THE BIG ORCHESTRAL ACTION MUSIC THREAD! [Archive] - Page 37

arthierr

01-23-2012, 12:50 AM

Since I've got no speakers for the moment, I can't do any comment on music. So I'll focus on other approaches such as this one:

I recently read a very interesting article by an author I'm fond of, Paul Graham, about artistic taste. This is a topic that is often controversial and that has been discussed sometimes in this thread or outside of it, so it's worth exploring it further. I was very surprised to see in this article how much the author's conceptions on this subject are close to mine. Four or five times, I jumped on my chair saying: "Hey, that's MY idea!"

Basically, we both tend to believe that there *is* such things as good art and bad art, and consequently such things as good taste and bad taste, and we both have some good reasons to think so. I intended to write myself an article on this subject one of these days and post it in the thread, and perhaps I'll do it one day when I'll get the time, but for now I'd just like to post this very good essay, well written, quite convincing, and more importantly, very truthful and sensible. I hope some of you will do some comments so we can have some discussions about it. Enjoy!

Paul Graham
How art can be good
How Art Can Be Good (http://www.paulgraham.com/goodart.html)

Here's an extract of it, to give you an idea of the style and content:

I grew up believing that taste is just a matter of personal preference. Each person has things they like, but no one's preferences are any better than anyone else's. There is no such thing as good taste.

Like a lot of things I grew up believing, this turns out to be false, and I'm going to try to explain why.

One problem with saying there's no such thing as good taste is that it also means there's no such thing as good art. If there were good art, then people who liked it would have better taste than people who didn't. So if you discard taste, you also have to discard the idea of art being good, and artists being good at making it.

It was pulling on that thread that unravelled my childhood faith in relativism. When you're trying to make things, taste becomes a practical matter. You have to decide what to do next. Would it make the painting better if I changed that part? If there's no such thing as better, it doesn't matter what you do. In fact, it doesn't matter if you paint at all. You could just go out and buy a ready-made blank canvas. If there's no such thing as good, that would be just as great an achievement as the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Less laborious, certainly, but if you can achieve the same level of performance with less effort, surely that's more impressive, not less.

Yet that doesn't seem quite right, does it?

[...]

I wrote this essay because I was tired of hearing "taste is subjective" and wanted to kill it once and for all. Anyone who makes things knows intuitively that's not true. When you're trying to make art, the temptation to be lazy is as great as in any other kind of work. Of course it matters to do a good job. And yet you can see how great a hold "taste is subjective" has even in the art world by how nervous it makes people to talk about art being good or bad. Those whose jobs require them to judge art, like curators, mostly resort to euphemisms like "significant" or "important" or (getting dangerously close) "realized."

I don't have any illusions that being able to talk about art being good or bad will cause the people who talk about it to have anything more useful to say. Indeed, one of the reasons "taste is subjective" found such a receptive audience is that, historically, the things people have said about good taste have generally been such nonsense.

It's not for the people who talk about art that I want to free the idea of good art, but for those who make it. Right now, ambitious kids going to art school run smack into a brick wall. They arrive hoping one day to be as good as the famous artists they've seen in books, and the first thing they learn is that the concept of good has been retired. Instead everyone is just supposed to explore their own personal vision.

When I was in art school, we were looking one day at a slide of some great fifteenth century painting, and one of the students asked "Why don't artists paint like that now?" The room suddenly got quiet. Though rarely asked out loud, this question lurks uncomfortably in the back of every art student's mind. It was as if someone had brought up the topic of lung cancer in a meeting within Philip Morris.

Tsukahara Bokuden Original Sountrack
NHK-BS時代劇「塚原卜伝」オリジナルサウンドトラック
NHK-BS Jidai Geki "Tsukahara Bokuden" Orijinaru Saundotorakku

As usual, an amazing post with a superb presentation. Thank you very much, Sir! And thanks also for pointing out the Ultraman score: I forgot to try that one, so now is the opportunity.

streichorchester

01-23-2012, 08:32 AM

Wow, I never heard this before: Star Wars Theme from 'Ice Cold in Alex' by Leighton Lucas NOT John Williams - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uabATePFYg)

If anyone ever again says Williams was just ripping off Holst for the opening of Star Wars, just tell them, no, he was ripping off this which in turn was ripping off Holst. :)

Orie

01-24-2012, 12:24 AM

Requested for a friend.
Mp3 in 128kbps. One of my first soundtracks I ever acquired from the internet in 2002. Miss those days of hard work looking for anime soundtracks.
I may update it for another mp3 version. But for the moment, this serves its purpose. ^^

A very orchestrated and enjoyable soundtrack. One of my Top favorites. Enjoy you too guys and girls.

(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/850/ahmygodessthemoviefront.jpg/)
Ah! My Goddess -The Movie- Original Soundtrack (http://forums.ffshrine.org/f91/ah-my-goddess-movie-original-soundtrack-109188/#post1901001)

Release date: 2000.11.01
Catalogue number: PCCG-00556
Label: Pony Canyon

Music by: Shiro Hamaguchi (1~5, 7~25, 27)
Nobuo Uematsu (6, 26)

Tracklist:

01 luna aeterna - Nemuri wo Samasu Mono
02 dea cantat Megami ha Utau
03 Haru, Kawarazuni
04 magister - Natsukashiki Shi
05 Kokoro no Izumi
06 Koi no Lesson 3
07 Kitai Shinaide...
08 Kizuna, Motomete
09 Kitto Futarinara
10 Kokoro, Shinjite
11 invidia -Kokoro Yurete
12 Tuisou -nostalgia-
13 crystallus malus -Kurai Kagayaki
14 Celestin -seditionis auctor
15 Omoi, Tojikomete
16 ventus -Abareru Megami
17 Shiawase, Negatte
18 Morgan -amor tistis
19 Inochino Sasayaki
20 propstum -Kami ni Agarau
21 Thro -Hakai no Kami
22 GekimetsuGourai
23 Futari no Akashi
24 coro di dea Megamitachi no Utagoe
25 Shinsekai Jokyoku
26 Try To Wish -Kimi ni Hitsuyou na Mono
27 cantlena angeli Tenshi no Uta

tangotreats

01-24-2012, 03:18 AM

Well, Ace Combat 3D is growing on me a little. I can't help but notice that all the vaguely competent pieces on the full score are orchestrated by Wataru Yokohama; this further confirms my suspicions that Shiina needs all the help he can get. The orchestral score has more in common with Afrika than it does with any of Shiina's previous works; that's very telling. It doesn't hang together too badly having listened to the full album - the previously posted Line rip (the best available at the time) doesn't do it justice.

I can do without the electronica and the silly percussion, but it only seems to turn up occasionally - Westerly, for example, begins as a mess of orchestra, electronic rumbling and RV drumming; but after about a minute all that nonsense shuts off and we get four further minutes of a very traditional heroic symphonic cue.

The full score has maybe an hour of orchestra all together (64 piece, with a 68 voice choir) about 30 minutes of which is unadorned and symphonic; the rest is drowned in noise but it's still there.

The booklet is contradictory regarding recording locations; it lists Avaco Creative as well as the infamous Sound Inn A Studio... 64 players is pushing it a little but they *might* fit in Sound Inn. 50 is the usual number comfortably accommodated; 60 on special occasions. If it is, they're remarkably well recorded; this may be the best, most natural sounding orchestral recording to come out of that studio so far...

It doesn't really sound like Avaco to me. I could be wrong though.

Faleel

01-24-2012, 03:23 AM

Just curious, how is your work on Skyward Sword coming?

tangotreats

01-24-2012, 03:30 AM

It's ground to something of a halt at the moment; still trying to get over a cold and think it's coming back for another pass... That and going through some personal stuff that means I can barely concentrate on doing anything for longer than five minutes.

AT this rate the soundtrack album will probably come out first!

Still, I would like to finish it - maybe it will cheer people up a bit after the shitty events of the last few days...

I've got a few goodies to come. Not entirely sure where to upload them yet, but I'll think of something. :)

tangotreats

01-25-2012, 11:00 PM

BAMPU:

Coming up soon... Kousuke Yamashita surpasses himself yet again in the final two discs of Gokaiger... Download yamashita.mp3 from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/DLDJRDW6/yamashita.mp3_links)
...and...
In theatrical feature Inazuma Eleven Go, her orchestral debut, Shiho Terada coaxes a surprisingly spirited score from her spindly 39-piece ensemble (Download terada.mp3 from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/1TWL5EDU/terada.mp3_links)

arthierr

01-25-2012, 11:25 PM

Loved both!

4:07 of Yamashita is absolutely superb, not to mention the choir at the end. Inazuma sounds very good too. Typically japanese neo-Romantic, as Streich would point out. Dunno if the the Imperial march ripoff is intentional or not here.

(I'd like to precise that I've heard the music through a barely audible laptop speaker, so I could have missed some nuances)

Faleel

01-26-2012, 12:12 AM

It's ground to something of a halt at the moment; AT this rate the soundtrack album will probably come out first!

La La Land DID clue that they would "go to a magical far away place" with their next release....

Doublehex

01-26-2012, 03:22 AM

Okay, this is somewhat, kinda off track, but I just found a YouTube video of Stephen Fry defending classical music and explaining why it is still relevant today, and also why it can easily co-exist with modern music.

Stephen Fry Speech - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkZVcwPCKsM&feature=plcp&context=C3a794b7UDOEgsToPDskIF4U07kSbTuRaq41irJt5i )

EDIT: In other news, I am making progress on a complete The Old Republic soundtrack. Got 3 hours worth of music organized into folders. 7 hours worth is still unorganized. I hope to get it out within a month. If any of you chaps (especially if any of you chaps play the game!) want to assist me, just let me know via PM.

Yen_

01-26-2012, 05:13 AM

I don't know if I have put this is in the right place, but I know some of you are budding composers (tangotreats?) and hopefully will find it interesting. To others, like me, who just love listening to the end result, it is a fascinating read.

http://forums.ffshrine.org/f92/complete-guide-film-scoring-richard-davis-199-a-109258/#post1902717

Namtab102

01-26-2012, 06:15 AM

Basically, we both tend to believe that there *is* such things as good art and bad art, and consequently such things as good taste and bad taste, and we both have some good reasons to think so. I intended to write myself an article on this subject one of these days and post it in the thread, and perhaps I'll do it one day when I'll get the time, but for now I'd just like to post this very good essay, well written, quite convincing, and more importantly, very truthful and sensible. I hope some of you will do some comments so we can have some discussions about it. Enjoy!

As someone who has dabbled in many of the arts, all I can say is AMEN!

streichorchester

01-26-2012, 07:15 AM

Okay, this is somewhat, kinda off track, but I just found a YouTube video of Stephen Fry defending classical music and explaining why it is still relevant today, and also why it can easily co-exist with modern music.

Stephen Fry Speech - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkZVcwPCKsM&feature=plcp&context=C3a794b7UDOEgsToPDskIF4U07kSbTuRaq41irJt5i )
I started typing a reply to this and the futility of reaching today's youth on important topics, the diminishing cultural significance of classical music, and following arthier's lead on objectivity in art. Suffice to say it got rather long and rant-y. But typing it did make me feel a bit better, so yay.

Vinphonic

01-26-2012, 05:30 PM

Really looking forward to the new Yamashita and Inazuma. Recently I've listened to two very "modern" scores and while one was rather disappointing (Guilty Crown), the other one was quite enjoyable. So here it is:

Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere

(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/707/folderkopie.jpg/)

Music composed by Katou Tatsuya

Download (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/0OQVKPZJ/Horizon.7z_links)
MP3 / 320kbps / 34 Tracks / 70min

(This is not the complete OST, but my selection for this thread. The whole thing can be found here (http://animeost.info/5483/kyoukai-senjou-no-horizon-ost), minus english tags)

Not quite as good as Samurai Girls but enjoyable nonetheless. When it comes to modern music, these types of scores are far more listenable than the usual RC approach. I've also noticed an increasing quality in music for "niche" anime in recent years. Most anime in the ecchi genre have now very enjoyable scores, in some cases even great or (for such a genre) amazing music (Queen's Blade, Samurai Girls, Rosario to Vampire, Maken-Ki!, Highschool DxD etc.). At least I'm now checking out soundtracks for series I would have avoided in the past.

Thagor

01-26-2012, 10:02 PM

Thanks for this klnerfan ;)
And you are right about good scores for ecchi anime ;)

Sirusjr

01-26-2012, 10:06 PM

Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere is a solid score and I agree it needs to be trimmed down a bit. I actually like a lot of the synth how it is used in that score.

arthierr

01-28-2012, 02:44 AM

I haven't tried the music yet, but I sure love that cover. :D

As someone who has dabbled in many of the arts, all I can say is AMEN!

I'll also post my own essay on the same subject as soon as I find the available time to crank it out. I think I've got a few interesting ideas that are worth being expressed.

I don't know if I have put this is in the right place, but I know some of you are budding composers (tangotreats?) and hopefully will find it interesting. To others, like me, who just love listening to the end result, it is a fascinating read.

http://forums.ffshrine.org/f92/complete-guide-film-scoring-richard-davis-199-a-109258/#post1902717

Wonderful! Just what I needed to upgrade/update my film music knowledge. Thank you!

Okay, this is somewhat, kinda off track, but I just found a YouTube video of Stephen Fry defending classical music and explaining why it is still relevant today, and also why it can easily co-exist with modern music.

Stephen Fry Speech - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkZVcwPCKsM&feature=plcp&context=C3a794b7UDOEgsToPDskIF4U07kSbTuRaq41irJt5i )

Great stuff. I especially liked the part where he says that snobbery sometimes isn't where we think it is. This is soooo true.

Think about it: some people think that those who appreciate "higher" forms of music are pretentious "elitists" or pompous "snobs". But isn't there nearly nothing *more* pretentious than saying: "I don't appreciate or understand classical music (for instance), so classical music is bad. I enjoy dance music (for instance), so dance music is good." What an extraordinary lack of modesty, of humility, to be able to state such thing. If one isn't capable of seeing the greatness of something, because one doesn't have the knowledge, the experience, the refined taste to do so, it doesn't mean this thing has no value in itself; it sometimes just means that one isn't ready to experience it properly.

It's so presumptuous when some people, lacking some real culture in arts, think that their artistic judgment is perfect as it is, and doesn't need to be improved and to become more refined and sophisticated through artistic education. It's like saying: "candies taste good to me, so candies are good. Vegetables taste bad to me, so vegetables are bad. I don't care about this whole "knowledge" bullshit. I don't need to learn anything. I just feel this is right because my judgment tells me so, and I wholly trust my judgment." How phenomenally conceited and self-centered this is.

On the contrary, people who are sometimes classified as "elitists", even when they already have a solid artistic culture, know that they're far from being perfect and have a lot to learn. They know that they can become better, and strive to do so. They avoid being complacent, and actively educate themselves to improve their taste and comprehension of arts, in order to gain access to things of higher levels.

THIS, my friends, is real modesty.

TazerMonkey

01-28-2012, 06:55 AM

Stephen Fry Speech - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkZVcwPCKsM&feature=plcp&context=C3a794b7UDOEgsToPDskIF4U07kSbTuRaq41irJt5i )

While I would have preferred a broader range of composer shout-outs, this was pretty brilliant and spot on.

Herr Salat

01-29-2012, 02:05 AM

Doublehex

01-29-2012, 07:01 AM

While we are on the topic of men much smarter than myself defending classical music with words I wouldn't be able to say in front of a crowded audience, conductor Benjamin Zander, using wit and charm that seems restricted solely to the English, says why everyone loves classical music. They just don't know it yet!

Benjamin Zander on music and passion | Video on TED.com (http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html)

Ayushta

01-29-2012, 12:59 PM

Thank you Herr Salat, for Isoroku.

tangotreats

01-30-2012, 12:39 AM

Well, the good news keeps rolling in...!

* 2012's Super Sentai series (Gobusters) will be scored by Megumi Ohashi, returning to the series for her second Sentai score after 2008's Go-onger. It begins on February 26th. I suspect it won't reach the giddy heights of Yamashita's superlative work on Gokaiger but nevertheless, this news is not to be sneezed at. Expect a Toshihiko Sahashi-esque orchestral score.

* Kousuke Yamashita; what a busy guy! Two live action drama scores; one recently released, one coming in about a month. The first is Runaway - Aisuru Kimi no Tame Ni; a tense thriller about a prison break. Orchestral score with the usual Yamashita electronics; but a very brassy, symphonic work underneath. The chase music is fantastic; seat-of-the-pants stuff just like Hollywood used to make. Not to mention a number of real tearjerker romantic themes.

Second is Renai Neet; a romance I don't know very much about. Again, Yamashita has an orchestra - a little smaller than usual but the music is just glorious; incredibly melodic, bustling, and approachable.

Here are samples; Renai Neet first, then after the long gap it's Aisuru Kimi no Tame Ni - a chase cue (sorry about the FX; there are speeding police cars and yelling aplenty in this scene) followed by a bittersweet romantic cue.

Download yamashita_drama.mp3 from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/0ZE8TSIQ/yamashita_drama.mp3_links)

* After the disappointment of Kanno scoring Aquarion Evol but not really... 2012 will nevertheless deliver a real, actually composed-for-purpose score by Kanno! She is reuniting with the director of Cowboy Bebop for a new series called Sakamichi no Apollon; which has a jazz theme. So, perhaps hopes are dashed for a big Warsaw score (but you never know; there was a little bit of orchestra in Bebop...) but whatever it is, it's going to be arseloads of fun... :D

Sanico

01-30-2012, 01:14 AM

Cowboy Bebop is enjoyable because that whole array of different music genres worked surprisingly well together, but i'm afraid that Sakamichi no Apollon will be much more jazzy oriented than Cowboy Bebop ever was.

tangotreats

01-30-2012, 02:18 AM

*** OOOOPS ***

A few weeks ago the score for the upcoming Ultraman movie was discussed; based on the music in the trailer, there was a generally upbeat feeling about how it might turn out. I said that I'd listened to the album and that it was junk. THIS IS COBBLERS. I haven't listened to the album because the bloody thing isn't out yet. It's out on March 23rd. I am a jackass. I had listened to the soundtrack from Ultraman Zero Gaiden Killer - The Beatstar, which is a cheapo DVD special ---- and which has NOTHING to do with the upcoming movie, Ultraman Saga. In my defense, there are 21 Ultraman films and 20 TV series; and after a while all the titles seem to merge into one another!

The score I did listen to is 99.9% electronic, but it does have ONE thing going for it; unlike so many low budget scores, it's not a painful synthesiser imitation of an orchestra. It's actually an electronic score. I relistened to it with that in mind, and it actually turned out rather fun. It's somewhere in the territory of Wendy Carlos' Tron, at times - except without the orchestra; but the same sort of brazen synths that sound like synths. Worth a listen. But NOT anything to do with the movie.

Sorry folks; consider that a spectacular piece of misleading misinformation to which I have subjected you all; albeit with the best of intentions.

TL;DR - Ultraman Saga may well have a superb score after all, but we won't know until March.

Apologies!

tangotreats

01-30-2012, 05:30 AM

Some fascinating discourse going on at Yoshihisa Hirano's website; he has received many comments - most of them criticism - regarding his "Hunter X Hunter" score.

