Movie Score Cues of the Moments: RIP Quincy Jones :(

[BrandonDaCollector]

OK, I get it and sounds good. I guess a lot of people are like that. My Grandpa PoPo was the same way, he had tons of friends but none had an interest in movie music or scores.

I was like that too at school, I wanted to play the trombone but I didn't have the talent but I still loved the music.

Oh I'm sure you'll learn a bit here PB and thanks for your reply;)

Oh yes, Leopold, I seen that tons of times back in the day, know him well Movie composers are like modern classical composers, I have always thought that.

OK, so next will be Danny Elfman, I will do him tomorrow, until then

[packerbacker180]

Oingo Boingo! Funny you should mention Danny Elfman considering what I was planning for the trailers thread....

[BrandonDaCollector]

Yep, Oingo Boingo was his great group and you be correct...Pee wee was one of Elfman's first ones major scores...coming soon!

[BrandonDaCollector]

So here is Danny Elfman, he is one of My all-time favorites. My Grandpa PoPo just loved him too. My
Grandparents always called him THE ELF

Here is Elfman's wikipage - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Elfman

I love how Dark Danny is. I love his crazy horror music and while he isn't the only major horror movie composer there is (I have some others I love which I'll get to them in time), he is My favorite. He has such unique sound and such creativity. The thing is most people think of him as a singer from his group Oingo Boingo but he is actually one of the best composers to ever do it! I have followed him since I was young, he really got My attention with Beetlejuice then Batman came along and the rest is history. He is best friends with fellow Oingo Boingoer Steve Bartek who does his orchestrations. That's one thing about Elfman is that unlike Jerry Goldsmith & John Williams, he doesn't do his own orchestrations and conducting (its a big deal for composers - WILLIAMS STILL DOES IT!!) and such. Also, Elfman has collaborated with another great fellow great composer & business partner the late great Shirley Walker (I will present her in time...she was wonderful) for great scores such as The Flash 1990 and the awesome Batman Animated Series & Mask of the Phantasm...it was so great back then

Elfman just doesn't have a major partnership with director Tim Burton but he has also worked almost as with Sam Raimi whom is also another fantastic movie director that focuses on the horror genre Elfman has even had cameos in film such as Raimi's the Gift. Elfman's brother Richard was also a member of Oingo Boingo. Danny Elfman is related to Jenna Elfman by marriage as well because her husband is Bodhi Elfman, Danny's NEPHEW

Elfman has always reminded Me as a cross between Michael Keaton & Tim Curry...every time I see them in classic films I think of Danny Elfman. They have such dark yet great personalities and so does he, he even resembles them in odd ways IMO. It's so fun being a movie score fan & collector but man is it a ball getting Danny Elfman's scores. I have a very large CD collection of his. He is still doing wonders as I speak, his last great score was The Justice League in 2017, he put his OWN Batman theme and even John Williams' Superman in it, that's HOW CLEVER DANNY ELFMAN IS

Here is some of his great stuff from the 80s & early 90s

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (85) - This just wasn't Tim Burton's directional debut but also is the one that got Danny Elfman truly started as a major composer



Beetlejuice (88) - Now this was the one that truly showed the movie music fans that he is legit. This is still one of his best and spookiest too. I just love the truly macabre tone of the music and the overall look & feeling of the film. the music brings it out so much! I loved it so much I got most of what I could back in the day as I have showcased it all before hand in My topics!

Batman (89) - This was the one, My Grandpa PoPo just fell in love with the score & movie. I did too. It was something different fro Me because I was just getting into superheroes. He couldn't wait to buy the score on record at Peaches/Sound Warehouse, these were wonderful days. Me & My family + My Mom's boyfriend jasper all went to see it. This IMO is still one of the greatest superhero scores EVER and I mean EVER! It's so tremendous in every aspect with dark action, horror, heroics, dissonant and so much more



Dick Tracy (90) - My Grandparents took Me and My friend Donnie to see it at the Kenrick, we ate at BK which was just feet away from the show as well. Oh that was so cool. Like Batman, this was huge for Me. I just loved the film and after a year of hearing Elfman's Batman countless times already on record stereo I was so used to his sound I was immediately hooked on his Dick Tracy score.



Darkman (90) - This was pretty big too for Me & My family. This was Elfman's first major collaboration with Sam Raimi. This is truly a dark, pitiful yet heroic score for an unlikely hero. It's truly one of Elfman's best yet quite underrated scores. The instruments are so thrilling.



