ToTW 1/31/2010

Track of the Week: "Prologue / The Car Jacking" by Mark Mancina, from Bad Boys



'90's action music ahoy! I told you this weeks ToTW would be different. What particularly separates this main theme from the rest of the Media Ventures fare is reggae-flavored style of the beat, injecting a bit more variation that is usually found in such a score. And that's saying something, given that this was made during the height of popularity of Zimmer-inspired works, thanks to folks like Jerry Bruckheimer. While the rest of the album sticks fairly close to the now famous formula, the main theme stands out for the reasons mentioned above.

 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

Notes on Industry Awards for Soundtracks

The always caustic Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks explains why his site will no longer be covering the big industry awards for soundtracks. Though I haven't done a lot of research into the subject myself, I usually find that I agree with Clemmensen's views, and this is no different.

http://www.filmtracks.com/news/updates.cgi?read=27

 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW 1/24/2010

Track of the Week: "It Takes a Woman" by Hans Zimmer & The Jigs, from An Everlasting Piece



As Zimmer has shown more recently in Sherlock Holmes, he can do quirky and interesting when he feels like it. I absolutely fell in love with this Irish-soaked score: one part traditional jigs and one part rock'n'roll. I particularly like the rolling drumline in this cue, really gets my feet tapping. If you're not a fan of this type of music, well, just tune in next week: I promise I have something from the other end of the spectrum for you.

 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 1/17/2010

Track of the Week: "Gabby Shuffle" by Trevor Rabin, from National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets



While Rabin's work on the first National Treasure stuck close to the Media Ventures formula, his score for the second started to show some more variation around the standard electronic thumping and synth. While "Gabby Shuffle" might not showcase the breadth of differences between the two scores, I like the reprise and variations on the old themes from the original. The whole album is definitely worth a listen.

 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 1/10/2010

Track of the Week: "The Riddle of the Sands" by Howard Blake, from The Riddle of the Sands



This one came on a double album of soundtrack music by Howard Blake, which I was originally getting for the score to The Duellists. I was quickly intrigued by the music to The Riddle of the Sands (one of the very first espionage thrillers), with mysterious female vocals and ethereal strings. The occasional horn figures add a more dangerous feeling into the mix, making this a very potent piece. (By the way, I apologize for the occasional clicking noise in the recording, my laptop and the CD didn't get along very well).

 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

TB Ep. 6: Standard Terms and Appropriation

Track Bits Episode 6: Standard Terms and Appropriation
(Original Completion Date: 1/17/10)

High Quality Link

Track List

Order in Episode. "Track Name", Composer, Film/Album

1. Intro Clip

2. "Spybreak! (Short One)", Propellerheads, The Matrix From and Inspired By

3. "Main Titles", Danny Elfman, Mars Attacks!

4. "Johnny B. Goode", Marty McFly and The Starlighters, Back to the Future From and Inspired By

5. "Rekall Rekall Rekall" (Secret track in "A New Life"), Jerry Goldsmith, Total Recall Deluxe Edition

6. "Veni, Veni Emanuel", Mychael Danna, The Nativity Story

7. "Is there a Place for Us?", Mychael Danna, The Nativity Story

8. "Battle Montage", Basil Poledouris, Farewell to the King

9. "The Orange and the Green", The Grehan Sisters

10. "Johnny Comes Marching Home", Jay Unger et al., Ken Burns Civil War Series

11. "Farewell to a Slav", Patrick Doyle, East-West

12. "Roll Call", Jerry Goldsmith, Small Soldiers

13. "The Gael", Dougie Maclean, The Search

14. "The Kiss", Trevor Jones, The Last of the Mohicans

15. "If I Had Words", Nigel Westlake, Babe

16. "Finale: Maestoso", Camille Saint-Saens, Symphony No. 3 <>

17. "That'll Do, Pig, That'll Do", Nigel Westlake, Babe

18. "Couplets de Folies, 1701", Marin Marais, performed by Jordi Savall

19. "Conquest of Paradise", Vangelis, 1492: Conquest of Paradise

20. Outro Clip

- 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 01/03/2010

Track of the Week: "The County Line" by David Arnold, from Last of the Dogmen



No-one quite does bombast like David Arnold (see The Musketeer), and he doesn't disappoint with the large scale Last of the Dogmen. Sure, there are plenty of quiet and lyrical moments in the score as well, but also plenty of large sound to go along with them. "The County Line" is one of the best cues that's elegant in addition to loud. Fine, fine, I promise to do something quiet and introspective to balance things out later.

