The Ten Most Underrated Scores of the Decade
1M1: 7/27/99
By Jason Foster
Joe vs. the Volcano (Georges Delerue, unreleased; 1990): Usually,
this film has the reputation of being bad, if not horrible. However, it
has always remained a very underrated comedy in the opinion of this writer.
That "other" Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan vehicle you might say. Despite
how one might feel about the film itself, something that cannot be overlooked
is Georges Delerue's score.
Though it remains unreleased, Delerue's contribution to this film deserves
to be listed among the other great scores from his fruitful career -- rich
in melody and purely Delerue in texture. The score's love them ranks up
there as one of the more beautiful and emotional themes Delerue ever composed
-- a sweet, yet very emotional piece. Perhaps one of the unreleased scores
most deserving of a release, or at least a re-recording. People always
say that Delerue was a master at manipulating emotions through music. Well,
despite the fact that this music was for a comedy, Delerue was able to
do it again here. And he did it well.
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (Cliff Eidelman,
Varese Sarabande; 1992): Another composer who I'd like to feature as a
'Diamond in the Rough' (I'm still trying to get in touch with him to do
it), Cliff Eidelman has written some dynamite film music in his relatively
short career. A perfect example is his music for this 1992 box office bomb.
The score has everything that a good many collectors enjoy: big orchestra,
big themes, and few, if any, "influences" (i.e. rip-offs) to
speak of. Unlike a lot of the "big" scores we've gotten this
decade, this one features two things that make it hard to go wrong -- originality
and quality.
It's performed with vigor by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, a non-union
group, which is why Varese could afford an album longer than 30 minutes.
The score is many things at once -- adventurous, heroic, powerful, and
triumphant. And Eidelman is able to pull all of these things off with great
success. In fact, the seven minute final cue may be the best piece of film
music he's ever written.
Final Analysis (George Fenton, Varese Sarabande,
1992): In a genre that time after time this decade produced one generic
score after another, this score, along with Goldsmith's Basic Instinct,
stands as one of the better efforts in the suspense arena.
Somewhat Herrmann-esque in tone, Fenton's music is definitely a nod
to the old-school style suspense scores. From the pulsating rhythms of
the 'Front Titles' cue, to the sinister string passages, to the exciting
brass licks of the climax, Fenton perfectly captures the atmosphere of
the classic Hollywood suspense film -- although this particular film doesn't
exactly fit that mold. Man, 1992 produced some dandy, though seemingly
forgotten scores. Here's another one...
Malcolm X (Terrance Blanchard, Columbia, 1992):
Without a doubt Blanchard's most developed and interesting score to date,
this music shows he can comfortable handle himself in the symphonic realm
of musical composition. Though Blanchard is mainly a jazz musician, you
wouldn't be able to tell it by this score. And though small parts of this
score contain jazz elements, the rest of the music is dark, brooding, and,
of course, effective.
A very theme-driven score, Blanchard gives us fitting music for every
aspects of Malcolm X's life -- his youth, his marriage, his rise to power,
and finally, his assassination. The latter cues in this score showcase
some of most haunting choral work written for film music this decade.
Listening to this score makes me wish Blanchard would venture back into
this territory again -- or at least score another film which would allow
him to showcase his symphonic chops. I realize that he has actually done
other symphonic scores for Spike Lee, like Clockers and Summer of Sam,
but those simply don't show the range and complexity of this score. Perhaps
it was the subject matter that provided inspiration here. I've always thought
it would be cool to hear what Blanchard might do on a film like Independence
Day or Lost in Space where he could let loose with the orchestra once more.
Maybe some day.
Year of the Comet (Hummie Mann, Varese Sarabande;
1992): My first encounter with this score was listening to the Varese compilation
"Hollywood Backlot," which featured the track 'Maggie Goes to
Scotland.' I didn't know much about Hummie Mann at the time, except that
he occasionally orchestrated for Marc Shaiman and others. But after my
first taste of this score, I was hooked. I went right out and bought the
full soundtrack and have been enjoying it ever since.
Mann's music for this barely seen film is simple, yet beautiful and
boasting of excellence. His mixture of Scottish ethnic elements with the
more traditional sounding orchestra is one of the best and most effective
examples of that kind of scoring in recent memory. On top of that, it is
one of the few examples of good comedy scoring in this decade. Much like
the film itself, the score's melodies are sweet, romantic, and innocent
all at the same time. All of this comes together to create quite an entertaining
listen.
I've always felt that Hummie Mann's talents have gone both under-appreciated
and underused, which is why I wanted to feature him in my 'Diamond in the
Rough' series. I still look forward to his feature scores, though they
are few and far between.
