Favorite Trek Soundtracks...

[Joel_Kirk]

This thread is posted here in the 'General' section because we're covering all of the films, including the Abramsverse.

No matter what you (or I) may think of a certain film, sometimes the soundtrack just stands above the material (e.g. "Tron Legacy").

Which is your favorite Trek soundtrack, despite what you may think of the film it accompanies?

Here is my list:

*TMP - That cosmic, sci-fi theme by Jerry Goldsmith is eerie and tells its own story of a mysterious journey into an alien world. I, of course, love the opening theme....and 'that sound' called the Blaster Beam (created by Trek alumni Craig Huxley) used throughout the soundtrack at various points.

*TWOK/TSFS - I was a big James Horner fan, and the soundtracks he did for these two movies started my fandom. However, he did have some missteps (e.g. "Willow"..."The Amazing Spider-Man" and some others). Some non-Trek soundtracks by Horner are amazing such as "Legends of the Fall" (never seen the film, but I love the soundtrack)..."Glory"...'Aliens Attack/Ripley's Rescue' from "Aliens," and the second "Titanic" soundtrack.

*TFF - Another Jerry Goldsmith entry. I haven't listened to the entire soundtrack, but I do like the opening theme - originally created for TMP - followed by the track called 'The Mountain.'

*TUC - I haven't listened to the entire theme, but I do love the opening by Cliff Eidelman, who also did the theme for "Meteor Man."

*FC - I used to own the CD to this soundtrack. Jerry Goldsmith uses the Klingon theme again for this soundtrack, and has an emotional opening theme that blew me away when I first heard it.

*Nemesis - Another soundtrack I used to own years back. One track I do like is "Remus." Another is one I can't remember the title to - it is an 'action scene' theme close to the end theme on the soundtrack.

*ST - I love Michael Giacchino's soundtrack. Majority of the music is frantic (signifying the situations) as well as sense of youth and wonder.

I tried to jog to 'Enterprising Young Men'....believing I was running through the corridors of a ship....but it only works for around 2 mins until it switches over to another genre of music; basically throwing me off.

*STID - I haven't heard the entire soundtrack, but I love the 'sort of' revamped theme by Giacchino.

Aside from the films, there are some Alexander Courage tracks I want to give a listen to. I borrowed a CD of music from TOS years back - yes, everything was years back before time was set for certain things - and I'd found the music to be pretty timeless.

 

[SPCTRE]

TMP ("The New Enterprise"!), TUC, GEN and FC are my favorite soundtracks.

STXI and STID are pretty good as well, but nothing I would go out and buy.

 

[VST]

Great discussion idea. I often listen to many of these scores and in truth I like components from all of them.

I'd argue Jerry Goldsmith's work on TMP & TFF are the best things about those films, they're just perfect Star Trek scoring - beautiful & melodic, TMP especially.

TWOK has some brilliant tense work from James Horner, while TSFS has some really sweeping moments with classic bits of Trek notes. Admittedly a lot of TVH is quite 80's & jaunty but it does have 'Home Again', one of my favourite Trek score tracks.

TUC was really dark & epic & Cliff Eidelman deserves really props for how individual that film sounded, unlike the rest. All the TNG scores were good but for me don't really punch to the same weight as the earlier ones, or indeed Michael Giacchino's great work on Star Trek particularly - his rousing re-do of Alexander Courage's 60's theme is fantastic.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

Admittedly a lot of TVH is quite 80's & jaunty but it does have 'Home Again', one of my favourite Trek score tracks.

Yeah, the soundtrack was a bit flamboyant for me.... and some tracks reminded me of "Lord of the Rings" (the Ralph Bakshi one) which the composer also did.

'Home Again' is a good one, and a good lead-in to the closing end credits theme.

 

[dub]

I just love them all. Too hard to choose a favorite.

 

[Greg Cox]

Whenever I'm writing Trek, my standard rotation is:

Wrath of Khan, First Contact, and Star Trek (2009). I also like the score for Insurrection, especially if want something gentler and less pulse-pounding. It's good for writing quieter, more pensive scenes.

 

[tharpdevenport]

In a vague sort of order:

THE BEST ONES (in my opinion)

"Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"
A great score, one of Horner's best works; if I had to do a Top 10 list by the comoser, this is on it.


"Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home"
Some people hate Rosenman scores, others love them. I fall into the love them camp. I've heard a few I didn't care for, but never a badone. The only piee I don't care for, is a the whale cue with the Yellowjackets.


"Star Trek V: The Final Frontier"
A great work by the late Jerry Goldsmith.

"Star Trek: Generations"
A hell of an effort from McCarthy, who should have gottne more work post Trek spin-offs.

"Star Trek: First Contact"
One of the best interlligent dark scores I have heard for a film, and a woderful welcome of some additinal music by hte late Joel Goldsmith.