 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 12/27/2009

Track of the Week: "Escape from Uruks" by Georges Delerue, from The Black Stallion Returns



I'd heard a bit about Delerue's score to the sequel to The Black Stallion, and so when Intrada announced a limited special edition, I snapped it up immediately. This track features an extended take of the main theme, a very stately piece that seems at odds with the adventurous nature of the story. There's adventure to be had with the rest of the score, mind you, but the elegance of the main theme isn't one to be missed.

 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 12/20/2009

Track of the Week: "Main Titles" by Bruce Broughton, from The Master of Ballantrae



I stumbled upon this one when looking for a review of Tombstone over at Filmtracks, and am happy that I did so. I love swashbuckling scores of all kinds, and the Scottish flair that Broughton gave this one is just icing on the cake for me. The only quibble is the "archival" (i.e., blowing the cobwebs and dust off) sound quality. A fine, adventurous score for a very tragic tale.

 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 12/13/2009

Track of the Week: "The Joust" by Rob Lane, from Merlin Series 2



Like many soundtracks I own, I've never seen the current BBC TV series Merlin. But I was intrigued by the music when Movie Score Media started putting out the soundtracks. The first album had some surprisingly high quality cues that I really enjoyed, though there seemed to be less of them in the second. "The Joust" easily makes up for the rest of the Series 2 album, and remains one of my favorites.


 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

TB Ep. 5: Top 10 Awesome Scores to Crappy Movies

Track Bits Episode 5: Top 10 Awesome Scores to Crappy Movies
(Original Completion Date:  12/12/09)

Higher Quality Link

Track List

Order in Episode. "Track Name", Composer, Film/Album

1. Intro Clip

2. "The Warriors", Jerry Goldsmith, 13th Warrior (expanded)

3. "Land Yacht", Clint Mansell, Sahara

4. "The Train", James Horner, The Legend of Zorro

5. "Crystal Balls", John Powell, Paycheck

6. "The Bubble", James Newton Howard, Waterworld

7. "The Hunt", Jerry Goldsmith, The Final Conflict

8. "Main Title", David Arnold, The Musketeer

9. "A Hero's Welcome, Epilogue", Cliff Eidelman, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery

10. "Main Title/Morgan's Ride", John Debney, Cutthroat Island

11. Outro Clip

- 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 12/06/2009

Track of the Week: "The Dream" by Jerry Goldsmith, from Total Recall



I first heard the title theme to Total Recall on a compilation album conducted by the famous Erich Kunzel, and listened to it so often that by the time I got around to getting the original recording of the soundtrack, the opening track sounded downright sluggish (Kunzel conducted the re-recording a bit faster than the original)! Regardless, Goldsmith's main theme is a powerhouse of a cue, tickling my like of the bombastic. In addition, I think Jerry Goldsmith is the only one who can get away with using synth in a score and not make it feel dated, at least to my ears.

 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 11/29/2009

Track of the Week: "Training Montage" by Michael Kamen, from Highlander



Now I know that most folk think of all the '80's pop tunes when they think "Highlander Soundtrack," but I really enjoy the heroic theme written by Michael Kamen for the rest of the score. There's something baroque about how the theme sounds that, for me, perfectly encapsulates the idea of these centuries-old Immortals and their travails. While the '80s pop now simply make the movie feel dated, Kamen's score still remains timeless. (With apologies to Queen fans)

 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 11/22/2009

Track of the Week: "Charlie's Temptation" by Michael Giacchino, from Lost: Season 2



I initially wrote off Giacchino's work on the second season of Lost, but after watching it a second time was quite taken with Charlie's Theme. Sadly, a more action oriented version of the theme was missing from the album, so this short cue is the best representation I have. I love Giacchino's ability to make memorable little melodic snippets (especially in the minor key, like the cello driven "Journey/Trek" theme that appears in all the seasons). Now if only they'd do an album release of Fringe Season 1, I'd be a real happy camper.

 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 11/15/2009

Track of the Week: "Main Titles" by John Ottman, from Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang



After being recommended this movie by some good friends, I was happy to hear that the soundtrack was also well worth a listen. I find John Ottman's cool, noir stylings similar to William's work for Catch Me If You Can, but less dark and more playful. The Main Titles are an excellent demonstration of the repeated three note motif that permeates the whole album. Very stylish.

