Intrada Soundtrack Forum

Not that these composers have never done anything worth a darn But for the most part they just don't seem to find their way into you film score collection very often. Who are they?

John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith.

No sarcasm or humor intended.

They're legendary, seemingly untouchable and above all criticism, they've done plenty worth a darn and then some, but all of the praise and hero worship they've received over the decades has fallen completely on deaf ears with me, because I've never responded to their music much if at all.

I remember Williams' many themes for the usual fan favorites like Star Wars, but I cannot call myself a fan of his music. It's something I've never had any connection to at all.

With the exception of his Star Trek scores and The 'Burbs (love that barking dog effect), I also have no connection or response to Goldsmith's music either.

Do I dislike them? Not at all because it's not about liking or disliking anything. I get why they're so popular and they deserve all the accolades and acclaim they've ever gotten. It's simply not my thing.

There is so much dull, uninspired, flat film music in so many run of the mill productions; I could not tell you, who my least favorite composer is, because I do not pay much attention to the kind of music that I don't like. I prefer to remember the names of those I do like.

John Barry, Dave Grusin.
Within the films themselves the music doesn't bother me at all, but i've tried numerous times to listen to their music on its own and i've been left cold each time.

Alex North, but then again Cleopatra is one of my top ten favorite scores, but nothing else of his does anything for me, not even Spartacus.

Bernard Finklestein

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"I used to worry about losing my mind. Now that I've lost it I don't worry about it anymore." -Wavy Gravy

The two composers that come to mind for me are Hans Zimmer and Randy Newman. Zimmer music sounds to cookie cutter and generic like a lot of today's scores. The only score I have purchased that has anything to do with R. Newman is "The Three Amigos", all his other stuff just does nothing for me.

I'll say Hans Zimmer as well, along with James Horner and Danny Elfman, although Elfman's re-recording of Bernard Herrmann's Psycho is the best of all re-recordings of Psycho and a personal favorite. Joel McNeely never fails to bore the hell out of me, his re-recording of Psycho is almost painful to listen to, just sounds so dull and emotionless.

And to the OP, who are your least favorite composers?

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"I used to worry about losing my mind. Now that I've lost it I don't worry about it anymore." -Wavy Gravy

Kind of on a limb here since I work in this industry but... that said, for established composers that have been around the block a few times, there are three that I just never could get excited about: George Fenton, Richard Robbins and Carl Davis, although the latter does have some things I admire. But otherwise these three write quality music that rarely stirs my blood.

Of the newer breed, almost all of them just sound like carbon copies of whatever the flavor of the week is. The results are frequently bland, tuneless, harmonically repetitive, mostly uninspired... albeit certainly percussive, if not with mostly sampled percussion. Even those who write for full orchestra somehow manage to create scores that mostly sound generic and synthesized. No particular names come to mind because I have somewhat tuned them out.
--Doug

I nominate Doug for the position of DIPLOMAT OF THE WORLD!!!

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I-love-Goldsmith, yes-I-do...
I-love-Ber-nard-Herr-mann-too! EVERYBODY SING!!!

Hans Zimmer.

There was one cue I liked by him, and I generally didn't "hate" the stuff in "The Lion King".
I've been a frequent basher of his work over the years. People assume I just do that and have never listened to any of it. On the contrary, I've given him chances on multiple scores, over the years, new and old. In my opinion, you can't say you hate something unless you've heard some of it and can back that personal claim up.

"Batman Begins"
"Inception"
"Rain Man"
"Pirates of the Carribean"
"Black Hawk Down"
"Black Rain"
"The Thin Red Line"
and others. All this was either bad, terrible, or a musical bowel movement.


Atli Orvarrson.

A few weeks ago when LLLR announced a score release by him, I decided I should give hi ma fair shot and listen to a bunch of samples at his website. I loved one cue, but hated every single other film/TV project on there, except another which was okay. I had to stop many cues before I was even half-way in.

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"Questions are a burden to others; answers a prison for oneself"
"Unlike me, many of you have accepted the situation of your imprisonment and will die here like rotten cabbages."
"Everyone votes for a dictator."
THE PRISONER

I'm just glad that Doug did not affirm the pick of the supremely talented Dave Grusin. I am eagerly awaiting for his work to reach the Intrada label for the first time.

I have some choice remarks for NICK, but I shall remain mute.

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Robert M Eastman

A certain someone has some "choice remarks" for me.

The last time he had choice remarks for me and wasn't mute, Mr. Fake had to temporarily ban him from here.

Notice how I don't have anything negative to say about Williams or Goldsmith, just that I don't respond to their music.

It's funny, he could've responded a whole different way - offering a list of classics or his own personal favorites and demand I listen to them, defying me to claim they don't resonate and we might get along fine talking about what this board is all about: the music.

Then again we have the reality.

For anyone to have "choice remarks" about a personal opinion that does not offend, that does not criticize, that is not negative speaks volumes about who they are, the amount of respect, decency and maturity they clearly lack to even consider my obviously harmless opinion to be just that, and is just plain sad that they have nothing better to do with their time than to attack - or threaten to attack in this case - others on a messageboard for answering an honest question without any ill will intended whatsoever.


If this year has taught me anything, it's that the so-called internet bullies and trolls don't matter, and I've seen far more of them in the film music realm than literally anywhere else. I wish I were exaggerating. What they have to say - mute or otherwise - does not matter in the long run because it is a reflection of them, not me or anyone else they vent their anger on. Nameless, faceless, and ultimately pointless.

I'd assume it's real-world frustration taken online where anonymity is a free pass for them to take those frustrations on others with no real-world repercussions. All they need is the flimsiest of excuses.

Some of us are adults here....some.

I'll play some "Jurassic Park" and the first Goldsmith score I can think of that's not a "Star Trek" score since I readily and easily enjoy those, just for the man who has some choice remarks.


Good evening, gentlemen.

You are something else!! My Gawd, I could blast the heck out of you, however?. This is my final statement regarding the great Mr Nick(Teraupon). For your info I only read the first sentence of your looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooogh response. you are not worth a second of my time and I'm going to put you on ignore. Teerupon you are also on ignore at FSM, does that bother you?? HaHa

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Robert M Eastman