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Guys, the OP didn't write "the last bestselling orchestral score", but specified "all orchestral". He made the rules. And there's "bestselling" (i.e. a "best seller", of which there can ironically be many) and "the best-selling" (i.e. of all time) -- I'm assuming the OP meant the former. Yavar
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Ok, so Titanic is in then. And if you want *the* literal best-selling, I'm pretty sure it still holds the record (and maybe always will), though I agree with those who say the sales probably mostly came from the Celine Dion song (unfortunately). It seems like you were going for a looser definition though, referring to any orchestral score that was a best-seller of some kind. Right? Yavar
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Posted: |
Sep 13, 2021 - 10:47 AM
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By: |
jkruppa
(Member)
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Ok, so Titanic is in then. And if you want *the* literal best-selling, I'm pretty sure it still holds the record (and maybe always will), though I agree with those who say the sales probably mostly came from the Celine Dion song (unfortunately). It seems like you were going for a looser definition though, referring to any orchestral score that was a best-seller of some kind. Right? Yavar Yes, for instance, 1977-83 or so John Williams had a lot of big selling scores, and Chariots of Fire sold a lot of copies, driven by the main theme. To me that was the first big period of instrumental scores that sold in large enough numbers that their composers were essentially pop stars. I'm wondering where sales stand today for non-song soundtracks, and when the last time those kinds of soundtracks could consistently be expected to have large sales. Sounds like Lord of the Rings and especially Titanic would be the last period where this was the case.
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"All orchestral" would rule out "Titanic", three and maybe more of his Star Wars film scores (there's two or three interesting threads at JWFan.com showcasing examples of his use of synths in various film scores Williams did in his career), and probably one or more of the "Lord of the Rings" scores.
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Posted: |
Sep 13, 2021 - 3:39 PM
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By: |
E-Wan
(Member)
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According to RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) the one and only multi-platinum orchestral soundtrack is TITANIC with the following RIAA certification history: 11x Multi-Platinum | February 3, 2000 10x Multi-Platinum | April 20, 1998 9x Multi-Platinum | March 18, 1998 8x Multi-Platinum | February 25, 1998 6x Multi-Platinum | February 18, 1998 5x Multi-Platinum | February 5, 1998 4x Multi-Platinum | January 30, 1998 3x Multi-Platinum | January 26, 1998 2x Multi-Platinum | January 20, 1998 Platinum | January 14, 1998 Gold | January 7, 1998 The instrumental soundtracks with the platinum certification (1 million units sold in the U.S.A.) are: THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS (2001) GLADIATOR (2000) STAR WARS EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999) BRAVEHEART (1995) LAST OF THE MOHICANS (1992) ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES (1991) GHOST (1990) DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) CHARIOTS OF FIRE (1981) SOMEWHERE IN TIME (1980) STAR WARS (1977) ROMEO & JULIET (1968)
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Goldsmith's Lionheart sold out recently. The Varese Sarabande bestseller of 2021.
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The instrumental soundtracks with the platinum certification (1 million units sold in the U.S.A.) are: THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS (2001) GLADIATOR (2000) STAR WARS EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999) BRAVEHEART (1995) LAST OF THE MOHICANS (1992) ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES (1991) GHOST (1990) DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) CHARIOTS OF FIRE (1981) SOMEWHERE IN TIME (1980) STAR WARS (1977) ROMEO & JULIET (1968) So per the OP's question, at least as far as the US market goes, LOTR: FOTR was the last bestselling all-orchestral score. Shore on LOTR: "The only thing it doesn’t do is to use any electronic music. There’s absolutely none. It’s all acoustic."
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Posted: |
Sep 13, 2021 - 11:18 PM
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By: |
Mephariel
(Member)
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Definitely don't know if any score is all orchestral or not, but probably LOTR? The best selling scores of all time from what I can find: Titanic - 30+ million copies The Lion King - 12+ million copies Top Gun - 11.6+ million copies Once Upon a Time in the West - 10+ million copies Frozen - 10+ million copies Aladdin - 4.1+ million copies Pocahontas - 4.1+ million copies Star Wars - 4+ million copies Beauty and the Beast - 3.6+ million copies Tarzan - 3.1+ million copies Gladiator - 3+ million copies Braveheart - 2.3+ million copies Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - 2+ million copies Chariots of Fire - 1.8+ million copies Star Wars: The Phantom Menace - 1.7+ million copies Ghost - 1.4+ million copies Dances with Wolves - 1.3+ million copies Somewhere in Time - 1.1+ million copies The Hunchback of Notre Dame - 1+ million copies Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - 1+ million copies Last of the Mohicans - 1+ million copies Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - 920,000+ copies Jurassic Park - 863,000 copies Tron: Legacy - 685,000+ copies Star Wars: Attack of the Clones - 650,000+ copies Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - 600,000+ copies The Prince of Egypt - 600,000+ copies Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back - 500,000+ copies Hercules - 500,000+ copies Mulan - 500,000+ copies Morricone probably have a bunch that is not up here.
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James Horner actually gave a precise description of why orchestral scores changed - and I believe that is the reason why contemporary scores rarely appeal to a mass audience so much that they want to buy a score these days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrcuw9D92_s&t=637s
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Thanks for the answers, everyone. To be clear, I said "all orchestral" or "all instrumental." I was mainly looking to exclude soundtracks that were heavy on songs with little to no instrumental material. That's how I understood the question to, as an "all orchestral" score like TOTAL RECALL can obviously contain synthesizers as just another (group of) instrument(s). The Lord of the Rings scores were widely popular, as was obviously Titanic (but how many of the sales were because of the song?)
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