 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

TB Ep. 4: Trailer Music and Production Music

Track Bits Episode 4: Trailer Music and Production Music
(Original Completion Date: 11/8/09)

Higher Quality Link

Track List

Order in Episode. "Track Name", Composer, Film/Album

1. Intro Track

2. "The Grand Finale", Danny Elfman, Edward Scissorhands

3. "The Ludlows", James Horner, Legends of the Fall

4. "The World of the Heart - Main Titles", Randy Edelman, Dragonheart

5. "Shawshank Prison (Stoic Theme)", Thomas Newman, The Shawshank Redemption

6. "Dracula - The Beginning", Wojciech Kilar, Bram Stoker's Dracula

7. "Stargate Overture", David Arnold, Stargate

8. "Bishop's Countdown", James Horner, Aliens

9. "Dark Chest of Wonders", Nightwish, Once

10. "Pompeii", E.S. Posthumus, Unearthed

11. "Unstoppable", E.S. Posthumus, ---

12. "Door of Destiny", Klaus Badelt, Extreme Music

13. "Trinity", Jim Dooley, Position Music

14. "Gothic Power", X-Ray Dog, Sit Up and Listen

15. "Here Comes the King", X-Ray Dog, Canis Rex II

16. "Suit Up", X-Ray Dog, Mighty Dog

17. "Pirates Curse", X-Ray Dog, Mighty Dog

18. "Redrum", Immediate Music, ---

19. "Blasphemy", Immediate Music, ---

20. "Blasphemy 2.0", Immediate Music, Themes for Orchestra and Choir

21. "Blasphemous", Immediate Music, Abbey Road

22. "Orchard of Mines", Globus, Epicon

23. Outro Track

- 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 11/08/2009

Track of the Week: "Crime Spree" by Danny Elfman, from Dick Tracy



I loves me some Danny Elfman, so even though his score for Dick Tracy may be rather derivative of his score for Batman, I find it enjoyable nonetheless. One of the stand-out cues from this score is the swingy, jazzy "Crime Spree," full of Elfman's trademark zany-ness. The main theme isn't half bad either, along with the rest of the Gershwin-influenced album ("Tess' Theme" is also one to listen to). If you're any kind of Elfman enthusiast, don't pass this one up!

 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 11/01/2009

Track of the Week: "Main Titles" by Trevor Jones, from Arachnaphobia



As I've said before about Horror, I initially shied away from this when I saw it in the bargain bin. Upon closer inspection, I was surprised to find that the score was composed by Trevor Jones, the master of the majestic. Sure enough, his sweeping orchestral trademarks are all over this Main Theme, making it an enjoyable find, aside from the usual '90s synth. I need to make a note to myself when it comes to my own tastes: stuff by Trever Jones, like stuff by Neil Gaiman, can be bought sight-unseen, and I'll like it.

 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 10/26/2009

Track of the Week: "The Fly II" by Christopher Young, from The Fly II



While Howard Shore's score for the first Fly movie holds the gold standard for "operatic" horror scores, I love the grand sense of dread that Christopher Young's score for the second film instills in me. I've been slowly warming to Young's style of music, in no small part because of the harmonious quality that he gives his Horror scores. I've always been one to shy away from horror on account of it usually being atmospheric and dissonant (Though I tend to find Goldenthal's work more pleasing, go figure). With Young, you get the horror, but you also get very listenable themes. The Fly II is a great place to start.


 - 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

TB Ep. 3: Hans Zimmer and Media Ventures

Track Bits Episode 3: Hans Zimmer and Media Ventures
(Original Completion Date: 10/24/2009) 

