Category: Film Score Friday Top 5

Film Score Friday Top 5: “Star Trek” cues or themes

Posted on by filmscore80

So part two of Film Score Friday Top 5’s homage to Star Trek is my Top 5 choices for individual cues or themes (with themes here being identifiable character/group of characters theme).  So with that said…onward, ever upward (forward, never backward).

1. “Klingon Battle” from Star Trek: The Motion Picture– Jerry Goldsmith:  How could I not put this one on top?  Not only is it one of my favorite cues, but Goldsmith’s music for the Klingon’s has come to define the warrior race.  Goldsmith himself reused the rocking open fifth horn call in his later scores, and the theme can even be heard in the television scores occasionally.  And even when it wasn’t directly quoted, the overall aural effect of the cue is invoked.  Good case in point is James Horner’s music for the Klingon’s in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.  And speaking of Horner…

2. “Surprise Attack” from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan by James Horner:  My love for Horner’s Khan score was already stated last week, and after the Main Title, this cue stands out in my mind next.  Alternating between the ominous music for Khan and the Reliant and the more hopeful Kirk and the Enterprise sound truly ramps up the tension.  As Khan puts it, they’re “one big happy fleet!”  But my favorite moment might be one that is my first conscious memory of a music-sound-sync point when Spock is pointing out on a bridge screen the damaged portions of the ship after Khan’s attack and as he points to each blinking light, it is accompanied by a low trombone note.  It may seem corny on the surface, but even now, it really seems just perfect.  Listening to just the cue, I know exactly when those notes are coming.

3. “The Ritual Ancient Battle” from “Amok Time,” Star Trek by Gerald Fried:  Also know as the music when Kirk fights Spock, or just Kirk fighting anyone, or simply, “dun dun dunn dunn dunn dunn dun dun dum dun!”  This might be the most recognizable piece of music from the original Trek series, but it got its start in “Amok Time” as the music for the ritual fight between Kirk and Spock, as Spock is trying to work through his Pon Farr rage (you know…Vulcans only do it every 7 years, and if they don’t…bad things).  The cue, though, proved so good, that it was made into a stock cue for most subsequent fight scenes in the series.  Maybe this clip will help jog you’re memory if you still can’t hear it:

4. “The Cloud” from Star Trek: The Motion Picture by Jerry Goldsmith:  “Two cues from Motion Picture?” you’re asking yourself.  Yes.  I’m doing this for a few reasons, but mainly to drive home a point:  say what you will about the relative quality of this film – personally I think it’s underrated, especially the Director’s Cut – but Jerry’s score is really top notch.  His music here for the Enterprise’s first encounterwith the V’ger is a great ambient track with arppegiated harp notes and some of Goldsmith’s trademark electronic sounds.  In a recent episode of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, the main characters (all nerds) are debating what is the worst Trek film, either Star Trek V or The Motion Picture.  One of them makes the argument that Motion Picture is worse because “it fails across the board: art direction, costuming, music, sound editing.”  Ya, I just about punched my computer screen when I heard that (yes, a physical response directed against a visual device, when the offending media was aural).  If there is one level on which The Motion Picture does NOT fail…it is music.  Bringing us to…

5. “Crash-Whale Fugue” from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Homeby Leonard Rosenman:  I was not actually really sure what to put here, but I really did not want to put another Goldsmith cue, but when he’s score 5 of the current 10 films, he’s hard to avoid.  I really do like Rosenman’s cue here for the penultimate scene of the film.  It shows a great care and detail for not just making a good cue, but also a good piece of music.  Runner up cues from this film go to his two chase cues for Chekov on the aircraft carrier and the escape from the hospital.

Well there it is, and while I’m not sold on the five spot, there are so many great musical moments from the films and shows (I almost put Ron Jones’ cue from the very end of “The Best of Both Worlds, Part I” in that spot), I will stand by these choices.

Next Week: Top 5 film scores (Will Giacchino make the list?)

Film Score Friday Top 5: ‘Star Trek’ Title Themes

Posted on by filmscore80

In honor of the new Star Trek film coming out in two weeks, the next few Film Score Friday Top 5’s will be about all things musical having to do with Roddenberry’s vision of the future.  In the first of three, I postulate the question of best title themes, coming from ether film or TV.  But if anybody says the title song to Enterprise, your commenting privileges are revoked!  (Okay, not really, but damn if I don’t hate that song!)

#1) Main Title to The Motion Picture/Star Trek: The Next Generation – Jerry Goldsmith:  As iconic as the The Original Series theme is, I gotta give it up to Jerry here.  I don’t know where my childhood would have been without this theme.

#2) Theme to Star Trek – Alexander Courage:  You knew I couldn’t put this any further down the list, right?  From the 60s fabulous singers on “Ah” to the classic ascending minor seventh that is “Space…the final frontier,” and is subsequently part of almost every theme up until Deep Space Nine, this theme got so much right.

