because the music failed to be the best version of himself as well as not speak the language of Star Wars.

As a contrast, Solo is wonderfully fluent in the language but also adds lots of new thematic material which stands well with the original. I really liked the score and I expected nothing less when I heard he was on board for this film. It is a pity that the film has flopped. May be we won't hear another score form John Powell but I hope we do.


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## dcoscina (Jun 5, 2018)

Tanuj Tiku said:


> No surprises here - John Powell nailed it. But, it is amazing to hear how he moves through Williams's original themes but also the general spirit of Star Wars music yet still injecting his voice in there very clearly.
> 
> This is very unlike Rogue One which is a little boring and very much Giacchino but not Star Wars material. I respect his choice to stick to his own voice but I think it his weakest work so far because the music failed to be the best version of himself as well as not speak the language of Star Wars.
> 
> As a contrast, Solo is wonderfully fluent in the language but also adds lots of new thematic material which stands well with the original. I really liked the score and I expected nothing less when I heard he was on board for this film. It is a pity that the film has flopped. May be we won't hear another score form John Powell but I hope we do.


The score had received very good reviews so I’m sure if Powell is asked he will revisit. I’d be happy if Powell scored episode 9 if Williams can’t compete it for some reason.


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## aaronventure (Jun 5, 2018)

dcoscina said:


> The score had received very good reviews so I’m sure if Powell is asked he will revisit. I’d be happy if Powell scored episode 9 if Williams can’t compete it for some reason.



If anyone else has to, I'd rather Alan Silvestri do it. He wrote no shortage of memorable themes and demonstrated that he can develop them.

I'm also interested in what would Desplat and Morricone do with Star Wars, but that's unlikely to happen :D


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## handz (Oct 1, 2018)

I just saw the movie now and listened to the OST for a few times. 

Well, There are some good tracks, the new love theme is awesome although no way better than across the stars... It has that old-school vibe but not fits the star wars musical language (which ATS do) 


Also it is hard to judge the music as Powells work as most of the time themes from JW are appearing therefore there is no space for originality 

The use of drums driven pieces (which I always found cheap) is not adding to the prestige of the music too, and as someone else said, it does not fit the SW style at all. 

Don't get me wrong, the music itself is a good action music for nowadays standards. If there wasn't so many drums it would be better ✌


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