The translation is unclear and I'm probably missing some of the finer points but he seems to be suggesting that he made a conscious effort to modify his style so as to appeal to younger children (the intended target demographic) - and moreover admitting that perhaps it wasn't entirely successful. A gracious and humble man, friendly even in the face of criticism (some of which has been incredibly unkind; people have said that his "terrible" score has "wrecked" one of the best shows ever made).

It makes me feel somewhat awkward; Hunter X Hunter isn't a bad score... but it's not his best. To be sure, some folk are complaining because the score isn't exactly the same as the previous TV series, but I am sure that a fair number of the complaints (mine included) must come as a result of Hirano's almost superhuman talent and his perceived failure to live up to his numerous incredible scores. It's a sad thing; if you're an idiot and you do something one step above an absolute turd, you get praised. If you're a genius and you do something merely serviceable, you get ripped to shreds.

arthierr

01-30-2012, 10:41 PM

* 2012's Super Sentai series (Gobusters) will be scored by Megumi Ohashi, returning to the series for her second Sentai score after 2008's Go-onger. It begins on February 26th. I suspect it won't reach the giddy heights of Yamashita's superlative work on Gokaiger but nevertheless, this news is not to be sneezed at. Expect a Toshihiko Sahashi-esque orchestral score.

* Kousuke Yamashita; what a busy guy! Two live action drama scores; one recently released, one coming in about a month. The first is Runaway - Aisuru Kimi no Tame Ni; a tense thriller about a prison break. Orchestral score with the usual Yamashita electronics; but a very brassy, symphonic work underneath. The chase music is fantastic; seat-of-the-pants stuff just like Hollywood used to make. Not to mention a number of real tearjerker romantic themes.

Second is Renai Neet; a romance I don't know very much about. Again, Yamashita has an orchestra - a little smaller than usual but the music is just glorious; incredibly melodic, bustling, and approachable.

*droooooooooool*

About drooling, I'd really appreciate if you could post soon the Sahashi live-action frenzy and the last Gokaiger for your good friends in the thread! Since they were mentionned some days ago, I can't contain my sheer excitement about these. Thank you in advance!

Aisuru Kimi no Tame Ni sounds splendid. Especially the romantic cue is quite thrilling near the end. Let's hope there's a release soon.

BTW, can Yamashita do one, only one bad score one of these days? The guy seems immunized against mediocrity. There are people like that, they just can't be lame, unless they really try hard to.

This reminds me of Williams being asked to compose some lame source music for the cantina scene in SW. He wrote some kind of cheap ragtimey piece for a small ensemble of badly tuned instruments - some real junk, meant to be barely noticed and quickly forgotten.

What's the result? One of the most remembered piece of music in SW. Talk about irony...

tangotreats

01-31-2012, 06:57 AM

Quite right, my friend - sorry I did my usual thing of building up hype and then not actually posting anything!

My upload speed has dropped through the floor in recent months; I have been reduced to using a 3G dongle for recent uploads but even that isn't working now. I'll try to get Gokaiger and Inazuma Eleven up this morning from work. :)

Sahashi frenzy to follow, I think - I was planning to cheekily re-post existing links for some scores... but of course now they're *all* gone - so they will require a re-upload. Again, I'll try to get as much done as I can from work.

Regarding Yamashita crap scores... I'm still waiting for one! I'm sure he's got to stumble sooner or later - but I don't think he has yet. When you're a good composer, a good musician, I guess there's just something about the way you work that makes a certain degree of quality unavoidable.

I don't know if the Cantina Band sequence was explicitly intended to be bad music - but I do take your point... It wouldn't win any composition prizes, but it's very memorable, utterly appropriate for the film, and great fun. It certainly reminds you of the importance and prestige of Williams' jazz background (as does the splendid main titles from Tintin). You don't work as a session pianist in 1950s America without getting some serious jazz skills.

micobear

01-31-2012, 07:52 AM

Oh Oh~ i missed this...! Thx Herr Salat for sharing. here i got an EAC in FLAC.
Thread 109411

Isoroku Original Soundtrack
聯合艦隊司令長官山本五十六オリジナル・サウンドトラック
Rengou Kantai Shirei Choukan Yamamoto Isoroku Orijinaru Saundotorakku

Composer: Taro Iwashori
Released: 21.12.2011 on iTunes DE/US/JP
Format: m4a, 256kbps
Duration: 35:19
Download:
Mediafire (http://www.mediafire.com/?4j55eaaq2k49rta)

Tracklist:

01. Against The Innocent Blue
02. Launch An Attack On 1941
03. Curtain Of Secret Agreement
04. A True Blue Fragment
05. Silent Prayer For Midway Atoll
06. Tranquil Area Of Sea
07. Prussian Blue Ocean
08. Chart To Blue Hell
09. The Operation Called Unanswerableness
10. To The Far Blue

tangotreats

01-31-2012, 08:13 AM

Thank you! (And to Herr Salat for the original AAC upload!)

Just a minor correction; it's not WAV, it's FLAC. :)

micobear

01-31-2012, 08:33 AM

oh oh... sorry for being absent-minded~ just corrected my post, thx for reminding me "tangotreats"~:D

arthierr

01-31-2012, 02:50 PM

Tango: no hurry, my friend. :) Whether it's in one day or one month doesn't matter as long as we finally get to hear them! And of course if you happen to see them uploaded elsewhere, don't hesitate to give us a heads up. I've got no problem with reposting links if proper credits are given and some minimum link protection is used.

Also, there's one question I'd like to ask people frequenting this thread (I mean all of you, regulars posters and regulars lurkers). The other day I got an idea but I don't know if it's worth something or not, so I'd like your opinions. (I'd really like them!)

Simply put, I felt I should talk *occasionally* about some stuff I really love: books, websites, VG, softwares, other stuff. Why? Because I've got some friends here, people I really appreciate, so when you stumble across something that is really special and worthwhile to you, you naturally want to share the info with them, so they can at least know and try the thing.

But I hesitated to do so, because this is mostly an orchestral music oriented thread (and I insisted myself on this a few times!), so perhaps it's not the right place to do that.

So my question is: is it ok for you if, from times to times, I make a big post about some non-orchestral music things I discovered and I'm really enthusiastic about, or do you prefer this thread to stick to its original purpose?

Don't be reluctant to express one preference or another, because both choices are equally valid to me - that's why I hesitate and want your feed-back!

tangotreats

01-31-2012, 05:13 PM

[]

arthierr

01-31-2012, 06:52 PM

Lol, dude! This *looks* bad! :D

I know what the original post was (I received it by mail), but people who don't know will likely believe that it was some kind of withering reply to the question I asked just above, since you tend to edit such posts like this. So, *no* folks, this wasn't a ranty answer to my post, *no* problem between us here. Just a problem of timing, apparently.

tangotreats

01-31-2012, 07:14 PM

Sorry - I was about to post and then I got called away; so I had the choice between getting rid of the post or leaving it up annoying everybody for hours before I finished work. ;)

Post - and answer to your question - coming up soon... :)

Answer to question:

Arthierr, FANTASTIC IDEA! As far as I'm concerned, it sounds great - and is something of a natural progression for this thread which becomes more and more like a social club as the days go on; whether by necessity (all the good stuff has been posted) or by the fact that this has been going on for almost FOUR YEARS NOW(!!!!)

I would only request this... That you permit others to indulge in the occasional big, completely off-topic post as well. ;)

tangotreats

01-31-2012, 09:59 PM

Oh, looky here - a double bill!
Well, actually, a triple bill... ;)

I have no idea how long these links will last in the current climate; grab these while you can. Reuploads from me are very unlikely, although if anybody else feels like helping out they are VERY welcome.

KOSUKE YAMASHITA
Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger - Otakara Sound Box 4 and 5

DISC 1 http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/4OYMIRIY/KY-KSGOST4.rar_links
DISC 2 http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/1JCU2AWF/KY-KSGOST5.rar_links

Not my rip. I don't remember where it came from, I'm afraid - but the original link is dead now as this was from Megaupload. I got it literally minutes before MU was wiped out.

MP3 at 256kbps

So, here are the final two Gokaiger discs... and what corkers they are! I know I have a tendency to wax lyrical about certain composers (Kosuke Yamashita and Yoshihisa Hirano) but credit where credit's due - they're both fantastic and Yamashita is right at the top of his game, here. Another day, another silly Sentai show, another SPLENDID score. Almost every year, it's the same story. I don't know how they do it. I don't know why they do it. But, they do.

This two disc set is absolutely stuffed. There's a little repetition from previous discs, driven by a desire to get the main theme on every single release one way or another - short version, long version, instrumental version, guitar version, trumpet version, orchestral version, etc, etc... but of course the shining star is Yamashita's score. This stuff is just gold. I won't say any more than that; you just have to listen. It's got your typical everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Sentai - deliciously exhuberant cues-with-beats, with Yamashita's orchestra working overdrive with electric guitars and percussion. It's got powerful symphonic cues. It's got majestic choral cues. It's got cues that mix absolutely everything. It's got rollicking brassy action, nail-biting tension, shameless romanticism... And it's got a good, old fashioned finale; the sort that folk like us pine for, but barely ever get. Good lord, this score is just so bloody damn good. End of hero worship; go listen to it yourselves.

SHIHO TERADA
Inazuma Eleven Go - Kyukyoku no Kizuna Griffon (Theatrical Movie)

Again, not my rip - credit and eternal gratitude to the good people at PokeNewsOnline.

http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/YVUOXCPX/Shiho_Terada_-_Inazuma_Eleven_GO_Movie_OST.rar_links

Inazuma Eleven, the first series in this football franchise, ran for 127 episodes from 2008 to 2011. It received a score by Yasunori Mitsuda, performed by a far too large orchestra - in the sense that the orchestra was often bigger than the music. I'm not a fan of Mitsuda; I know a lot of people think the sun shines out of his backside, but I just don't get it. I don't like his music. And I didn't like his score for Inazuma Eleven.

The sequel series, Inazuma Eleven GO, started shortly afterwards, and shock horror, there's an orchestra again! But, the score isn't by Mitsuda! It's by newcomer Shiho Terada, who is making her debut with live musicians here, after a handful of unremarkable and atrociously synthesised scores in 2010 and 2011. And it's surprisingly good stuff. This is no masterpiece; but it is catchy and memorable - exactly what Mitsuda's wasn't. Terada has a tiny, tiny orchestra (39 players, 24 of which are strings, as compared to Mitsuda's unprecedented 76, of which 50 were strings) and has an entirely synthesised percussion section, not to mention occasional use of a not-particularly-convincing sampled choir, but God help me, I think it works better and I think it's better music. Terada's score is more about melody; Mitsuda's was about rhythm and scale - which is fair enough, but I just find Terada's approach a whole lot more satisfying here.

What you've got here is the score for the theatrical film. There's a bit of cross-over with the TV score; quite how much I don't know as I haven't watched (and don't intend to) the series, and the TV score isn't out for another two months. But, in a nutshell, there's a lot more like this still to come.

There's about 30 minutes of pure orchestra on this album, about another 30 minutes of bouncy stuff that mixes orchestra and rock band in varying quantities, and a few crappy songs.

Enjoy!
Tangotreats over and out.

PS - This upload comes to you courtesy of MY EMPLOYER; which has a 1gb internet connection. All three discs in this post uploaded in about 12 seconds. Now that's what you call broadband. Thanks, work!

Vinphonic

01-31-2012, 11:56 PM

FANTASTIC !!!

Yen_

02-01-2012, 01:02 AM

Kaizoku Sentai Gōkaijā - Otakara Sound Box 4 & 5 (2011 TV anime score) Kōsuke Yamashita

Great stuff, powerful, varied and melodic - it's hard to believe it came from a kids TV series. I love the orchestral and piano parts. Thanks TT. There is a track list in Japanese and English here Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Otakara Sound Box 4 & 5 Sci-Fi Live Action [CD] (http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=COCX-37064).

On a separate not, for those in Blighty, Classic FM will showcase the work of John Williams on Saturday February 4 at 5pm
Howard Goodall - Classic FM (http://www.classicfm.co.uk/on-air/programmes/howard-goodall/)

arthierr

02-01-2012, 01:08 AM

Wonderful, as usual! Thank you very much. :)

tangotreats

02-01-2012, 10:30 AM

Yen,

Thanks for the track listing - and sorry about the tagging in my upload! I had intended to tag it properly myself but in the end I didn't have time and because I was uploading from work, I had to pick my moment carefully. ;)

Also, thanks for the heads up on the Williams show; it looks like it should be good. They promise to look at some of his lesser-known works in addition to the standard populist fare, which is interesting. I should be around on Saturday (the 4th, NOT the 2nd... well done Classic FM...) so will do a capture of it.

Cheers gentlemen :)

Herr Salat

02-01-2012, 12:10 PM

Simply put, I felt I should talk *occasionally* about some stuff I really love: books, websites, VG, softwares, other stuff. Why? Because I've got some friends here, people I really appreciate, so when you stumble across something that is really special and worthwhile to you, you naturally want to share the info with them, so they can at least know and try the thing.

But I hesitated to do so, because this is mostly an orchestral music oriented thread (and I insisted myself on this a few times!), so perhaps it's not the right place to do that.

So my question is: is it ok for you if, from times to times, I make a big post about some non-orchestral music things I discovered and I'm really enthusiastic about, or do you prefer this thread to stick to its original purpose?

Don't be reluctant to express one preference or another, because both choices are equally valid to me - that's why I hesitate and want your feed-back!

I wouldn't mind reading your thoughts on other subjects.

arthierr

02-01-2012, 09:15 PM

Haha, thank you for answering, my friend. :) I'll try to ASAP, then.

warstar937

02-01-2012, 10:29 PM

michael kamen back to gaya soundtrack download please

hater

02-01-2012, 10:58 PM

how about clips to each of the tracks of giacchinos john carter score?
http://michaelgiacchinomusic.com/soundtracks/john-carter.html
could it be? a 9 minute end credit suite? 74 Minutes and 19 Tracks, but the Movie has propably much more

Faleel

02-01-2012, 11:03 PM

Michael Giacchino: John Carter (of Mars) Score Clips (Website rip)

Here is a 34 minute preview of Michael Giacchino's John Carter score.

http://www.peeje.com/files/357925328/MG-JCOM-SC.zip.html

Tracklist: A Thern For The Worse (7:38)
Get Carter (4:24)
Gravity Of The Situation (1:20)
Thark Side Of Barsoom (2:55)
Sab Than Pursues The Princess (5:33)
The Temple Of Issus (3:24)
Zodanga Happened (4:01)
The Blue Light Special (4:11)
Carter They Come, Carter They Fall (3:54)
A Change Of Heart (3:03)
A Thern Warning (4:03)
The Second Biggest Apes I've Seen This Month (2:35)
The Right Of Challenge (2:22)
The Prize Is Barsoom (4:28)
The Fight For Helium (4:32)
Not Quite Finished (2:05)
Thernabout (1:18)
Ten Bitter Years (3:11)
John Carter Of Mars (8:53)

Vinphonic

02-01-2012, 11:22 PM

Looking forward to your stuff arthierr :)
On another note, Soul Calibur V has quite a decent amount of full-blown orchestral music. Most of the stage or character music is unfortunatly just decent and forgettable. Thankfully the (unreasonably expensive) OST will have a disk with all the orchestral stuff so I'm hoping for that one to show up soon.
Still waiting for my copy of Back to Gaya.

warstar937

02-01-2012, 11:23 PM

michael kamen back to gaya soundtrack download please

TazerMonkey

02-01-2012, 11:30 PM

Back to Gaya is a pretty great swan song for Michael Kamen. And I'm definitely interested in opening up the discussion in the thread.

Sirusjr

02-01-2012, 11:38 PM

I just wanted to point out that I have received Back to Gaya, Winston Churchill Walking with Destiny and Tribute's Battle of Neretva and they are all marvelous. However, I think it would be bad taste to post Back to Gaya considering the proceeds from the first 1000 copies of the CD release are all going to charity. Additionally, Tribute is a small operation and deserves the support from CD sales for this album which is fabulously mastered. See also the review from Intrada's Douglas Fake on Neretva (http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.I/id.10/.f?category=-102&category=-102).

"I just have to lavish praise on what this album does right that so many other re-recordings of film music do not-so-right. It lets the music be the thing! No insane added reverb, no numbing pumped up bass that plagues many other such efforts... just crisp, tight, realistic, close-miked, dynamically recorded, well-played music. What a joy to crank that Prelude from Naked up really loud and hear real tympani and brass without mushy sound and over-burdened sub-woofers telling me the engineering was mostly done after the playing was over."

I also have to note that despite what I feared would be an overly harsh score after reading a few reviews of fellow film score enthusiasts is in fact filled with some extremely intimate and beautiful passages. Simply put, pick up these wonderful scores and enjoy them. I really have difficulty determining whether I consider Back to Gaya or the re-recording of Neretva to be the highlight of the recent shipment I received. The woodwinds on Gaya are simply fabulous and the music shines with an energy and playfulness that we don't see enough of these days.

hater

02-01-2012, 11:41 PM

John Carter Movie is 139mins so there is plenty of room for even more of this great score. I guess 30mins or so are still missing.

Vinphonic

02-02-2012, 12:10 AM

Let's hope the final score for John Carter is of the same quality as Medal of Honor or SWON. There's another thing I wanted to ask for quite a while now and it is Sahashi related. As you might know I simply adore this man and his music makes up a HUGE part of my collection (thanks to the fine people of this forum):

(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/823/toshihikosahashi.jpg/)

So if any score has not been posted here before, l will gladly share it with you guys. Almost all of the scores have been proberly structured and tagged in english. The only things I really miss are Akazukin ChaCha and Gingaman in higher quality and his score for "Wonderful Life" (Now a pain in the ass to find thanks to a certain Korean drama with the same name). I also warmed up to Majin after a while, the overall score is still lackluster but these parts are great fun: Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLWphXQbF_k)

I am also baffled how Sahashi never had a concert dedicated to his work (as far as I am aware). Kenji Kawai got one so why not him? If the Gundam work with the LSO are any indication he deserves to work on more concert arrangements.

Sirusjr

02-02-2012, 12:26 AM

Just glancing quickly at your list the following have not been posted before to my knowledge.
Agito, Akazukin ChaCha, Emergency Room, Hanayome to Papa, Koi no Ochitara, Tokyo Itsu Datte. I haven't heard any of these so if they are good scores I would be interested in your sharing them.

arthierr

02-02-2012, 12:46 AM

More comments on the other topics later, but klnerfan, I can't believe Tomica Hero Rescue Fire and Gekisou Sentai Carranger Music Collection don't appear in your list! These scores feature some of the most unashamedly energetic and rousing pieces composed by the guy. Interested?

For my part, I agree with Sirusjr's choices, and would also be interested in Chiritotechin, please.

Vinphonic

02-02-2012, 12:55 AM

Well, all of them are at least orchestral ... I just checked the forum and Akazukin ChaCha was available in 320kbps on MEGAUPLOAD, DAMN IT!
Anyway, I will get them up by the end of the week (I hope).

Arthierr: Ah, I forgot to add Rescue Fire. Don't worry, I have it on my harddrive, but is it just one OST or are there more ? Carranger on the other hand ... I definetly want to hear it!
But Sahashi is quite the productive composer, isn't he ? There's still tons of stuff from him unreleased on the internet.

arthierr

02-02-2012, 01:12 AM

Rescue Fire is only one disc.

