Intrada Soundtrack Forum

11/1/08

A post scriptum. I decided to spend more time with QUANTUM OF SOLACE. In fact, instead of eating left-over Halloween candy, I gave Arnold's music a really good third listen.

Okay. I'm right back where I was.

I just can't get past the thought that action music - and this score certainly qualifies - is now becoming faceless. There's plenty of energy and rhythm. Plenty of notes, too. But darn if the film makers held the reins too tight or something. Arnold never gets to bust loose with themes. The action music is all just energy.

I really think James Bond action music is best when the composer - be it Barry or whoever - gets alongside the guy and goes into action with him. Not when its buried somewhere underneath all the noise. (These explosive sound mixes are a messy factor but that's for another time.) George and I were talking back in the mailroom yesterday (in between Jeff's enthusiastic playing of INDIANA JONES music) about how different the Bond scores had now become in comparison to the very stuff Jeff was playing. Maybe this is nothing terribly profound or whatever but the Indy music sounded like Indy music. You knew who was running around in the middle of things. But the new Bond score just couldn't keep up.

I'm not saying all action music has to have a theme. Goldsmith wrote arguably the greatest action music in history without necessarily using his themes but... let's face it. He built his action stuff from incredible motifs to begin with and made everything cohesive.

This is probably one of those topics that just brings in everything including the kitchen sink. But I think James Bond is an icon. He's been smashing villains on screen for some forty-five years and off screen for even more! So I hold his musical support to pretty high standards. And basically - on QUANTUM OF SOLACE - those standards weren't met. I want my James Bond music to be iconic. I want it in the foreground. (Selfish me.) Whatever. There's something just not quite right when I can take the latest James Bond score and simply plug it into the latest BOURNE IDENTITY installment and my kids wouldn't notice. Come on. 007 used to have a theme. It was always so. Just think of the trailers. In fact, after FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, the guy even had two themes!

Now he's got none.

11/5/08

On Obama, Bond songs and Michael Crichton.

My congratulations to the American people for helping bring about needed change in Washington. Me thinks we've made a great choice.

After ragging on the latest James Bond score, here's my coda - after which, I'll just see the new movie as soon as I can like I always do with James Bond movies and just let the score be. Anyway, random thoughts on Bond songs. My best and my not best.

I'm a fan of just about all of them. But my favs are admittedly old-fashioned. GOLDFINGER. It's both a title song and the center piece of John Barry's score. They even make room for the James Bond theme in the middle of it, too. Bond songs don't get any better than that. I'm also big on LICENCE TO KILL. I don't hear people bring this one up often but it wows me. Another one with a great melody and harmonic scheme is A VIEW TO A KILL. In the other direction, many fans are down on DIE ANOTHER DAY. I'm sort of neutral. It's okay. Starts cool with those scorpion images on screen and whatnot. But I can't help thinking the recording is full of drop outs! I understand the engineering gimmick, I just don't care for it. But I like the chopping synthesized string figures and the tune well enough. So I guess I'm okay with this one.

Where I break most ranks is probably with LIVE AND LET DIE. I like Paul McCartney and all but I don't like the tune. Yep. It's brazen enough for Bond but I just can't stand it. It's the only Bond song I hate. Oh, well. As they say, that's what makes horseraces.

And it's sad to hear this morning of the passing of Michael Crichton. He lost a battle with cancer yesterday, on the same day we elected Obama as President. Cancer takes so many people away from us. Crichton was both a great writer and a respected filmmaker. He had incredible success with composers, too. Williams and Goldsmith top the list, of course.

Farewell, Mr. Crichton. And say hello to Jerry when you get up there.

11/15/08

Time moves fast. Every two weeks seems to be a blur lately. Anyway, we're maintaining our rhythm with new music to offer every other Tuesday. Which means two new Intrada CDs are being released this coming Tuesday (the 18th).

One's by a composer new to our label - but not the music business. Witness his many soundtrack albums over the years. We've just turned one of his really classic ones into a CD for the first time! The other's a world premiere from one of our best friends in the scoring industry. We've released a lot of his music before, no doubt we'll release more of it in the future.

And speaking of releases, thanks to some licensing breakthroughs, some of the stuff we have coming up in 2009 will be - in a word - spectacular things you never thought you'd get to own. Okay, that's more like 9 words... but who's counting?

11/28/08

If you've got room after turkey for more music, we'll have 2 new releases on Tuesday, December 2. Hopefully you'll have room, of course. The CDs coming in are pretty cool. One's a 2-CD set, with a pair of 20th Century-Fox scores from a composer known pretty much as the king of film composers. The set boasts two scores representing some of the best he's written for this particular genre. And the price is reasonably attractive, too. Golly. Great music and great value at the same time!

The other CD offers a complete presentation of a score we've visited in the past only with highlights. In addition to being complete, it's been newly remixed and remastered from MGM's actual multi-track session elements for the first time, too! It may come from the 1970's but it sounds as crisp and dynamic as if it came from today. Think of it as part of a series we've been doing with this most fascinating and complex of composers and you'll no doubt want to add it to your set!

In fact, December's a busy month for us with several other releases as well. Due on the 16th are three titles. One literally ranks amongst the most-requested 1980's titles we've ever had. The other two are certainly worthy of consideration as well, premiering colorful Latin-flavored music by an all-time top honored composer and horror music by one of the genre's more popular composers. I can't say these two CDs have much in common beyond the Intrada brand and the good music contained therein. But maybe that'll be enough to whet your appetite.

And if the above isn't enough to keep you busy, we're also bringing you an exceptional symphonic score that William ross penned for Universal's big animation movie opening on Christmas day. THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX not only boasts a huge cast of famous actors supplying voice talent but it also has one of the most exciting and emotionally rich orchestral scores ever to grace an animated film. Really. This project's keeping us extra busy since we're actively working with Universal on marketing schedules and whatnot. The score was recorded by a massive group with veteran Armin Steiner in the booth. Rest assured Ross' orchestral splendor and detail has been vividly captured. Nearly an hour of it!

So it should be a month where there's something for everyone - and maybe even everything for someone, too!