Ron Jones scores coming

[tharpdevenport]

Thanks to a post at a score board I frequent:

Ron just posted on Facebook that Lukas Kendall (FSM) is putting together a new score release for the Star Trek series. Here's the original post:

Lukas Kendall is putting a collection of 14 CD's together from my Star Trek:The Next Generation. It seems to be coming together into a very nice release. I am glad the music will finally be heard on it's own. Thanks Lukas. Ron

Lukas created/runs Film Score Monthly, who just recently released the complete score to "The Wrath of Khan".

 

[Christopher]

Wow. Great news, though I'd have a hard time affording all 14.

 

[JRS]

Thanks for the info
I will be surely getting some of these CDs
Would be nice to get some music from DS9 and Voyager also.

 

[Christopher]

^Heck, I wish they'd complete releasing the TOS scores.

 

[trevanian]

^Heck, I wish they'd complete releasing the TOS scores.

No kidding, the Elaan of Troyius battle stuff is fantastic, and there are probably at least a few others that I'd be craving.

 

[Bad Atom]

I can't wait to see exactly which episode scores are going to be released. The complete TWOK score was fantastic and well put together.

 

[BolianAuthor]

Awesome... always more room for TNG music! I hope we could have a CD with the eerie Romulan music from "The Neutral Zone".

 

[Christopher]

I can't wait to see exactly which episode scores are going to be released.

Probably all of them. A CD can hold up to around 75 minutes of music, so 14 CDs could be 1050 minutes. Jones did 42 episodes of TNG; 1050/42 = 25 minutes. If the "Best of Both Worlds" score is typical, there would've been maybe 20-24 minutes of music per episode. So 14 CDs is just the right amount to hold all 42 of Jones' scores and maybe even a little extra.

 

[Data Holmes]

I can't wait to see exactly which episode scores are going to be released.

Probably all of them. A CD can hold up to around 75 minutes of music, so 14 CDs could be 1050 minutes. Jones did 42 episodes of TNG; 1050/42 = 25 minutes. If the "Best of Both Worlds" score is typical, there would've been maybe 20-24 minutes of music per episode. So 14 CDs is just the right amount to hold all 42 of Jones' scores and maybe even a little extra.

This guy at FSM must be a trekkie.

 

[Christopher]

^Or a Jonesie.

 

[tharpdevenport]

Well, in the 8CD set of the original Superman film scores (sans the lackluster Ottman effort), he incluyded on disc 8 [n]Jones[/b]' work for the 80's animated series.

 

[Christopher]

^Oh, neat! I might be interested in that. Is it possible to get the disks individually?

 

[BolianAuthor]

Well, in the 8CD set of the original Superman film scores (sans the lackluster Ottman effort), he incluyded on disc 8 [n]Jones[/b]' work for the 80's animated series.

In what regard do you consider John Ottman's score for "Superman Returns" lackluster? I think he did a great job of honoring the original fanfare.

 

[Christopher]

^And that was my main problem with Ottman's score. For one thing, Williams' fanfare was hardly the "original" Superman fanfare; it was an homage to the fanfares that had preceded it, Sammy Timberg's from the '40s Fleischer cartoons and Leon Klatzkin's from the George Reeves series. Most Superman composers have created their own distinct Superman fanfares that evoked the flavor of their predecessors but still added something new to the tradition of Superman themes (including Jones in the '88 series, Kevin Kiner in Superboy, Jay Gruska in Lois and Clark, Shirley Walker in S:TAS, and, belatedly, Louis Febre in the most recent season of Smallville). I would've rather heard what Ottman could add as his own contribution to that tradition, rather than just recycling something that had been done before. But then, I would've preferred the whole movie to be a more original take on Superman.

My other problem with Ottman's score is that he didn't do anything very interesting with the Williams fanfare. Every single time Superman did anything heroic, we'd just get a direct quote of the Williams theme, the same tempo, the same orchestration, everything. It wasn't tailored to the specific sequences, there weren't any real variations explored; it was just repetitive. It grew tiresome after a while.

 

[tharpdevenport]

^Oh, neat! I might be interested in that. Is it possible to get the disks individually?

No, it's a box set. But worth it for Williams' great score alone.

 

[Christopher]

^So what is included in it, all told? Anything besides the first four movies and the Ron Jones cartoon score?

I once found a soundtrack album for Lois and Clark, which has one of my favorite Superman themes ever, but the album was disappointing, since its choice of cues was not very good. There were only a few interesting cues on it, and very few of the action-type cues making use of that cool Superman motif.