Carranger is 3 discs in one package, your typical Sentai score with Sahashi's inimitable style. A little less impressive than Gingaman, which really had a few astonishing highlights, but with a bunch of excellent cues nonetheless. Notably an incredible, strutting, explosively strong bad guy theme that gives you a lol the first time you hear it (and also the other times).

Will be uploaded ASAP. Promise. :)

Edit: Rescue Fire is *one* OST, but *two* discs.

Vinphonic

02-02-2012, 01:40 AM

Bugger, I knew something was off. I only have one disc (God knows why) and even some files are corrupted! Great, just great. I assume the links won't work anymore as well.

tangotreats

02-02-2012, 10:21 AM

"I just have to lavish praise on what this album does right that so many other re-recordings of film music do not-so-right. It lets the music be the thing! No insane added reverb, no numbing pumped up bass that plagues many other such efforts... just crisp, tight, realistic, close-miked, dynamically recorded, well-played music

Close-miked music is not realistic, or dynamically recorded. If this is a "put a mike on every instrument" scores then I'll pass. An orchestra should be recorded within the natural acoustic of the concert hall or studio in which it is playing.

As for John Carter, well, "sigh" I think about sums it up. Promising themes which go nowhere. The curse of modern Giacchino strikes again. This is probably the closest we've been to a halfway decent score in a live action American movie for quite a few years... but it's still dull and stodgy beyond belief. About thirty seconds in that 34 minute preview genuinely interested me. That's not a good batting average.

Sahashi... Rescue Fire is still around - the Depositfiles link from my original post two years ago is still good: http://forums.ffshrine.org/f92/big-orchestral-action-music-thread-57893/184.html

[EDIT: NO, IT'S DEAD TOO!]

I also did a 35-minute "just the orchestral bits" upload but that's dead now. If anybody wants it I can reupload later on this afternoon.

I'll add my own list as well; I think I have some stuff that's not in klnerfan's. :)

Chiritotechin is lovely, just lovely. Swan no Baka come highly recommended.

I've posted a suite from Chiritotechin - links are dead. I posted Swan no Baka a couple of years ago - links also dead. Looks like we've got some serious re-uploading to do!

bishtyboshty

02-02-2012, 10:28 AM

@Tango - When you get past the first Depositfiles screen, it is dead.

tangotreats

02-02-2012, 10:34 AM

Such file does not exist or it has been removed for infringement of copyrights.

Oh, Christ... OK, somebody will need to re-upload THAT again, too...!

Edited stupidity from my original post - thanks for checking it. :)

Vinphonic

02-02-2012, 05:55 PM

Alright! Let's get this thing started:

Hanayome to Papa

(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/190/foldertrp.jpg/)

Download Link (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/G2ODRYTG/Hanayome_to_Papa.7z_links)
MP3 / 192kbps / 29Tracks / 48min

Tokyo Itsu-Datte

(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/710/folderum.jpg/)

Download Link (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/0YAYJDPJ/Tokyo_Itsu-Datte.7z_links)
MP3 / 320kbps / 22 Tracks / 46min

Both are fine orchestral scores and pretty unconventional for Sahashi. I will try to get Koi ni Ochitara and Emergency Room up tomorrow, Agito and Chiritotechin will soon follow. I guess this is now Sahashi month :D

streichorchester

02-02-2012, 07:53 PM

This is pretty interesting Dragon Ball Kai Plagiarize Scandal - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go5FxZdyO80)

Faleel

02-02-2012, 08:24 PM

Does anyone else think the choir here sounds like a vague rip-off of the Ghirahim battle music?

The Masked Man - THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Prologue Score Recreation - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX2jqQbwHyQ&feature=player_embedded#)!

arthierr

02-02-2012, 08:34 PM

I don't know if it sounds like the Ghirahim battle music, but it does sound like crap.

Thagor

02-02-2012, 09:58 PM

Thanks for both of this klnerfan

arthierr

02-02-2012, 10:03 PM

Michael Giacchino: John Carter (of Mars) Score Clips (Website rip)

Here is a 34 minute preview of Michael Giacchino's John Carter score.

I personally find this quite stunning!

As I said before, I *cannot* believe this comes from Hollywood in 2011. It's totally out of phase with Hollywood's current obnoxious musical trends. It's much closer from some great eighties scores, or some more recent scores such as Stargate or the Mummy.

The music is stupendously beautiful at times. I never found it boring once. There's a surprising degree of variety, going from some whimsical waltz like music to some elfmanesque choral fantasy. The writing is impeccable to my ears, complex and very thematic, harmonically rich and tasteful. The orchestrations are what one can expect from a *real* grand Hollywood epic score: lush and natural-sounding (no perceptible post-production f**k-up here, RCP suckers!) - and woodwinds are used as much as they deserve!

This is the stuff. Certainly one of the best Hollywood scores in a long time.

Welcome back, Hollywood's musical glory, you missed us. :)

Faleel

02-02-2012, 10:08 PM

As I already said before, I *cannot* believe this comes from Hollywood in 2011.
I assume you are saying this because most of the score was written/recorded in 2011, am I right?

arthierr

02-02-2012, 10:13 PM

I was about to say something sarcastic, but since this score put me in a good mood, let's be nice. :)

Yes, Faleel, it was indeed composed in 2011, that's why I said this.

warstar937

02-02-2012, 10:21 PM

back to gaya michael kamen soundtrack download please

Smack81

02-02-2012, 10:25 PM

I'm not familiar with any of Yoshihisa Hirano's concert works, but on a sure chance of luck I actually found one for piano and koto.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9h3EPJSknM

It's very hard to explain this piece except that I personally find it strangely appealing. And it is strange, I don't think I've ever heard something like this before.

bishtyboshty

02-02-2012, 10:29 PM

back to gaya michael kamen soundtrack download please

That's the 4th time in 2 days that you've posted that request.

Lhurgoyf

02-02-2012, 10:43 PM

Kinerfan: thanks for the idea of uploading Sahashi scores... I am absolutely mesmerized by the LSO's Gundam Symphony rerecording (actually bought an original disc from Japan) and I'm still searching for something similar among the Sahashi orchestral works that I don't have...

Sirusjr

02-02-2012, 10:54 PM

back to gaya michael kamen soundtrack download please

Moviescore Media releases are forbidden in this topic because the label is small. There is also a general rule against posting of recent releases from American and European labels in this thread. If you hold off long enough, it is likely to be posted eventually, just not in this thread.

tangotreats

02-02-2012, 11:04 PM

I was about to say something sarcastic, but since this score put me in a good mood, let's be nice. :)

Yes, Faleel, it was indeed composed in 2011, that's why I said this.

You're a better man than I. ;)

Herr Salat

02-03-2012, 08:37 AM

back to gaya michael kamen soundtrack download please

3rd time you are asking this :/
It's out on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/back-to-gaya-original-motion/id495676366)
or on CD via http://www.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/16923

EDIT: Recap.

That's the 4th time in 2 days that you've posted that request.

Moviescore Media releases are forbidden in this topic because the label is small. There is also a general rule against posting of recent releases from American and European labels in this thread. If you hold off long enough, it is likely to be posted eventually, just not in this thread.

Vinphonic

02-03-2012, 10:15 PM

Part Two:

Emergency Room

(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/197/foldersu.jpg/)

Download Link (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/1XE4T8TL/Emergency_Room_24_Hours_III.7z_links)
MP3 / 192kbps / 26Tracks / 59min

Koi Ni Ochitara

(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/29/folderiig.jpg/)

Download Link (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/KW3GOQLC/Koi_ni_Ochitara.7z_links)
MP3 / 192kbps / 28 Tracks / 57min

Now this is more along the line of what you can expect from Sahashi. Koi Ni Ochitara is famous around here thanks to that one "Tchaikovsky-Zelda-Piece". Both are very enjoyable.
Expect Agito and Chiritotechin tomorrow (Agito is just the orchestral stuff because the synth and rock stuff felt very out of place).

arthierr

02-04-2012, 09:21 PM

Thanks a lot! Carranger and, if needed, Tomica, to be posted tomorrow.

Japanese people are so refreshing. It's the first time I see members of an orchestra doing a choregraphy *WHILE* they're playing a piece. Bravo, guys!

ディープ・パープル・メドレー　Deep Purple Medley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrPPtx11pnM

Vinphonic

02-05-2012, 01:32 AM

Both would be terrific. And nice performance too :D. Any idea if a CD exists with all (or most) of Sahashi's concert arrangements ?

Legend of Agito (Orchestral Score from Kamen Rider Agito)

(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/593/folderev.jpg/)

Download (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/2I0UVIKB/Agito.7z_links)
MP3 / 192kbps / 12 Tracks / 27min

So here is quite the superb score. Symphonic and with some classic influences, albeit a bit short but great nonetheless. Infact the orchestral stuff made the pure synth-rock-funk stuff so distracting that I eventually removed it all. Enjoy.

arthierr

02-05-2012, 01:38 AM

Thanks! (Please don't forget Chiritotechin)

I just checked and my Tomica is a "cleaned up" version, IE minus pop songs and synth tracks. I guess this won't bother you, right?

tangotreats

02-05-2012, 01:54 AM

If anybody wants Rescue Fire in its entirety, I have it - but cannot upload it until Monday.

Vinphonic

02-05-2012, 01:58 AM

Not at all since I prefer to "clean up" my stuff as well ;). I can also wait till monday so there is no need to rush things.

(Don't worry, Chiritotechin will be up soon along with some other surprises)

arthierr

02-05-2012, 02:13 AM

Thanks, Tango! Better repost the full OST indeed, since not everybody is orchestral obsessed like us!

BTW, my new speakers are SO much better than the old ones! It's some Logitech in 2.1 that I got in special offer, with clear and crisp, yet rather powerful sound. The basses are a bit strong, but I easily fixed this by muffling a bit the bass speaker with some papers; now the basses are just right.

It's like I can rediscover my entire music collection with these. Hurray!

Doublehex

02-05-2012, 02:50 AM

That reminds of the day I got my Razer Mako 2.1 speakers for the first time. I had won it in a summer contest - which was shocking enough, considering I never win anything, let alone a set of $250 speakers! I set them up with the gaming computer I had just built (after saving $1,200 for it).

Oh sweet Jesus. I could never tell what it was like, listening to music and game audio on that. I still have them, and by God I couldn't imagine listening to music without them.

You are 100% right when getting a new set of speakers is often like rediscovering your music again. Alot of people say it's the FLAC you need. I say...just get a new set of speakers.

Sirusjr

02-05-2012, 04:37 AM

You are 100% right when getting a new set of speakers is often like rediscovering your music again. Alot of people say it's the FLAC you need. I say...just get a new set of speakers.

For most people you are absolutely correct, upgrading speakers is going to make most of your music sound better, including MP3s. However, at a certain level of quality speakers then you may start to notice the subtleties that come with having FLAC files. Of course I have yet to really reach that second level of quality on my setup. I try to archive FLAC files for the future time when I will have that amazing set of $2,000 speakers.

arthierr

02-05-2012, 11:14 AM

Also completely agree.

I'm amazed by the sound I get from my mp3s with those. Even some 128k sound pretty good, for instance the Hanson complete symphonies have a really good and listenable sound, with wet bass and crisp treble. And of course 320 sounds awesome.

Mp3 and other compressed formats are much better and efficient than what some people naively believe. The benefits of lossless only really appear with very high end audio equipment, but a 320 or V0 will mostly sound the same as lossless on some good, yet not exceptional, speakers. Listening to lossless only and dismissing lossy when you have some average / good speakers is like looking at a Blueray movie on a TV from the 90's: you mostly won't spot the difference with a good VHS tape.

jlaidler

02-05-2012, 11:33 AM

My Infinity Reference Ones I bought from Hope Chest for $10 are great run off my mid 90's Kenwood receiver. I'm sure if I upgrade my receiver I could get even better sound. No dinky little PC speakers for me sir, ha ha.

arthierr

02-05-2012, 01:43 PM

And I guess, for you,:

No car is good except a Lamborghini Reventon?

No restaurant is satisfying except La Tour d'Argent?

No wine is drinkable except a Roman�e-Conti Grand Cru?

No house is habitable except a lavish villa?

No woman is datable except a top model?

I was about to say no music is listenable except Beethoven, but you probably listen to Britney Spears on your super-duper-ultimate-awesome audio equipment...

tangotreats

02-05-2012, 02:19 PM

A true audiophile doesn't dismiss something because it's inexpensive. And, most importantly, a true musicphile understands that what you're listening to is more important than the equipment you're using.

That setup isn't anything outrageous; a decent amplifier, and decent (if overpriced) speakers. At least he's not telling us about how he spend more money on his speakers than his house, how he prostituted his wife in order to buy a gigantic �50,000 valve amplifier because "distortion makes the sound better" and swears blind that a �5,000 SP/DIF cable is worth every penny against a 50p SP/DIF cable, despite the fact that provided the cable *works* (ie, it transmits sound) both cables transmit bit-perfect.

I've never been a speaker man; I live in a flat with thin walls and unfriendly neighbours, so I have always used headphones. I've been very happy with my Sennheiser RS170's for a couple of years now. No, they're not the most expensive headphones in the world, but the frequency response is nice and flat, and they're a comfortable fit. :)

Arthierr: I don't disagree for one moment that MP3 (and other lossy formats) get routinely maligned by people who really should know better... and that for the most part, they're excellent and provide transparent listening on a variety of equipment.

If they were so terrible, why would people have to rely on spectrograms to spot a fake FLAC? It makes me laugh.

"I NEED lossless! MP3 is crap. My golden ears are better than yours if you're fine listening to that auditory mush, but I need quality."

And then they ask a piece of computer software to tell them if their super-duper FLAC library was transcoded from 128kbps MP3! Hello! Listen to it, you fuckwits! You know, with your ears! If you can't tell the difference, you DON'T need lossless... and if you CAN tell the difference, you DO need lossless, but you don't need a piece of software to tell you that.

MP3 is transparent for me about 60% of the time, and yes, I have ABX tested. It depends on the type of music; to a lesser extent it depends on the equipment.

But there's a big difference between "being able to tell the difference" and "finding MP3 unlistenable" - because most MP3 is very listenable. The fact that my ears tell me it's an MP3 doesn't prevent me from enjoying the music in most cases. And, as I said, in many cases I can't tell the difference anyway.

Neither could 99% of these FLAC fantatic nutcases if they actually did a proper double blind test... But they never will, because they trust their ears more than they trust irrefutable facts and measurable proof.

jakob

02-05-2012, 06:14 PM

This is an interesting topic that comes up every few months or so, and I think it's really valuable to discuss. I also think it's rather hilarious that the largest demanders of flac and disrespectors of mp3 only rely on software to tell them the difference. I thought the the "audiophiles" praised themselves on having terrific ears that can tell the difference, but I suppose lying to oneself will always be more potent than the senses... I'm perfectly fine being a "musicphile" as you put it.

A bit of information for those interested: I bought the Star Trek: The Next Generation Bluray sampler thing with three episodes teasing the imminent release of the first season to be followed with one season per year on blu. The video quality is great, but what I enjoyed the most was the sound upgrade. The score has gotten a very prominent mix, and can now be heard very well in the episodes. I felt it was a little buried in the action before, but that is no longer the case. YES!

arthierr

02-05-2012, 06:58 PM

Audiophiles Vs Musicophiles. That's a key difference. To use an exaggerated illustration, the audiophile would prefer Britney Spears in FLAC to Beethoven in MP3 128k, and the musicophile would prefer the opposite. A true musicophile (or meloman) would even prefer one symphony of Beethoven in 64k to the entire discography of Britney Spears in FLAC. Interesting idea, isn't it?

And now:

Toshihiko SAHASHI
GEKISOU SENTAI CARRANGER
MUSIC COLLECTION

Download Gekisou_Sentai_Carranger_Music_Collection.zip from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://mir.cr/5AHPZWAH)

An interesting SAHASHI. An early one, I think his first Sentai score. As it's a Sentai score, there's a lot of stuff to be sorted out for an orchestral fan, but once this process is done, the result is quite appealing. This score is filled with quite a big amount of overly energetic and lively music, and some cues, like the great villain theme I talked about earlier, are *pure fun*!

Vinphonic

02-05-2012, 07:15 PM

Nice, so here it is, finally:

Chiritotechin

Download (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/P4BZZCRO/Chiritotechin.7z_links)
MP3 / 320kbps / 35 Tracks / 70min

One of my absolute favorites from him, very thematic with wonderful mandolin pieces and an excellent reprise of the Main Theme at the end. It comes highly recommended.

NaotaM

02-05-2012, 07:22 PM

tangotreats

02-05-2012, 09:19 PM

I want to join the party! ;)

TOSHIHIKO SAHASHI
Swan no Baka (2007 Television Drama)
Studio Orchestra
conducted by
Koji Haijima

My rip / LAME 3.98.4 -V0 / Track titles in English / Scans included

NEW LINK (FEB 2012) - Download TS-SNB.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/YLM56VO1/TS-SNB.rar_links)

Originally posted by me in August 2010 (http://forums.ffshrine.org/f92/big-orchestral-action-music-thread-57893/197.html) but all original links are now dead. This is a repost.

Because you can never have enough Sahashi, here's Swan No Baka; a live action romantic comedy originally broadcast on Fuji TV. The title is a pun on the name of the protagonist (Daisuke Suwano) and also a reference to the way he compares his life to that of a swan; gliding elegantly on the water, but struggling desperately under it. Likewise, Daisuke is a popular, cool, and generous guy but under the easy-going exterior lies a man under pressure, counting the pennies until payday.

Sahashi's score is a mostly light-hearted affair for orchestra - brimming over with cheerful melody (including a wonderful "dream" theme that recalls Gershwin) and sincere romance. There's six minutes of Sahashi's typical action style to be had in three consecutive cues (tracks 11-13 - Action, Incident, and Hostile) but for the most part there's a certain carefree elegance in this score that sets it apart from the rest. This is one of those lazy summer afternoon scores, to play whilst relaxing in the warm sunshine. It's music that should bring a contented smile to your face.

Enjoy! :)

TT

bishtyboshty

02-05-2012, 09:30 PM

@Tango - All the links on this one seem dead.

tangotreats

02-05-2012, 09:32 PM

Do what? I just uploaded it ten minutes ago... now checking.

Thagor

02-05-2012, 09:36 PM

Thanks for all the Sahashi guys ;)

tangotreats

02-05-2012, 09:48 PM

Well, having just downloaded it myself four separate times; once from RS, once from Mediafire, once from Fileserve, and once from Wupload... I am slightly mystified about your problem...

bishtyboshty

02-05-2012, 10:00 PM

Well, having just downloaded it myself four separate times; once from RS, once from Mediafire, once from Fileserve, and once from Wupload... I am slightly mystified about your problem...

That seems to now be a different link. All is now well.

tangotreats

02-05-2012, 10:09 PM

Phew! So you must've got the three second gap where I'd posted but forgotten to change the links! ;)

Glad it's all OK now.

Spurred on by this great success... another reposted live action Sahashi...

TOSHIHIKO SAHASHI
Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi (2008 - TV Drama)
Studio Orchestra
conductor unknown (probably Koji Haishima)

Not my rip; no scans included - Track Titles in Japanese. Fraunhofer @ 320kbps

Download TS-SOAY.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/12IJK80Y/TS-SOAY.rar_links)

Originally posted by me in May 2010 but all original links are now dead. This is a repost.

