James Horner

What's your opinion on this guy? It seems most score fans either love his stuff or hate it with a vengeance - no middle ground. Do you like some of his stuff or do you want to have him hanged for using the theme from Shindler's List in Enemy at the Gates?

 

I love him for Braveheart

I want to see him hanged and sliced into pieces for Titanic

 

do you want to have him hanged for using the theme from Shindler's List in Enemy at the Gates?

Well, technically he didn't. It's an old Russian Folk Song which both Williams and Horner were perfectly entitled to use.

I do like some of his stuff. Willow stands out (which he nicked from Schumann's 'Rhenish' Symphony). Not a big fan of his Star Trek contribution. All in all, he's not in my top 5, but he has my respect

 

For any interested, oft-requested Commando is being released by Varese CD club next month.

 

This guy did Land Before Time, right?

I love the soundtrack for LBT.

 

He did the score for Titanic, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Patton, and the music from the new Disney's California Adventure Ride 'Soaring over California' and also did 'A Perfect Storm'. He's a GREAT composer!

 

Jerry Goldsmith did Patton, and I'm fairly certain Tora! Tora! Tora! was done by someone else (not Horner).

Horner is Ok, but he is a little too repetative in his work. Bits of the Star Trek II/III score ends up in everything he does. In that respect he is a little too one-trick-ponyish. Plus, I think his work (when he tries to get away from the Star Trek/Aliens type music) is boring and unnoticable (think Windtalkers). It's kind of a damned if he does, damned if he doesn't thing. He's either recycling from himself, other composers, or is completely forgettable.

 

Ack! You're right. Sorry, I get that mixed up because it's bundled with Tora!Tora!Tora! a lot of the time. Patton was done by Jerry Goldsmith.

 

Goldsmith did both Tora and Patton, I believe.

And LAND BEFORE TIME is indeed Horner, and it's one of his finest. A wonderful sister score to Willow, except better.

 

Personally, I think Goldsmith is a lot better. Horner tries too hard to do 'heavy' stuff, but can't quite pull it off. Goldsmith is a lighter writer (ooh, that rhymes), and does it brilliantly. He's a nice chap too. I met him at the Royal Premiere of Star Trek: First Contact

 

From what little I've heard of Goldsmith, I'm really not much of a fan of his. I only own Star Trek: The Motion Picture, but the stuff I've heard of his on compilations has never done anything for me. I'm about to pick up Total Recall Deluxe and Poltergeist just to give him another chance before giving up on him entirely.

I'm a fan of Horner's "punchier" scores -- Star Trek, Aliens, Rocketeer, LBT and so forth -- more than his more recent stuff.

 

I think Glory is some of his best work.

 

I'm with Mastadge on this one. I love "The Rocketeer," for one. "The Zeppelin" is, hands down, one of the greatest action climax cues of all time. It's thrilling and exciting and intense just about the whole time, and the end of it is just flat out cool ("The Zeppelin" and the "End Credits" track)! I wish he would make a return to his old ST II/III style. Of course, he hasn't really done any of those kinds of films lately.

 

There is one thing that baffles me: Krull. Everywhere, perfect ratings. Wonderful music, Horner's best, et cetera, et cetera. So I finally track down a copy, and: I can't stand it. It doesn't bore me or excite me, but it repulses me. Don't like it at all.

 

There is one thing that baffles me: Krull. Everywhere, perfect ratings. Wonderful music, Horner's best, et cetera, et cetera. So I finally track down a copy, and: I can't stand it. It doesn't bore me or excite me, but it repulses me. Don't like it at all.

Wow. I absolutely love that soundtrack. It doesn't have to be your favorite but you say you can't stand it?

 

"Wolfen" was a very lovely Horner score....

 

For reference, here's the original James Horner discussion thread. It is locked, so discussion can continue here.

 

I like his earlier work, like ST2, ST3 and Aliens. Rocketeer is also a good one. I do wish he had scored ST6 though. I like Eidelmann's score, but Horner would have included his wonderful main title theme again. Oh well.

 

I'll always respect James Horner for his Braveheart score. That score is magnificent.

I also liked his scores for Aliens, Willow, and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

I didn't like his music for Enemy at the Gates, though. It sounded too much like many of his previous works (most notably Willow and Braveheart).

 

I like his work for Krull, Willow, Glory, Titanic, Braveheart, the Land Before Time, Cocoon, Aliens, and An American Tail.

Project X has a nice theme too. But it has too many similar elements to other scores. Same with Enemy At the Gates. He does that alot with his scores.

 

I love the Glory soundtrack. Beautiful, haunting stuff. I also liked Legends of the Fall, Apollo 13 and even, God help me, the portrait theme from Titanic. To me, he's #2 on my list, behind to John Williams.

 

I used to be absolutely fanatical about James Horner, but nowadays, I have finally given in; All of his critics are 100% correct, the guy can't write anything anymore without raiding his back catalogue for ideas. Star Trek, Aliens, Krull, Willow, Rocketeer, Glory... Those were the days. I haven't bought a Horner score in years, and every time I hear anything of his new work, I am reminded why.

I was listening to Streaming Soundtracks a while back, and a Horner track came on, and I thought "Hmmm, I know this one... Which score is it from? I can't quite place it... It's on the tip of my tongue..." It turned out to be a track from The Four Feathers, a score that, up until that point, I had never ever heard before. It goes beyond similar techniques, orchestrations, writing styles... The guy wholesale rips himself off and passes it off as "original music", which is a real shame, because some of his past scores have been nothing short of magnificent. I just wish the right project would come along and wake him up.

 

I'll always appreciate his score for Aliens.
Especially "Bishop's Countdown".

 

His battle music in ST2-Wrath of Khan is some of my favorite movie music.



I thought he did Last of the Mohicans soundtrack but I guess it's not him. That is a fantastic soundtrack.

 

I think Braveheart is my all time favorite Horner score. Deep Impact and Mask of Zorro are up there too.