 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A thoroughly objective review would probably see these listed as the best:
1. PLANET OF THE APES
2. CHINATOWN
3. PATTON
4. STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE
5; THE OMEN
However, these are my five favorites:
1. THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY
2. PAPILLON
3. THE FINAL CONFLICT
4: LEGEND
5. CAPRICORN ONE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's been awhile since I last compiled a Goldsmith Top 10.
1. First Knight
2. Basic Instinct
3. Total Recall
4. The Final Conflict
5. The Shadow
6. Chinatown
7. The Ghost and the Darkness
8. Under Fire
9. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
10. Medicine Man
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mine all come from the late 70s onwards: I do think the 80s and 90s were my favourite JG period. Not to totally knock the earlier scores, but they're not the ones I'd normally reach for (Planet Of The Apes simply isn't something I'd sit and listen to for pleasure!).
Total Recall
Alien
Star Trek V (preferred to ST:TMP)
Basic Instinct
Rambo: First Blood Part 2 (pure action scoring)
The Russia House
Poltergeist II (again, I prefer it to the original)
Capricorn One
Link
Criminal Law (my underdog choice as I've always felt it's somewhat neglected, and it's ideal for driving at night)
But ask me again next week and at three of those will be swapped out....
|
|
|
|
|
|
I think what really speaks to how great *and* prolific Goldsmith was, is that you can ask this question to 10 Goldsmith fans and they can each give you a very different top 10 with very little overlap! With Goldsmith unlike most composers, there *isn't* a universally accepted "best" list.
Fully agree with you. Also, no matter what scores people list here, I can usually just nod and think "yeah, I see why you would choose that one". Take SHAMUS. A forgotten movie, a short score -- probably insignificant in Goldsmith’s vast body of work. But it’s terrific. A few months ago, I slipped it into a playlist of lounge music where we had guests for dinner and some card playing. When SHAMUS played, someone stopped, listened. "What is that?" They liked it.
There are no "right" or "wrong" answers to these things, and when I look at all the lists here, I usually think: Yep, that's a favorite of mine too.
I own around 240 Goldsmith albums -- give or take. Still not all film scores, but by far most of them, so I guess enough to know what's out there. Not sure what are "universally" considered his best scores. But CHINATOWN? That one belongs on any list. It might be the greatest film he ever scored. And yes, it's a favorite of mine.
So what are my favorite Goldsmith scores? Or perhaps more precisely stated: what are the favorite Goldsmith scores I decide on TODAY.
I've made two lists (so Howard won't have to ask). One is: Goldsmith scores that work best as albums, the ones I return to just to listen. The other? That's about the best Goldsmith scored movies, how the music serves the film, how it elevates the images, the story, the mood. But also how good the film actually is.
Sometimes those two things overlap. Sometimes they don't. A great film score doesn't always mean it's actually a great, or even good film (THE SWARM anyone? It's a terrific score, but the movie? Well, it works as a comedy.), and some great films may have good but not necessarily the "best" scores. Suffice to say, in my list, there are some scores I could have listed as "best on album" but listed as "best in movie" and vice versa, but I separated them and set out to not duplicate any score.
That way, I get to stay within the parameters but get to name 20! scores. :-)
Still not enough, by any means, obviously I like the composer, or I wouldn't have as many scores by him, but here we go.
So here they are:
My Top-Ten Goldsmith Albums (in descending chronological order):
HOLLOW MAN (2000)
The best of Basic Instinct and Total Recall fused into one elegant and intelligent sci-fi concept score.
TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE (1983)
A wild ride through Goldsmith’s musical imagination, shifting between eerie, thrilling, and sentimental in a way only he could.
POLTERGEIST / POLTERGEIST II (1982/1986)
Cheating? Maybe. But I love 'em both. 
FIRST BLOOD (1982)
Raw, emotional, and unforgettable. Beautiful trumpet main theme, terrific exciting action music. This must have been the second or third Goldsmith score I noticed, and to this day, it's a favorite.
OUTLAND (1981)
I just love that dark gritty, atmospheric music. Nothing ever said "space is vast, dark, and empty" so much as the short (restored on the FSM release) "Main Title" from this score. Then "The Mine" descends us onto an inhospitable moon around Jupiter. Terrific score.
