Two films as different as chalk & cheese, and musically different too, however both film soundtracks share the same similarity in that they are surprisingly enjoyable, plus the excellent quality of the sonics an added bonus.
Introduced me to a few bands that are still favourites.
I’ve just allowed my John Williams fanboy instincts lead me down the road of buying a limited edition expanded version of The River (1984).
The original CD hasn’t been available for a good two decades, but I’m still wondering whether it’ll be worth the substantial price I paid for it.
I’ve never seen the actual film - anyone know if it was any good?
Mark
I’m a fan of John Williams, but I didn’t even know this one existed!
As well as the famous stuff, he’s done some great work which hasn’t been as high profile. For example:
- The Cowboys (1972), his only western.
- Images (1975), a very avant-garde score mostly on percussion.
- Family Plot (1976), Hitchcock’s last ever film).
- Rosewood (1996), a very harrowing film which I don’t think was ever released in the UK, but with a great gospel-influenced Williams score.
There are many more: try Jeff Commings’ exhaustive Williams podcast called The Baton.
Mark
Thanks for sharing. I didn’t know he composed a soundtrack for a western movie. Many interesting sountracks to listen to.
This might be more mainstream, but it’s always a nice one:
Memoirs of a Geisha:
It turns out I lied to you! The Cowboys was the only Western score he’d done as far as I could recall, and the only one from which he played concerts and recorded CDs in later life. However, I’m less familiar with his early work in the 60s when, in fact, he scored two Westerns in 1966 amongst the rather forgettable comedies: The Rare Breed and The Plainsman. Neither score has ever been properly released to my knowledge, and neither film has proved very memorable.
There’s also The Reivers (1969) which is sort-of a Western, but not in the 19th-century-cowboys sense. Nevertheless, it’s a great fun score and, significantly, was Williams’ first collaboration with the director Mark Rydell. The latter is significant since Rydell also directed The Cowboys two years later, which is how Williams came to Steven Spielberg’s attention as a great orchestral film composer and led to him hiring Williams to score Jaws and, later, to Spielberg recommending Williams to George Lucas to do that space film.
Williams constructed a concert suite of his music from The Reivers which was recorded in the 90s on a CD called Music for Stage and Screen with Burgess Meredith narrating, sadly only a few years before his death. It’s a wonderful listen - it’s on Spotify and, I daresay, other outlets.
Mark
No worries! I don’t know his early work as well. The first time I really discovered him was with the Star Wars saga with its unforgettable soundtrack. After that, I started listening to his other soundtracks (I’ve also listened to some of his concerts, but I don’t care about them so much, I have to be honest).
Maybe Jaws is the movie that really made Williams famous. Spielberg does always come up to my mind when Williams is involved. I think I’ve been become interested in soundtracks thanks to Williams.
I need to experience all the albums suggested.
Here is another composer with a contemporary classical approach:
Max Richter - Ad Astra
Julie Andrews - Introduces… The Sound of Music - 1965 Promo / 7 inch Single / SM1
Not something I would normally listen to, but I am posting this for those who might find it interesting.
@Cooky My Grandfather was a Cinema Projectionist so he had a few promotional items for use in house, including this which he left to me. Not commercially released, it’s a single sided 7 inch (33 1/3 rpm) with JA talking about the film and featuring excerpts of the songs.
Or what about this?
One of my favourite original soundtracks is how we used to live by Pete Wiggs / Saint Etienne. A wonderful nostalgic film and the perfect soundtrack. Available on tidal here in the U.K.
