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If you didn't get it, you don't deserve it.
'Cause it's excellent on its face. Alex North is not for those who need their dramatics spoon-fed to them.
That's what STAR WARS--as excellent as it sometimes is--is for.
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I have the Southern Cross numbered CD, and it is a perfectly good version of the score to me.
North can be a challenging composer to listen to at length to me.
Ado, I must've missed meeting you at the Mondo JURASSIC PARK vinyl "listening party" (Really just a lineup for millennial vinyl-heads, no real classic John Williams fans).
But that SCSE doesn't hold a candle to the Mike Matessino remastered DRAGONSLAYER on La-La Land.
You will regret this oversight when a proper hi-def version of this movie comes out that integrates the cleaned-up music tracks, and you are left holding your head in your hands muttering "Why?...why!?".
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I would say Williams understood how to score a scene. Nothing to do with spoon feeding.
Was referring more to the overall package than the Williams scores.
Yet when the time for all subtlety has passed, and dazzling brute force is called for, no one has outdone John Williams.
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I have to admit, this was not a film I really liked, but I felt I needed a North score under my (blog) belt so this seemed like it had some real meat to it (so to speak). I really didn't like it all that much the first time through (or the 2nd), but the third time I started to hear the gears moving and the levers falling into place. I think with time, I could really get to love this score... Actually I really think this thing works much better as score without picture, than a score in the film. The retracking decisions were absolutely correct IMHO. Also a ballet would be pretty cool (of course I just saw Swan lake last week so everything is like a great ballet now...).
I should probably write about Spartacus next, but there's so much already written about that one...
Hi, Ed C.
I don't wish to derail this thread about Dragonslayer, but, since you wish to enrich your blog with film music by Alex North, here's my rankings on the discs of North I own up to around 2013 or thereabouts. A few North items I've gotten over the past 3 years haven't been rated yet by me (like Hot Spell on Kritzerland or the already-defunct Intrada CD containing Decision for Chemistry), but this list is quite comprehensive if I may say so:
FOUR NORTH STARS
1. Africa
2. Bad Seed, The
3. Miserables, Les
4. 2001
5. Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
6. Children's Hour, The
7. Outrage, The
8. Cleopatra
9. Dragonslayer
10. Agony And The Ecstasy, The
11. Spartacus
12. Death Of A Salesman
13. Wonderful Country
14. Sanctuary
15. Misfits, The
16. Pony Soldier
17. Long Hot Summer, The
THREE NORTH STARS
18. Hard Contract
19. Journey Into Fear
20. Sound And The Fury, The
21. Cheyenne Autumn
22. King And Four Queens, The
23. I'll Cry Tomorrow
24. Rose Tattoo, The
25. Streetcar Named Desire, A
26. Thirteenth Letter, The
27. Viva Zapata!
28. Devil's Brigade, The
29. Bite The Bullet
30. All Fall Down
TWO NORTH STARS
31. Dream Of Kings, A
32. Rainmaker, The
33. Shoes Of The Fisherman, The
ONE NORTH STAR
34. South Seas Adventure
35. Desiree
36. Racers, The
37. Somebody Killed Her Husband
When you have time, Ed C., you should visit inside my profile to look at all the composers' names I've listed within. Many of these are composers who've worked in 'art' films, international cinema + non-Hollywood productions (and as such relevant to your blog, I think). 
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Posted: |
Jul 12, 2016 - 4:13 PM
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By: |
Ed C
(Member)
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Hi, Ed C.
I don't wish to derail this thread about Dragonslayer, but, since you wish to enrich your blog with film music by Alex North, here's my rankings on the discs of North I own up to around 2013 or thereabouts. A few North items I've gotten over the past 3 years haven't been rated yet by me (like Hot Spell on Kritzerland or the already-defunct Intrada CD containing Decision for Chemistry), but this list is quite comprehensive if I may say so:
When you have time, Ed C., you should visit inside my profile to look at all the composers' names I've listed within. Many of these are composers who've worked in 'art' films, international cinema + non-Hollywood productions (and as such relevant to your blog, I think).
