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Posted: |
Sep 29, 2005 - 3:52 AM
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By: |
Reeler
(Member)
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I'm gonna have to support the Horner fans somewhat. During his peak years he was the most emotionally satisfying scorer around. That is why he has a fan base. If someone wants to deconstruct FOD and why we shouldn't be listening to it, I guess go for it; but for my money it fulfills me more than anything. When I read the reviews at Amazon and read how FOD changed the inner souls of these people, there is no amount of text by the naysayers that can change that. Why Horner even said he wanted to move back into more "slow" sounding scores. Because slow scores overall are more affecting than its opposite. He was no doubt criticized for that same thing in Aliens, and I guess honestly looking back Glory isn't quite as perfect as I'd hoped it be. But I do genuinely appreciate Horner's peak years, and if that means being lumped into supporting a plagiarist, then so be it.
I do however agree with the naysayers somewhat, too. I think Horner's last 10 years or so has been rather dry. When FilmTracks said his career now is based on old recurring themes, that is disappointing in the least. Horner is not gifted with variety. To me he is the Noel Gallagher (Oasis) of pop rock. He has been sued a few times for plagiarism, but Noel can deliver a pretty good pop song. With Horner, I'm not quite sure what it is? For me he just turned out to be the most satisfying emotionally of his period. Fans and naysayers will probably find this an insult when I say Horner is a "block" composer. He borrows heavily from others and lumps things together. The end results just seem to make me cry more often than his peers. Even if he never gets back on track in the future, I will always hold him up amongst the best for that.
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I simply can't understand why he doesn't realise that crediting these classical works would make his work on these films much more impressive.
Because it would expose him?
Horner's reputation is one he brought upon himself. If he had any respect for the genre he is composing for, he would never resort to borrowing from classical entries or even repeat his own oeuvre 'till it is saturated. Horner is a formula composer, you get what you buy. Why even bother composing with a fresh and original view when your formula earns you a paycheck which matches those of A-list composers?
I consider his tactics to be similar to doping for sports; You achieve the same goal but you are cheating along the way.
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Oldsmith, thanks for having the fortitude to at least acknowledge as much.
'To be fair, John Williams reused one of his themes for Towering Inferno in Earthquake (or was it vise versa?). And whenever a new Star Wars came out, one of the tracks wound up being nearly re-used in another score (ROTS music is in WOTW, etc.).'
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Oldsmith, thanks for having the fortitude to at least acknowledge as much.
'To be fair, John Williams reused one of his themes for Towering Inferno in Earthquake (or was it vise versa?). And whenever a new Star Wars came out, one of the tracks wound up being nearly re-used in another score (ROTS music is in WOTW, etc.).'
Well, facts are facts and I have the albums to prove it, but you're welcome. 
In reality, none of this bothers me. I grew up watching old TV shows and every episode music was tracked from previous scores. Then I'd notice new composers rerecording previous work. So, when I hear, say, Horner reusing something, it rolls off my back. Sometimes I'm happy because this version sounds better. And I don't listen to enough classical to spot every borrowing. With Williams, I feel the same way.
I'm pretty fricking laid back about the whole thing.
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'I grew up watching old TV shows...' Interesting, how topics can venture off into other areas, and you discover little things. Two weeks ago, I listened to Bernard Herrmann: The CBS Years. I remember as a kid, hearing those cues repeated over and over etc., in so many other shows.
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I hope I'm not stepping on Mr. Fake's toes by reprinting this here, but Intrada's "Grand Poobah" had something to say in his ramblings that's relevant to this discussion.
10/4/05
Roger, our marketing director, says I'm James Horner's "biggest fan". Judging by what I read, Roger's got a point.
How can I ignore his lazy habit of copying himself? Isn't it a pretty big sin? Well, my defense is weak. I just ignore it. Actually, I remind myself of the company he keeps. Read on.
My favorite recorded score is SPARTACUS, North's masterpiece from 1960. But whole sections of it, including the main theme, come from a 1955 western he did called MAN WITH THE GUN. What's up with that? North did this a lot, too. DRAGONSLAYER, SHOES OF THE FISHERMAN, GOOD MORNING VIETNAM, many others. They all have entire cues in common. My favorite unrecorded score is Bernstein's KINGS OF THE SUN (1963). Though it never got an album, Elmer helped me out by putting a chunk of it into ZULU DAWN (1981), which did get one!
Newman's hallowed ROBE (1953) has hefty sections lifted right out of earlier things like HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME and PRINCE OF FOXES. Even the equally hallowed Jerry Goldsmith gave us that gorgeous PAPILLON theme many years after first hiding it in an episode of THRILLER! Max Steiner must've been the ultimate king of recyclers! Hey, even the ever creative Lalo Schifrin liked a cue from his 1964 score to RHINO so much he used it again in a later effort titled A.D.
So I guess I don't really ignore Horner's sins.
I just remind myself what great company he's in!
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