Here's another one you've probably never heard of, and probably never would hear of, if it weren't for your good friend Tangotreats... who sits through hours and hours of J-Drama, and spends evening after evening slowly reading obscure Japanese websites, painstakingly transcribing Kanji into the online Romaji dictionary, just to find out where the good music is hiding. ;)

Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi ("The Fantastic Deer-Man") is a 2008 drama originally broadcast on Fuji TV. Stolen synopsis from the DramaWiki:

"Forced out of his research group after conflicts with his colleagues, Ogawa Takanobu takes up an offer to teach at a girls' high school in Nara. When taking roll call on the first day one of his students, Hotta Ito, sneaks into class late, claiming a bogus excuse--that she got a ticket after trying to park her deer in front of the train station. He makes immediate enemies with Hotta when he tells his superiors about her tardiness and attitude. In the following days, he begins to notice something unusual about Hotta, but he can't seem to put his finger on it.

With an odd group of colleagues who live together with him, Ogawa slowly accustoms to life in slow-paced Nara, where there seem to be as many deer as people. Walking through Nara Park one day, he begins to befriend the local deer population, feeding them rice wafers. After being confronted by a talking deer who commandeers him to prevent the destruction of Japan, he fails in his first mission and the talking deer exacts punishment--looking into the mirror the next day, he discovers he has turned into a deer from the shoulders up. Ogawa slowly begins to piece the puzzle together: the talking deer, the mysterious student, and a recent series of earthquakes that could spell doom for Japan... "

Sahashi provided a wonderful robust orchestral score - most of which wouldn't be out of place in Gundam Seed. If you like Sahashi in his upbeat, fully orchestral, optimistic melody mode, you'll certainly appreciate this. Swan No Baka was lazy and beautiful; Shikaotoko is brassy and lyrical. The third track is something of standout; in the show, it is played in full at the after the main titles of the first episode (I love Japan - a 2008 television drama opens with a four minute orchestral overture) and underscores a sort-of montage sequence of the simplest kind - a man misses his bus and faces a catalogue of disasters (traffic jams, demonstrations, pouring rain, missed trains, etc, etc) on his way to work. It's a wonderful little piece and Sahashi brings out the whole orchestra - rolling timpani, trilling woodwind, strident brass, and clashing cymbals - in one of his finest themes to date.

The album is somewhat strange in its sequencing, pretty much lumping all the strident, cheerful music at the beginning, and the more suspenseful cues at the end. I'd probably have mixed it up a little bit - but that's what the randomise button is for, hey?

Enjoy :)

herbaciak

02-05-2012, 10:28 PM

Everyone be sure to keep an ear out for the Final Fantasy XI Vana Con Anniversary concert cd coming out Feb. 22. Yoshihisa Hirano, Hayato Matsuo and Sachiko Miyano number among the orchestrators.

FF XI? I was rather bored by first score, so never tried anything more - and it has like billion addons, right? So I'm kinda... interested in it. Especially because of Hirano.

tangotreats

02-05-2012, 10:30 PM

Hirano could orchestrate silence and it would be worth listening to. I'm looking forward to this with *great* interest; thanks for the heads up NaotaM - I knew it was coming but I didn't know when. :)

Sirusjr

02-05-2012, 11:44 PM

Arthierr - thanks for giving me the exact score that proves why i have deleted a ton of Sahashi off my hard drive (after backing it up of course). This GEKISOU SENTAI CARRANGER score is filled to the brim with painful sahashi non-orchestral filler of the kind that I despise the most. With so many good sahashi scores that are mostly orchestral (the two drama scores re-posted by Tango above) and so many good primarily orchestral scores in general, I just don't have the patience to go through and edit down each individual score to find the good material.

tangotreats

02-06-2012, 12:01 AM

You'd be missing out on some of his very best work...

arthierr

02-06-2012, 12:14 AM

Sirusjr: frankly, my friend, I don't get this kind of remark. Because:

1) I did mention such fact in my post, so I took nobody by surprise.

2) It takes about five minutes to quickly browse the whole pack and choose what you want and what you don't. Then what you eventually get, when you've done this, is pretty worthwile - because there *are* some excellent, highly fun and enjoyable pieces in this pack, not THAT much, but there are some undeniably.

You're free to choose to pass, though, but you just won't have these good bits. And *these* are what's really important, in any album, whether it has numerous good bits or a few, or just ONE. Personally, it's *extremely* rare that I appreciate an album in its entirety, or even at 90%. Generally I only really appreciate 30 to 50% (it's an average). If I had the habit of renouncing to try and keep an album because there's only 30% of music in it I might like, my music collection would be VERY tiny, and I would be very ignorant of so much good music out there!

Tango: great (re)posts!

Sirusjr

02-06-2012, 12:52 AM

I don't mean to be negative towards your contribution to this thread. I guess you could call it an expression of a general frustration with the presentation of a lot of these anime/japanese scores, and Sahashi's style in particular. You did clearly indicate that it would require some editing yet again I find myself surprised by the fact that there is so much cheap sounding material on this release. I'm at a loss to further explain my post without sounding even more negative so I will just leave it at that.

tangotreats

02-06-2012, 12:56 AM

Here's one of those things I keep making that I know some people absolutely love, and other people absolutely hate. I prepared a "listening edition" of Carranger which excludes all of the "filler" and jazz. I would have left in more these days as I think I've mellowed out a bit... but this is all the straight orchestral music - clocking in at almost 25 minutes.

Download TS-GSC-ORCH.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/0JQ1YSNF/TS-GSC-ORCH.rar_links)

There's good stuff missing. Anything with a beat, for instance; but it's a fun listen on its own.

Also, English track titles; my own translation so may be complete and utter nonsense - but it's better than looking at 彼女はセクシーであるため、私は気にしない - 菅野よう子は泥棒です。all over the place, eh?

By the way, in two weeks I'm finally getting a decent internet connection with 10mb upload speed... so expect considerably improved posting from me from about the middle of February. :)

Sirusjr: There's always tonnes of crap in the Sentai scores - they're fifty episode shows so there's going to be a fair bit of garbage filler. I resign myself to the fact that it's worth going through them to get to the good stuff, because there almost always (with the exception of Kazunori Miyake's Taikutsuna Detarame Sentai scores) some really, really good stuff to be had...

Though I do understand what you mean about Sahashi; there are some composers who make every note count, and there are some who seem to "save themselves" for the big stuff and run on automatic for the rest.

arthierr

02-06-2012, 01:22 AM

Sirusjr: no offense, my friend! I perfectly see what you mean, I also used to be surprised by the disparity between good and filler tracks in some albums. But you just have to cope with it and take what is worth being taken. It would be too easy and quite a pity to miss some of the great stuff in anime and game scores just because a large part of the content is in low quality. In short, look at the glass half-full. :)

Tango: I havent heard all Sentai scores, but one I was quite disappointed with was Goseiger, it sounded so hollow, uninspired and going nowhere, notably compared to the previous entry: the greatly epic and larger than life Shinkenger. What's your opinion?

Doublehex

02-06-2012, 01:30 AM

tangotreats

02-06-2012, 01:40 AM

Goseiger was a Kauznori Miyake score. I just cannot get on with the guy. Largely themeless, directionless, hopelessly dull. There are a handful of decent tracks - Saviors Of The Future springs to mind - but for the most part I just can't listen to it. He also scored Gekiranger in 2007; another drab score with a theme ripped off from Princess Mononoke.

Incidentally, "Taikutsuna Detarame" means "boring bullshit". ;)

arthierr

02-06-2012, 01:45 AM

It's not half full. The glass is poisoned.

The Japanese put so much crap into their scores so as to discourage us from listening to good music! Just look at Sirusjr to see what I mean! The Japanese are trying to destroy good music as we know it! I'm not mad! Don't drink the water!

You know, the ratio crap/goodness might be concerning in some Japanese scores, but when you see that same ratio in some western game, TV or even movie scores, it's ultimately not so different, or even worse... It seems crap is universal. ;)

Tango: agreed.

jakob

02-06-2012, 04:20 AM

Klnerfan, thanks for all the sahashi music! There's a ton here and I will be dutifully making my way through it over the next couple of weeks. Thanks arthierr for carranger, as well. Also, thanks to Tango for the reposts of Swan No Baka and Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi (which I forgot was sahashi and now will forever refer to it as 'the one with the deer on the front') which I still have from last time they were posted. I now know that "the one with the deer that sounds great" is in fact a sahashi score called Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi.

Thanks again all.

evilwurst

02-06-2012, 09:16 AM

Heh. This one nagged me for a little before I pinned it down:
In Koi ni Ochitara, Sahashi re-used a bit from... Full Metal Panic Fumoffu. (About 30 seconds in to track 13 "Incident" in KnO vs the start of 11 "Sakusen Koudou" in Fumoffu). I guess the two shows wouldn't have many viewers in common, and checking the dates, they were made a couple years apart.

Vinphonic

02-06-2012, 02:04 PM

Reusing your own stuff is nothing special for Sahashi, see Future GPX (easily in my Top 5 of all Sahashi scores) and Gear Fighter Dendoh. There is also a bit of GPX in SEED Destiny.
What is really fun is to spot a "very obvious" reference, like this one: Sahashi goes full Williams (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/1GIHSAJH/Eiga_Ongaku_-_Sahashi_goes_Williams.mp3_links)

arthierr

02-06-2012, 10:27 PM

I'm pretty sure this piece is a parody, since this anime is mostly comical / slice of life / romantic. You can't possibly have such music in such a show without it being used for a humourous effect.

And yes, the guys sometimes tends to reuse his own material through his successive scores, but which prolific composer doesn't do it from times to times?

Vinphonic

02-07-2012, 12:37 AM

I did not mean that in any negative way. I can easily forgive Sahashi for this since it never differs from his style (heavy focus on trumpets and brass) so much that it becomes unsettling.

On the topic of many japanese soundtracks: I have no problem with sorting out my OSTs for the "good stuff" and up until now it was always worth it. In some cases there is beautiful stuff burried under a lot of crap but digging that out is always worthwhile. Unless it is a 6CD nightmare it takes me less than 10 minutes to do so and I consider that time well spent. I always try to make a "cinematic score presentation" out of all the music collections I have since I prefer the old Hollywood CD releases over BGM Collections.

arthierr

02-07-2012, 12:52 AM

I didn't mean it negatively either. ;)

(perhaps I should formulate my sentences in a nicer way, I dunno...)

JBarron2005

02-07-2012, 10:33 AM

Everyone be sure to keep an ear out for the Final Fantasy XI Vana Con Anniversary concert cd coming out Feb. 22. Yoshihisa Hirano, Hayato Matsuo and Sachiko Miyano number among the orchestrators.

SQEX-20007 | FINAL FANTASY XI Vana (http://vgmdb.net/album/30715)

That is an impressive list of orchestrators. I'd have to say it would be worth listening to it for both Hayato Matsuo and Hirano alone. Too bad this is FFXI and not a more worthy FF.

Vinphonic

02-07-2012, 01:53 PM

Look what I have found, perhaps you have heared of them before? [Davenport Pops Orchestra 2011 Spring] 8. Super Smash Bros. (4th movt) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXZZQYKznlc&feature=related)
Not bad ... not bad at all, and such a young orchestra too, lovely ... but wait, Davenport? ... Ace Combat!

EDIT: Woah! They even do ARIA!!!!!! [Davenport Pops Orchestra 2011 Spring] 3. Undine from ARIA the Animation OP (orchestra) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mddLG4L0hVU)
The world needs more of this grandiose magnificence.

JBarron2005

02-07-2012, 02:49 PM

Here is my first contribution to this thread. I have found a rare soundtrack by Jeremy Soule. It is called Azurik - Rise of Perathia and it is performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic. The sound quality can be a bit nasty, but all of it is listenable. I especially enjoy Voyage of the Clouds. I hope you all enjoy!

Link: Azurik - Rise of Perathia.zip (http://www.mediafire.com/?ab2uh2bo5y705tk)

Edit: I have been in a Jeremy Soule mood today since listening to his music from Guild Wars 2. I think that will be Soule's best work to date from what I'm hearing.

tangotreats

02-07-2012, 05:39 PM

A blast from the past; an alarming 182 pages ago... another Sahashi repost. As promised...

TOSHIHIKO SAHASHI
Tomica Hero: Rescue Fire (2009)

Originally uploaded by me, March 2010. All original links are dead. Not my rip; original rip courtesy of Ranger Of Oz from the Rangerboard forums.

ORCHESTRA ONLY: http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/1PVJ4Q3Z/TS-THRF-ORCHONLY.rar_links

FULL ALBUM Disc 1: http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/1UNFHB32/TS-THRF-DISC1.rar_links
Disc 2: http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/0JOXPVBC/TS-THRF-DISC2.rar_links

Tomica Hero, for those who don't know, is a shameless Super Sentai ripoff show which exists for one reason and one reason only; to hawk cheap plastic toys to impressionable young kids.

Rescue Fire is only the second series of this new franchise - the first series of 2008 (Rescue Force) and it now looks as though they have mothballed the whole concept.

Either way, to my utmost joy, Toshihiko Sahashi found himself scoring YET ANOTHER Tokusatsu show - and thankfully Takara Tomy allowed for a reasonable music budget, allowing Sahashi to work with a very respectable sized orchestra.

You know exactly what you're going to get with this score, before you even play it; as is often the case with Sahashi. Don't go into this expecting something ground-breaking, or for Sahashi to try something risky and innovative; you'll be disappointed. He's firmly in his comfort zone, writing to his strengths. As is also usual for Sahashi, there's a bit of everything in here; upbeat power anthems with electric guitars and disco rhythms, nostalgic piano-led pieces, and also thankfully thirty five full minutes of unified orchestral score.

There are two uploads here. I have taken the liberty of separating the 35-minutes of purely orchestral cues from the rest of the album for separate presentation - as well as tagging the tracks coherently and in Romaji.

I have also included the full album, fully inclusive of everything, dreck and all. This, of course, is the full two-disc album.

Take your pick; personally as a Sahashi fan, I can't resist *any* of it - the guy may be repetitive, and unoriginal, but he's sure as hell FUN and every note of this score is undoubtedly that.

If you fancy a smaller download and you're not looking for the heavy rock, synthesiser cues, disco stuff, etc - get the orchestral pack. It's all there, and it's a remarkably coherent listening experience on its own.

Enjoy this tangotreats classic Reupload.

Vinphonic

02-07-2012, 06:05 PM

Thank you!

Btw any news on Akira Senju's Treehouse?

tangotreats

02-07-2012, 06:09 PM

I haven't seen hide nor hair of it so far, I'm afraid...

My next CDJapan order is imminent, so worse case scenario, a month or so.

herbaciak

02-07-2012, 07:39 PM

Hey there guys, you might want to try this one:

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTUzA9Idr94rwT4ts_gGaMKJdcqf-mg6uh4tloTa69qPKpHN9BU

http://forums.ffshrine.org/f92/leafie-hen-into-wild-orchestral-109766/#post1911501

I really like this score, it's fully orchestral, has some awesome action tracks, and really pretty lyrical ones. Very decent music, lots of fun.

arthierr

02-07-2012, 11:52 PM

Interesting, will check soon!

Here is my first contribution to this thread. I have found a rare soundtrack by Jeremy Soule. It is called Azurik - Rise of Perathia and it is performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic. The sound quality can be a bit nasty, but all of it is listenable. I especially enjoy Voyage of the Clouds. I hope you all enjoy!

Thank you! I haven't tried this one, and since this composer has his good moments, this could be something I can enjoy indeed, especially if there's an actual live orchestra involved.

TOSHIHIKO SAHASHI
Tomica Hero: Rescue Fire (2009)

Thanks again! Rescue Fire is actually one of my favorite Sahashi. Stylistically not too far from Carranger, this score is more satisfying since it contains about 70-80% of good material (vs 30-40% for Carranger) plus a much better sound quality since it was recorded in 2009 (and ripped in good quality in 2010 :p). There's a ton of unashamedly powerful and overly fun material, too, whether it's some upbeat action cues or some frightening villain music, not to mention a few beautiful emotional / jazzy pieces. Really good stuff.

BTW, now that you mention it, I didn't know Rescue Fire was a sequel to another show, so I searched for the OST of Rescue Force, which was *OF COURSE* uploaded on MU... I managed though to listen to one track I found. It sounded great, but then BOOM, a huge ID4 ripoff right in your face!

I would really be interested in the full Rescue Force OST. Do you happen to have it, and if so could you please post it?

Vinphonic

02-07-2012, 11:59 PM

I know a certain someone who will load it up tomorrow ;)

tangotreats

02-08-2012, 12:08 AM

I have Rescue Force. I actually bought the blasted thing.

Yeah, seriously!

It's by Kei Wakakusa, for some reason; out of retirement for a crummy Toku show and then right back into obscurity. The OST is only one CD as compared to Rescue Fire's two CDs. Only about 13, 14 minutes is decent.

Here's a little suite to tide you over until the "certain someone" provides the whole thing... It's all the orchestral stuff. I made it for my own listening pleasure in 2008 and promptly forgot about it, until tonight!

Sorry about the pissy quality; my upload speed remains atrocious at home. It'll do for now. Download Kei_Wakakusa_-_Tomica_Hero_Rescue_Force_(Suite).mp3 from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/S1XHNLFD/Kei_Wakakusa_-_Tomica_Hero_Rescue_Force_(Suite).mp3_links)

Sirusjr

02-08-2012, 12:31 AM

If I had realized what you meant when you spoke about re-uploading rescue fire, I would have volunteered to re-upload it from the files I downloaded when you originally posted it. Anyway, thanks for posting it again and I will give it another listen today ;)

Smack81

02-08-2012, 12:45 AM

Yoshihisa Hirano

Super Robot Wars Og -Divine Wars- OST Collection + Hunter x Hunter Preview

Super Robot Wars + HxH Preview.rar (http://www.mediafire.com/?n2xn5pt1uu8544r)

JBarron2005

02-08-2012, 01:54 AM

arthierr,

You are most welcome! It is about high time I start picking up the slack from all the downloading I have done from this thread ;). I'll be interested to see what you think of Azurik.

Sirusjr

02-08-2012, 03:27 AM

Yoshihisa Hirano

Super Robot Wars Og -Divine Wars- OST Collection + Hunter x Hunter Preview

Super Robot Wars + HxH Preview.rar (http://www.mediafire.com/?n2xn5pt1uu8544r)

LOVING it! Thanks for sharing!

Vinphonic

02-08-2012, 04:03 PM

Hirano and Hisaishi are probably the greatest modern composers still alive "who compose music for all media". I know few who can compete with them and I will take anything I can get. Beautiful, wonderful stuff. Thank you :)

Rescue Force

(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/15/folderlre.jpg/)

Download (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/0IDHJFBK/Tomica_Hero_Rescue_Force.7z_links)
MP3 / 320kbps / 15 Tracks / 32min

EDIT: This is not the complete CD

tangotreats

02-08-2012, 04:44 PM

Thank you, my friend, but I'm afraid I must make a complaint here... there is a worrying trend in this thread to post personal selections, suites, cuts from albums, etc - which is fair enough, but I think it is always a good idea, where possible and practical, to post the complete album to allow folk to make up their own minds.