Nightbreed (90) - This is arguably My favorite Elfman score that he has ever done! It's a great film too by Clive Barker. The film score critics hate the music as they say it's too bland, boring and generic (one of'em is Christian Clemmensen's Filmtracks is really bum-steer, great looking site for decades but horrible critic) but I sssooo beg the differ. This is PURE HORROR at it's finest. I love that Elfman uses a Female, Male & Children's CHOIR, I love when composers use choirs and this is so joyfully grotesque Its so fun, I have played this score probably more than any other Elfman score, even more so than than his extraordinary Planet of the Apes



1990 was such a year of importance and change and it was really some year for Elfman as he did Dick Tracy, Darkman & Nightbreed...he was busy oh yes. So I'm actually NOT done with Elfman, I'm gonna do a part 2 NEXT that shows you his other works in the late 90s & 2000s that is also tremendous. Take your time and listen to these, let Me know what ya think and I'll go ahead and post part 2 soon after

By the way, make sure you check out the songs topic, I'm posting his fabulous Flesh 'N Blood by his group Oingo Boingo from GB II

[packerbacker180]

Like I've said, I don't know much about music, but I think as far as modern movies go, Danny Elfman might have the easiest sound to recognize. Whether it's Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Batman '89, or Beetlejuice, you can usually identify his sound pretty easily. It's very unique. I loved Darkman. We went to see it for a friend's birthday party back in the day. It was my first introduction to Sam Raimi and Liam Neeson. Been fans of both ever since.

[BrandonDaCollector]

Oh yes, you be correct about that. Many composers today are actually part of Hans Zimmer's (Backdraft, Gladiator, The Dark Knight trilogy) Media Ventures/Remote Control Productions like Harry Gregson-Williams, Steve Jablonsky, Junkie XL for an example... they all have a very similar sound which they dominate the hollyweird scene now which has been going on since the mid 90s but really took off in the mid 2000s. Hollyweird actually prefers this great but somewhat unoriginal sound as they feel it brings out the big bucks. As much as I love that HUGE, HUGE group, their tremendously fun scores and their history which I will get to in time...original sound, recognizable and spooky stuff like Elfman is what I prefer. I didn't really get into Zimmer until the 90s. His sound really took of with K2 & Drop Zone in 91 & 94 and since then he taught most of his students/colleagues to do it. So I loved Elfman, Godsmith, Williams, Silvestri, Horner and some others because nobody sounded like them which one could argue that really they are in total different category all together.

We had to wait fot Darkman on VHS but My Grandma MiMi got it for at Schnucks on Iron Street before We even saw it, We just knew that We'd like it. Yes, same for Me about Raimi & Neeson

I do hope your learning a bit here and excited about it Thanks for your reply PB, it makes Me very excited to talk about Movie Scores & Composers because its My passion and I don't talk about it often. Part 2 of Danny Elfman is coming soon

[BrandonDaCollector]

So here is part 2 of Danny Elfman in the 90s, he was really busy in the huge grand year of 96. Get READY

Edward Scissorhands (90) - Another great Tim Burton film with another superb score. I love that beautiful choir



Batman Returns (92) - Oh this was such a great one too, he was so creative with this one, I love that great choir



Mars Attacks! (96) - Here is his main title to the all-star epic, its sounds so 50s & 60s! Its such a great one!



The Frighteners (96): This was Peter Jackson's first big film with Michael J. Fox. This is one of Elfman's most underrated of all.



Mission Impossible (96) - This is actually one of his most untalked about scores especially when they talk about the M:I franchise. He used the original series theme by Lalo Schifrin. This is one of the reasons why i love Elfman, he is so versatile, he can compose just about anything you want & need

NOTE: Alan Silvestri's score WAS REJECTED and they chose ELFMAN INSTEAD...Oh yes, directors & studios REJECT composers a lot, it's a shame, even Goldsmith & Bernstein has been rejected more than once I will get to this side subject even further in time.



Extreme Measures (96) - This is yet another underrated score of his. It has really good moments. I love the choir.



Men in Black (97) - My Grandma MiMi got Me the soundtrack as a bit of a surprise back then This was truly a great theme. One of his best ever and he composed most of the sequels too! It's so darn fun, I listened to this countless times



Sleepy Hollow (99) - Oh this is one of his biggest ones he's done. It's tremendously dark and wonderfully dire Listen, LISTEN to that choir, I love it



So there is part 2 of Danny Elfman, I hope you liked this. Tell Me what's you fave so far of these. Now keep in mind this is just selections by Me, not the entire score. It's what is some of My favorites and what I think is necessary to present here for people who are novice about movie scores. If there's any questions you have about anything regarding the subject just ask, I'm sure there's a chance I'll know the answer to it

I'm gonna make a part 3 with some samples of his great stuff he did in the 2000s, oh it was so fun, until then

[packerbacker180]

Interesting. I wouldn't have thought composers would get replaced on a film based on how much effort it probably takes to compose music (I assume). I guess I just always assumed the producers went to a composer and said you're our guy/gal, and that was it. Especially with the big-name composer.