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979) (and all other Goldsmith Star Trek music)
One of the scores that got me hooked on film music. The theme is iconic, "The Enterprise" is a concert favorite, but the V'Ger/Cloud music? That is the music that makes this one stand out. Some of the most fantastic, exciting, and original music ever written, regardless of genre.
ALIEN (1979)
Still one of my all-time favorites. That mix of eerie beauty and avant-garde terror -- now fully restored thanks to Intrada -- cements its place on this list.
LOGAN'S RUN (1976)
One of the best openings of any score I have ever heard. An electronic ostinato figure that warbles along and seems isolated and follows its own route, yet it contains the core motif of the score... the same notes are then taken over by a Zarathustra-sunrise like trumpet, but there is nothing enlightening about it, it is increasingly oppressive. The score has a very clear architecture, it is basically ice-cold relentless electronics slowly being overtaken by more and more acoustic elements, and the two fight it out. A film score like a composed through Mahler symphony, with an array of otherworldly (especially at that time) sounds. Quintessential science fiction music.
THE ILLUSTRATED MAN (1969)
Dreamlike, unsettling, and deeply expressive -- a score as mysterious as the stories it underscores. I have never actually seen the movie, but I know the Ray Bradbury stories on which the movie is based.
BANDOLERO! (1968)
Goldsmith’s take on the western, full of grit, style, and that unmistakable energy. I could have put any other Goldsmith western score here, they are ALL good.
A PATCH OF BLUE (1965)
Tender, lyrical, and deeply moving. Proof that Goldsmith could be just as powerful in intimate, chamber scores.
Top ten Goldsmith scores in the context of the film:
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997)
"Bloody Christmas" is a terrific opening track, it's indeed bloody brutal... the rest of the score is more smoky, sultry, it's a lean score that suggests classic L.A./Hollywood noire. Great movie, one of the best Goldsmith ever scored.
BASIC INSTINCT (1992)
Elegant, dangerous, seductive. Goldsmith's music doesn't just support the film, it plays the game of its protagonists right alongside it. Terrific movie as well, that holds up to this day.
THE 'BURBS (1989)
Suburban paranoia has never sounded this fun. Goldsmith flips between gothic horror, playful satire, and full-blown adventure without missing a beat. And the movie, it's just hilarious. Not perfect maybe, but with enough great moments to warrant re-watch after re-watch.
EXTREME PREJUDICE (1987)
A Walter Hill actioner soaked in blood and riddled with bullets. Can't get more hard-edged testosterone: a stoic Texas Ranger, a ruthless drug lord, and a clandestine military unit... they all shoot it out in glorious "THE WILD BUNCH" finale. One of the best (and often overlooked) action movies from a decade that was filled with action movies. This is the best score Goldsmith recorded in Hungary, also a very interesting score with synthesizers and orchestra about equally present.
INCHON (1980)
One of the most philosophically profound epic war movies that was... hahaha.. gotcha! I didn't mean that... here comes the real choice:
THE SECRET OF N.I.M.H. (1982)
Dark, lush, and mystical... simply one of the best animated scores ever written.
CHINATOWN (1974)
A score born out of last-minute necessity, and yet it defines the movie. Haunting, lonely, unforgettable. I'd say this is the best movie Goldsmith ever scored.
PAPILLON (1973)
A tale of survival, freedom, and resilience. Excellently spotted, Goldsmith’s music balances the harsh conditions of the prison with the airy dream of escape.
PATTON (1970)
The famous trumpet triplets make it iconic, but the layers of the score make it great. Goldsmith himself once said this may have been his most "intellectual" score. Again, excellently spotted movie.
PLANET OF THE APES (1968)
Avant-garde, unsettling, and still ahead of its time. Goldsmith didn't just score a sci-fi film—he created this alien ape world.
THE SAND PEBBLES (1966)
Epic, tragic, and deeply human. Goldsmith captures adventure, romance, and war in a way that lingers long after the credits roll.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Criminal Law (my underdog choice as I've always felt it's somewhat neglected, and it's ideal for driving at night)
Agreed 100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic starter: Asks for 10 favourites
Yavar: Mentions every single thing Goldsmith wrote, ever!