I particularly disagree with posting half-an-album and not being absolutely clear about that fact. I know the missing stuff is crap, not score, etc - but I somehow believe that we have a duty to propagate the whole album... particularly in light of recent events which make our new links possibly the only working links for XYZ online.

Your post is half of the album; 32 minutes against an hour on disc. Trust the guy in the red shirt on page 366! :P

Vinphonic

02-08-2012, 05:08 PM

Point taken. If my memory is correct I downloaded each track individually and not the complete OST so I should have made that clear. There is certainly a lot of room for debate on that subject. Many want the whole thing and some prefer to avoid listening to yet another J-Pop song interrupting the orchestral stuff. I will try to post more complete albums instead of personal collections from now on and my next upload is perhaps a good opportunity to start doing that (Hint: The J-Pop stuff is even among the Highlights).

On a related note, Gravity Daze will have a 2CD commercial release on march, 21 and sometimes you just can't resist buying things :p

warstar937

02-08-2012, 06:45 PM

michael kamen back to gaya soundtrack download please

streichorchester

02-08-2012, 07:15 PM

james horner the amazing spider-man soundtrack download please

tangotreats

02-08-2012, 07:31 PM

james horner the amazing spider-man soundtrack download please

thanks upload

Doublehex

02-08-2012, 08:30 PM

sweet comeback more meme make thx

herbaciak

02-08-2012, 09:33 PM

One thing about Super Robot Wars Og Divine Wars - fantastic Hirano, the one, that I love most (dark, choral etc.), but again - tracks are ringtones! Why most of Hirano scores consists of tracks that are about 1,5 minutes long? Guy should write a symphonies not work for TV:/.

p.s.

Hunter x Hunter sounds interesting. And that is obvious actually;).

TazerMonkey

02-08-2012, 09:40 PM

Why most of Hirano scores consists of tracks that are about 1,5 minutes long? Guy should write a symphonies not work for TV:/.

TV pays.

arthierr

02-08-2012, 11:17 PM

Quite true.

Many living great composers actually have the stature to be concert music composers. Their knowledge, competence and talent easily would allow them to write some real art music: symphonies, concertos, operas, etc.

But it looks like there's not anymore real career opportunity and decent money making possibility in the "official art" world, at least for composers who specialize themselves in a neo-Romantic approach of composition. This kind of music just doesn't get anymore respect nor any subsidies from academic circles and "high art" communities, which are overrun by the most obscure, hermetic, bizarre and ultimately boring forms of music human kind has known in its history.

So these composers just have to go wherever they can find people who are willing to give them money to compose the style of music in which they specialize, that is, orchestral, classically inspired, neo-Romantic stuff. And that's how incredible talents like Hirano, among others, get to score crappy animes and kiddy shows.

Ah, if only some rich patrons could hire these composers to have them freely write some original works, just for the art, without the multitude of constraints and limitations a media composer has to deal with... Wouldn't that be great?

Perhaps if one of us wins the lottery, this could happen... If we could choose just one composer to have him write a symphony, who would he be? I personally would pick Sahashi, Williams, Horner or Yamashita. Tango would probably choose Hirano. klnerfan would go for Sahashi or Hisaishi, I guess. Streich wouldn't mind having Horner doing it.

Who else would you pick? Please don't hesitate to express your choice. :)

And thanks all for the recent contributions!

tangotreats

02-08-2012, 11:28 PM

Some crazy git who's really obsessed with Hirano should put together a compilation of his longer compositions...

YOSHIHISA HIRANO
Long Cues (Compilation)

Download Yoshihisa_Hirano_-_Long_Cues.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/8LMBEQ6Z/Yoshihisa_Hirano_-_Long_Cues.rar_links)

The album kicks off with Gesshoku Grand Guignol, which is a song written by Katakura Mikiya for Arika Takarano of ALI PROJECT fame. They're a very strange and wonderful popular Japanese band you may be familiar with due to the overuse of their songs on numerous Anime shows over the years... but you may not know what Hirano has a very close relationship with them. Every one of their albums usually contains an instrumental piece or two - written Katakura and orchestrated by Hirano (usually for string orchestra, occasionally full symphony orchestra) and Hirano has also conducted two concerts with them; featuring a mixture of their popular songs sometimes in purely symphonic arrangements, sometimes with the band playing with the orchestra in splendid hybrid. This track comes from their 2007 album "Grand Finale" which was a fully orchestral studio album; Hirano arranged ten songs for full orchestra and recorded them with Takarano's mesmerising vocal performance. Her voice is not classical, but it is out of this world; no trickery, no auto-tune, just a jaw-dropping vocalist. Her style, and the song itself, fit Hirano's magnificent arrangement to perfection.

"Build Up" is from Hirano's 2007 TV anime mecha score Kotetsushin Jeeg. This was the score that hooked me on Hirano. How anybody can get away with scoring a show about big robots stamping around the city beating the bejeezus out of each other, I will never know.

Next up is the Opening Titles from Harukanaru Toki no Naka de The Movie; this may be Hirano's most "restrained" score in terms of accessibility, beginning with an almost Hollywood-esque love theme, but his perfectly measured dissonances are never far away. See how he completely changes the mood at 0:32 with a subtle semitone drop in the bass line and off-key horn statement; heartbreaking romance to mystical beauty in one note.

2008's Sennou Chousashitsu (more colloquially known as Real Drive) is, I think, I really terrible show. Fortunately it wound up with one of Hirano's finest scores to date, and a number of lengthy cues. The standout pieces are the RD Theme (at over five minutes) which is nothing short of a symphonic poem, and this one - Hirano's very own "Variations On A Theme Of Paganini". Just about every composer who ever lived has had a go at Paganini's 24th Caprice, and Hirano really doesn't disappoint. Five minutes of classical bliss.

Back to Harukanaru Toki no Naka de, for a wonderfully bustling choral cue; it never loses its classical qualities even in the throes of harsh dissonances (not Hirano's harshest, by a long shot - but that is not saying much).

Introitus, from 2004's Meine Liebe, is something of a piano concerto, performed by orchestra and Hirano's musical partner Masako Hosoda. A beautiful, elegant piece - very high on the accessibility scale and brimming over with classical grace.

The Mysteries Of The Stones from 2010's Break Blade expands on a cue Hirano originally conceived for Super Robot Wars in 2006; the beautiful but far-too-short piece is called "Chant 2". I had spent the past four years wishing Hirano had more time to play around with the ideas presented therein, and as if he had listened to me personally, it turned up again in Break Blade expanded to almost three minutes. Woodwind and horn play with an ambiguous melody which is passed around the sparse orchestra; Hirano's trademark twisted fanfare (at 1:07) on very high trumpets segue into a thrilling section for female vocalist, saxophones, brass, and shimmering strings. A somehow sweet but icy-cold violin solo joins this sumptuous, almost erotically charged piece which ends with timpani, woodwind, low strings, and percussion.

Next up is a lovely waltz from Ouran High School Host Club; a charming classical piece for chamber orchestra. Definitely a Hirano theme you can sing along to. (Well, I do. And dance. And conduct. All at the same time...)

Top Secret - The Revelation (also in Hirano's golden year of 2008) is a fascinating score; Hirano branches out and tries to funk things up with cues like "The Number Nines" and "Chase" which mix the expected outstanding orchestrations, crashing dissonances... with melodies and percussion that would fit in very well indeed in a James Bond movie. The cue herein - The Freshman - is a more traditional symphonic piece; a lovely chipper theme lead by strings and a sprinkling of Hosoda's piano.

Divine Wars from 2006's Super Robot Wars OG is a bit of a typical Hirano action theme; brassy, dissonant, powerful, fast paced, and orchestrated to the hilt.

Looking Toward The Future from 2006's tacky lesbian romantic drama Strawberry Panic is a slower, contemplative cue which blossoms into a fully stated romantic gesture.

Low Of Solipsism, from Death Note - (also 2006 - what a year for Hirano!) is a tense, uncompromising choral cue; music to be murdered to. (Also see "Domine Kira" for Hirano's rawest, most gleefully over-the-top "horrific death" scoring - not on this compilation but worth the price of admission alone.)

I never really liked "Book Of Bantorra" - and in terms of Hirano that really means that I only really liked it as opposed to his other scores, with which I fell in love at first sight. Whether through budgetary restrictions of the desire to try something new, Hirano's forces are oddly weighted here; full strings, one trombone, a handful of woodwind, percussion, harpsichord, and a gigantic choir. This cue begins as a fairly typical action piece and halfway through suddenly becomes semi-baroque elegance for strings, harpsichord, and soprano.

Finishing off with the first of two "oddities" we have Chu-Bra!! - a TV anime ostensibly about young girls trying on underwear. It's surprisingly tasteful, and Hirano's score is just a delight. His smallest-ensemble yet - a handful of instruments and female vocalists provide an upbeat, cheerful score. This cue - "Aa, Big and Small" accompanies a scene in which said girls compare breast sizes; Hirano's choir plays off the situation comedy with a vocalisation on the Japanese slang term "Payapaya" which refers to interpersonal contact. Breathy, "cliched sexy" vocals and bouncy rhythms abound; here's Hirano just having a load of fun.

The last piece on the album is what I suspect may have made a lot of Hajime No Ippo fans really, really mad. Scoring a homo-erotic show about boxing, with a set musical pedigree (hard rock) Hirano appeared with a really, really weird - and wonderful - score. This stuff is NOT easy going! This cue begins with a typical Hirano introduction - fully orchestral, and in comes a more-or-less traditional electric guitar theme with rock percussion. Hirano gradually mixes in the orchestra until about the halfway point when all hell breaks loose; we end up with a COMPLETELY BATSHIT INSANE piece for full orchestra, superhuman drum kit, crazily fast guitar runs... 1:21 to 1:51 may be the weirdest thirty seconds in the history of anime scores; particularly from 1:38 where the violins come in threatening a soaring, romantic theme with roaring brass and some showy, traditionalist chord progressions - but all at two hundred miles an hour with electric bass and hammering percussion vying for attention all the way. It's completely crackers. I love it. You love it. It's great.

Enjoy, folks!

---------- Post added at 10:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:18 PM ----------

Arthierr: Funny you should mention a Hisaishi symphony...

His first (written under his birth name of Mamoru Fujisawa) was premiered in September of last year at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Details in English are a bit patchy but I think a release is either happening or has happened already... As soon as I find it... ;)

arthierr

02-08-2012, 11:29 PM

Tango would probably choose Hirano.

This was incredibly perspicacious. ;)

tangotreats

02-08-2012, 11:40 PM

Yep, it's like you were reading my mind. ;)

I don't disagree with any of the choices you put forward though; particularly concerning Yamashita... the thought of that guy writing a fully fledged symphony (or, for that matter, any long-form orchestral composition) has me foaming at the mouth.

I would probably put him forward first ahead of the others, simply because in my mind Sahashi already has written a symphony (three, in fact) - I know they're based on raw material written for anime but they're clearly conceived as standalone compositions for the concert hall.

Williams did write a symphony - in 1966 - which was ripped to pieces by the critics, never recorded, and never performed again after its premiere. Since then he's written so many concertos and other pieces for the concert hall I think he's "had his chance" so to speak; if I had to pick one person to write a gigantic symphony, it wouldn't be a veteran of the concert hall who already has three dozen classical CDs floating around the world... it'd be somebody with masses of potential who has thus far wasted away in lesser genres. (That, and I have frankly never connected with Williams' concert hall music as I have with his film music... A Williams symphony in his late seventies style, YES, LOVELY. Now? I wouldn't turn it down, but it's not at the head of my list of fantasy symphonies.)

Horner might be interesting... but he's failed to impress me for almost twenty years now and that is NOT a good average. I wonder if he really has any "get up and go" left in him; even his recent "Four Horsemen" piece - whilst a wonderful piece, is as heavily derivative as any recent Horner, breaks no new ground whatsoever, and pales in comparison to his earlier, better, works.

As far as other suggestions go... I think Michiru Oshima would do something glorious. Yoshihiro Kanno would be really, really interesting. Also Kotaro Nakagawa (yes, really; that guy COULD do it),

The one I'd REALLY love to hear, though... Yasuo Higuchi. I swear to God, if I ever win the lottery I will commission a symphony from him, record it with a full orchestra, buy out the rights, and release the recording for free.

In second place would be Souhei Kano. After a debut like Fractale, I'm utterly obsessed with the guy and if there is ANY justice in the world he will become the next big thing...

:)

arthierr

02-08-2012, 11:57 PM

Indeed, Williams has already written some serious works, but I never said a rule was that you can't pick someone who already did it. ;)

Edit: But I see your point here. Better give a chance to a promising newcomer rather than an accomplished veteran. Yet, a Williams symphony is a Williams symphony!

I'm pretty sure Horner has some HUGE potential, and can do 10 times better than what he does nowadays. Something even better than his finest eighties scores. Just give him money, time and faith.

BTW, I just listened a bit of his Black Gold, and even though the main theme sounds a bit derivative, it's nonetheless pretty good and memorable. So much that one hour after only *one* listen, I was humming it while I cooked my dinner (my favorite omelet: eggs (2 yolks, 3 whites), tuna, rocket, cooked in olive oil: cheap, incredibly delicious, and excellent for your health).

Sirusjr

02-09-2012, 12:29 AM

Yes Arthierr, Black Gold has a fantastic theme! Great classic Horner!!

Arial

02-09-2012, 12:44 AM

... Just give him money, time and faith.

The latter is justly the only thing you can't give to a man. While it's the main thing he'd need. Horner is then what his faith allows him to be to people's eyes, and my feeling on the composer doesn't make him memorable at all. Just enjoyable if I hear from him by accident.

Tuna, what's that ? Nut oil is strongly recommanded for the season also.

Vinphonic

02-09-2012, 12:55 AM

Black Gold is indeed great.
Has anyone else listened to Berserk: Golden Age? Thread 109640
While Sagisu is not everyone's cup of tea, this one is as bombastic as it gets. Here he goes all out (for better or worse), Wrath of God (part II) works incredibly well in the film and Blood and Guts (closing credits) is really fantastic. One of his best works (and possibly his best when the Arc is over) although a little more contributions from Susumu Hirasawa wouldn't have hurt. With all that said I had hoped Hayato Matsuo would score this beast, after Hellsing this could have been his next masterpiece but I like what I'm hearing so far so I'm not complaining.

tangotreats

02-09-2012, 01:07 AM

Oh, Christ... :(

Not the London Symphony, unfortunately... the same studio orchestra he uses for those dreadful Bleach and Evangelion scores... this is going to mean lots of noisy percussion, and unspeakably cheesy lyrics sang by a ridiculously small choir?

Ah, one moment - download finished...

...Ah, balls - I hate being right all the time... :/

Allow me to apologise to the world on behalf of London for bringing this awful thing into existence...

Edit: Holy mother of God, it's even worse than I thought. The choir sings "Blood and guts, and guts and blood, and blood and guts, and guts and blood..." repeatedly. These poor people. Catherine Bott is a respected opera singer. The others are also well known. They must look forward to these scores the way I look forward to having my teeth pulled out by my slightly insane dentist who never gives me enough painkillers.

Masamichi Amano's orchestrations are pretty good - when you can hear them under the hideous over-compressed, hyper-loudness recording and shitty sound design... there you go, I said something nice about this giant turd of a score... ;)

Faleel

02-09-2012, 01:09 AM

Tuna, what's that ?

Fish.

arthierr

02-09-2012, 01:14 AM

The latter is justly the only thing you can't give to a man. While it's the main thing he'd need. Horner is then what his faith allows him to be to people's eyes, and my feeling on the composer doesn't make him memorable at all. Just enjoyable if I hear from him by accident.

Tuna, what's that ? Nut oil is strongly recommanded for the season also.

Sers toi d'un dico, mon vieux! :p

By faith I meant: give him YOUR faith. Trust him, encourage him, believe in him.

Tuna combined with olive oil is actually very benefitial for your health. But avoid the tuna sold canned with olive oil, better use canned tuna in water, then add some good olive oil to it.

Here's why you should eat these:

WHFoods: Tuna (http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=112)

WHFoods: Olive oil, extra virgin (http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=132)

Vinphonic

02-09-2012, 01:21 AM

Is it really that terrible? I know that I would not have chosen him for Berserk but the music at least works well in the film and I like the over-the-top cheesiness.

tangotreats

02-09-2012, 01:24 AM

I'm sorry, I'm such a grumpy guts tonight...

I don't know why, this is just the sort of score that really, REALLY pisses me off to almost the same extent as Transformers, Iron Man, etc. Why the hell come all the way to London, hire a big orchestra, hire Masamichi Amano as your orchestrator, get some of the finest operatic voices in England, get a world-famous recording venue... all signs that you've got a bit of money and you really care about making something good - and instead you end up with this horrific train wreck?

Those Evangelion scores must've sold well for them to try replicating them down to the finest detail for every single Sagisu score of the last five years.

arthierr

02-09-2012, 01:39 AM

Speaking of food and orchestral music, here's something SUPERB! Oshima in great shape, highly recommended!

Thread 101404

Michiru Oshima - Netsuretsu Teki Chuuka Hanten
(Chinese Cuisine Served Star Leo Style), 2003

(http://postimage.org/)

Format: mp3
Bitrate: cbr 224
Size: 59,6 MB
front+back cover

1. Shark Fin Soup - The Road to Miracles (2:58)
2. Pork in Honey Sauce - The Spice of Love (3:00)
3. Steamed Lobster - A Coincidental Combination (2:42)
4. Pekin Duck - Fight (1:36)
5. Fresh Vegetables Gyoza - Memories of Hometown (3:26)
6. Fillet in Black Pepper - Coming People, Going People (2:14)
7. Jellyfish Raw Style - Something's Coming (2:03)
8. Boiled Fish - Delicious (2:05)
9. Sliced Beef Saute - Cooking Man (1:37)
10. Cashew Nuts & Asparagus Saute - Raw Meat Laugh (2:12)
11. Boiled Crab in Swallow Nest - Follow your Dream (2:19)
12. Fried Tofu in Garlic Sauce - A Little Devilish (2:15)
13. Urchins and Mushroom Saute - Happening (1:26)
14. Nuts Soup - Sincerity (1:51)
15. Pork Steak Rolls - Comical Times (1:56)
16. Shrimp Meatballs - The Road to Miracles (strings version) (1:39)
17. Chahan - A Taste of the Past (1:30)
18. Chinese Jelly - Rainbow (1:14)

Doublehex

02-09-2012, 01:45 AM

Asia is mad. Music dedicated to...food?

Well, as a fan of Japanese food and the music that comes from it, I'm not going to complain!

Sirusjr

02-09-2012, 01:52 AM

arthierr

02-09-2012, 01:58 AM

You guys have some serious self-control issues... :p

(coming from a guy who can also easily lose his temper)

streichorchester

02-09-2012, 05:00 AM

As much as a Horner fan I am I don't think I would be able to sit through a Horner symphony if it were an extension of his film scoring of the past 15 years. It might be interesting to go through his work and find all the tracks that would suffice as an original concert work and put them together into symphonic form (any tracks that don't reference any of a film's main themes would work) but for now all I hope for is that one day we can hear his "Spectral Shimmers" concert work to see where it all started.

If I had to choose a composer to write a symphony it'd probably be Goldenthal because a) he isn't doing much film scoring lately and b) he's already written a ballet, oratorio, and opera, so he's due.