 

[tharpdevenport]

Just what I said. ScreenArchives.com

Yeah, the L&C score CD was a huge let down. And it seems everytime I love a theme and an expanded version is made for CD, someone thinks it's a good idea to throw in saxophone for no appearent reason.

 

[Christopher]

^Thanks for the address. No way can I afford the collection, but there were enough sample tracks of Jones' Superman scores available for download that I was able to get a really good thrill of nostalgia listening to them. I love it when I revisit an old show like this, hear music cues I haven't heard or thought about in ages, and realize that I recognize them and know how they go.

Jones' Superman score was interesting, sort of a midpoint between his TNG work and his DuckTales work, blending elements of both. His work in that era (I can't speak for today, since unfortunately all he does anymore is that dreadful Family Guy thing) certainly had a distinctive sound and orchestration.

 

[BolianAuthor]

^And that was my main problem with Ottman's score. For one thing, Williams' fanfare was hardly the "original" Superman fanfare; it was an homage to the fanfares that had preceded it, Sammy Timberg's from the '40s Fleischer cartoons and Leon Klatzkin's from the George Reeves series. Most Superman composers have created their own distinct Superman fanfares that evoked the flavor of their predecessors but still added something new to the tradition of Superman themes (including Jones in the '88 series, Kevin Kiner in Superboy, Jay Gruska in Lois and Clark, Shirley Walker in S:TAS, and, belatedly, Louis Febre in the most recent season of Smallville). I would've rather heard what Ottman could add as his own contribution to that tradition, rather than just recycling something that had been done before. But then, I would've preferred the whole movie to be a more original take on Superman.

My other problem with Ottman's score is that he didn't do anything very interesting with the Williams fanfare. Every single time Superman did anything heroic, we'd just get a direct quote of the Williams theme, the same tempo, the same orchestration, everything. It wasn't tailored to the specific sequences, there weren't any real variations explored; it was just repetitive. It grew tiresome after a while.

Hmmm... you know, those are all very good and excellent points, but the thing is, it had been a long time since a new Superman film had come out... I think both Singer and Ottman wanted to kind of honor the Christopher Reeve films, in as many ways as possible... I mean, maybe I should put it this way... I think it's like with the first of the new films, they didn't want to abandon the Williams score, because for so long, it was so iconic to Superman... it would be like if Lucas had not chosen to use the SW fanfare with the new prequels... the fans would have been appalled.

Maybe I'm wrong, in that assumption, but personally, hearing the proud Williams Superman fanfare again on the big screen was such a treat.

 

[Christopher]

Hmmm... you know, those are all very good and excellent points, but the thing is, it had been a long time since a new Superman film had come out... I think both Singer and Ottman wanted to kind of honor the Christopher Reeve films, in as many ways as possible...

Which was their biggest mistake. I would've rather seen Singer develop his own original take on Superman instead of just giving us a feeble, fanboyish imitation of someone else's work.

I mean, maybe I should put it this way... I think it's like with the first of the new films, they didn't want to abandon the Williams score, because for so long, it was so iconic to Superman... it would be like if Lucas had not chosen to use the SW fanfare with the new prequels... the fans would have been appalled.

But that's a poor analogy because Williams' theme was not the first or only Superman theme. It was one of a series of themes, and it was a direct homage to the two that had preceded it. Just about every Superman theme that's followed has had the same general sound that Timberg and Klatzkin originated and Williams elaborated upon, a triumphant, brass-heavy fanfare, usually with a prominent 3-note phrase in it somewhere that implies the word "Superman." So there's a way to capture the characteristic sound of a Superman theme without copying Williams, who after all was merely following the lead of two earlier composers.

Maybe I'm wrong, in that assumption, but personally, hearing the proud Williams Superman fanfare again on the big screen was such a treat.

Yeah, it was nice to hear again, the first couple of times. But they just kept blaring it over and over and over and over with no variation until I got sick of hearing it. Using a theme well means exploring it in different ways, adjusting its flow and tempo and orchestration to fit the action onscreen, playing with its possibilities. What Ottman did here felt more like just lazily dropping in a stock music cue every time the action started, the exact same cue every damn time without variety. It was a dull, unimaginative, sloppy way of using the theme, and so I don't think it honored the theme. It had the same problem as the movie as a whole: being too slavishly imitative for its own good.