50 Greatest Soundtracks Poll- Rings tops list... again! (1 Viewer)

[Rob Gillespie]

Matt, gotta say I don't *quite* get the thing about the Mohicans score. It's a nice tune for sure, but it seems there's only ONE tune throughout the entire film.

 

[DeeF]

I couldn't answer a poll considering the greatest soundtrack.

But I think the greatest movie score must be Vertigo, by Bernard Herrmann, particularly vibrant in its stereo recreation (restoration by Robert Harris of the film).

Most Underrated Score: The Best Years Of Our Lives, by Hugo Friedhofer, a fantastically well-made piece.

Most Influential Score: Psycho, by Bernard Herrmann, set up thrillers and horror movies for years to come with screeching strings

Most Overrated Score: Either of Jarre's for Lawrence of Arabia, or Dr. Zhivago, talk about boring repetition! And the themes are banal to the point of nausea.

Most Overrated John Williams score: Jurassic Park, with that drippy theme in the middle. Also, John needs to stop so much repetition, too. Harry Potter is wildly overrated, as well.

Best John Williams score (next to E.T.): Born on the Fourth of July, with runner up, A.I. Artificial Intelligence

 

[Marvin Richardson]

It's a nice tune for sure, but it seems there's only ONE tune throughout the entire film.

But it was composed by two different composers. There are two distinct feels to the music for lack of a better word. Of course they only mentioned Trevor Jones and not Randy Edelman.
My list would have been completely different, and just as maligned by others.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Any listing of greatest film scores that can actually have the nerve to include *any* James "anvil-clanker" Horner scores (and, in this case, two!) and none by Herrmann is automatically invalid.

 

[Tim Glover]

LOTR is a great score. TTT is one that has really grown on me. The film scores that serve the film the best to me are the ones that remain my favorites.

Certainly, all the various Star Wars episodes have been great and each have their signature piece. LOTR does too.

I think Rudy is another underrated soundtrack too, as is Pearl Harbor. PH is bit repetative though.

 

[Marvin Richardson]

On a side note, does anyone know the scoop on why Lucas hasn't been using Williams' scores as recorded in Episode II? There was a lot of music on the Episode II CD that didn't make it into the movie.

 

[Holadem]

I believe this happens more often than not.

--
H

 

[DeeF]

Hey, Holadem, are you in New York or Connecticut?

 

[Steve Christou]

the nerve to include *any* James "anvil-clanker" Horner scores

Hey come on, Horner has done some really good scores in the past 20 years, he got a bit too syrupy for my taste in the 90's, but he did some fine music in the 80's...
Glory, Star Trek II, Krull, Cocoon, Aliens, Field of Dreams etc.
The Rocketeer was my favorite of his from the 90's, a superb score.
Also great were Braveheart, Apollo 13 and Mask of Zorro.

 

[Brandon_T]

My personal favorite is from the Superman movie, but that is just me, and it isn't even in the top 50.

BT

 

[Dalton]

My personal favorite is from the Superman movie, but that is just me, and it isn't even in the top

I definelty agree that Superman should of been in there. I think it is better than many of William's other scores that made the list.

 

[george kaplan]

Well extending it beyond the traditional score, then the list is even worse with the omission of A Hard Day's Night. :frowning:

 

[Bill Huelbig]

Peter Apruzzese said:

Any listing of greatest film scores that can actually have the nerve to include *any* James "anvil-clanker" Horner scores (and, in this case, two!) and none by Herrmann is automatically invalid.

I agree 100%. I guess Herrmann's scores are too good to appear on such a list. They even got their John Williams priorities wrong: HARRY POTTER instead of SUPERMAN, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS or JAWS??

--Bill

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

I agree pretty much with everything that has been said. As a Hitchcock fan, the absence of Herrmann is criminal, and the inclusion of Harry Potter (one of William's more uninspired high-profile scores) is an embarrassment.

Should LOTR be number 1 - No, but it is a damn good score and does deserve to be very high on the list.

Most disturbing to me was:

34. The World is Not Enough, David Arnold

 

[Steve Christou]

Most disturbing to me was:

34. The World is Not Enough, David Arnold

yup I know it should have been:

34. Tomorrow Never Dies, David Arnold


You guys are quite correct, if the list doesn't happen to include your favorites than it's automatically invalid.

John William's Superman the Movie and Close Encounters are two of his greatest scores and should have been up there, oh well.