Higher Quality Link

Track List

Order in Episode. "Track Name", Composer, Film

1. Intro Track

2. "Burn it All", Hans Zimmer, Backdraft

3. "Too Many Notes - Not Enough Rests", Hans Zimmer, Drop Zone

4. "Mutiny", Hans Zimmer, Crimson Tide

5. "Brothers", Hans Zimmer, Broken Arrow

6. "Finale/End Title", Hans Zimmer, The Peacemaker

7. "Attack", Hans Zimmer, Pearl Harbor

8. "Woad to Ruin", Hans Zimmer, King Arthur

9. "The Lagoon", Hans Zimmer, The Thin Red Line

10. "Earth", Hans Zimmer, Gladiator

11. "CheValiers de Sangreal", Hans Zimmer, The DaVinci Code

12. "Watergate", Hans Zimmer, Frost/Nixon

13. "160 BPM", Hans Zimmer, Angels and Demons

14. "Mark II", Ramin Djawadi, Iron Man

15. "Surrounded", Nick Glennie-Smith, The Man in the Iron Mask

16. "Arrival to Earth", Steve Jablonsky, Transformers

17. "Main Titles", James Dooley, Pushing Dasies

18. "Rush Hour", Mark Mancina, Speed

19. "Entering Airport", ibid.

20. "The Gorillas", Mark Mancina, Tarzan

21. "5 Words", Trevor Rabin, Armageddon

22. "Armageddon Suite", ibid.

23. "Preparation Montage", Trevor Rabin, National Treasure

24. "Growing Stronger", Trevor Rabin, The One

25. "The Rescue", Trevor Rabin, The Great Raid

26. "'We Were Never Free'", Richard Harvey, Animal Farm

27. "Kyrie for the Magdalene", Richard Harvey, The DaVinci Code

28. "He's a Pirate", Klaus Badelt, Pirates of the Caribbean

29. "Godspeed", Klaus Badelt, The Time Machine

30. "Come Back", Klaus Badelt, The Promise

31. "Bim Bam Smash", John Powell, The Bourne Supremacy

32. "Hog Chase Part 2", John Powell, Paycheck

33. "The Jump Off", John Powell, Jumper

34. "Bathroom Titles", John Powell, X-3: X-Men United

35. "Ibelin", Harry Gregson-Williams, Kingdom of Heaven

36. "Heroics", Harry Gregson-Williams, Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas

37. "Training Montage", Harry Gregson-Williams, Spy Game

38. "Raid on the Castle", Harry Gregson-Williams, Prince Caspian

39. "The Gravel Road", James Newton Howard, The Village

40. "The Egg Travels", James Newton Howard, Dinosaur

41. "Deacon's Speech", James Newton Howard, Waterworld

42. "The Great Eatlon", James Newton Howard, Lady in the Water

43-44. "Rock House Jail", Hans Zimmer, Nick Glennie-Smith and Harry Gregson-Williams, The Rock

45. "Coal Yard Part 2", Trevor Rabin and Harry Gregson-Williams, Enemy of the State

46. "Free Ferry", Trevor Rabin and Harry Gregson-Williams, Enemy of the State

47. "Building the Crate", John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams, Chicken Run

48. "Harvey Two-Face", Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, The Dark Knight

49. "Like a Dog Chasing Cars", Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, The Dark Knight

50. Outro Music

- 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

Of all the Nerve...

So, I was planning on using Blogger's handy-dandy video uploader for my Track of the Week entries, and got two of the posts up before I realized that the videos were no longer running. Confused, I decided to wait for a day and see what happened, but still no dice when I checked back in 24 hours later.

I really had to dig through Google's/Blogger's FAQ in order to get to the bottom of things, but long story short, they've disabled video uploading. I knew something was weird when I went to the Google Video portion of my account and found that clicking on "Upload" produced an error message. It wasn't until I clicked on the link talking about "Why is my video blocked" that the "We are no longer offering uploads" message appeared.

And they annoying part? The Video Upload function still appears to "work"! I can still "upload" videos to a blog post (goes through the "processing" phase and everything), but once it's all done, no amount of clicking on any of the player buttons does anything. Admittedly, this is part of the "old" post editor (the video is missing on the new one), but still! Google could have done a better job of notifying people about the change.

So, I ended up creating a new YouTube account in order to host all my videos. Things should be running smoothly in the next day or two.

 - 'Till Next Time Soundtrack Fans!