[BrandonDaCollector]

Oh yes, it happens. Oh the studios really don't care. Sometimes their rejected score get's an actual release on CD but sometimes their stuck in limbo Its really something when a composer's score get's booted and the replacement only has weeks to compose their new score. For instance, this happen to Howard Shore who did Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy which is one of the best movies scores ever heard, he was rejected for Jackson's King Kong in 2005...James Newton Howard (who did the Fugitive in 93, Outbreak in 95 & Disney's Dinosaur in 2000 among other great stuff, he's one of My faves) only had a couple weeks before the release date which was Christmas 2005. It was nuts following that then. Elfman was rejected for Spider-Man 3, Christopher Young who is one of my other faves is a great horror composer (Hellraiser, ANOES 2, The Fly 2, Copycat, Species 1) replaced him in 2007...can you believe it...oh it was something following this too. These are only examples, there is more I have a few rejected scores and when I listen to them I think...what the heck were they thinkin I'll talk more about this in time. Thanks for the reply PB, Danny Elfman part 3 coming soon

[BrandonDaCollector]

So here is My part 3 Danny Elfman selections of the 2000s! I hope you listen to it and give them all a shot, if you have the patience, listening to movies score is so fun especially if you the know the movies their from

Proof of Life (2000) - This movie has so much history with Russel Crowe & Meg Ryan and with the great stuff of Gladiator & Hans Zimmer, Proof of Life was really on My radar. Oh when I first heard this I couldn't believe how much he change his sound, it sounds even better



Planet of the Apes (2001) - Now this was absolutely huge for Me. This was Tim Burton's vision. This really got Me into the Apes films. I was so into it, I got most of the figures by Hasbro & got all the trading cards by Topps, even the chase ones Listen CLOSELY to the 30 second mark, it sounds SO LEGIT! Singers get such praise for doing songs that is on a CD that is only 45 to 50 minutes. Nobody really praises composers at all. Elfman had very little time to write this because of other duties including Proof of Life...he wrote OVER 2 HOURS of music for the Planet of the Apes in less than 2 WEEKS! Oh I remember all of it like it was yesterday for this...this was one of the biggest movie events I had ever experienced and there really was nothing like it since. I have this officially on CD plus a couple different bootlegs. Listen to this epic, your gonna what more and if you do and I'm right then just say I want more Elfman Apes



Spider-Man (2002) - Here is first score for a superhero since Batman Returns (1992), 10 years apart to be exact from DC to Marvel. It was another collaboration with Sam Raimi! This is a great one and while it's never been on My top ten list, its a tremendous one and it sure fit the film superbly!



Men in Black 2 (2002) - He returned for the sequel and got really creative with it!



The Hulk (2003) - So now he is the composer for Marvel. I couldn't wait to see the film and hear the score. I just love his theme for the Hulk, he really has the strings goin' on in this one, I love it



Spider-Man 2 (2004) - He got creative here too but things were getting shifty with the heads. They weren't liking some of his music so what did they do They rejected a lot of Elman's material and they brought in not one but 2 other composers to replace it They were John Debney (Cutthroat Island, Sudden Death, The Relic, The Passion of the Christ and Christopher Young (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Hellraiser 1 & 2, The Fly 2, Copycat & Species. Now I knew these guys as much as I did The Elf, their two of My favorites. Debney changed the game in 95 while Young is arguably the greatest horror composer ever known, even more so than Elfman himself, he has such dynamic sound, wait til I get to him This debacle was a joke and unnecessary yet it happen. Oh it didn't end there cause by time Spider-Man 3 came out in 2007 they went with both Christopher Young & John Debney and Elfman was out and that really soured his relationship with Raimi so they became co-composers and the thing is, they never released the score to this day, its so awesome, there is bootlegs on YT however which thank goodness for that.



Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008) - This was such a true back to form for The Elf. This movie was radical. Fellow horror composer Marco Beltrami (the Scream quadilogy, Mimic, Dracula 2000, The Thing did the first Hellboy in 2004 (he is so fun to listen to as well, he has such a unique feeling to his music that I love) but when I found out Elfman was going to do the sequel I was really thrilled. His score didn't disappoint at all. I got the score, listen to it many, many times then went to the show and saw it, hearing the music in the film and knowing what was going on it is so darn exciting. I did that a lot back the day and I never understood why others don't. Listen CLOSELY at 56 seconds, it is so darn epic and the choir The Elfman uses is so neat, I love his choirs in his scores!



Terminator: Salvation (2009) - Oh this was totally massive that Elfman was going to do this. I was really anticipating the film cause I'm a huge Terminator fan. My Mom was astounded by the film when we saw it together cause she loves the franchise as well. The score is very different compared to the previous entries if you have heard them. T1 & T2 were by Brad Fiedel & T3 was by Marco Beltrami. I love how western, country & nostalgic this sounds. It sounds purely from the past, something of the 80s, close your eyes and just listen, you can visualize the landscapes of deserts and hear the oncoming rush of turmoil & chaos of Skynet! This has become one of My faves of Elfman, he was so good with this one! One thing about it is My Grandma MiMi liked it before I really did, she had a great ear for movie music too, she and My Grandpa PoPo went out going to record stores since the 70s searching for all kinds of movie scores & music, yep, they were one of a kind couple



So that is it. I'm going do a part 4 with his entries in the 2010s and a special one and then he'll be done. I hope you take the time to listen to all of this greatness of years past and read My trivia and you don't want to skip something you could have known & loved Until the next update