#3) Main Title from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – James Horner:  Horner’s Khan score is yet another reason I fell in love with film music as a kid.  His title starts with the minor seventh motive (played over those wonderful string harmonics), but quickly goes into his unique score that sets the aural tone for Khan and Search for Spock.  And while the more I hear Horner’s music, the more I hear just how much he recycles himself (more than I think is really acceptable, even with time constraints), nothing can even diminish the Khan score in my mind.

#4) Overture from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country– Cliff Eidelman:  I don’t really know why I really like this one so much, but perhaps it is just how dark it is, starting with low strings, then trombone, English horn, low voices…it is all so ominous.  When it really gets going, it almost sounds like ‘Mars’ from The Planets.  I just really enjoy it.  It also helps that, in my humble opinion, VI is one of the stronger Trek films.

#5) Title theme from Star Trek: Voyager – Jerry Goldsmith:  I was torn between putting either the DS9 or Voyager theme here, and while the DS9 theme really signaled a drastic shift in musical tone for the series, ultimately I went with Voyager because it retains much of that shift (more somber, less adventure), while also conveying the exploration aspect of the show and the longing of the stranded crew.

Next Week: Top 5 musical cues and charcter themes (You bet the Klingons make the cut! Qapla’!)

Film Score Friday Top 5: Superhero Scores

Posted on by filmscore80

So I’m going to start a hopefully weekly segment here at The Temp Track.  Based  on the Film Score Monthly website’s weekly “Film Score Friday,” I will select some “theme” and pick my favorite five scores to fit it.  The idea here is to actually spur some dialogue with you, the readers, as you comment with your favorites.  I also hope that I will learn of some scores to listen to, as I am still learning and listening, trying to educate myself.

First, some rules: it does not have to just film scores, I plan on including as much tv and video game music as possible (this is unless, of course, I stipulate the medium, i.e. TV Themes).  Second:  I’m not saying that these are “the best,” but rather just my favorites.  Lastly, if a composer does multiple films in a series within the theme, I’ll choose only one of the scores, and a tv series counts as only one entry.

With today’s theme of superhero scores, I have defined the genre as one in which a character has extraordinary ability (either natural or aided by tech), and uses it for the betterment of society.  The characters need not be ones that first appeared in comics (i.e. The Incredibles), but also, a film that is an adaptation of a comic/graphic novel necessarily a superhero film, etc (i.e. 300).

So without further adieu, my Top 5 Superhero Scores:

1. Superman: The Movie – John Williams: What can be said that hasn’t already?  The Superman March is so iconic that Bryan Singer instructed John Ottman to use it in Superman Returns.  If anything, the score itself has actually outdone the films, as the franchise has had exactly 2 good films (with 3/4 of it coming from the Richard Donner material of Superman II and the other quarter coming from the plane rescue in Returns).  For me, the best cue is actually is “The Planet Krypton,” with its slow addition of instruments, building from a solo trumpet to full ensemble.  It reminds me of a Strauss-ian sunrise.  Part of reason I actually went to see Returns was because of this cue’s use in one of the trailers.

2. The Incredibles – Michael Giacchino: What do you get when you cross the music of James Bond with superheroes?  You get the score for The Incredibles.  Using spy-tinged guitars with Giacchino’s signature jazz/rock infused orchestral style, the score captures the spirit of the film perfectly.  I particularly like the cue when Mr. Incredible discovers what “Kronos” is and the scene cuts back and forth between him and his wife discovering that he has been sneaking out and using his powers.  It was at that moment that I became a Giacchino fan.

3. Batman Returns – Danny Elfman: I could have easily selected the first film’s score, but I really prefer the dark, cold tone of Returns, especially the Penguin’s theme – creepy and sad all at once.  Also the addition of Elfman’s signature untexted children’s chorus really makes this score stand-out in my mind.

4. The Dark Knight – Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard: I could of filled out this list with all Batman scores.  Between Elfman, Goldenthal, Zimmer/Howard, and the scores for Batman: The Animated Series, Batman is the comic character who has translated best into film/tv and music (with the exception of the Joel Schumacher films, great scores, terrible films).  With Dark Knight the stand out elements are the new themes for Joker and Harvey Dent/Two-Face, with the cue “Watch the World Burn” on the album being a favorite (and at one point reminding me of the ‘Allegretto’ of Beethoven’s Seventh).

5. Spider-Man – Danny Elfman:  I really struggled with this slot, becuase I couldn’t really think of another stand-out score in my mind.  I like Elfman’s work here, but since I’m not a huge fan of the film, and since I have yet to really listen to the score on its own, it is hard to separate the two.  But after watching the film again the other night, I feel confident in placing the score in the fifth spot.

So there you have it, my top 5.  Please comment, tell me yours, give me suggestions of scores to list to.  I want to encourage discussion in the comments section.

Next week: TBD