 

[Bill Huelbig]

Leaving Herrmann out is like compiling a list of the greatest English-language plays and leaving off anything by Shakespeare.

--Bill

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Hey come on, Horner has done some really good scores in the past 20 years, he got a bit too syrupy for my taste in the 90's, but he did some fine music in the 80's... Glory, Star Trek II, Krull, Cocoon, Aliens, Field of Dreams etc.
The Rocketeer was my favorite of his from the 90's, a superb score.
Also great were Braveheart, Apollo 13 and Mask of Zorro.

Frankly, those are some of his worst offenders.

Wrath of Khan is just plain bad tuneless mush and Krull is a re-write of the same music. Glory is Carmina Burana without the class, Cocoon is Day the Earth Stood Still without the talent, Aliens clanks anvils endlessly for dramatic effect, Field of Dreams is ok in the movie, The Rocketeer sounds like Cocoon and Khan with even sloppier playing and conducting, Braveheart was okay except for the choir bits, Mask of Zorro I've never seen or heard, and Apollo 13 doesn't hurt the movie, but doesn't help it, either, when the heavenly angels from Glory start singing at the end.

I don't like Horner's music, can you tell?

 

[Gary->dee]

I like Horner's score for Wrath of Khan. Very robust, energetic and somber in the right places. IMO he hit all the right notes considering that he followed Jerry Goldsmith's wonderful score for the first movie, which I think was a tough act to follow.

 

[Steve Christou]

Leaving Herrmann out is like compiling a list of the greatest English-language plays and leaving off anything by Shakespeare.

Ok so they managed to poll 44,000 people who simply weren't interested in Herrmann's music, or don't listen to him in the car, these things happen. It's a poll of radio listeners not an academic polling of film music devotees, which would most likely produce an entirely different top 50.

I do most of my soundtrack listening in my car on the way to work, mostly Goldsmith, Williams, Barry, Poledouris, Morricone.

In my opinion Bernard Herrmann IS the greatest film composer of them all, but outside of the films themselves I rarely listen to his soundtracks on their own.
Jerry Goldsmith by far is my most listened to film composer and the most prolific in my 400+ soundtrack collection.

 

[Marvin Richardson]

I'm far more concerned by what is in the list (Harry Potter, The World Is Not Enough...etc.)than what isn't, but that might just be me.

To give everyone another list to tear apart, here's my top 50 soundtracks of all time in no particular order.

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence - John Williams
Akira - Shoji Yamashiro
Alien - Jerry Goldsmith
Alien³ - Elliot Goldenthal
Ben-Hur - Miklós Rózsa
Blade Runner - Vangelis
Braveheart - James Horner
The Bridge On The River Kwai - Malcolm Arnold
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind - John Williams
Conan The Barbarian - Basil Poledouris
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial - John Williams
Edward Scissorhands - Danny Elfman
Excalibur - Trevor Jones
Le Fabuleux Destin D'Amélie Poulain (Amélie) - Yann Tiersen
Glory - James Horner
The Godfather - Nino Rota
The Godfather Part II - Nino Rota
The Great Escape - Elmer Bernstein
Interview With The Vampire - Elliot Goldenthal
Jaws - John Williams
Jurassic Park - John Williams
Kôkaku Kidôtai (Ghost In The Shell) - Kenji Kawai
Lawrence Of Arabia - Maurice Jarre
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring - Howard Shore
The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers - Howard Shore
Minority Report - John Williams
Mononoke-hime (Princess Mononoke) - Joe Hisaishi
Mulholland Drive - Angelo Badalamenti
North By Northwest - Bernard Herrmann
The Omen - Jerry Goldsmith
Patton - Jerry Goldsmith
Poltergeist - Jerry Goldsmith
Psycho - Bernard Herrmann
Raiders Of The Lost Ark - John Williams
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom - John Williams
Schindler's List - John Williams
Se7en - Howard Shore
Sen To Chihiro No Kamikakushi (Spirited Away) - Joe Hisaishi
Spartacus - Alex North
Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Jerry Goldsmith
Star Wars - John Williams
Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi - John Williams
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - John Williams
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace - John Williams
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones - John Williams
Superman: The Movie - John Williams
Titanic - James Horner
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me - Angelo Badalamenti
The Untouchables - Ennio Morricone
Vertigo - Bernard Herrmann

There...pick away!