TazerMonkey

02-09-2012, 06:29 AM

So... much... Hirano... my tympanums are fluttering with joy...

JBarron2005

02-09-2012, 06:51 AM

Interesting discussion about fantasy symphonies. I would choose John Powell or David Arnold. I have always liked their flighty melodic scores such as Powell's work for Dreamworks films or David's scores from the 90's. In the Asian realm, I would go for Hayato Matsuo or Joe Hisaishi. I was quite impressed with Matsuo's music for Hellsing and, well, Hisaishi just goes without saying. The man is a musical genius in my opinion.

streichorchester

02-09-2012, 07:23 AM

Hunter x Hunter Preview
Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony? :D

Lhurgoyf

02-09-2012, 10:47 AM

Thank you for the Berserk score! Yes, it's incredibly cheesy, but also it provides loads of dark twisted elfman-like melodies and guilty pleasured fun. For those who like Berserk, I can also recommend Bleach Jigoku Hen (just play Lucifer Dance track and tell me this isn't fun!)

Is there any thread at ffshrine filled with Shiro Sagisu scores?

Arial

02-09-2012, 11:20 AM

Sers toi d'un dico, mon vieux! :p

By faith I meant: give him YOUR faith. Trust him, encourage him, believe in him.

Tuna combined with olive oil is actually very benefitial for your health. But avoid the tuna sold canned with olive oil, better use canned tuna in water, then add some good olive oil to it.

Here's why you should eat these:

WHFoods: Tuna (http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=112)

WHFoods: Olive oil, extra virgin (http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=132)

Ah ! Comment ai-je pu m�sentendre cette tournure de phrase ! La fatigue ?... OK alors.

And thanks for the infos, I didn't know that fish.

tangotreats

02-09-2012, 12:01 PM

Is there any thread at ffshrine filled with Shiro Sagisu scores?

If there is, please post the link so I can be sure to never accidentally click it in the future. ;)

Doublehex

02-09-2012, 02:54 PM

I don't know, I really tend to Shirou's latest offerings. The English chorus with his scores offer something that is so unique that I just can't help but appreciate the man for doing it. I don't know of any other composer who uses English in his chorus, and on top of that more often than not I tend to like his twisted Elfman-esque music that goes along with it.

Unfortunately, so far Bersek is very repetitive. This is the most blatant case of repetition of musical ideas within a single cue that I have seen, even more so than that of RC works. And yet, somehow, I'm able to ignore it an enjoy it. There's something about Shirou that appeals to me.

Vinphonic

02-09-2012, 04:23 PM

I feel the same way, I just enjoy his work despite knowing that it lacks any substance and is full of "filler" (After a promising opening, Wrath of God just goes nowhere, it works in the film since there is a huge siege battle to distract you but it definetly shows on the album).

So let's turn to something that definetly has substance: http://forums.ffshrine.org/f72/kingdoms-amalur-reckoning-custom-soundtrack-109839/#post1912885

Here is a little interview with Kirkhope from Gsoundtracks http://www.gsoundtracks.com/interviews/kirkhope.htm

EDIT: HAHAHAHAHAHA ... listen to this cr�tin: https://soundtrackgeek.com/~soundtr5/reviews/kingdoms-of-amalur-reckoning-soundtrack-review.php "Epic this, epic that". This is the reason I avoid most soundtrack review sites for games or anime (they give RC scores a perfect rating for god's sake!) I wish more sites were like Filmtracks with reviewers who have a little more expertise than "OMG this sounds EPIC!!!

Sirusjr

02-09-2012, 05:51 PM

Thanks Klnerfan for this updated version of the score :)

arthierr

02-09-2012, 05:55 PM

Mmh... I'm a little concerned here, klnerfan. Of course I thank you, as usual, for this contribution, but this one doesn't go along very well with the general philosophy in this thread of not posting recent european or north american commercial releases, even for game scores.

Plus both the OST and the rip have been posted elsewhere in this forum, so there's really no pressing need to repost a slighly altered version of it here. People who really want these can easily grab them in those places. Consequently, this album should not be posted *in this thread*, but feel free to post it in the VG section, if you wish. People who want it can grab it over there. But thanks again for the generous initiative! :)

That being said, I have to admit that this is a very fine score. I haven't tried it entirely, but the tracks I've heard are very beautiful and look like what George Oldziey's Shaiya could have been if he had been allowed to compose a much longer score.

Vinphonic

02-09-2012, 06:13 PM

Done :)

arthierr

02-09-2012, 06:16 PM

Thanks. :)

herbaciak

02-09-2012, 06:22 PM

The album kicks off with Gesshoku Grand Guignol, which is a song written by Katakura Mikiya for Arika Takarano of ALI PROJECT fame.

That was FANTASTIC! After hearing this piece I immediately downloaded whole album. Incredible thing, even if a bit... odd (I don't know why, but at times music was almost disturbing to me, dark, quirky, yet somehow... humorous?). But overall it's wonderful music and vocalist is really intriguing with her bit childish voice. Me like it. Very much.

And now in anime music downloads thread Hunter X Hunter appeared. Hirano day it is. Splendid:D.

And as for "fantasy symphony" - Horner first, Goldenthal second.

arthierr

02-09-2012, 10:03 PM

Did some of you guys have the time and courage to listen to this? Given the fact it's Hannigan, there should be some pretty neat stuff in here, shouldn't it? Please tell me if it's worth downloading or not.

Thread 109828

Vinphonic

02-09-2012, 10:57 PM

Oh boy I was waiting MONTHS for this ... well, let's dive in and find out ... that it sounds a bit synthy, has a great amount of ambient cues, Shore's music for cutscenes but some really neat stuff here and there. However, it all sounds a bit strange, in the same way as Deathly Hallows but at least not as severe.

On another note I originally wanted to post something else instead of Amalur but the upload took longer than expected. Regarding the symphony choice ... obviously Hisaishi followed by Oshima, Sahashi, Yamashita ... and Kohei Tanaka!

Sakura Wars: The Motion Picture (Sakura Taisen: Katsudou Shashin)

Music composed by Kohei Tanaka

Download (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/1JEBYKE7/Sakura_Wars_-_The_Motion_Picture.7z_links)
MP3 / ~224kbps / 36 Tracks / 80min

Ripped from my CD (I rediscovered in my collection). You can never have enough Tanaka! Afterall, he is the one who brought me into the world of Japanese Music in the first place. For Sakura Taisen he composed some of the most "fun" J-Pop songs ever, orchestrated to the brim and usually used as the Main Theme for the game/anime/movie. The last couple of tracks are pure joy and Track 34 recieves many orchestral renditions througout the score. I've thrown in two other songs from Sakura Wars 3 I immensely enjoy (the full versions were unfortunatly not on the game's soundtrack).

When it comes to Symphonies another wish of mine is not "who" but "about what". I can die a happy man when I have heared Symphonies for Kirby, Metroid, ARIA and One Piece. Perhaps someone in the future is even crazy enough to orchestrate Jet Force Gemini.

tangotreats

02-09-2012, 11:04 PM

Let's forget about the illiterate jackass who, in the space of a 320 word review, uses the word "epic" SIX TIMES; and not once appropriately, with something I have been saving up for a rainy day - and since it's currently snowing I thought now was as good a time as any.

I have contemplated starting a review site for some time; a place where Japanese scores (anime, drama, film), game music, and film music in general can be discussed and ruminated over without getting stuck in nonsense like "OMG SO EPIC!!!!!!", and "THE TARENTO (TARENTO MEANS TALENT IN JAPANESE) IN THIS DORAMA (DORAMA MEANS DRAMA IN JAPANESE ^_^ KAKOII SUGOI DESU KA!!! KAWAIIIIII!!! OMG LOL HAHAHA!) IS SOOOOO SEKKUSY (SEKKUSY MEANS SEXY IN JAPANESE) SO I LUV DIS BGM BECOS IT REMIND ME OF HIS SEKKUSY ASS!".

Well, here's review number one in ROUGH DRAFT. I promised to review Fractale six months ago, and I did. The site will be up in a few weeks, but for now enjoy review number 1 - opinionated and over the top as always, and particularly lengthy.

For those who like statistics, my review is 1,600 words and features ZERO uses of "epic", and ZERO uses of "cool". It does, however, feature "development", "elegance", "beautiful", and "superlative". :P

Folk who hate my famous "wall of text" posts look away now; this may be the longest post I have ever posted.

FRACTALE
Music Composed, Orchestrated, and Conducted by Souhei Kano

Fractale had me hooked from the very first note through to the end. It was, to my ears, an instant classic, and a strong contender for score of the year. Over the past six months, this score has become one of my very dearest personal favourites – a desert island disc, if you will – not just in the genre of anime or even media music in general, but a favourite composition full stop. In my mind, it had turned into something simply beyond criticism. Some weeks ago, a close friend dropped something of a bombshell and confessed that he disliked the score. He found it generic and lifeless. I trust the musical opinion of this gentleman implicitly and have always found his judgement in such regards to be thoughtful and fair, made with impeccable taste, encyclopaedic knowledge of the medium, and a civilised, well honed sense of culture... and there was he, suggesting that this score – the one that spoke to me so directly and so perfectly – was a load of rubbish!

Thankfully, grown-ups are able to sustain a difference of opinion without resorting to an electronic brawl - treating it as an opportunity for expanding knowledge and challenging preconceptions. With that happy thought in mind, and with the full support and encouragement of my friend, I decided that a review was more important now than ever before; after all, if one has a passionate belief, one should be ready and able to defend it and state his feelings in detail.

If you’re looking for a detailed analysis of Fractale as an animated television series, you won’t find it here . In brief, Fractale is a romantic fantasy science fiction drama set in a future Ireland, at a time where Earth is ruled by the “Fractale” – a powerful and Godlike system that provides for the needs of mankind. The protagonist, a young man named Clain, encounters a mysterious girl, Phyrne, whom he later discovers to be a runaway priestess of Fractale. Clain is kidnapped and forced to work for a resistance group who advocate overthrowing Fractale and returning humanity to self-sufficiency. Along the way, he discovers the wicked truth about the origin of Fractale, and Phryne’s heartbreakingly tragic, and central, role therein. The series isn’t entirely successful – with chronic pacing issues, unresolved plotlines, contradictions, and missed opportunities – but it is a genuinely bold and brave undertaking; original, and it never pulls its punches. For me, the series felt as though it should have been either considerably longer (and fleshed out the side stories and peripheral world-building), or considerably shorter (and focussed on the central plot) – as it stands, it feels both rushed and lethargic at the same time.

Nonetheless, Yukata Yamamoto and his Studio Ordet (born out of the ashes of his notorious and acrimonious dismissal from Kyoto Animation in 2007) prove themselves to be exciting and brimming over with potential. Fractale could have been one of the finest things ever made – instead, it stands as a frustrating oddity; albeit one which is fascinating and absorbing.

The score, by newcomer Souhei Kano, is a largely symphonic affair which adopts a surprisingly operatic approach to theme and development. Since Fractale is an eleven episode TV series, it was not scored to picture and therefore the score’s storytelling role is somewhat limited by necessity and budget – but nevertheless, the music fulfils a strong role with great character. This is certainly an example of a flawed story that is elevated by the music, although generally the score works better on its own - when considered as a standalone listening experience, it tells the story of Fractale with a sensitivity, panache, and flawless sense of drama which is notably lacking in the series itself.

The lynchpin of Kano’s score is a wonderfully melancholy and mystical (but strikingly busy) melody which belongs in spirit to Phryne, although I hesitate to refer to it as “Phryne’s Theme” as I believe that conveys the wrong impression. Perhaps it’s the theme of Phryne’s soul. Semantics aside, it makes its first appearance at the very beginning of the series in an acrobatic, fast paced cue as Clain and the audience meet her for the first. A Hirano-esque, chromatic brass fanfare introduces the main melody – played on solo trumpet supported by an orchestra of low strings, horns, and snare drum. It’s a fine example of how to build suspense musically and melodically instead of using cheap tricks. This melody – a leitmotif of sorts, re-appears in a number of cues throughout the score – most notably as a gorgeous, poignant lament for Cor Anglais, strings, and piano, which opens out into a six minute set piece for full orchestra, and exotic percussion, with a vocal part (lyrics by Thomas Moore, performed in less-than-stellar English by Noriko Lewis) that recalls the joyously florid, jaw-dropping range and pure tone of Minnie Riperton.

This theme is also a distant relation of another character theme – a considerably lighter, more carefree melody, which receives a full performance for chamber ensemble. Right from the beginning, the score is hinting at a possible connection between them; never giving the game away but busily stirring that little pot of curiosity inside your head.

“Hibi no Kate nomi no Roudou to Kueki kara” (“From the Labour and the Hard Work Only for the Daily Bread”) deserves recognition not as a superlative piece of film scoring, but as a mini-dramatic opera. It is a tense, unforgiving, examination of the conflicting and totalitarian nature of the Fractale system. It insidiously conditions the people into complete dependence, to consider those who oppose it as sworn enemies, and to present itself to a desperate and lost people as the panacea to all of life’s problems. The Fractale system keeps its citizens under control, under the guise of protecting them from the hardships of daily life. Kano’s cold, dead melody and sparse, dissonant orchestration accompany lyrics that speak of life’s evils; all of which Fractale insists it can sweep away. The soprano voice sings for all of humanity; her delivery is automatic and resigned. She is singing the words with passion, but I don’t think she believes them in her heart. Fractale paints a bleak picture - dragging you to a point of frenzied desperation, and then it offers you a way out; as the lyrics call for an end to suffering (“Give us eternal peace, save us with thine endless wisdom, Give us, Save us”) Kano’s harmonies suddenly shift to warmer colours – but the mood becomes more ambiguous still. The piece enters its third act; having largely created and then harnessed humanity’s sadness and confusion, Fractale now sets about destroying all and any opposition. The piece becomes a militaristic call to religious war – to convert non-believers at any cost, and to turn believers on non-believers (“those who disobey”) as evil incarnate. It ends with a Schoenbergian call for Fractale to lead believers to paradise.

The series itself hints at these concepts, but never outright states them – it colours Fractale as mysterious and basically corrupt and instead spotlights Phryne’s very personal pain, allowing the bigger picture to fall by the wayside. The scene in which this piece of score plays is poignant but it somewhat misses the point, instead concentrating on a grizzly massacre. It establishes humanity as slaves of Fractale but then the resistance group show up with machine guns to “rescue” them; by wiping out almost all of them in a frenzy of death and destruction. It turns a complex and compelling idea into a senseless bloodbath, and although it is easy to see how the scene was intended, it is wrecked by poor execution and inconsistent pacing. The scene becomes nothing more than clich�d exposition and fast-track character development. The score, by complete contrast, presents a structured, ironic commentary.

I promised that I would not talk about the series at length; I have done so here to illustrate how the score consistently “understands” the story – and conveys it to the audience – better than the script. Kano is a master storyteller; and to recycle that old adage from Hollywood, he scored what it should have been - not what it was.

Mirai e no Tabiji begins with a brass chorale statement of the Fractale theme, which is immediately followed by the central presentation of Phyrne’s theme discussed above. At around the two minute mark, it morphs into a furious, brassy action cue; the unusually large brass section (fourteen players) take on fast and complex dotted rhythms accompanied by buoyant string counterpoint, Goldsmithian xylophone, relentless timpani, marital snares, and Hiranoesque piercing woodwind decoration. Fever pitch is reached with screaming trumpets at their very highest register and there follows a brief, very uniquely scored moment of woodwind and strings interplay. This develops into an almost-fugue – a deliciously complex, breathlessly fast piece of writing for the full brass ensemble and bass strings. From a perspective of construction and melody, it could almost be JS Bach – but the clashing dissonances and irregular rhythms beg to differ. The full ensemble take up fragments of melodic material and throw it from section to section like a hot potato, until eventually a surprisingly conventional series of chord progressions leave the cue hanging in thin air with shimmering tremolo strings and atonal pianoforte decoration. A solo trombone plays a noble variation of the Fractale theme and calm is restored; gradually the full orchestra come in leading to climactic statement of the theme in its entirety. The cue concludes with a glorious major key finale.

The highlights in this score are endless. It’s unique, daring, lyrical, beautiful, intelligent, superlatively orchestrated, and like no other anime score I know builds a mysterious, magical world and then places you right inside it. Souhei Kano’s compositional style is mature, assured, and measured – and he handles his modest-sized symphony orchestra with outstanding elegance.

ALTERNATE REVIEW:

Fractale
BGM by Kanno Sohe

Dis anime was shit. Pirrin is hot but thats all. Klane is a wuss and nessa is a silly bitch with no tits. Da background musics is all classical and boring. Not epic. It wouldve been COOL if it had some EPIC BGM but it has all this opera SONGS. Cossaci Sattoro made up some song witch is way cooler but most of songs on this download got no singing or drums or anyrtghing. NOT EPIC DUDE, NOT EPIC! BORING CLASSIC SONGS FUK U.

Edit: That LOTR score is cheap shitty synth and the music itself sounds like extremely crummy trailer music.

arthierr

02-10-2012, 12:05 AM

So, better pass this LOTR, then? If, however, there are a *few* good tracks, please don't hesitate to post a custom selection. I'd be interested in it.

Interesting news about this reviewing project. You indeed largely have the talent, knowledge and competence to do that, and it's surprising you hadn't already. I'm curious to check your review, since I only listened once to a few tracks of this score. :)

[...]

And thanks for the infos, I didn't know that fish.

C'est du THON! Du bon vieux thon que tu trouves en boite ou en darne chez le poissonier! C'est pourquoi je t'ai dit: prends un dico. :p

tangotreats

02-10-2012, 12:22 AM

The gamerip sounds awful on that score; sure, transcoding causes a quality loss but I think what you are hearing is the gamerip tracks... ;)

arthierr

02-10-2012, 12:25 AM

Oh shite, perhaps it's true, let me check...

Edit: I think I owe our friend klnerfan an apology!

Sorry, dude! It seems you used some of the bad quality gamerip tracks... But then, again, since there *is* a good quality OST, the gamerip tracks shouldn't have been used IMO in your version because the good quality alternatives existed in the OST, like the track Niskuru, for instance.

Anyway, forget about my misguided remarks above!

tangotreats

02-10-2012, 12:41 AM

By some hilarious but really, REALLY annoying cockup, the looping versions of the tracks ended up on the OST and the CD versions ended up in the game. Therefore, the only way to hear the cues as intended is to listen to the game rips.

Personally, I would've waited for the FLAC of the OST to turn up and graft the gamerip endings onto the otherwise excellent quality CD tracks, rather than use the gamerip tracks in their entirety... but there is nonetheless method to this good gentleman's madness. ;)

arthierr

02-10-2012, 12:51 AM

And thanks for Sakura! I don't think I heard this one. Or perhaps I did, I've got so many Tanaka scores...

Speaking of which, I tried to upload his Bastard!! scores specially for the thread, but I can't find them... I hope I haven't lost them. The first OST with its four first tracks that sound like an actual symphony are really something people frequenting this thread have to hear.

tangotreats

02-10-2012, 12:54 AM

Sakura Wars: The Motion Picture (Sakura Taisen: Katsudou Shashin)

Oh, WOW! This is really, really stunning stuff. Love every single note, even the J-pop...!!!

There's more music in Miracle Bells than there is in the entirety of that bloody Berserk thing!

