Movie Soundtracks and Their Composers

Our moderator Richard Hernandez13 unfortunately closed down that fascinating thread regarding "The Greatest Film Composers!"—so, film buffs and audiophiles, let's get this conversation started all over again.

I would kindly ask Fleming to refrain from participating here; we aren't looking for your input, and frankly, you brought this situation upon yourself.

Additionally, I’d suggest that Richard Hernandez13 directs his particular management style toward a different forum instead.

Yeah, Richard Hernandez13 is definitely quick to pull the trigger on people... Now he's claiming everyone's just dogpiling the composers over "Kate & Leopold." Honestly, we could've just ignored Fleming since he's the one who stirred up this whole mess in the first place.
Anyway, we can always just start from scratch (and maybe toss in a few soundtracks that weren't even originally meant for the movies).

These are those tracks that just stick with you, even years later.
The score from Titanic by James Horner—specifically Rose and "Take her to sea, mr. murdoch."

Such a brilliant mind. I'm not sure about the composer's name, but this piece is called "Kaleidoscope of mathematics."

And pass it on! Like Pay It Forward (starring Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment, and Helen Hunt), where Thomas Newman - Possibility was composed.

All three of these are absolute classics.

No movie is ever going to top the musical brilliance of Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta and... (I can't recall the other one)
Man, those were the days.
Or even Hair.
You guys absolutely have to see them. I actually cried tears of joy watching...
Modern movies just can't compete with those classics.

It’s honestly hard to find an American who hasn't listened to "Saturday Night Fever" more times than I have... 😍 Open Sesame!!! 🙏

Sandra Ruiz43 said:Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta and... (can't recall the name)

Olivia Newton-John?🙂

Killer soundtrack, though—"Ocean's Eleven".

There is one cult classic soundtrack that I am certain everyone here holds dear, even if it has slipped from your conscious mind lately...

Klaus Doldinger - Das Boot

🙏 🙏

northernotter3 said:There’s this cult classic soundtrack that I bet you all love, even if you've totally forgotten about it...

Klaus Doldinger - Das Boot

🙏 🙏

Das Boot... that one is sacred! 🙂 More than ten years ago, I was hanging out at my best friend's place listening to techno—it was pretty fresh back then, and he had a massive collection. We both agreed that the absolute best track was Das Boot by U96! That song is legendary. It’s been remixed a bunch of times since, though personally, I think the radio version is the winner—I doubt you guys have heard it, but it has that specific alarm sound and that moment where everyone starts shouting:
1998 (if I recall correctly): Area 51 - honestly a killer cover, the production is top-notch
2000: U96 - Das Boot 2001 - a refreshed version with plenty of remixes (the standard Radio mix and the Schiller remix are solid)
2003: Wavetraxx - Das Boot 2003 - maybe a bit overdone (they kind of butchered the main melody), but it's got great energy

Anyway... Das Boot is an eternal track. Even though I'm a huge techno/electro fanatic, Doldinger's original gives me actual chills—in a good way 😉—the track just has real "depth." Ever since the first time I heard the techno version of Das Boot and realized it was actually from a movie, I've wanted to sit down and watch the whole thing... still haven't gotten around to finishing it...

One of my personal favorites, if not the absolute best, has to be RoboCop 1—you really have to pay attention to the score in that movie. It’s incredible, so emotional, and it carries the plot perfectly... And here's the best part! You can download the entire RoboCop 1 (and even 2 and 3) soundtrack right here! The composer (who did the music for RoboCop 1 and 3) is Basil Poledouris—if anyone knows if he scored any other films, let me know.

dustycanyon6 said:I honestly think the radio version of Das Boot is the absolute best way to experience it—though I have a feeling most of you probably haven't even heard it.

😂 😂 😂

I wonder if anyone else remembers... back in 1992, I first got into techno because of that one track. I was just a kid at the time, but I can honestly say I was one of the very first people in my city to really start diving into the techno scene. I can say it with pride today—I was listening to techno when 99% of people in America didn't even know it existed.

And it’s all thanks to that brilliant film *Das Boot* and its absolutely fascinating soundtrack...

Max, if you haven't done it yet, just go ahead and grab that soundtrack on CD—I promise you won't regret it, I guarantee it. 👍 🙏

dustycanyon6 said:Does anyone happen to know if Basil Poledouris composed the soundtrack for any other films? If you have any info, please let me know.

🙏 Basil Poledouris 🙏

I brought him up about ten days ago in that discussion about film composers that Richard Hernandez13 ended up closing. You know how it goes, Max—Richard can just shut down a thread whenever he decides he doesn't like the way my "little guys" are chatting.

I’m truly glad you brought up Basil Poledouris, because it felt like nobody else was really picking up on my mention of such a legendary figure in film scoring.
He certainly composed the scores for RoboCop, Starship Troopers, and several other films, but I truly first discovered his work and fell in love with it because of that monumental soundtrack from The Hunt for Red October. Along with that specific score, I’d really have to highlight his music for the Conan movies; Poledouris did such an incredible job there. Honestly, those soundtracks are just brilliant—in many ways, they're actually better than the films themselves. 😁

P.S. — Basil Poledouris actually composed an anthem for the Olympic Games as well!

northernotter3 said:😂 😂 😂

So, have we heard...

