Intrada Soundtrack Forum

So we've already had the Special collection discussion; the Excalibur really only includes 3 CDs (hard to choose a "best" anyway...) so what about the other main series?

For me by far the best album is Randy Miller's Spartacus. I was blown away, period. Three great themes, excellent orchestrations, epic scale and good performance by a little-known orchestra. I even think it narrowly beats out Yared's rejected Troy as the best film score of 2004! I'm not kidding. And getting it with his very different but still excellent score to Living in Peril (for FIVE BUCKS!) at the same time has really turned me into a Randy Miller fan. The guy has some real versatility.

My second favorite would be the new Echo of Thunder. Great to have a more recent Rosenthal score. The irony of course is that it seems my two favorite Signature collection albums are the two ones that didn't sell out (or haven't yet).

Third favorite would be The Tower. It might beat Echo if it was a full chamber ensemble instead of being mostly synths, but for this score the synths work fine and it's a really good listen.

Next up is The Prodigal. A functional, competent, good score but pretty obviously an early effort from someone who hasn't yet reached potential. I don't find myself listening to it often, but then I don't feel like trading it away either.

Shade...well, I'm not sure "film score" is the right description but it's kinda fun.

And then we come to Last Flight Out -- my only real disappointment. The synths don't work. They sound bad. With a full orchestra, I might rate this three out of five stars but even using my imagination I don't think it's music especially worthy of a release. There are a couple action highlights which are nice to hear but frustrating because they are so flat sounding on synths. The buzz around this was that it was Broughton's equivalent to Under Fire or something like that. In my opinion, it definitely isn't (and I don't care for most of the synths in Under Fire, but I think it's better as music). This is the only one so far I might consider trading for something else.

What do you guys think? I'm definitely looking forward to more!

Yavar

I have not ordered Spartacus (yet?), so i can't judge it, and I haven't had time to play The Echo of Thunder that much, though I could say from the first listen I liked it a lot.

My favorite one certainly is The Prodigal; i lvoe the theme; it's a delightful, light, varied score-- even better one a nice balmy (or even hot) Spring (or even Summer) day.

Next would be Shade & The Tower; the former is a fun score; the latter is really nice.

Last Flight Out surprisingly comes last; it's good, but not my favorite one. It can't compare with Goldsmith's Under Fire, indeed; not that Broughton couldn't write something in the same vein (his Western & space scores are proof of it), but it just didn't turn out the same way, despite possible "ethnic" similarities.
It's not really far behind the others, though; The Echo of Thunder might well surpass it, though. But I'm glad it was released and I got it.

The Signature Collection is a great idea.

It's not much of a vote from me because I have only one Signature Edition so far, but because I love it, I gave my vote to Laurence Rosenthal's score anyway.
I'm not saying the others were/are good/bad ... just didn't get to buy any in time (it's all a matter of priorities).

I was just wondering if Roger or Doug or others involved in the Signature Editions would weigh in on their personal favorites, if it isn't too much like choosing between children.

I must say I'm amazed that I'm the only person to have posted so far about Spartacus. Doesn't anyone else here have it and think highly of it? Maybe not as highly as I do, but still...

I'm gonna gush some more and look like an idiot. Not only do I like Randy Miller's Spartacus more than any other score written in 2004, but I gotta say I much prefer it to Alex North's score to the original classic. The love theme is better (always considered North's Spartacus love theme his most saccharine effort...it's so sickly sweet it gives me a headache), the action music is better (always found North's unexciting), heck, it's amazing that a modern score is so much more lush and epic than one written in the late Golden Age.

Now I don't want to get people's expectations up *too* much if they haven't heard it yet. Go into it with no expectations and be amazed. It's not on my top 10 or even 100 scores of all time. But it's a definite 5 stars or KNOCKOUT! and Doug would say if it wasn't something he released and more people should champion it. I don't remember seeing a single review anywhere though.

Yavar

My favorite is ECHO OF THUNDER. I can never have too much Rosenthal.

I won't vote yet as I'm awaiting the Rosenthal CD.

I have Broughton's Last Flight Out (...if only those bland songs never got recorded!), Shade by Christopher Young and Miller's Spartacus. The Prodigal has never made it on my wish list because I didn't feel I miss something interesting when I listened to the samples. The Tower was gone before I got aware of it being around... Spartacus sounds to me like sophisticated Media Ventures, in other words, I don't like it that much.

Who will make it on the top? I expect Rosenthal to beat them all. Never came accross a dull note of his.

Shade is fine and makes for a good listening, I'm just glad Intrada found a box with some copies in it after the title 'sold out' months before. So I was able to order one for me at last.

IMO the signature series features some releases of interest but I could easily do without them. Somehting I couldn't say about Intrada's excellent Special Collectors Series!!! I think that's what makes the difference between the two series (major vs. minor); but - I suppose Rosenthal's Echo could be major, couldn't it?

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"If music doesn`t sing, or dance, or have an interesting harmonic concept, then it shouldn`t be there at all. A film score should burn with its own fire, not merely glow in the dark like a pretty charcoal." – John Barry, 1972

Well, I wouldn't call Echo of Thunder "major", but I do like it much better than the Heart Like a Wheel Special Collection release.

That one has a few nice bits, but I didn't warm up to it. I wish I'd bought Bring Me the Head of... by Fielding instead.

Sorry you didn't like Spartacus. For me, the only comparison to Media Ventures which is remotely warranted is the ethnic wailing, which yes, there is some...but it doesn't overshadow (or for me, even detract) from the great orchestral writing. Just for me give it another chance and listen to the second to last track.

Yavar

_________________
"If music doesn`t sing, or dance, or have an interesting harmonic concept, then it shouldn`t be there at all. A film score should burn with its own fire, not merely glow in the dark like a pretty charcoal." – John Barry, 1972

Guess I'll fess up and admit to playing SPARTACUS the most. ECHO OF THUNDER comes in second. LAST FLIGHT OUT probably comes after that but I won't swear to it.
--Doug

Well thank God at least SOMEONE agrees with me!

Or maybe Doug and I are both crazy together. Dang it, I can't stand this great score being labelled a Media Ventures wannabe. THIS is the score that Gladiator SHOULD have been!

Yavar

BTW, Doug, why don't you vote for the thing now we've got the poll function set up on the board? I'm still all alone up there with one puny vote!

Randy Miller's SPARTACUS made quite an impression on me. Very well crafted dramatically and musically; I have replayed the score several times. The emotions (what good filmmusic is all about in my mind) associated with the death of his mother while the score was being composed, particularly the elegaic passages, is quite apparent. Similar (only in terms of emotional depth) to the influence of personal tragedy on the writing of John Barry's SOMEWHERE IN TIME and DANCES WITH WOLVES). I also like the symphonic support Miller gave to Kitaro on the latter's HEAVEN AND EARTH score.

I haven't heard ECHOES OF THUNDER, as yet, but it is in the mail and I should have it this week. Laurence Rosenthal has long been an admired composer in my collection, going back to BECKET. The "Gwendolyn" cue, in that score, is a personal favourite.

Bob

Can you recommend other Randy Miller scores to me going from the starting point of this and Living in Peril, which I both like a lot?
Yavar[/quote]

PIRATES OF THE PLAIN is a rousing symphonic score played by the Munich Symphony; I think I got this one from Intrada. HEAVEN AND EARTH contains some original Miller cues. I believe Randy Miller may have also collaborated on some other non-filmmusic Kitaro albums. Sorry I can't help with titles.

Bob