budafulmusic

Recently, I’ve been seeing a few top 10 favorites lists so I’m going to give it a go. OST stands for Original Soundtrack, that is, a soundtrack to a film. Parameters for this list are as foll0ws: 1 best score from 10 of the best film composers, no repeats of composers.

1. Signs by James Newton Howard, more about how one family copes with pain and trouble than about aliens, this OST is not for the faint of heart. It quite possible could be one of the most unnerving soundtracks I’ve heard but the final two tracks are worth the dissonance (aka set theory).

2. Cutthroat Island by John Debney, do not be dissuaded by the Guinness World book of records holder for the #1 flop at the box office in movie history. Woman pirates and lame scripts aside, this OST is a gem. Get the Prometheus 2-disc version if you can afford it. Exiting music more worthy of a pirates life than anything in recent years.

3. Stargate by David Arnold, what a ride! This truly great music is really uplifting and full of wonder and genuine excitement. The score hearkens back to the golden age in film music (as does Cutthroat Island) and is perfect in nearly every way. Good guy themes, romantic themes and some truly electrifying bad guy themes.

4. Angela’s Ashes by John Williams, it is difficult for me to feature just a one  of Williams’ film scores. He literally has dozens of top notch, 5 star scores that could easily make this list. Hauntingly gorgeous music for oboe, cello, piano and strings. There are parts with narration from the book that match depressing the mood of the music. Good study music.

5. A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) by John Williams, ok, ok, I’m breaking my rule. Currently my favorite OST, the variety of genre on this disc is interesting to say the least. I goes from neo-classical to ambient sounds to disco-rap to pop and then back to more neo-classical to and more pop at the end. The simple yet complex melodies here are what catch my attention. Shear beauty in execution of performance and mixing. Regardless of all the genres involved (as well as the strange film itself), which often tends to divide audiences, this OST is headed for greatness. I don’t care if Howard Shore won the academy awards that year (2001).

6. The 13th Warrior by Jerry Goldsmith, another flop at the box office, this OST, though not the most popular of Goldsmiths career, is the one I chose at this point. Ask me again in a month and I’d tell you Star Trek or The Omen. The 13th Warrior has some neat Middle Eastern sounds that I tend to like a lot. On top of that, it seems to encapsulate the best of everything Goldsmith did in his prosperous career.

7. Kingdom of Heaven by Harry Gregson-Williams, Ethnic music, especially Middle-Eastern sounds, fascinate me. The amount of expression that is able to come out of the seemingly primitive instruments is remarkable. Composed shortly before Gregson-Williams scored Narnia, Kingdom of Heaven has several similarities to the Narnia score however, it remains a cut above the beloved children’s film.

8. Troy, rejected score by Gabriel Yared. This score is an enigma to me. Well, really, any rejected score is an enigma to me. But this one especially. Star Wars quality themes and orchestrations were dumped in favor of a more trendy but relatively bland score by James Horner.

9. Children of Dune by Brian Tyler, great music that combines western and eastern sounds quite well. Compelling and dramatic score that provided the emotional backdrop that was shown in the story. It is a great standalone score as well, which is why I like it so much.

10. The Land Before Time by James Horner, arguably one of Horner’s best scores ever and a classic animated film as well, this rare and expensive OST is difficult to come by but is well worth the listen. Horner’s colorful orchestrations and memorable melodies are not characteristic of his, now a days, all too familiar sound. When this score is (hopefully soon) re-released it would be well worth your money. Hopefully the marketing people in charge will put the pop song at the end or better yet, omit it altogether, rather than insert it into the middle of the score.