Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Favorite Film Scores

If this is a redundant thread, I apologize. I couldn't find anything similar with some brief searching. I've been thinking I want some more orchestral-type music, and I was curious what film scores really stand out for you. The easiest is probably Star Wars, which I really should buy sometime again (I don't remember what I did with my previous box set). What others are more than just mood music for you? I was thinking Run Lola Run is up there for me. I should pick up that soundtrack sometime, and I've never really considered myself into techno.

The original Star Wars has to be the best it‘s great as a stand-alone soundtrack but what it does for the movie is simply amazing.

My other favorites are:

Pink Floyd The Wall
Jesus Christ Superstar
Dr Zhivago
2001 A Space Odyssey
Heavy Metal
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Pink Panther
Fantasia
Help!


And lots more . . . .

Man, I haven't seen a lot of those, or if I have, it was too long ago for me to remember. I'm already a borderline hermit, but I should stay in more.

As far as Star Wars, maybe I should try this SACD?:

Great Film Fantasies (Amazon.com)

I like Glory, Jurassic Park, Chocolat, Schindler's List, The Princess Bride.

I remember I bought the soundtrack to Jurassic Park. Also, the original Batman movie soundtrack by Danny Elfman.

The Rock, Crimson Tide, T2. At least, those are the ones I have on my iPod.

Flash Gordon, anyone?

I do really like Flash’s Theme but haven’t heard the rest of the soundtrack outside the movie.

AAAHHHHH! He's a miracle!

Odd. It's the only one of theirs that I never replaced from vinyl.

HELP! Classic of all classics.

Quadraphenia

Semiqualifier?? 10cc's The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
It was written AS the film.

Hated disco, but the BeeGee's were great pop writers...
Sabbath Night Fever.

Haven't seen Platoon for years, but I recall it had some good tunes in it.

It WAS the soundtrack of my late 60's life!

Think we're off mark here. CV's looking for (instert yawn)
orchestral pieces.

off the top of my head...either for listenabilty on their own, or just worked REALLY well with the film.

Dances with Wolves
The Mission
Batman Begins
True Romance

Wizard of Oz?

Leonard Cohen ruined McCabe and Mrs. Miller for me.

Check out scores by Michael Kamen. Like Elfman (Oingo Boingo) he was in a tri-state-based band called New York Rock Ensemble (all four Julliard grads). He just died lsat year. Was very in-demand for a long time in LA

CV and all,

If you or anyone is interested in hearing some exciting orchestral movie scores, look for a CD called "Now, Voyager: Classic Film Scores of Max Steiner." (RCA Victor 0136-2 RG)

Steiner was an Austro-Hungarian who came to Hollywood and scored hundreds of movies, including "Gone With the Wind" and "A Summer Place".

His movie scores are highly melodic, lush, with lots of mood changes. The RCA disc is one of the early CDs re-mixed for Dolby Surround and decodes really well in DPLII, etc.

Besides, Now Voyager, other movie scores on the CD include the original King Kong, The Big Sleep, The Informer, The Fountainhead, Johnny Belinda, Four Wives and Saratoga Trunk. Most of those movies are before my time, but some are great.

Another talented composer for film was Erich Korngold. His score for "The Sea Hawk" was engineered by a friend of mine, the late John Eargle (who wrote the definitive book on studio recording and mike placement.) He engineered the CD specifically for Dolby Surround playback and was one of the earliest such CDs. It's on Delos 3234. Oregon Symphony conducted by James De Priest.

Regards,
Alan

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. I'll have to look into some of these. Alan, it's nice to know about the sound quality of your recommendations. If anyone can verify the quality of the recordings of their favorite soundtracks, that would be great.

Also, I know the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack has come up before. Which was the version to get again?

As for me only looking for orchestral pieces, that's not necessarily true. It's simply what sparked my looking into film scores.

Charles, if you're talking about getting the scores and not the movies themselves, I have a fair number of CDs of soundtrack music which is to some extent of a "classical" nature(maybe the best classical music composed in the last 50 years or so). I'd second Alan's suggestion of the scores of Max Steiner and Erich Korngold, but at this point I'll recommend some of Bernard Herrmann's work. Two fine CDs at the top of the list are his weird/beautiful music for The Day The Earth Stood Still and a collection of excerpts from several scores played by the LA Philharmonic .

Thanks, John. I will check those out.

The soundtrack to Elizabeth: The Golden Age is very good, I caught some of the movie on the history channel this weekend, worth checking out.

Elizabeth Soundtrack

Right after I got my Axioms last year, my daughter's boyfriend made a CD of soundtrack music for me - it was quite good and gave the setup a workout. Two of the movies that I can recall were Pirates of the Carribean and Last of the Mohicans.

Some great ones listed already. I will add a couple more to to the derailment list.

"Black Snake Moan" for the Blues fans.

For some nostalgia, The two "Trainspotting" sound tracks have some great stuff.

Two of my favorites are Amadeus and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Exodus
The Ipress File
Blade Runner
Silent Running
Das Boot
The Godfather
The Graduate
Purple Rain
Gladiator
Battle Star Galactica (the new series)
Rome (HBO series)

Howard Shores Complete Recordings of The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, and Return of the King. Each box set comes with 4 cd's or one dvd with the soundtrack in surround sound.

Indianna Jones Complete Recordings.

Just heard some clips from the HBO Series The Pacific. Sounds good but very solemn.

Oh, and of course, the incredible score to the Last of the Mohicans

Dead on! Times two! Both on my > bakers' dozen list.

Yes, there were several entries from that soundtrack on the CD my #1 daughter's boyfriend made for me......last night #2 daughter had one of her friends over. They were watching me tweak my system and I was listening to their conversation. The friend said she was going to get the soundtrack to "Braveheart". I immediately joined the conversation and was talking about this thread. I can't remember if anyone has mentioned that score - I thought I might try to pick it up on her reco.

I ordered "Last of the Mohicans" and "Braveheart" last night. Any other suggestions along those lines?

Hey argon ... I missed that you had already noted last of the mohicans. Braveheart's score was very good. Then again apocalypse now had a great track which included the doors and wagner.

Anything by Bernard Herrmann or Ennio Morricone.

Thanks, 12. I may try Apoclypse even though I have a couple of Wagner CD's - including Valkyrie.

a little late noticing, but I meant to say The Dark Knight, not Batman Begins.

Being an "80'sMan", I'd have to mention . . .
and

More of a soundtrack collection of songs than a specific score made for a movie, I just had the urge to rock!

For orchestra music, surprisingly X-Men the last stand is very good along with Transformers (the Score). If you're more into alternative or Trance, the Matrix 1/2/3 OSD are pretty good

I don't think it was ever released as an album, but John Paul Hammond's blues soundtrack for Little Big Man was superb.

Did anyone mention the score from "Enemy at the Gates." Great classical score behind the contest between the German and Soviet snipers. Has gravity.

Zardos, a weird movie, definitely not worth seeing and one that Sean Connery probably drinks to forget, but it had a great score ... the magnificent 2nd movement of Beethoven's incomparable 7th Symphony, his best I think.