I think we might be talking about two different things here! All I remember is seeing a version on one of those old cassette tapes labeled as "Radio"—and no, it wasn't that standard *Das Boot* melody. I’m pretty sure it didn't even come out until around 1993, right around the same time as *Love Sees no Colour* by U96...

I first got hooked on techno back in '92 because of that one track... I was just a kid then. Honestly, I was one of the very first people in my hometown to even touch the genre. I can say it with total pride now—I was spinning techno while 99% of Americans didn't even know it existed yet...

I remember back in high school, my English teacher mentioned that "sad" techno actually stems from the avant-garde scene... and here I was, already deep into it for years! Man... where does that leave us? This whole forum seems absolutely packed with rockers and whatever else, but us electronic music heads? Nowhere to be found...

dustycanyon6 said:I have a feeling we might be talking about two different things here!

Yeah... I can see why you're confused... maybe I wasn't being as clear as I should have been.
But regardless, I actually have the "album" version, the "radio" edit, the "classic" cut, the "original" take, the single by Doldinger, and even the single by U96... 😁

dustycanyon6 said:Man... where did we end up? This whole forum seems packed with rockers and whatnot, but you can't find any electronic music fans anywhere...

Don't let it get you down... I wouldn't exactly call myself an "electronic music expert" either, though I was listening to techno heavily from 1992 through 1996.
Those really were the golden years...

Anyway, enough about that. At the end of the day, this thread is meant to be about film scores.

THOMAS NEWMAN!!!
He is easily my favorite among the more recent film composers out there. He did the score for "American Beauty", "Road to Perdition", "Pay It Forward", and even the "Six Feet Under" series.

I’m also quite fond of what Lisa Gerrard from Dead Can Dance teamed up with Ridley Scott's go-to guy, Hans Zimmer, to pull off for "Gladiator". It definitely leans into that Vangelis vibe—especially that stuff he composed for "Conquest of Paradise"—but it works incredibly well. If I recall correctly, that same duo also handled the music for Mission: Impossible. They've done plenty of other beautiful work, but for me, the "Gladiator" score takes the prize.

Of course, we can't leave Vangelis out of this conversation. I mean, "Blade Runner," right? It almost reminds me of those musical interlude lulls you get on local public TV stations because constantly they just loop music straight from a DVD during those mindless segments...

On a different note, I was absolutely floored by that collection of soundtrack tracks—specifically all that bluegrass-country goodness in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"...

northernotter3 said:The moderator, Richard Hernandez13, shut down that fascinating thread "The Greatest Film Composers!"—so, film buffs and audiophiles, let's start from scratch.

I’d appreciate it if Fleming stayed away from this discussion. We aren't looking for your input here, and frankly, you brought this on yourself.

Furthermore, I suggest Richard Hernandez13 takes his moderation tactics elsewhere.

I've always been a fan of Marc Beltrami's work (Mimic, Scream 1,2,3, Resident Evil)—it fits perfectly within the horror genre... truly ideal for getting the adrenaline pumping.

Danny Elfman is basically Tim Burton's go-to composer. Honestly, even when Howard Shore was working on the score for "Ed Wood," he pretty much had to lean into that signature Elfmanesque style to get it right.
Lately, it feels like he’s being tapped for every single comic book adaptation or graphic novel movie out there—think "Hulk," "Spider-Man," or "Men in Black"—and I guess it makes sense, since "comic book-ish" is probably the very first thing that pops into your head when you hear his score.

...and let's not forget, the guy is also the mastermind behind the main title theme for "The Simpsons." 👍

...

...and hey, we shouldn't overlook the fact that his niece-in-law is quite a looker, too. 😁

Gladiator takes the top spot.
Joe Black was just as great—right up there with Gladiator. And honestly, if we're being real, having Phoeniq as an actor would have been 23 miles better than Russell.
Mission: Impossible 2 was solid.
And of course, listening to Star Wars - Duel of the Fates & Imperial March.
Star Wars - dual of The fates & Imperial march Indiana Jones Main theme tja
Well... there's probably more.
Let's talk about the Batman Main Theme...

Something else just popped into my head... even though it doesn't really count as a "movie" per se... Remember Mark Snow? He had that song Informer about ten years ago where he was rapping in this super hard-to-understand way—maybe English with a Jamaican accent?... Well... he actually composed the opening theme for the series Nikita, that brilliant intro for The X-Files, and also some incredible atmospheric music for that show too (I think for those two movies as well).

Ennio Morricone was an absolute legend when it came to that iconic score from 'Good, Bad, Ugly'!

John Williams is, without question, one of the most prolific composers to ever grace the silver screen! 🙂

I suspect there are quite a few scores out there where you might not even realize his hand was at work—beyond the absolute legends, of course—but his catalog is truly staggering...

Jaws (1975, 1978)
Star Wars - all the sequels (1977, 80, 83, 99, 2002, 2005 😁)
Superman (1978...)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Indiana Jones - all the sequels (1981, 1984, 1989, 2005 😁)
E.T. (1982)
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
Born on July 4th (1989)
Home Alone - all the sequels (1990, 1992)
JFK (1991)
Jurassic Park (1993
Schindler's List (1993)
Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
Amistad (1997)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Patriot Games (2000)
A.I. (2001)
Harry Potter (2001, 2002, 2004 😁)
Minority Report (2002)

Olympic Games - 1984 (L.A.), 1988 (Seoul), 1996 (Atlanta), 2002 (Salt Lake City)

www.jwfan.net 😉