Thanks, Sarge, for posting these new cues. At 6:48 in Cherry 2000, there is an amazing piece of music, one of my favorites.
I read Lonesome Dove and couldn't wait to sit down in front of my TV and watch the series. Then the opening music began to play. OMG, he composed one of the finest western scores I've ever heard.
Basil Poledouris would have been 70 years old today. A mere 70 years old.
In this time when Ennio Morricone and John Williams are producing new works well into their eighties, I can't help but think of how Basil would have evolved as a composer, and what he might be doing now.
When James Horner died unexpectedly, I felt there was a parallel between the two. Both were in their early sixties, had grown weary of the system, and were trying to redefine themselves. I'm convinced they both would have had a renaissance, but unfortunately they were cut short.
I also feel a little ungrateful thinking about what they might have done when they did so much. The playlist today will include Conan, of course, but also some Big Wednesday, Les Miserables, Quigley Down Under, Robocop, Lonesome Dove, Red Dawn, War At Home... there's plenty to choose from.
AsturScore has posted a lovely tribute to Basil by people such John Frizzell, Lolita Ritmanis, Edwin Wendler, Lukas Kendall, Dirk Wickenden, Godwin Borg and many others.
And on a very different note: I believe his only episodic TV theme.
He also scored the pilot (it's on YouTube as one video but dubbed in French, and as taped off NBC but in ten parts, and I can't be bothered embed all 10!).
Been thinking about Basil tonight, listening to the rerecording of Conan the Destroyer. Such a master. If only we still had him.
Still, I'm grateful for all he left us. I was just looking at the stats, and realized he was never nominated for an Oscar. I've been moving further and further away from oscarwatching over the years, and this just cements that impulse. How on earth could the Academy have turned a blind eye to the genius of this man's work? It boggles the mind (but then, so does a lot when it comes to awards).
Been thinking about Basil tonight, listening to the rerecording of Conan the Destroyer. Such a master. If only we still had him.
Great rerecording and score, and I REALLY liked the Sword and Sorcery tracks; the latter were scored intentionally different, yet it's still quite a nice listen imo!
