Favorite (non-John Williams) movie score.

Basil Poledouris "Conan the Barbarian"

 

Danny Elfman - "Batman", "Batman Returns", "Edward Scissorhands"

Trevor Jones - "Last of the Mohicans", "From Hell"

Elliot Goldenthal - "Interview With The Vampire"

Basil Poledouris - "Conan The Barbarian"

Craig Armstrong - "Plunkett and Macleane", "The Bone Collector"

 

I love Jerry Goldsmith's score for Star Trek: TMP (as bad as many things are in that film), but lately I'd have to go with The Lord Of The Rings scores. The Breaking Of The Fellowship is probably my favorite non-Williams cue.

(And yes, I like the singing on the soundtrack. )

 

"And yes, I like the singing on the soundtrack."

I love you.

 

The 'Mulholland Drive' score by Angelo Badalamenti is probably my favourite.

 

Man, I still can't figure that movie out. So was "Betty" the dream persona and "Diane" the real one? Because if so, that's pretty depressing.

 

Willow James Horner
Cutthroat Island John Debney
Stargate David Arnold
Independence Day David Arnold
Young Sherlock Holmes Bruce Broughton
The Rescuers Down Under Bruce Broughton
Miracle on 34th Street Bruce Broughton
Lost in Space Bruce Broughton
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan James Horner
Apollo 13 James Horner
The Land Before Time James Horner
The Rocketeer James Horner
The Matrix Don Davis
The Prince of Egypt Hans Zimmer
Batman Danny Elfman
Edward Scissorhands Danny Elfman
Dick Tracy Danny Elfman
Rudy Jerry Goldsmith
Lawrence of Arabia Maurice Jarre
Gone With the Wind Max Steiner
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Max Steiner
Casablanca Max Steiner
It?s a Wonderful Life Dimitri Tiomkin
Back to the Future Alan Silvestri
The Mummy Returns Alan Silvestri
Who Framed Roger Rabbit Alan Silvestri
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Shirley Walker
The Phantom Jerry Goldsmith
Galaxy Quest David Newman
The Sandlot David Newman
The Goonies Dave Grusin
The Hunt for Red October Basil Poledouris
Free Willy Basil Poledouris
Lassie Basil Poledouris
Toy Story Randy Newman
Toy Story 2 Randy Newman
A Bug?s Life Randy Newman
Monsters, Inc. Randy Newman
Dragonheart Randy Edelman
The Great Escape Bernard Herrman

 

Willow. I don't have the willow soundtrack, but I have a compilation CD with the willow theme on it, and I love it! I also like The Princess Bride soundtrack and Braveheart.

 

JOHN BARRY:
The Living Daylights
Somewhere In Time
Robin & Marian
The Betsy (crap movie, great score)

BASIL POLEDOURIS:
Conan the Barbarian
Quigley Down Under
Under Siege 2 (another crap movie with a great score)

ENNIO MORRICONE:
The Mission

MAX STEINER:
The Adventures of Don Juan (this score was also used in Zorro, the Gay Blade)

WOIJCIECH KILAR:
Portrait of a Lady
Bram Stoker's Dracula

WOLFGANG KORNGOLD:
The Sea Hawk

JERRY GOLDSMITH:
All the Damien movies!

THOMAS NEWMAN:
Little Women

GEORGE CLINTON:
Austin Powers (not given its due because it's so damn silly)

RAYMOND LEPPARD:
Alfred the Great (This movie can't be found on video and its score can't be found either. I taped it off of AMC. If you can find it, check it out. It's worth it -the score I mean. The movie is OK, but kind of hokey.)

 

Quincy Jones turned in a fine score for "Mackennas Gold".....

 

my favorite has to be the theme to batman. While in college I had to take a music appreciation class, and on the first day the professor plays the opening theme, and I like every other guy was pumped.

 

Another brief list off the top of my head:

ST2:Wrath of Khan (Horner)
The Mummy (Goldsmith)
Aliens (Horner)
Atlantis (James Newton Howard)
Independance Day (Arnold)
LotR:Fellowship of the Ring (Shore)
Conan the Barbarian (Poledouris sp?)
ST:TMP (Goldsmith)
Batman (Elfman)
Young Sherlock Holmes (Broughton)
Dark Crystal (Jones)

There are more, but this is all I can think of right now, and I'm not sitting where I can see my CD collection.

 

James Newton Howard did three incredible scores back to back to back with the Disney films Dinosaur, Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet. It's unfortunate that all three of those films are very underrated.

 

GEORGE CLINTON:
Austin Powers (not given its due because it's so damn silly)

yes, I agree... no one really realizes the great score in Austin Powers...