TB Ep. 2: Hornerisms and Rejected Scores

Track Bits Episode 2: Hornerisms and Rejected Scores
(Original Completion Date: 10/20/2009)

Higher Quality Link

Track List

Order in Episode. "Track Title", Composer, Movie

1. Intro Clip

2. "Main Titles", James Horner, Aliens

3. "The Mine (Montero's Vision)", James Horner, The Mask of Zorro

4. "The Train", James Horner, The Legend of Zorro

5. "Coast Guard Rescue", James Horner, The Perfect Storm

6. "Futile Escape", James Horner, Aliens

7. "Kirk's Explosive Reply", James Horner, Star Trek II

8. "Wolfen on Wall Street", James Horner, Wolfen

9. "Surprise Attack", James Horner, Star Trek II

10. "The Rescue/Discovery of the Great Valley", James Horner, The Land Before Time

11. "Elora Dannon", James Horner, Willow

12. "Coast Guard Rescue", James Horner, The Perfect Storm

13. "A Change of Heart", James Horner, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

14. "Achilles Leads the Myrmidons", James Horner, Troy

15. "D-Day Battle", Gabriel Yared, Troy

16. "Hector's Death", James Horner, Troy

17. "Achilles & Hector Fight", Gabriel Yared, Troy

18. "Main Titles", Danny Elfman, Planet of the Apes

19. "The 13th Warrior", Graeme Revell, 13th Warrior/Eaters of the Dead

20. "Old Bagdad", Jerry Goldsmith, The 13th Warrior

21. "The Fire Dragon", Graeme Revell, 13th Warrior/Eaters of the Dead

22. "The Fire Dragon", Jerry Goldsmith, The 13th Warrior

23. "The Wendol's Revenge", Graeme Revell, 13th Warrior/Eaters of the Dead

24. "Viking Victory", Jerry Goldsmith, 13th Warrior

25. Outro Clip

- 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 10/19/2009

Track of the Week: "Riding Contest (Butch Meets Sundance)" by Basil Poledouris, from The Legend of Butch and Sundance



One of Basil Poledouris' last scores, I particularly like the the Wild West sensibility about this one, in the vein of Deadwood, Tombstone, and Firefly. This track is just the rambunctious theme in all it's playful glory. If you happen to like a very traditional sound, be sure to seek this one out.

- 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

ToTW Catch Up: 10/12/2009

Track of the Week: "Stand By Your Man," Marco Beltrami, Hellboy



This track manages to encapsulate all you need to know about the soundtrack to the first Hellboy Movie. It starts out with a spooky melody on the Theremin (a rarity these days), launches into an awesome heroic march and variation on the main theme, and finishes with a quiet rendition of the theme with an electronic bass plunking out the rhythm. Exotic oddity, epic orchestral, and "cool" undertones: "Hellboy" distilled.

- 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

TB Ep. 1: Plagiarism and Temp Tracks

Track Bits Episode 1: Plagiarism and Temp Tracks
(Original Completion Date: Mid-October, 2009)



Higher Quality Link

Track List:

Order in episode. "Track Title", Composer, Movie

(Note, "ibid." means "same as the previous")

1. Intro Clip
2. "Revenge Wheel", Eliot Goldenthal, Titus
3. "Swing Rave", ibid.
4. "Pickled Heads", ibid.
5. "Victorius Titus", ibid.
6. "Finale", ibid.
7. "Returns a King", Tyler Bates, 300
8. "Victorius Titus", Eliot Goldenthal, Titus
9. Overlay 1
10. "Remember Us", Tyler Bates, 300
11. "Finale", Eliot Goldenthal, Titus
12. Overlay 2
13. "Crusaders", Harry Gregson-Williams, Kingdom of Heaven
14. "Rise a Knight", ibid.
15. "Valhalla", Jerry Goldsmith, 13th Warrior
16. Audio Mix from Kingdom of Heaven
17. Outro Clip


- 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!

Hello, Good Evening, and Welcome!

Greetings, Everyone!

So here it is, a separate site for Track Bits and any other soundtrack-related thing that may be of interest. For the moment, there are two things I want to do here:

1. Track Bits: the main attraction. My podcasts that attempt to be informative and interesting at the same time, hopefully you'll walk away from them entertained and a little bit more knowledgeable.

2. Track of the Week: the in-betweens. I collect soundtracks on a fairly regular basis, so I figure I can fill in the time between podcasts with tracks that I'm currently listening to, plus a small smattering of text commentary.

For the rest of January and some of February, I plan on doing a "Catch Up" series of TotW covering the time between the first episode of Track Bits and the present. It shouldn't be too long, as Track Bits began in October. Hopefully TotW will be easier to do than TB, but we'll see how it goes.

- 'Till Next Time, Soundtrack Fans!