A Far Off Place (James Horner, Intrada; 1993):
This lesser known Horner score stands as a solid and worthy effort, featuring
some of the more interesting and active music of his career. The lush sound
of the main theme has a now familiar Horner sound to it (A similar approach
to what he went for, though to lesser success, in scores like Legends of
the Fall), while the action music is more varied in style than what we've
come to expect from him this decade. Even the ethnic elements are not as
over the top as Horner has been known to go, but rather fitting.
Shadowlands (George Fenton, Angel; 1993): It's
kind of fitting that George Fenton is the only composer with two scores
on this list, as he is himself an underrated composer. But it's funny.
His name isn't completely unknown to film music fans and he usually scores
two or three features a year, but yet his work is seldom discussed.
His music for this 1993 Richard Attenborough film is both delicate and
beautiful. Much of the score has a sense of peaceful restraint to it that
remains up until the end credits suite, when the music is allowed to open
up, though only slightly. It is only then that the beautiful main theme,
which has peeked its head into the score a few times earlier, is allowed
to flow in its full form. Fenton has always had a gift for melody and he's
shown it time and again in his music -- and this score is no exception.
Although the film is a romance drama, the score is at no time mushy
or melodramatic, but rather appropriately innocent. Fenton's other good
scores are out there for the taking. Whether it's Memphis Belle, We're
No Angels, this score, or others -- they are there, and a lot of film music
fans would benefit by taking notice. Here's some Fenton trivia: How many
times has he been nominated for an Academy Award? Answer: five.
I'll Do Anything (Hans Zimmer, Varese Sarabande;
1994): Imagine almost an entire score written in the style of Zimmer's
theme to 'The Critic.' In simple terms, that's how I describe this score,
which might be Zimmer's most underrated score ever.
He scored this film just before he seemingly devoted most of his time
to scoring films with chases and explosions, but I wish he would visit
this particular neighborhood more often. He made it into the right zip
code with his music for As Good As It Gets, but I find this score, and
this style, to be much more fulfilling than nearly all of his action material.
This score's strength is it's melodic simplicity. The themes are instantly
memorable and perfect for humming or whistling your own "walking down
the street" music. In some ways it reminds me of his score to Regarding
Henry. While I've never been a big fan of Zimmer's music, he has written
a few good scores -- and this one is darn near the top of the list.
Mr. Wrong (Craig Safan, promo release; 1996) Like
Year of the Comet, this score is one of the few examples of good comedy
scoring in recent memory. And, by no coincidence, Craig Safan also found
a spot on my 'Diamond in the Rough' list. An interesting score because
of how musically varied it is, this music was chosen by Venice magazine
as one of the best scores of 1996. And nothing against the makers of this
film, but I'd be willing to bet that Safan's score is much more fun than
the movie itself.
Safan gives us an intersting blend of orchestrations and musical styles,
ranging from almost cartoon-like wacky big orchestral passages, to more
intimate string passages, to what can maybe best be described as Mexican-pop
music. A standout element of the score is the extremely simple love theme,
which I find myself humming for hours after listening to the score. If
nothing else, this score shows some of Safan's versatility, even if it
is in the context of only one score. The commercial soundtrack album only
featured Safan's 'Main Title,' so it was necessary for him to press a score-only
promo CD. It should still be available from places like Intrada and Screen
Archives. To quote Ferris Bueller, if you have the means, I highly recommend
picking one up. It's a fun listen.
The Cable Guy (John Ottman, promo release; 1996):
Unfairly dismissed by many as a Danny Elfman rip-off, John Ottman's wickedly
clever score is quite capable of standing on its own.
It's been documented how Ottman's score was heavily edited and badly
mixed in the finished film, so it wouldn't be all that hard to not really
notice it. However, his promo CD reveals a much more complete score. Sure,
there's the demented sounding "La-la" choir, which might remind
you of Elfman, but if you put some thought into the score's context, it's
a perfect match for the demented world in which Jim Carrey's character
lives.
The choir is likely the reason why many people consider this score a
rip-off, however, that aspect only makes up part of the score. You also
have the clever musical "references," like I Love Lucy, as well
as Ottman's usual dark orchestral musings found in scores like The Usual
Suspects and Incognito. If you're a detractor of this score, please be
willing to give it another chance. The only difficulty is that it is also
only available as a promotional release. However, I'm not sure about the
current availability from mail-order outlets. But it wouldn't hurt to inquire.
Comments: jgfoster93@hotmail.com
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