I'm sure, like me, many others listen to their score CDs as a form of musical therapy. I remember, being much younger, and finding that listening to the End Title from JAWS or the Katra Ritual from STAR TREK III THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK could relieve my stress or bring me to a state of controlled chill (and dramas could feel so much more heightened in your teens/younger years). There are a great number of score CDs, or individual tracks in my arsenal, that I turn to when things need taking down a notch or two. ALWAYS, FORT SAGANNE, CINEMA PARADISO, SOMEWHERE IN TIME... What scores do YOU turn to, in your hours of need?
In the last 10-15 years or so, I've veered more towards calmer soundscapes, and left (for the most part) the big and rambunctious orchestral action scores behind me. But if I were to list them, we would be here all day.
OK. Not necessarily a top 10, but a few more or less random picks by scrolling quickly through my iTunes:
CAST AWAY (Silvestri) TWIN PEAKS (Badalamenti) THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY (Cat's Eyes) SOLARIS/STALKER/THE MIRROR (Artemiev) THE BEEKEEPER (Karaindrou) GOLDEN GATE (Goldenthal) FATELESS (Morricone) ATLANTIS (Serra) LA FORET (Forget) OUR MOTHER'S HOUSE (Delerue...most anything Delerue fits the bill) BEYOND RANGOON (Zimmer) BOY IN PJs/SPITFIRE/GILLIAN/SAND & FOG etc. (Horner) SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS (JNH) HØST (Vardøen/Molvær) KING OF DEVIL'S ISLAND (Söderqvist) PRISONERS (Jóhannsson) CRASH (Isham) SKYGGENES DAL (Preisner)
"OUR MOTHER'S HOUSE (Delerue...most anything Delerue fits the bill)" ------------------- Yes, there are certain composers who fit the bill better than others. Delerue, for sure. Then, James Horner, Michael Convertino, John Williams, John Barry, Ennio Morricone lead the way for me.
I have a running playlist in iTunes that I add to constantly...tracks that are soothing/hypnotic/chill...one of my favorite things is taking an edible, putting on headphones and vibing with the music. If my cat comes up for a cuddle, even better :-)
My favorite "soothing" scores (in no special order):
Solaris/Mirror/Stalker (Eduard Artemyev) Solaris (Cliff Martinez) Golden Gate (Elliot Goldenthal) The Big Blue (Éric Serra) Thomas Newman in general Some things by Ennio Morricone and Georges Delerue
"OUR MOTHER'S HOUSE (Delerue...most anything Delerue fits the bill)" ------------------- Yes, there are certain composers who fit the bill better than others. Delerue, for sure. Then, James Horner, Michael Convertino, John Williams, John Barry, Ennio Morricone lead the way for me.
Delerue for the win! There is nothing more soothing than the 3 disc compilation that came out years ago. It just puts me in a tranquil mood.
"Ah Yes forgot Thomas Newman and hundreds other" --------------------- Aye, me too. Thomas Newman is sublime at that sort of thing. Chimes At Midnight from THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL is pure bliss (plus a million other tracks by him).
I didn't even get to Thomas in my quick scroll, but plenty there too. Especially the early, synth-driven things like THE MAN WITH ONE RED SHOE, LESS THAN ZERO, WELCOME HOME ROXY CARMICHAEL, THOSE SECRETS or JOSH AND SAM. But also other things, like UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL, OSCAR & LUCINDA, LITTLE CHILDREN, BROTHERS, HE NAMED ME MALALA, MARIGOLD HOTEL, TOLKIEN etc. etc. He's a master at hypnotic, beautiful textures.
My number one 'soothing' score is Horner's "To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday". There's only one loud spot in the 2nd or 3rd track -- the rest is pure peace and calm. I feel it's an unsung Horner score.
John Barry's "Scarlet Letter" is a runner-up. And John Williams' "Always".
In general, John Barry's slow, intoxicating lounge tracks from the Bond films plus that sultry theme from The Specialist.
Tracks like "Tiffany Case," "cafe Martinique," the two "Diamonds Are Forever" tracks on the soundtrack, the "Thunderball" instrumental and so on. Throw in "Fun City" from Midnight Cowboy. There is a great compilation to be had from JB's tracks like these. I've done my own, but I'd love to see a commercial release. Playing by Heart and the 2 radio versions of the "Petulia" theme.
