Personally I've never cared for Total Recall, despite any fame it may have. There are definitely dozens of better Goldsmith scores, which are more worth getting.

Sorry for the Elfman case, but here I can't agree with you - the score does *not* deserve any applause. Especially the "contemporary" arrangement of the classic Lalo's theme is terrible.

There are definitely other underrated scores that deserve an attention more. The first one that comes to my mind is Richard Rodney Bennett's Murder On The Orient Express. That's always been one of my favorites, though you don't hear much about it.

42zaphod, March 14, 2005; 11:42 PM

Well, I agree with you. Total Recall may be a cool score but I it's not THAT great.
-I don't buy Horner's soundtracks anymore. This guy is a music composing machine.
-The same about Elfman. I stick with his old "funny" scores (Pee Wee, Beetlejuice)
-Overrated : Sad to say, Dances With Wolves, by the great John Barry.
-Overrated : Anything by Zimmer and his Media Squad.
-Underrated : Loony Tunes, and a lot of comedy scores by Goldsmith.
-Underrated : These 80's action scores by Horner (48hours, Commando, Gorky Park)
-Underrated : Tons of horror movies scores (Friday the 13th, by Manfredini, Bartok style. John Carpenter's electro scores ("Prince of Darkness") Tangerine Dream's rock-orientend scores ("Near Dark".) etc...



vodka_kayou, March 15, 2005; 2:10 AM

Hello,
I am in total agreement with you on the "Total Recall" score as well as "The Mask of Zorro". My choices on this subject are as follows.


Overrated: "The Gladiator" By Hans Zimmer
Most Randy Newman scores

Underrated: "All the Pretty Horses" By Marty Stuart
Most John Scott scores

Best Regards,
David
Phoenix, AZ.


deg63iami, March 15, 2005; 8:56 AM

Underrated:
Charlers Dumont OST for Jacques Tati's Trafic
just so funny...

flambeur, March 15, 2005; 2:18 PM

Hi askberb,
great to hear there's someone else who also likes the pefect witty score Charles Dumont had composed for Trafic. Indeed this one (and the other Tati scores as well) would deserve more attention. Good is that at least Trafic was released on CD in integral version. I wish Playtime and My Uncle were as well.


42zaphod, March 15, 2005; 4:01 PM

I am definitely a Total Recall fan. As for overrated scores: any Harry Potter or Ennio Morricone score.

I'm gonna get it for the Morricone crack. . .

ssosmcin, March 17, 2005; 4:38 AM

Basically all electronic soundtracks from François de Roubaix are underrated.

"Le Monde Electronique de François de Roubaix" is a brilliant collection of
tracks that show what FdeR was capable of. Highly recommended.

flambeur, March 17, 2005; 2:52 PM

Overrated :
Total Recall sure is noisy !
And some of James Horner's music sounds just like his former stuff. But I still love it !

Underrated :
1. L'aventure, c'est l'aventure (Francis Lai). This is some real great french pop from the beginnig of the 70's. Can't wait for a CD issue of the complete soundtrack.
2. Talking about Tangerine Dream, how about the music from Thief ?
3. And I have to add the music for french comedies from Vladimir Cosma, Claude Bolling or Raymond Lefèvre ...

remowilliams343, April 1, 2005; 1:48 AM

Hi!
I dont understand that anyone could say that Morricones work is overrated. Most the stuff he has made has not been heard by other than his fans or moviegeeks. A lot of his scores which are beautiful and powerful, are known only to few people.

andy_n_johansen, April 13, 2005; 4:12 AM

I feel a great deal of Basil Poledouris' music is under rated.... he is often assigned the job of scoring really bad films, and his beautiful music is eclipsed by the infamy of the films themselves in the public eye.

Also, he's generally been typecast as an action movie composer - so his more romantic scores don't get that much attention from film music aficiandos.

Which is a shame, since I genuinely believe his music for the "Blue Lagoon" movies contain some of the most heartwrenchingly romantic music ever written for cinema...

When I think of overrated soundtracks, I normally think of Cameron Crowe and Quentin Tarantino's song compilation albums.

