From around 1974 through 1980 when Goldsmith had his 'bowl' hair style (Mozart-like) were his best years, his second best decade when he looked liked Bob Denver (60's), 3rd best decade when he had the 'Van Halen' long hair look and his weakest years when he had the ponytail.
Most musicians peak in their mid twenties , have a good run during their thirties , lose it a bit in their forties and then discover their talents again after that.
I'd say his best years were from 1968-1999. A 3+ decade peak.
It's all subjective but I'd say he was mighty fine before 1968 with Twilight Zone (tv scores), The Blue Max, Sand Pebbles, Rio Conchos, Lonely Are a the Brave, In Harms Way, Satan Bug, Thriller (tv scores).....!
From around 1974 through 1980 when Goldsmith had his 'bowl' hair style (Mozart-like) were his best years, his second best decade when he looked liked Bob Denver (60's), 3rd best decade when he had the 'Van Halen' long hair look and his weakest years when he had the ponytail.
Damnation Alley rocks!
I would say that JG's talent, like so many other luminaries during that time, was at its peak from 1965-75--regardless of hairstyle.
Up to and including Legend, his excellence suggested wonderful creativity, passion and ambition. Post Legend, most of the rest sounds to me like straightforward hard work without anywhere near the inspiration of earlier years.
I'd say his best years were from 1968-1999. A 3+ decade peak.
That's kinda what I was going to post, except I was going to say 1957-2003.
IMO, Lonely Are the Brave (1962) and Looney Tunes: Back in Action are two of his greatest scores, in extremely different ways. In fact if I had to pick my single favorite Goldsmith score it might just be Lonely Are the Brave; it's just remarkable and moving and a perfect fit for the superb film.
With the other post-1999 scores I guess you could say they are a step down from that year (with The Mummy/13th Warrior/The Haunting), but Looney Tunes absolutely sounds like a creative, energetic composer at his peak. Honorable mention to that incredible main title piece from Sum of All Fears, even if the rest of the score isn't quite up at that level.
But let's also not forget Goldsmith wrote this in 1957. Sounds full-on "peak" to me:
I'm not saying Goldsmith was always amazing. He had valleys, and perhaps a bit more of them in the 90s. But I honestly don't think one can look at his film output and say "THIS is the year he became the great Goldsmith!" or "THIS is the year he lost it."
I hear people suggest Legend or Total Recall as cutting off points after which he never wrote another great score. That's preposterous to me. All one needs to do is hear The Mummy to realize that's not true, IMO. In fact I prefer it to both Legend and Total Recall. Plenty of creativity, complexity, and energy to spare in The Mummy.
Not to mention Hollow Man! And everyone seems to forget Timeline, which was a standout action/adventure score right at the end of his career (while, unfortunately, not used in the film the complete score works a treat - the Varese CD slightly less so).
I gotta agree with Yavar, some of the films were not that successful, but he had did quite a lot of superb work in the late 80's through 90's. I would say he made a substantial stylistic bridge between the complexities of scoring in the 60's and 70's through the streamlined sound effect wallpapers we hear now. But his scores in the 90's still had themes and motifs, he was still producing pretty terrific horror and action work, example is the recently expanded release of The Haunting 1999.
As far as the reason for the peak 70's question, I think it had a lot to do with the films and the relative freedom of the filmmakers in that era. The film business has grown away from directors as independents, and we see independent directors being enveloped into the studio system, being told how the score should sound.
"Up to and including Legend, his excellence suggested wonderful creativity, passion and ambition. Post Legend, most of the rest sounds to me like straightforward hard work without anywhere near the inspiration of earlier years."
I've had a hard time with anything after THE MUMMY. To me, I kept hearing this unexciting 'string line' writing that had a lack of color (River Wild) to it. and, come on, can anyone recommend LOONEY TUNES?
Still, he'll always be my second favorite...Benny and Jerry
I've had a hard time with anything after THE MUMMY. To me, I kept hearing this unexciting 'string line' writing that had a lack of color (River Wild) to it.
River Wild was several years before The Mummy, not after it. Perhaps you don't realize how late in his career (1999) The Mummy was? He only wrote a handful of scores after.
and, come on, can anyone recommend LOONEY TUNES?
As a matter of fact, yes, and I have many times: It is complex, varied, and one of the most energetic and inventive out of his entire output. The joy of writing music comes through practically every bar. It's Jerry Goldsmith's version of a great energetic and zany John Powell animated score. Almost unbelievable that he wrote something so brilliant at the very end of his life. Somehow he channels Carl Stalling while still sounding entirely like himself. Wonderful that he got to collaborate once more with Joe Dante before he passed away. Clever musical in-jokes abound even more than they do in other scores for the director. There are numerous great callbacks to earlier styles and genres of his career, particularly the fantastic western theme used in two action cues:
When I first got the score I gravitated towards those two cues and initially found the whole thing somewhat less than the sum of its parts...but the more I listen to this one the more I appreciate every little element of it. The Varese album doesn't do the score a lot of favors since it lacks a narrative arc for a score that is already by its nature a little bit "all over the place". Aside from wishing he'd been able to score the climax of the film (instead of John Debney having to step in), I honestly don't think Goldsmith could have gone out on a better, more inspiring note. Musically speaking, of course -- it's a shame his final score wasn't for a great film.
Even if Looney Tunes: Back in Action is perhaps too zany to appeal to you (I guess I could understand that), "unexciting" and "lack of color" are not criticisms anybody sane could ever level at it.
Yavar is right about Looney Tunes. I had an educated tutor in the beginning of my music studies, and first lesson was an old Porky Pig cartoon. That's what made her a cool teacher, she taught things by making you see things in a different light, that art could be a part of even what you might consider the most mundane entities.
Wow I'm really blathering, sorry folks. My s.o. surprised me with Tiomkin's "Alamo" (Tadlow) today so I'm pretty darn exhilarated!
Yet another Youtube video above that presumably doesn't work outside the US. What's happening here? Is this some new Youtube thing?
My favourite JG period is 1990-1999. Which, incidentally, is also pretty much my favourite period for John Williams. But I'm not sure I would call it his peak period (that would be roughly 1975-1983).
Favourite musical period roughly 1964 to 1979, with the inevitable exceptions from before and after that period.
The corresponding hairstyles would have seen a metamorphosis from the close-cropped military look to the silvery-grey crash-helmet during those years. Particularly liked the music he had when he sported that beard (THE ILLUSTRATED MAN era?)
I like the mid-sixties up to and including Under Fire.
I grew up in the sixties so I have a fondness for scores from that decade. While I know that Planet of the Apes, The Blue Max, A Patch of Blue, The Sand Pebbles are great, I also have a very high place in my heart for Sebastian, Justine, Bandolero, The Last Run, and so on. Same with the other composers: The Lion in Winter, Midnight Cowboy, The Last Valley, You Only Live Twice are among my favorites; I also cherish Boom!, The Ipcress File, The Quiller Memorandum, and The Whisperers. And so on.
Goldsmith was really great in the mid to late seventies, also. Very consistent.
My overall favorites of his (not in order):
Chinatown The Blue Max The Wind and the Lion Under Fire The Omen The Final Conflict The Sand Pebbles A Patch of Blue Planet of the Apes Star Trek
Yet another Youtube video above that presumably doesn't work outside the US. What's happening here? Is this some new Youtube thing?
My favourite JG period is 1990-1999. Which, incidentally, is also pretty much my favourite period for John Williams. But I'm not sure I would call it his peak period (that would be roughly 1975-1983).
NET NEUTRALITY REPEAL IS ALREADY REARING ITS UGLY HEAD!