My other favs would have to be James Bond and The Lion King (< underrated)

 

Danny Elfman:
-------------
Batman
Batman Returns
Edward Scissorhands
Sleepy Hollow
Spider-Man
Red Dragon

Hans Zimmer & Co:
-----------------
Gladiator
Pearl Harbor
Hannibal
Prince of Egypt
The Lion King (he did only the score)
Man in the Iron Mask
The Rock

Howard Shore:
-------------
The Fly
Silence of the Lambs
LOTR 1 & 2 (and I'm sure 3)

Christopher Young:
------------------
Hellraiser
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
The Fly II
Bless the Child

Trevor Jones:
-------------
Last of the Mohicans
From Hell

and more, oh, and Conan the Barbarian by Poledouris, the epitome of EPIC

(what's the point of these lists, as if anybody reads them...)

 

I do. I'm always looking for those great gems of film scoring that I've somehow missed.

 

I'd just be repeating most of the entires if I listed my favorite non-JW scores, but there a re few missing from those listed:

Endless Summer II, Gary Hoey. It's not a scroe in the traditional sense (with an orchestra), but is more of a rock & roll score with electric guitars, drums, and bass. He even does a duet with the master Dick Dale in a rendition of Dick Dale's Shake and Stomp (appropriately titled Shake and Stop Part Two).

The Crow and The Crow: City of Angels, by Graeme Revell. All I can say is wow. The scores are so packed with emotions, raging from love to hate, from hope to fear and dispair and they not only compliment the movies, but in many ways the original comic book. The inclusion of a more latinesque flavor in the City of Angels compliments the original work easily and the returning themes do not feel old and overused (take note Horner).

Miami Vice: The Complete Collection Jan Hammer. Even though much of the music is electronic in nature, Jan Hammer's work on the TV show was simply amazing. He said he scored each show as if it were a stand alone one hour movie and I think it shows in his work. The range of Hammer's talent is evident in how the music is used not only to set mood, but to define character. Some tracks show warmth, some show humor, some show the darker side, but none are just filler and the same three notes over and over. Even when he reuses a peice of work, he makes it sound fresh and lively (Crockett's Theme versus Crockett's Return for example). This music never gets old.

Liberty: The American Revolution Mark O'Connor. This was the score to the PBS documentary from a few years back and it is wonderful. It ranges from folksy, with O'Connor's violin and fiddle work (and James Taylor singing "Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier") to small chamber music to full blown orchastal peices. For those so interested Yo-Yo Ma contributes to the score with his cello. The first and last track on the CD are renditions of an original piece "Song of the Liberty Bell" that is simply amazing and touches me like few other peices of music.

 

I liked Batman, The Battlestar Galactica theme, and Superman.

 

I liked Batman, The Battlestar Galactica theme, and Superman

John Williams did Superman, look at the thread title, sheesh...people these days...



back on topic I've also recently taken a liking to The Scorpion King

 

The Scorpion King! This is the heavy metal equivalent in Score Land! Not very good, but very enjoyable!

 

The Fellowship Theme from Lord of the Rings.

 

Not enough people have mentioned James Newton Howard and his many excellent scores in this thread. His Signs is one of the very best scores I've heard in a long time. It rivals Jaws in it's simple, repeticious, memorable theme and builds on itself until the final two breathtaking tracks.

I do enjoy James Horner to a degree, despite his tendencies to rip off himself and others. His older work is much better than the cookie cutter crap he releases these days. The Land Before Time remains Horner's best score, IMO, and is one of the most beautiful scores I've ever heard.

Jerry Goldsmith is a composer on par with Williams as one of the best out there. His Rudy score is the best sports films score out there and brings me nearly to tears every time I pop it into the CD player.

And Danny Elfman. Ah, Danny Elfman. Too many excellent scores to mention. There's Batman, Batman Returns (which I prefer over the original), Edward Scissorhands, Spider-Man, etc. They are all excellent scores. But his best remains to be The Nightmare Before Christmas. Some call it too kiddy or childish, but I think it is amazing and I marvel at the Elfman's immense talents on display every time I listen to it. The fact that the man composed the music AND performed vocals on the score is a testament to his amazing talents as a composer.

 

Predator. Who but Silvesrtry knew that a conga triplet could be so suspenseful.

Also, James Horner's "Alien". You know it's a good score because the music alone give you the creeps. Try listening to it in the dark. *shudder*

On another note, one of my favorite melody lines is the title them for "Cast Away". It's quite moving.

 

They definitely will have to be...

Gladiator
Lord of the Rings Trilogy(awesome)
Armageddon
Movies with James Horner

But I sure love John Williams Music!