Thank you once more, sir. :)

Arthierr: I have "Best Of Bastard!!" - it can still be found at tenshi.ru - but not the complete soundtrack - I believe there are two, are there not?

There's some fantastic music in there.

Speaking of Tanaka... He's scoring an Anime starting in April; Kyoto Animation's new big project - a mystery called "Hyoka" - no reason to suspect it will be less than magnificent.

Got a good feeling about 2012 already. :)

Roll on, Gravity Daze...

arthierr

02-10-2012, 01:14 AM

Actually there's three Bastard!! scores, and if you haven't heard some, then AHA! It means this is one of the first times I've got some little advance on you, anime music-wise!

This is an even better reason to find them and post them here. ;) Oh, the first OST is just a beauty. The beginning is nearly a symphony, seriously!

Lens of Truth

02-11-2012, 12:51 AM

and there was he, suggesting that this score – the one that spoke to me so directly and so perfectly – was a load of rubbish!

Well this stonehearted friend of your must have come round by now... What on earth was he smoking? ;)

Great review! Very interesting to have some narrative and thematic context to relate all this with. 'Hibi no Kate' is indeed a searing mini-masterpiece and as fine a piece of film scoring as I've heard. I think I was thrown at first by the Haydn/Bach-lite pieces and what seemed like musical box-checking. Subsequent listens have left me completely charmed, indifference melted away to the point that I wonder if I wasn't listening to a different score!

Looking forward greatly to your new site (.. and possibly contributing an article or two)!

NaotaM

02-11-2012, 01:28 AM

Looking forward greatly to your new site (.. and possibly contributing an article or two)!

Same here. I'd love to contribute reviews if you'd have me.

Lhurgoyf

02-12-2012, 09:16 AM

arthierr

02-12-2012, 08:36 PM

Here you go: h**p://www.mediafire.com/?imlsbugjbnus35k

And I should have Bastard!! upped later tonight. :)

Sirusjr

02-12-2012, 09:23 PM

I would love to hear Sakura Wars score, but the mirrorcreator page just won't load for me. Can someone please post a direct link to a filesharing site, which mirrorcreator links to? (rapidshare for example)
Thanks!

I find that mirrorcreator doesn't load in chrome for some reason but it works for me in Firefox.

Doublehex

02-12-2012, 09:41 PM

I find that mirrorcreator doesn't load in chrome for some reason but it works for me in Firefox.

Truly? I just tried it now and got no problems!

tangotreats

02-12-2012, 09:42 PM

Mirrorcreator fine in Chrome:

Vinphonic

02-12-2012, 10:06 PM

Just one question: Is that Furin Kazan Final aka "the one with the gorgeous piano solo" ?

tangotreats

02-12-2012, 10:09 PM

Haha! Just regular Furinkazan actually - the opening titles theme. :)

Vinphonic

02-12-2012, 10:21 PM

Ah, and here I thought you gave us a clever hint at your next post :D ... or perhaps it is already up here ? I don't know.

tangotreats

02-12-2012, 10:23 PM

I'm fairly sure Furinkazan final has been posted in this thread at one stage or another... (But the link is probably dead so that hardly matters...)

I know that the first CD was definitely posted; with a Hentai anime "bonus" in the RAR file.

If not, perhaps I should make it my next post - although I'll admit it's not my favourite Senju. Great theme, plodding score.

My internet connection is getting upgraded on Tuesday, so I shall transform into a POSTING GOD.

EDIT: BREAKING NEWS!

Kousuke Yamashita on another new Anime! Sci-fi adventure (YES! YES! YES!) Ozuma starting on March 16th. It's a prestige show (created by 73-year-old veteran Leiji Matsumoto, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of TV network WOWOW) so you just know that Yamashita is going to come up with something wonderful... Dare I hope for something in the same vein as Garasu No Kantai?

I am a happy chappy right now. :D

arthierr

02-13-2012, 12:22 AM

KOUHEI TANAKA
Bastard!! (OAV)
OST 1-2

Download Bastard___Ost.zip from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://mir.cr/0P6LEYZX)

Here it is. There is a bunch of nice tracks to be heard for orchestral music seekers through the three OSTs of Bastard!! But, as I mentionned earlier, the very highlight of the three OSTs combined is the "Bastard!! symphony" that can be found at the beginning of OST 1. This is the stuff not to be missed, here. I don't know why this kind of lush symphony have been composed for a simple OVA, nor how it works in the context of the show (since I haven't seen it), unless it's a special feature that only appears in the OST; but we all, once again, have to wholeheartedly thank japanese production designers for their EXCELLENT musical taste and their wonderful artistic choices.

I'd especially like to do a commentary on the first movement of the symphony, which has a sort of medieval, Conan-like tone that greatly appeals to me. The mental images I have while I listen to this piece are those of an adventurer on his mount, slowly approaching, then entering and progressing through a big, busy medieval city; then he eventually reaches the huge, majestic gates of the central palace (this is when the striking fanfare outburst occurs). There are also other interesting cues to be heard through the score, like a nice lively choral piece in OST 2. Overall a good Tanaka with some astounding highlights.

Edit: there are only two Bastard OSTs. Vol.2 and vol.3 in my pack are the same album.

tangotreats

02-13-2012, 12:47 AM

"Several hundred years after the fall of human civilisation; it was a lawless period. A time without order - only blood, flesh, bone, and iron. It was also a time of sorcery. Having been terrorised by demonic creatures their entire lives, human beings were miserably inadequate, and forced to subsist in a barren, bastille environment."

The opening narration from Bastard!! -- may explain the Conan sound somewhat... :D

The blood, nudity, and sex scenes, somewhat less so.

Excellent post, and so much wonderful stuff that ISN'T on the alleged "Best Of Bastard!!" compilation... finally the two missing movements of the symphony. Lovely! Thank you!

arthierr

02-13-2012, 12:58 AM

Thanks for the info! And Yamashita scoring this kind of show is superb news: some great music to come...

Doublehex

02-13-2012, 04:22 AM

Now we just need covers and translated tracklists!

...What are you guys looking at me for? Oh, damn.

arthierr

02-13-2012, 01:03 PM

Arthierr: I have "Best Of Bastard!!" - it can still be found at tenshi.ru - but not the complete soundtrack - I believe there are two, are there not?

HOLY CRAP! I just noticed that what I separately downloaded as OST 2 and OST 3 are in fact... the same album! I don't know why they were called differently, but it seems there's indeed only two Bastard OSTs...

BTW, for NOT including two movements of a symphony in a "Best of" selection, the guy who chose the "best" tracks must have a few musical taste issues...

jakob

02-13-2012, 03:07 PM

HOLY CRAP! I just noticed that what I separately downloaded as OST 2 and OST 3 are in fact... the same album! I don't know why they were called differently, but it seems there's indeed only two Bastard OSTs...

BTW, for NOT including two movements of a symphony in a "Best of" selection, the guy who chose the "best" tracks must have a few musical taste issues...

I picked "OST3" to keep. The filesizes are the same, but the ost3 folder had romanji titles. Thanks, arthierr.

Edit: Bastard!! is fantastic. I'd never heard it before.

Vinphonic

02-13-2012, 05:14 PM

Another fantastic Tanaka score, arthierr. I wish more OSTs would include symphonic movements of the regular score. But time and budget usually don't allow for such a thing to happen.
That said, I am even more excited for Gravity Daze (although I won't be able to play the game before a PS3 port). The new samples and the opening cinematic are simply marvelous.

Sirusjr

02-14-2012, 02:02 AM

Intrada just released a fabulous orchestral score by Robert Folk to A Troll in Central Park! Check out the samples.
TROLL IN CENTRAL PARK, A (http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.7446/.f)

tangotreats

02-15-2012, 12:09 AM

I think a little celebration is in order; today my internet connection did indeed get upgraded - and I can now upload stuff at the sort of speed that transforms posting from a chore to an outright pleasure. To celebrate, here's something I think will go down very well with the good gentlemen (and ladies) of this thread...

JOHN SCOTT
A Colchester Symphony
The Colchester Institute Symphony Orchestra
conducted by
Christopher Phelps
David Harrison, concertmaster

My rip. Scans included as a separate download.

LAME 3.98.4 -V0: Download JS-ACS-MP3.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/1O6JIBOI/JS-ACS-MP3.rar_links)
FLAC: Download JS-ACS-FLAC.part1.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/VVFO0LRO/JS-ACS-FLAC.part1.rar_links) (Part 1)
FLAC: Download JS-ACS-FLAC.part2.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/0CGVC7XD/JS-ACS-FLAC.part2.rar_links) (Part 2)
Scans: Download JS-ACS-SCANS.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/1I1OVDUJ/JS-ACS-SCANS.rar_links)

Well, I bet you didn't know John Scott wrote a symphony! He did; in 1995, in response to a commission from Colchester Borough Council. Colchester is Britain's oldest recorded town, with a traceable history going back some 2,000 years. He recorded the work locally in St Botolph's Church, with the Colchester Institute Symphony Orchestra - a prestigious amateur ensemble comprised of students of the Colchester Institute School Of Music.

It is important to note that the ensemble is not a professional symphony orchestra; if occasionally ragged performances bother you and you demand a London Symphony Orchestra level of precision at all times, this will probably grind your gears quite substantially. Personally, I think it adds to the charm and beauty of the work; a piece written for Colchester, recorded there, and performed by the town's famous orchestra. It is a passionate, highly listenable performance; flawed but beautiful and a truly miraculous achievement for these young musicians, still at the very beginnings of their music careers.

The symphony itself is very good, as one would expect from John Scott - it begins as a rather taut, atonal piece but gradually develops into something that evokes Scott's body of film music.

At almost seventy minutes, it can be a bit hard going - particularly in the less-than-tuneful opening movement - but it's a very rewarding piece to listen to; and it's fascinating to hear Scott tackle the symphonic form.

This CD is nigh-on impossible to find, even in England - not that it was ever easy to get hold of, as a principally local production. Generally speaking, it was big in Colchester and pretty much ignored everywhere else.

So, ladies and gentlemen - please enjoy this curiously English piece, a portrait of one of our proudest, historically significant, and delightful towns. :)

Sanico

02-15-2012, 01:46 AM

Now this is a John Scott work that is totally unknown to me. Many thanks for sharing with us tango :)

arthierr

02-15-2012, 02:10 AM

WOW! Now that's some freaking rare stuff! A Scott symphony, what a fantastic find indeed - and how greatly opportune with the recent film composers symphony topic. Thank you very much!

Now this is a John Scott work that is totally unknown to me. Many thanks for sharing with us tango :)

BTW, Sanico, don't you have some other Scott scores to share with your orchestral loving friends? ;)

Sanico

02-15-2012, 02:57 AM

Yes i have Arthierr :) Two of recent John Scott shares were The Scarlet Tunic and other a re-upload of Ruby.

While Ruby is a small jazzy-oriented score with a kind of film-noirish music quality, The Scarlet Tunic is more an emotionally gratifying listening. There's an illustrative note about this score on John Scott website, posted below.

The Scarlet Tunic

Composed and Conducted by John Scott

All Tracks @ MP3 VBR V-0 (Extreme)
https://rapidshare.com/files/1630917180/Hussar_In_Love.zip

"From Thomas Hardy�s tragic and melodramatic tale of love set during the Napoleonic Wars, John Scott has identified three principal musical elements. First a march, representative of Hussars resplendent in their scarlet tunics. The second musical element speaks for the Dorset countryside, a visual ingredient in the story and witness to the fate of the two unhappy lovers. The composer captures the essence of the surroundings in a limpid, pastoral theme of delicate beauty. This important folk song-like melody, despite the precedents set by English composers like Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Britten, remains instantly identifiable as springing from the pen of John Scott. The third major element expresses the passionate, though ultimately doomed love of Frances and Matthaus. Rising in a series of broad intervals, the theme speaks eloquently of the lovers yearning for each other. Musical continuity is helped by the unusual expedient of using the same orchestral forces throughout, reinforcing the comparison of this score with a tone poem for symphony orchestra." (from JOS Records website)

Ruby

Composed and Conducted by John Scott

20 Tracks @ 320 Kbps
https://rapidshare.com/files/91935219/Ruby.zip

JBarron2005

02-15-2012, 06:28 PM

Here is another Jeremy Soule rarity. This score was recorded with the Seattle Symphony, but unfortunately before the game was complete the project was cancelled. I give you Amen: The Awakening!

AMEN THE AWAKENING Soundtrack (EXTENDED)

Jeremy Soule hails to his roots with a full orchestra score that evokes powerful emotions. He was inspired by a 20th century Hungarian composer named Gyorgy Ligeti. At times, the music seems triumphant, sweeping, yet sinister and serene. This provides a cavalcade of emotions to accompany the post-apocalyptic environment of the game. There is something for everyone whether you are into blaring brass or sweeping and furious string work this is for you.

Tracklist

Track 1 - Act 1 - Overture
Track 2 - A Day of Peace
Track 3 - Memories of the First Touch
Track 4 - The Gift of Death
Track 5 - Act 2 - Waterfall
Track 6 - Act 3 - Mysterious Attacker
Track 7 - AmenCLC
Track 8 - Untitled 1
Track 9 - Untitled 2
Track 10 - Untitled 3
Track 11 - Interview with Jeremy Soule

[Game - Soundtrack] Amen - The Awakening Original Soundtrack.zip (http://www.mediafire.com/?7plc5sbch419zal)

Please note: This is not my rip. Credit goes to DMK (k3nn3dy) for providing tracks 1-7 as well as the interview track. The Untitled pieces I managed to find from Cavedog's files that someone posted on the net.

tangotreats

02-15-2012, 06:54 PM

Eh? Gyorgy Ligeti was a 20th/21st century composer and he never wrote a note of film music in his life...

...And what he did write sounds nothing at all like Soule.

Sirusjr

02-15-2012, 07:08 PM

Andrew Lockington's score to Journey 2 Mysterious Island has been posted on the boards and i must say it is quite refreshing! Check out a review of the score below:
"Lockington assembles a number of elements to fill out the musical palette for this score including four themes, as well as percussion and rhythmic devices. The four themes include: the original Journey theme, the Mysterious Island theme, a tribal/jungle percussion motif, and a beautiful solo vocal tribal theme. The themes are buttressed and accented throughout by choral chanting. Lockington also employs some synth percussion elements and accents to several cues. Finally, he also employs a rhythmic zig zag motif (featured in the beginning of �The Attic,� �Let�s Power This Thing Up,� & �The Nautilus Escape�) with piano and string variations several times (somewhat reminiscent of Trevor Rabin�s work for the National Treasure franchise)."
Full review (http://scorecues.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-andrew-lockingtons-journey-2.html)

Here is a cue from the original for those unfamiliar with it:
Journey at the Center of the Earth - Recording Season - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE0FdVqsESc)

JBarron2005

02-15-2012, 08:34 PM

Tango,

Yeah you are right and the changes have been made :). I was mistaken on the time period, but Soule did credit taking inspiration from Ligeti's classical music. I should have researched that a little more thoroughly. Still... that Overture is nice ;).

tangotreats

02-15-2012, 08:55 PM

Sorry mate... reading back my comment sounded so obnoxious... that wasn't intended. Please forgive me, I've had a rough day... :)

I honestly don't know where Soule gets off saying he was inspired by Ligeti... I never really developed any love for Ligeti - perhaps I should revisit his music... but he was a genius. Soule certainly had his moments in the early days, but his constant trumpeting his own abilities (Jeremy Soule - Symphonist) and insinuating himself into the same league as Ligeti... A guy like Bernard Herrmann has a right to be a miserable self-aggrandising bastard, because his abilities are self evident... Soule, on the other hand, strikes me as the guy who believes that if he tells you he's a genius enough times, you'll believe it.

Symphonist my arse. Writing a video game score, passing it to an orchestrator, and having it performed by an expensive orchestra does not a symphonist make. Writing a succession of repetitive, unspeakably boring scores and performing them with a shit-hot synthesiser (and his synth is very good; maybe the best in the business) doesn't either. Mahler was a symphonist. Sibelius was a symphonist. Mozart was a symphonist. Soule is a guy with an expensive keyboard and a lot of lackeys.

herbaciak

02-15-2012, 09:20 PM

Andrew Lockington's score to Journey 2 Mysterious Island has been posted on the boards and i must say it is quite refreshing!

Quite a surprise. Nothing outstanding or special, but it is really solid piece of music - big, adventorous orchestral score with some quite fantastic moments. Not very memorable though - enjoyable while it lasts but nothing more (I think I already forgot most of it).

TazerMonkey

02-15-2012, 09:22 PM

One should at least be capable of writing, and have actually composed as proof of one's capability, an actual symphony before referring to oneself as a "symphonist." And even then, it best be a damn fine symphony.

That said, Skyrim is awfully pretty background music, and I'm interested in hearing this at home. Thanks for sharing JBarron.

JBarron2005

02-15-2012, 09:39 PM

Sorry mate... reading back my comment sounded so obnoxious... that wasn't intended. Please forgive me, I've had a rough day... :)

Eh, no need to apologize lol. I didn't take offense at all. There is a big difference between 19th century and 20th century music. When I'm wrong I'll be the first to admit it. You had every right to correct me. I've certainly learned a thing or two from all of you just reading all the posts. Everyone here has such a passion for orchestral music and I think the spirit of this thread is to learn about things in this topic. Wow, I'm rambling, but really it is fine heh.

As for Soule being symphonic, I think he should just ditch the synthesizers and start working with a real orchestra. He gets these high budget projects and uses synth? I write music and because of my lack of monetary funds, I am forced to use synth. When someone who has connections and the budget to use an orchestra why not use one? It adds so much more emotion that cannot ever be achieved through sound libraries. Skyrim needed a full orchestra and you can't really be a symphonist if you use sound libraries. It just boggles my mind... if you can use an orchestra, use one. It's like if someone gave you a blank check and said "any car in the lot is yours" and instead of getting a Ferrari or a BMW you pick a used Chevy Cavalier that has a 100,000 miles or more. Why not go with something better? That said, I enjoy his work but not all. Skyrim, in my opinion, had more melody than any other entry so it really depends on if he gets a good theme or set of themes down.

Tazer,

No problem! I hope you enjoy.

tangotreats

02-15-2012, 10:07 PM

I think Soule has shot himself in the balls, somewhat.

The last thing you want to become is the guy who can knock up really, really expensive-sounding music on his computer. The moment you're that, you'll never work with a live musician ever again.

If you start doing crappy synth to try to convince producers to put some budget your way, you'll never work again full stop; they'll say "your other stuff sounds a zillion times better, piss off!"

JBarron2005

02-15-2012, 10:40 PM

Well and using synth can hamper creativity. The better the quality on the production increases the creativity. Soule just writes better music when it isn't synth and why change something that works is beyond me. If it is because he knows the economy sucks and that maybe people can't afford live performances or maybe he has something to prove... either way it is wasted potential. How much better would the Elder Scrolls be if it was performed? Oh the possibilities... I do agree that Soule has chosen poorly and I only hope that in the future he gets to use an orchestra once again. And for the record, I think Hitoshi Sakimoto is more of a symphonist but Soule's music is still enjoyable for me.

TazerMonkey

02-15-2012, 11:47 PM

I think Soule has shot himself in the balls, somewhat.

The last thing you want to become is the guy who can knock up really, really expensive-sounding music on his computer. The moment you're that, you'll never work with a live musician ever again.