And with regards to the earlier comments about Morricone:

He has a wildly uneven track record to be sure. When he's bad he's real bad ("Exorcist II") BUT, when he's good he's real good (most of his work with director Roland Joffe can be put in this category, I think) - perhaps age has given him too much respectability, there are some critics under the delusion he has a midas touch, still, one can't deny he's composed some truly iconic soundtracks...



benjaminorchard, April 15, 2005; 7:45 PM

I like Total Recall, mostly the main title, of course. But it's not a favorite in my Goldsmith canon.

Great folks, I love that Dumont score for Tati's Trafic too. All soundtracks from his films should get more attention. (By the way, I think Hank Mancini got some inspiring ideas from "Les Vacances de M. Hulot" when he wrote his main theme for "Mr. Hobbs takes a Vacation" (no one, as far as I see, ever put their finger on this).

Overrated:

- James Horner (Titanic)
- Randy Newman
- Media Venture
- David Raksin
- some works by Elmer Bernstein (The Magnificent Seven is i.m.o. far inferior to The Commancheros)
- Timeline by Goldsmith (sorry, The 13th Worrior is better)
- Vangelis (some nice stuff to listen to, like Blade Runner, just don't get over excited about that 1492 etc.)
- Elfman
- Isham

Underrated:

- Roy Budd (I love that man's music, watch out for Kidnapped, The Stone Killer etc.)
- Justine by Jerry Goldsmith
- Jerry Filding's The Killer Elite (it's a shame Intrada did not release the hole score)
- On these Days, song on The Italian Job, performed by Matt Monro, one of the greatest film songs I know (the hole soundtrack should get an expanded release, along with the completely different french song version which is just awesome)
- Pierre Jansen's music for the Chabrol picture - fantastic but little known music

I just stop here for now.

emiliolargo1965, June 5, 2005; 4:49 PM

I find anything by John Williams, with the exception of
The Valley of the Dolls, to be unlistenable and derivative
bombast. I have also never understood the popluarity
of Maurice Jarre, especially his score for Doctor Zhivago.

Scores that seem to me to be underrated and that I have
listened to with undiminished interest over the years include Irma La Douce (Previn, and the uncredited composer of the stage score, Monnot), 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Previn, again), and How to Murder Your Wife (Hefti). Also, it took me years to appreciate it, but I have come to feel that Korngold's score for Kings Row is exceptional and should be better known.

gblairm, June 12, 2005; 7:58 PM

The early 70 stuff by Williams is not all that bombastic, Jaws is more kind of chamber music, there are Jane Eyre or The Eiger Sanction (though, I'm not familiar with Valley of the Dolls).

- Me too, I agree thoroughly about Previn's underrated contributions for film music:
- 4 Horsemen IS a fantastic score, on record and in the film itself;
- Elmer Gantry and The Subterraneans must be added to this collection, too.

- there is one little score apparently nobody knows by Bill Conti, Cohen & Tate, a gangster flick from the 80s (starring Roy Scheider, abducting a boy witness), very unmelodic, experimental and hard edged stuff - has to be released on CD, it's miles better than Conti's bland Lock Up bore.

- The Firm by Dave Grusin, about 10 years after its initial release, this score stands out in a conformistic sea of symphonic scoring, a most exceptional composition; I'm still waiting for an complete release of Grusins score here, though I don't care that much about the songs added on this.

emiliolargo1965, June 12, 2005; 9:32 PM

Overrated: Anything by either John Williams or Danny Elfman. John Williams likes to shove what used to be called "acting" into a little string florish with a little horn tinkle and cram it down your throat. Part of the blame has to go to Mr. Spielberg, who can't direct a film without those little manipulations. (at least when Russ Meyer did it , is was a joke!). Danny Elfman has always sucked in my opinion as he was in one the most awful bands (Oingo Boingo) from the most awful of decades ( the 80s). If I ever see him I'll kick him in the crotch for destroying Charlie and The Chocolate Factory ( the original could never be improved upon).
Underrated: Roy Budd's "Get Carter"- beautiful, hypnotic piano work with a jazzy rhythm section and sound effects. It still gives me goosebumps or what I like to call "Orpheus Kisses".
Les Baxter's "Bora Bora". The American version of the film had more authentic Exotica flavor as Mr. Baxter modified his sound to the swinger-macromae 70's bachelor pad heaven. Lush and orchestral, it will sweep you away (sic).

neelnkizmiaz, September 25, 2005; 1:19 PM