Thanks ZardozSpeaks, I definitely appreciate your recommendations. Frankly I've had some trouble getting into North, though the 2 scores that I know well are Spartacus and the 2001 rejected score. North's stuff always hits me with that Respighi vibe (think Pines of...). Also there's a bit of Nielson as well in his brass writing. For this reason it seems like his music is well-suited to standalone listening, but not films (in my own obviously idiosyncratic opinion). The thing is, his music is TOO GOOD  . Anyways, 2 out of 50 scores (or whaterver) is a totally unfair sample, so I will make a point of checking out more of what's in your list when I get a chance (I'm still working through the Morricone early 70's discography, and and so you see...it could be awhile!).
Honestly I wish there were 2 of me, there's so much great music to explore and write about. Yeah, I know there are many "art film" film composers I'm leaving out, I was on the verge of doing a Nino Rota score but got derailed. Hey at least my Japanese anime selection is pretty well-stocked . I have Zdenek Liška coming up, that's gotta be pretty non-Hollywood, but then I haven't even written one on Rozsa, Korngold or Giacchino yet....
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...though the 2 scores that I know well are Spartacus and the 2001 rejected score. Anyways, 2 out of 50 scores (or whaterver) is a totally unfair sample, so I will make a point of checking out more of what's in your list when I get a chance (I'm still working through the Morricone early 70's discography, and and so you see...it could be awhile!).
Honestly I wish there were 2 of me, there's so much great music to explore and write about. Yeah, I know there are many "art film" film composers I'm leaving out, I was on the verge of doing a Nino Rota score but got derailed. Hey at least my Japanese anime selection is pretty well-stocked . I have Zdenek Liška coming up, that's gotta be pretty non-Hollywood, but then I haven't even written one on Rozsa, Korngold or Giacchino yet....
You're welcome, Ed C.
In round numbers, 60 is around the # of film scores North wrote.
If you know Spartacus, then you also know a lot of Pony Soldier (even if you don't know that one yet ). There's a significant # of cues heard within the 1952 Pony Soldier which got recycled by North into Spartacus 8 years later. Plus a body can purchase Pony Soldier for $14.99 from Varese in what appears to be a permanent price reduction/sale.
North recycled portions of 2001 into Shanks, The Shoes of the Fisherman, Hard Contract and ... you guessed it! ... Dragonslayer.
Cinema connoisseurs might want to check out the 1964 The Outrage because this is director Martin Ritt's revamping of the Kurosawa classic Rashomon.
As the filmography / discography on Morricone exceeds 400 titles, I think one may need to take respite from Morricone for a while (and in comparison 60 scores seems less daunting )
Have you covered Giovanni Fusco's music for Antonioni pictures?
I also recommend the Ingmar Bergman films Persona & Hour of the Wolf scored by Werle, plus Luis de Pablo's collaborations with director Carlos Saura.
Consider, also, the films by Joseph Losey (Dankworth, Bennett, Legrand, etc.), Frankenheimer (Rosenman, Amram, Bernstein, Goldsmith & Jarre), plus Vadim (Prodromides, Magne,) or Chabrol & Jansen ... and I could go on.
Which Zdenek Liška is on the menu? The 1969 The Cremator or The Shop on Main Street or Adrift or The Angel Levine ... or ... ?
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ZardosSpeaks, I recently started listening to his score for "The Little Mermaid" (the film is on YouTube, thankfully!). It seems very entrancing.
Ah - that's MALÁ MORSKÁ VÍLA (1976)
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I really would love to do a full Morricone research project; as far as I know there is no devoted Morricone website which reviews every single score of his. However I will probably do my favorite composer, Bernard Herrmann, first. Of course the big obstacle is acquiring all these scores! Anyways, I will check out the films you mention, none of which I have seen yet. In the meantime I have a stack of CDs and films to work on staring me in the screen...
Yeah, I have no doubt there's stacks of stuff in front of you.
Don't want to contribute much more to your clutter, but I mentioned those titles in the prior posts since I thought they are relevant to some of your goals.
I've written a lot within past FSM threads and deposited a number of album reviews and composer and/or film appreciation threads here in FSM as well - but I do not (and probably will not) have any blog.
My suggestion is to simply do searches in these threads when you discover any composer or film which is 'new' to you - it's likely been discussed before.
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