That's just it, Thor -- I didn't even mention half of Goldsmith's output! No Freud, his first Oscar nominee. No Lilies of the Field, his first album. Left off over half of his westerns even though I adore them! No Supergirl, Air Force One, or (either) Gremlins! No The Mephisto Waltz, his most avant garde work which is a top favorite of Goldsmith biographer Jeff Bond's. I thought you might even personally take issue with my 90s coverage since I know that's your favorite era of Goldsmith and I left off quite a bit of it (even though I like it all) in my honorable mentions, compared with earlier decades. Even including all those honorable mentions it was just my actual favorites, and I still left off plenty of scores entirely that other people in this thread have put on their top 10. That's Goldsmith for ya.
Also, I'd point out that I did originally follow the actual intended prompt. Then I decided to have a little fun by deliberately misinterpreting something Henry wrote. 
Yavar
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Feb 19, 2025 - 9:00 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
MichaelM
(Member)
|
STAR TREK - THE MOTION PICTURE
For me, his best score overall. The one that got me hooked on his music for life. Still endlessly fascinating and engaging to listen to after all these years, whether in complete form (minus the non-Goldsmith cues) or in its original LP form. It also includes my all-time favorite single track from any score, THE ENTERPRISE.
PAPILLON
My favorite theme of his.
CHINATOWN
The best movie he ever scored. Dark, mysterious, sexy, classy... a masterpiece.
THE LAST RUN
My favorite LP album of his. I can listen to it over and over again. Great blend of middle-aged melancholia and 70's Euro-pop sound.
RAMBO - FIRST BLOOD PART II
The greatest action score ever. Never fails to get my heart racing. Strangely, I also find it intensely emotionally moving in its final two tracks. The unused End Title is the cherry on top.
POLTERGEIST
A symphonic powerhouse full of excitement and emotion.
THE BLUE MAX
A grand Teutonic war symphony. Could easily stand next to the great classical symphonies.
THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL
Totally unexpected, original, grand and also full of mischievous fun. Makes the film seem so much greater than it is.
TWILIGHT ZONE - THE MOVIE
Four mini-scores showcasing his brilliance and variety. "Kick the Can" shows he could do Spielbergian magic every bit as well as Williams.
HOOSIERS
My favorite from his synth era. The rousing Final Game track turns this into the greatest sports movie ever.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1. The Wind and the Lion
2. Patton
3. The Sand Pebbles
4. Logan's Run (the score not the film)
5. A Patch of Blue (remarkable sensitivity - Jerry's 'To Kill a Mockingbird')
6. Islands in the Stream (lust impressionism a la Tiomkin's 'Old Man and the Sea')
7. The Ghost and the Darkness
8. Our Man Flint (for the sheer fun of it!)
9. Planet of the Apes
10, Rio Conchos (because it's theme was the first tune I learned how to play)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hey thanks for the support! I did spent a good chunk of my lunch break figuring out my Top 10 by decade list, so it's good to know somebody enjoyed reading it.
Yavar
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Question: how can one not know 100?
Ok I try, though it‘s tough as a Goldsmith fan…
1. Alien
2. Poltergeist
3. Star Trek TMP
4. The Sand Pebbles
5. The Russia House
6. Patton
7. The Blue Max
9. Outland
10. Capricorn One
Runners Up: First Blood, Tora!Tora!Tora!, Twilight Zone-The Movie, Innerspace, Boys from Brazil, Hour of the Gun…
|
|
|
|
|
|
10. A Score Without Strings ("Bracken's World")
Nice to see someone else champion something really obscure (and totally unreleased!)
Yavar
|
|
|
|
|
|
1. A Patch of Blue
2. Magic
3. Seconds
4. The Reincarnation of Peter Proud
5. Players
6. Explorers
7. Twilight Zone: The Movie
8. Poltergeist
9. Gremlins
10. A Score Without Strings ("Bracken's World")
Bonus points for putting A PATCH OF BLUE in pole position. Excellent score.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top Five:
Islands In The Stream
QBVII
Star Trek—The Motion Picture
Papillon
The Sand Pebbles
Next Five:
The Wind and the Lion
The Omen
Planet of the Apes
Patton
Chinatown
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
