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We all know that Goldsmith was a master of the western, from his first feature score, Black Patch, all the way to his last, Looney Tunes: Back in Action.
Yes, while that last score wasn't actually a western, for me and many others the highlight of it was the two tracks prominently featuring the new western theme he wrote for an extended action sequence.
This wasn't the first time however that Goldsmith had written a western theme for a film that wasn't a western; he'd done it at least twice before for Joe Dante, in Innerspace and in The 'Burbs. In all three Dante cases the respective themes were highlights of the score for me (though I think they got increasingly better chronologically, that is, Looney Tunes > The 'Burbs >> Innerspace, at least in terms of their respective western themes).
He also wrote a number of scores which I like to think of as "honorary westerns" musically speaking: High Velocity, Breakout, Caboblanco, and even arguably bits of Under Fire. These, for me, sound very akin to western scores like 100 Rifles, with all of their awesome harsh latin brass writing and/or cool guitar use. I picture westerns in my head when I listen to them since I've never seen the movies. Does anyone else have this experience? Are there any other examples of Jerry Goldsmith "western writing" in scores he wrote for films that aren't actually westerns?
Yavar
P.S. I should also mention his amazing score to the Soarin' Over California ride at Disneyland has a distinct little western bit in it.
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Posted: |
Feb 14, 2013 - 5:48 PM
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By: |
Zoragoth
(Member)
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Well I don't know if the "master" label is right here. As huge a Goldsmith fan as I am, I would give Dimitri Tiomkin, Elmer Bernstein or even Jerome Moross a bit of an edge as far as westerns. I enjoy Goldsmith's westerns and think they get a bit overlooked. I'm especially fond of Take a Hard Ride and Rio Conchos. But they pale some when compared to The Magnificent Seven, The Comancheros, Red River, High Noon or The Big Country.
But then again so did the film's themselves. Perhaps the comparison is unfair.
Boy, I see your point, but not quite sure I agree. It's subjective of course, but the more I get to know his western scores, especially the wonderful Tadlow rerecording of HOUR OF THE GUN, the more I find myself preferring Goldsmith's as much as I love the others (though BIG COUNTRY I would set aside from the competition, as having its own special niche).
You have a great point, though, about how Goldsmith's films were not quite as iconic. GUN is serviceable, if a bit forgettable, but I am fairly in awe of the music he managed to conjure up for it.
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Posted: |
Feb 15, 2013 - 8:07 AM
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By: |
Rnelson
(Member)
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Well I don't know if the "master" label is right here. As huge a Goldsmith fan as I am, I would give Dimitri Tiomkin, Elmer Bernstein or even Jerome Moross a bit of an edge as far as westerns. I enjoy Goldsmith's westerns and think they get a bit overlooked. I'm especially fond of Take a Hard Ride and Rio Conchos. But they pale some when compared to The Magnificent Seven, The Comancheros, Red River, High Noon or The Big Country.
But then again so did the film's themselves. Perhaps the comparison is unfair.
I think Goldsmith's approach to Westerns were, like so many of his takes on genre archetypes, somewhat darker and grittier than the traditional approach taken by many other composers. There was always more bite, more malevolence to his western scores. At the same time there was great intimacy and lyricism. None of those other composers would have approached the subject the way Goldsmith (or Alex North or Jerry Fielding) did. So I would say that Goldsmith was a master of the western, just not of the bright, expansive tradition taken by others.
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Well I don't know if the "master" label is right here. As huge a Goldsmith fan as I am, I would give Dimitri Tiomkin, Elmer Bernstein or even Jerome Moross a bit of an edge as far as westerns. I enjoy Goldsmith's westerns and think they get a bit overlooked. I'm especially fond of Take a Hard Ride and Rio Conchos. But they pale some when compared to The Magnificent Seven, The Comancheros, Red River, High Noon or The Big Country.
But then again so did the film's themselves. Perhaps the comparison is unfair.
Perhaps Jerry's western scores didn't achieve "iconic" status because of the poor films they accompanied (major exception: Lonely Are the Brave is one of the greatest films ever made, even if it fell under the radar).
That said, as much as I LOVE Bernstein, Moross, and Morricone and certainly consider them fellow "kings" of the western genre, as pure MUSIC I enjoy listen to the huge variety of Goldsmith westerns more. Bernstein was saddled with his bouncy Coplandesque sound for most (not all) of his westerns, thanks to his success with The Magnificent Seven and always being asked to copy that style. Morricone had a similar relationship with his Fistful of Dollars score (however wacky and creative his scores stayed, they all owed a debt). And Moross certainly never strayed from his Big Country sound (in westerns).
On the other hand, Goldsmith's western scores are incredibly varied and diverse, and *most* of them I consider masterpieces musically. There's something very unique about every one: Rio Lobo with that great solo guitar opening and his "John Wayne" theme, 100 Rifles with its harsh latin brass, Wild Rovers his more folksy/Coplandesque score, Take A Hard Ride with its synthesizers and Morricone feel (filtered through Jerry's own style), the heartfelt Red Pony, the beginning of his "lonely man" trumpet sound for Lonely Are the Brave, the incredibly dark and gritty Hour of the Gun, the whip-cracking Rio Conchos, the mostly jovial Stagecoach, and the alternately dark and quirky/playful Bandolero! For these scores and more I think Goldsmith MORE than earned the title of "master" in this genre.
...but this thread was supposed to talk about his western sounding music for films that weren't westerns... 
Yavar
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