SECOND RATE:

"Star Trek: The Motion Picture"
It gets so much priase from the score base, but for me, aside from a handful of cues, I just never can listen to more of it.

"Star Trek III: The Search for Spock"
Whiel it had some great cues, and indeed some of Horner's most famous (like Stealing the Enterprise), cue-for-cue, it's not on the same level as TWoK.


"Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"
Some nice cues, but as a whole it's a little cluncky and has some weak moment.


"Star Trek: Insurrection"
One thing I didn't like about the later efforts by Jerry[p/b], was the lack of everything I loved about his earlier works, and the sort of paint-by-his-numbers composing.
While this score treaded on ground he did in two films previously, I think this score did it the best. Indeed, of the scores from that period to his death, I think this was perhaps the last one where he really tried.


THE UNWORTHY:

"Star Trek: Nemesis"
It's pretty bad when I can leave the theater and not remember a single note of a Trek film score.


THE JJ'ed:

Don't care for the Giacchino scores.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

Whenever I'm writing Trek, my standard rotation is:

Wrath of Khan, First Contact, and Star Trek (2009). I also like the score for Insurrection, especially if want something gentler and less pulse-pounding. It's good for writing quieter, more pensive scenes.

I've heard the "Insurrection" soundtrack was good; I'm going to have to give it a listen...

(And just as I post this, I see tharpdevenport's post with another opinion on that particular score; that's good!)

 

[VST]

It does have some lovely tracks actually, that one. 'New Sight' always stands out for me as a quite romantic, idyllic theme (set to Geordi enjoying his new eyesight in the film).

 

[Joel_Kirk]

It does have some lovely tracks actually, that one. 'New Sight' always stands out for me as a quite romantic, idyllic theme (set to Geordi enjoying his new eyesight in the film).

Interesting...

 

[Greg Cox]

It does have some lovely tracks actually, that one. 'New Sight' always stands out for me as a quite romantic, idyllic theme (set to Geordi enjoying his new eyesight in the film).

I've actually listened to the INSURRECTION album way more times than I've watched the movie!

 

[VST]

Oh me too! Same with TFF & TMP if I'm entirely honest.

 

[Tarheel]

I love every soundtrack, but I would place anything by Jerry Goldsmith at the top of the list. The only one that I do not like at all is The Voyage Home. I've always wondered how different the film would have been if James Horner had provided a score to stand alongside TWOK and TSFS.

 

[RandyS]

Whenever I'm writing Trek, my standard rotation is:

Wrath of Khan, First Contact, and Star Trek (2009). I also like the score for Insurrection, especially if want something gentler and less pulse-pounding. It's good for writing quieter, more pensive scenes.

I've heard the "Insurrection" soundtrack was good; I'm going to have to give it a listen...

I recommend you try the expanded edition that came out last year. It's pretty good. I also second VST's enjoyment of the "New Sight" track. It was, thankfully, also on the original 1998 release.

That aside, I like pretty much something on all the soundtracks. Although, I still feel that TMP's opening theme reminds me more of a 1890's Barbeshop Quartet song than something you'd find in a sci-fi theme. The rest of the 3 disk set is pretty good though.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

Whenever I'm writing Trek, my standard rotation is:

Wrath of Khan, First Contact, and Star Trek (2009). I also like the score for Insurrection, especially if want something gentler and less pulse-pounding. It's good for writing quieter, more pensive scenes.

I've heard the "Insurrection" soundtrack was good; I'm going to have to give it a listen...

I recommend you try the expanded edition that came out last year. It's pretty good. I also second VST's enjoyment of the "New Sight" track. It was, thankfully, also on the original 1998 release.

That aside, I like pretty much something on all the soundtracks. Although, I still feel that TMP's opening theme reminds me more of a 1890's Barbeshop Quartet song than something you'd find in a sci-fi theme. The rest of the 3 disk set is pretty good though.

Thank you, Randy...

 

[Ro_Laren]

My favorite stuff is from the nuTrek movies. Except I also like the music in the last DS9 episode.

 

[Tribble puncher]

My order...STTMP...by a long shot....followed with a tie for TSFS/TFF...TWOKI LIKE TVH and TUC okay but they are distants lasts...(In the original crew adventures)

 

[Joel_Kirk]

My favorite stuff is from the nuTrek movies. Except I also like the music in the last DS9 episode.

Now, I'm curious. I may have to give a listen.

 

[VST]

Good call on the DS9 finale, there are some epic & also quite tragic strings there.

 

[dub]

Love the DS9 finale music! The montage scene music was stripped down for the episode, I believe at the request of Berman. The original version had jazz trumpet and sax. I enjoy it both ways. Also the music from "The Visitor" is breathtaking. Even if you don't like DS9 you should check it out.