Intrada Soundtrack Forum

For me Elfman's Themes are far more superior than the Zimmer/Newton Howard scores.

Last year I visited a Live soundtrack concert.
Among the movies represented was Elfman's Batman (1989), The last theme before the end credits + the Main Title was performed along with music from none other than Goldsmith's ALIEN.

Like "Kellogs Frosties" Tony The Tiger says,
-It Sounded GREAT....

If it were my poll I'd list Shirley Walker and Danny Elfman separately. Elfman's work on the Tim Burton films maybe have been what Walker was tasked to emulate in the animated series but she soon made the show's music very much her own. This would be abundantly clear if some enterprising record label would leap the legal boundaries with a single bound (sorry, wrong hero) and put out a lovely bat-signal-adorned box set!

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Karl Morton IV

"Enjoy every sandwich."
-- Warren Zevon

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Shirley Walker's main theme for Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is the ultimate Batman theme for me. Elfman's scores are a bit too fantastical in terms of orchestration, Goldenthal's was similar, and Zimmer/Howard's contributions were less than spectacular.

A lot of people have been raving about The Dark Knight but aside from the Joker sound and the Harvey Dent theme, a great deal of music is regurgitated and rearranged from Batman Begins (a far superior and more heroic score).

For me, the two Nolan Batman films are by far the best Batman movies ever made, and their scores suit their movies extremely well, so I am somewhat partial to these scores. It's not the kind of in your face orchestral superhero music, but there's a dark and agressive, industrial and urban sound to it, the sound of Gotham City.

Overall, all these composers did a very good job capturing at what they were after. Elliot Goldenthal's scores, for example, are excellent, even Batman & Robin; it wasn't Goldenthal's fault that the movie had a hopelessly miscast George Clooney as "Batman" and was basically an expensive throwback to the Adam West TV series.

My favorite soundtrack cue of all these films may be "Harvey Two Face" from The Dark Knight.

What the Nolan Batman movies lacked, were the themes...
Themes that Elfman put to Batman, Williams put to Superman, Indiana Jones etc, Goldsmith to Rambo, hell even Elfmans Spiderman had one, but Zimmer/Howard do not...
Sure Begins and Dark Knight are good to listen to, but afterwards easily forgettable (Like most of the latter Romote Controll products)

Elfman/Walker wins by a longshot even if I liked that Nolan got a new approach with his Batman. I loved the Chase theme in Batman Begins but compared to Elfmans Descent into Mystery, it bleaks in comparision

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I actually voted for Neal Hefti because if you play any Batman music to regular people who aren`t film music experts like us I guess that Hefti`s Theme is the one that most people recognize. So that is why I voted for Neal Hefti. Because when I read Anakin McFly`s original post I feel that the question has nothing to do with what I LIKE THE BEST but rather who made the MOST RECOGNIZABLE Batman sound/music.

But that doesn`t mean that Hefti`s Theme (music) is the best one in my ears. I however must say that I like Danny Elfman`s Batman music the best. With Shirley Walker`s contribution (as a Batman composer) on a close second.

But then again, Neal Heftis main title did go Batman duh duh duh duh duh duh duh Batman...while Elfmans didnt have any singing...
I think that does it but only for the old-timers that grew up on that show back then...The teens and pre 25 year-olds havent seen that lame show, and even if I grew up on it, I still say that Elfman embodies Batman in his music more so without the singing...
ofcourse that is only a matter of opinion...

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I´VE COME HERE TO DRINK COCONUTS AND *censour*...AND I´M ALL OUT OF COCONUTS...

I´m a dirt merchant and a figure of your imagination

i disagree, JNH and Zimmer had an obvious theme for batman. that string arpeggio motif thingy. It's quite pleasnat to listen to, too.