Perhaps he could pull a Lloyd Webber and have his "cat" delete his sample library. "Oops. Bummer. It would take years to build my library again. I guess if you want a realistic sound we'll have to go live for this one, guys."

Interestingly, a few years back when I saw the first PLAY! concert in Chicago, one of the pieces my friend and I were most looking forward to was the suite from Oblivion. Afterward, we both agreed it didn't translate well to an orchestral performance. I don't recall who was credited with the arrangement, but it was not particularly flattering. Just one of the many disappointments borne of that series -- although the Chicagoland Pops were pretty impressive.

tangotreats

02-16-2012, 12:53 AM

Well and using synth can hamper creativity.

The creativity comes before the performance; the composition process and the performance are completely separate elements. If Soule is writing crappy music for his synth projects, that's because he can't be bothered to go the extra mile because he knows there is no orchestra and therefore who cares.

If that's what he's up to, well, that says a lot about his attitude to quality. A great composer strives to make great music, regardless of whether he's getting performed by a keyboard, a pennywhistle and lute, a string quartet, or a 120 piece symphony orchestra.

The better the quality on the production increases the creativity.

It most emphatically does not; it increases the quality of the performance. The music - which comes from inside your head - remains the same.

Soule just writes better music when it isn't synth and why change something that works is beyond me.

I think it's more a case of Soule's style has changed, he's asked to emulate the current Hollywood dreck instead of write his own music, or he's slipped into that particularly dangerous state of mind known as "I've done a thousand scores and made a million bucks; f**k it!"

If it is because he knows the economy sucks and that maybe people can't afford live performances

There doesn't seem to be a shortage of projects using live orchestra; 99% of them completely squander their opportunities.

or maybe he has something to prove... either way it is wasted potential.

If he felt he had something to prove, he'd make every score a jaw-dropping firecracker; he wouldn't pay one jot of attention to how his music would be eventually performed.

How much better would the Elder Scrolls be if it was performed?

I'd venture to say it would be exactly the same; although on a superficial level perhaps the shiny, expensive performance would distract from a handful of its woeful compositional inadequacies...

There is some composer out there - I forget his name - who said in an interview that the presence of an orchestra can transform any turd of a score into diamonds. If I could remember who it was, I'd hunt him down and shoot his cock off. That sort of attitude - cover up crummy composition with high production values - is one of the most disgusting and anti-art that a "composer" can have. One should be striving to do the complete opposite; cover up crummy production values with high quality composition.

And for the record, I think Hitoshi Sakimoto is more of a symphonist but Soule's music is still enjoyable for me.

Now there's a guy who deserves to get lives players from time to time; and not the typical four minutes of half-an-Eminence-Orchestra-beefed-up-with-crap-synthesisers that he's been getting lately. Romeo and Juliet, folks - that's what Sakimoto can do with an orchestra. OK, fine, he used an orchestrator - but it's still splendid music and absolutely 100% Sakimoto in technique and feeling.

abatt0ir

02-16-2012, 01:16 AM

"I never really developed any love for Ligeti - perhaps I should revisit his music... "

If you choose to listen to something, I would recommend Ligeti's Kammerkonzert (Chamber Concerto) which is a 20 minute piece for 13 players. The textures are striking, beautiful, and surprising, but it is not thematically-based, so some people don't warm to it.

JBarron2005

02-16-2012, 02:14 AM

Tango,

I guess what I was more or less trying to say that if an orchestra was used more often, that either a) he would put more effort into writing the music to fit for such an ensemble or b) hire someone with the competence for such a task. I do agree that many composers try to compromise their own voice so that they can sound like the in-crowd. When I write something, I write music that is me and not Hans Zimmer or John Williams, etc. I think if Soule stuck with his style, the style that made Icewind Dale and Secret of Evermore so great, he would be tons better. He can still write a great theme, but his ambient music lulls me to sleep and I end up skipping over them when listening to his scores. As for higher production values stimulating creativity, I still think they can. When switching to EastWest samples over using plain midi sound, I started having fun again just playing around with the instruments. It helped me create new styles and textures that weren't possible before. As a result, I wrote better compositions. Don't get me wrong, the software itself didn't make me a better composer. I agree with you there. I think that having a vast amount of instruments at your fingertips can make it seem fun and when you enjoy what you do and write the music you want to write, you feel better about yourself. Picasso didn't paint like Escher or Van Gogh. He painted like Picasso. You make a lot of very good points about the industry and for that man's sake, I hope you do not figure out his name :P.

TazerMonkey

02-16-2012, 03:00 AM

Okay, I've given Amen a quick listen (as well as listening to some Skyrim during the commute home) and I have some more thoughts on Soule. The man clearly possesses some talent -- the melody to his main theme for the Elder Scrolls is fantastic, and obviously he's skilled at cultivating realistic sounds with his equipment. I haven't been a big fan, although I enjoyed some tracks from KOTOR and I've taken quite a liking to Skyrim, but I feel that he is definitely not a "symphonist."

Skyrim exhibits beautiful melodies and chords and sound textures... and that's it. None of it is particularly well-developed; it's almost like New Age music. It's a soundscape, but not a particularly complex one; more Vangelis than John Williams. Nice ambience, but it's not deep enough to maintain interest as the center of attention and unlikely to win awards for composition. Which is fine. I enjoy it for what it is, and I certainly find it more enjoyable than much of the music I've heard from him... which is odd, considering that at a length of 4 CDs I believe that Skyrim is his longest work. Go figure.

Amen, which does seem to be performed by a live orchestra (although I think I hear some support from synths?) is a bit more problematic, I think. While in Skyrim, where the simplicity of the composition fits with the ambient, textural style, it seems that with Amen he was aiming higher. The track "Waterfall" I think is particularly telling, sounding like Soule was attempting to write a piano concerto-esque piece. While the piano part is enjoyable, once again there's a distinct lack of development underneath. Very little if any counterpoint. Pretty piano playing over orchestral chords and textures, maybe some tremolo and arpeggios, but nothing more complex than that. It's unconvincing as a large scale work. The Overture, while broader in texture, is much the same; a lead voice carries the thematic material over the rest of the orchestra which is reduced to chordal textures and almost nothing else... everything moves with the singular melody. It doesn't take advantage of the power and variety of the orchestra and comes across like a wall of sound.

Compare it to the first movement of the Bastard! symphony. See how the different parts of the orchestra contrast and then work in sync. The manipulation of the melodic material as it moves between the sections of the orchestra seems much more controlled, and the rhythmic string parts compliment the melodic material in the woodwinds in a much more complex manner before shifting the parts around the entire ensemble. Far more varied, far more developed, and far more interesting to concentrate on. THIS music was written for an orchestra (or at least properly orchestrated!).

[This paragraph was too harsh and too broad. I smack it down to Oblivion.]

Wow, I didn't mean to write that much. :P

JOHN SCOTT
A Colchester Symphony
The Colchester Institute Symphony Orchestra
conducted by
Christopher Phelps
David Harrison, concertmaster

Really enjoying this! And, perhaps revealing how nerdy I am, but I actually think the idea behind this was really cool. It's actually the bicentennial of the city of I live in this year (yes, we Americans and our teen-aged nation celebrate 200 years as though it were ancient history) and I wish they'd commission something like this for our orchestra, but the city elders instead chose an insipid sculpture that incredulously looks like the cooling tower of a nuclear power plant (and our city doesn't even HAVE a nuclear power plant!).

Then again, if a symphony were to properly reflect our history it'd likely have a movement dedicated to football and contain a bovine chorus...

streichorchester

02-16-2012, 06:04 AM

Some of those Amen tracks are really good, others are meh and might not even be by Soule. I remember the Mysterious Attacker and Gift of Death tracks from Soule's mp3.com page circa 1999-2000, but the others (such as the Untitled ones I've never heard before) might not be even his. Is there any proof they're his?

Check out Ligeti's Concert Romanesc if you want to hear some tonal (Bartok-ish) Ligeti.

JBarron2005

02-16-2012, 07:12 AM

Has anyone listened to his work for Guild Wars 2 yet? It has some strong themes in it. I feel like his Guild Wars music is probably one of his most thematic to date. You have the race themes and even the area music is pretty solid. My favorites are the Norn Theme and Divinity's Reach. I have to hand it Soule for his horn samples as they are very nice.

Here are the links to both the tracks I mentioned. You might be able to find a channel that has all of the music released so far. I'm quite surprised by this one and it leaves me with hope.

Norn Theme: Guild Wars 2 Soundtrack | Norn theme - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAOe-WNiQLY)
Divinity's Reach: Guild Wars 2 Soundtrack | Divinity's Reach - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC4vjbCqJOk)

TazerMonkey

02-16-2012, 02:40 PM

I haven't heard any of Guild Wars 2. I'll have to check it out. Also, while I mentioned KOTOR above, I completely blanked on his "Final Confrontation" track from that game. Now THAT is more like it.

Dude just needs to apply himself, I guess. :)

Actually, all this talk of compositional ability and giving dream composers symphonies and using florid production value to cover oneself was somewhat addressed by something I over heard on the radio this morning. The commentator was introducing a piece by Brahms and offered a quote that I can't quite remember, but the gist was that the ultimate test of a composer's faculties is to produce a string quartet.

There's some truth there, I think. I just recently got a set of all of Shostakovich's quartets and they are astonishing -- intimately beautiful and gut-wrenchingly brutal, accomplished with only four players.

Sometimes it's all too easy to get lost in the vastness of a full ensemble and miss the substance and emotion underneath. Or lack thereof.

tangotreats

02-16-2012, 05:55 PM

^^^ This.

Knowing that your work will be exposed, and knowing that you won't be able to hide behind sheer noise and spectacle... has a habit of concentrating the mind.

I remember when I first got my hands on EWQL Gold. I was writing for days and days and thinking "Holy crap this is amazing!" - and then it hit me. I was writing complete and utter shit. Nothing but big gestures, musical sound effects, tricks of orchestration. It was a great experience for improving my arranging - but it was soul absent. I remember writing a crummy theme and thinking "never mind, you can't really tell when it's performed by eighteen horns, twelve trombones, four Wagner tubas, rolling timpani, and 140 voice choir!" and then mentally slapping myself in the face for I always tend to orchestrate as I'm going along (as opposed to some folk who plan out the piece on piano and go back after it's finished to flesh it out for whatever ensemble they had in mind) but ever since I always try to think to myself "this will be played by a solo piano / flute and cello / string quartet / whatever" and if what I'm writing doesn't convince me when considered under those circumstances, it goes right in the bin.

Makes me think back to my first quartet. It's pretty humiliating now (I wrote it when I was 15) but I gave a copy to my mother, expecting the usual patronising "Well done, sweetie!" but she didn't say anything. Weeks passed, no comment. Then she gave me a painting. She said the quartet made her think of that picture, and she got out her oil pants and just painted it. That made my year - and it helped me focus on the things that are important in music.

I'm planning to revise that thing and record it later this year as a bit of a taster session for my orchestral recording in 2013. IE, do a little bit, see if it's a disaster, and if it turns out OK then I'll feel a bit better about laying out the cash for the orchestra...

I'm not saying it was any good. I'm not saying I'm a great composer, a good composer, or even a competent composer. But I think I'm going at it from the right perspective. I may still be shit. But I've always thought that it's not failure that's shameful; it's not trying or doing it wrong because you didn't know enough about it to do it right.

Sirusjr

02-16-2012, 06:33 PM

streichorchester

02-16-2012, 11:01 PM

Actually, all this talk of compositional ability and giving dream composers symphonies and using florid production value to cover oneself was somewhat addressed by something I over heard on the radio this morning. The commentator was introducing a piece by Brahms and offered a quote that I can't quite remember, but the gist was that the ultimate test of a composer's faculties is to produce a string quartet.

We sometimes confuse compositional ability and orchestration ability to mean the same thing. I often feel bad about listening to great orchestrations, especially from film composers like Giacchino and game composers like Hannigan, and not finding them of any interest purely for the fact the level of composition does not match the level of orchestration. We would say to these composers "tone down the orchestral colour and just write some nice themes, even if it's just with a string quartet" but that doesn't work in most films/games for obvious reasons. The problem is orchestral colour can be as much sonic wallpaper as any other background noise or ambiance and you're right, a composer can use these techniques to appear genius without ever composing anything of substance.

tangotreats

02-16-2012, 11:35 PM

Just thought you guys might be interested in the new FSM release of Ben Hur. The 5 disc release features the complete score in stereo on 2 discs as well as two album presentations (one on disc 3, one on disc 5). The rest of the discs are filled up with alternates and extras. Check it out!
BEN-HUR (5 CD) (PRE-ORDER) -- SCREEN ARCHIVES ENTERTAINMENT (http://www.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/17340/BEN-HUR-5-CD/)

Five discs... for a score that's two hours long when you include every single bump, scrape, and fart they recorded - and about 70-80 minutes when you keep to the noteworthy material... Padded out with endless redundant alternate cues and repetitious, low budget, grotty re-recordings... whilst failing to include the only decent re-recording of them all; Rosza's own glittering 1977 performance with the National Philharmonic.

Whew... What can I say? I'm a sucker for Rozsa, and for Ben Hur particularly... so I'll be picking this up. But nevertheless...

Sirusjr

02-16-2012, 11:42 PM

Five discs... for a score that's two hours long when you include every single bump, scrape, and fart they recorded - and about 70-80 minutes when you keep to the noteworthy material... Padded out with endless redundant alternate cues and repetitious, low budget, grotty re-recordings... whilst failing to include the only decent re-recording of them all; Rosza's own glittering 1977 performance with the National Philharmonic.

Whew... What can I say? I'm a sucker for Rozsa, and for Ben Hur particularly... so I'll be picking this up. But nevertheless...

I would call it wasteful if it wasn't priced so reasonably. Are those other re-recordings really so bad?

tangotreats

02-17-2012, 12:25 AM

Well, both feature hideous sound quality (even from the samples, you can tell it's going to be bad) - the first is decent from a performance perspective, made explicitly for soundtrack release. The second is the exact same music all over again, recorded a week later with an atrocious orchestra (and no chorus, for budgetary reasons) which was released as a budget alternative to the first. The third is extra stuff (with the cheap orchestra) that wasn't on the original soundtrack re-recording so at least that's only repeated once!

$59.99 is a joke for a release which should have been a two-disc set, three with a bonus disc of selected alternates at an absolute maximum. Nobody needs eight more-or-less identical versions of The Sermon on one CD.

FSM titles with two fully stocked discs typically go for $29.95. Ben Hur is double that.

What are we going to get next? Beethoven's Fifth The Collector's Edition: A lovingly produced 5,000 CD set containing every single recorded performance of Beethoven's seminal masterpiece ever made. An additional bonus 500 discs feature outtakes, alternate mixes, and retakes (including ten discs devoted to George Szell's 1964 record-breaking 243 separate takes of the final movement coda) and bonus recordings of Beethoven's nine hundred variations of the famous four note opening of the first movement, each performed in a guest recording by the esteemed South West-North-Eastern Municipal Community Orchestra of the Falkland Islands conducted by Jose Bogbrush. (Please note that for budgetary reasons, two horns, two trumpets, and two trombones have been omitted from the brass section.) A final 500 extra-special-bonus CDs include the four note opening recording sessions with the fourth player of the second violin mixed slightly down and to the right, for your listening pleasure. Yours for only twenty-five thousand dollars, plus five hundred dollars postage and packaging. Please note that a fork-lift truck will be required to maneuver this magnificent leather-bound box set into your house.

Sirusjr

02-17-2012, 05:15 AM

Well apparently the posters over at FSM have no problem paying the asking price for this set. Whether or not they actually value the full stereo score at the price or are interested in the alternates and albums is yet to be seen. I'm going to be putting off buying this until I see some indication of low quantities because I'm going to sample the score the old fashioned way, by watching the film again.

warstar937

02-17-2012, 02:34 PM

Brussels Jazz Orchestra - Royal Flemish Philharmonic (2007)

Bert Joris: composer, arranger, trumpet; Daniele Callegari: conductor, Royal Flemish Philharmonic. Soloists on Track 1: Nico Shepers: trumpet; Frank Vagan�e: alto sax; Kurt van Herck, Bart Defoort: tenor sax. Track 2: Bert Joris: trumpet. Track 3: Martijn Vink: drums; Nathalie Loriers: piano; Marc Godfroid: trombone; Gino Latucca: trumpet; Frank Vagan�e: alto sax. Track 4: Bert Joris: trumpet; Dieter Limbourg: alto sax. Other personnel unlisted

Artist: Brussels Jazz Orchestra
Title Of Album: Royal Flemish Philharmonic
Year Of Release: January 30, 2007
Label: Classic Talent
Genre: Jazz, Jazz Instrument
Quality: MP3 / Joint Stereo
Bitrate: VBR 186 kbps avg / 44.1 Khz
Total Time: 53:22 min
Total Size: 71,6 mb

https://rs329l34.rapidshare.com/#!download|329tl5|89365205|Brussels_Jazz_Orchestra-Royal_Flemish_Philharmonic_from_israbox.rar|75000| R~45FF6A04CF485ABB87907415C61F22D9|0|0

---------- Post added at 01:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:17 PM ----------

Randy Brecker with DR Big Band
The Jazz Ballad Song Book

On The Jazz Ballad Song Book, trumpeter Randy Brecker, the Danish Radio Big Band and Danish National Chamber Orchestra approach the slow, wistful side of this repertoire as one dimension among others. They expand their view outside of standards to include film works, lesser-known tunes and original compositions.

As featured soloist, Brecker displays the colossal tone, impeccable chops and searching impulses that have gifted bands from those led by pianist Horace Silver to singer Bruce Springsteen. His drive makes "All Or Nothing At All" a demand rather than a lament. He stretches out harmonically on his own tunes, with a funky bridge on "Foregone Conclusion" and a spacious theme for "I Talk To The Trees." More traditional ballad settings on "Cry Me A River" and "Skylark" showcase tenderness without sentimentality especially on "Skylark," where Brecker recasts the melody in disillusioned long tones.

Brecker stays extroverted, even as the intimacy of trumpeter Miles Davis' 1961 Columbia recording looms over "Someday My Prince Will Come" (down to Wynton Kelly's piano solo, orchestrated for strings and woodwinds). After a clear melody statement, Brecker opens up with packed runs and dejected crushes of dissonance. Per Gade's milky guitar is an effective foil, taking as much pleasure dipping into the lower register as it does sailing into higher, Wes Montgomery-inspired territory. Jesper Riis' arrangement also explores contrasts between bitter undertones in the strings and some Nelson Riddle-style shouting from the band.

Textured charts surround the trumpet heavyweight, flawlessly interpreted by the Danish groups and rarely settling into predictable accompaniment. Several soloists from the DR Big Band also get their own impressive say. Icy violins, biting sax counterpoint and a hard-edged swing on trombonist Peter Jensen's setting of "All Or Nothing At All" torch any sentimental associations of the tune. Pelle Fridell's baritone sax is heard in both half-time and double-time passages, along with allusions to modernist composers during an ominous deconstruction in triple meter. Occasionally some arrangements rely upon clich�, for example the syrupy, vibrato-laden violins of "The Immigrant/Godfather" or the rhythmic but otherwise generic introduction to "Goldfinger," where John Barry's theme proves better suited for screen heroics than studio improvisation.

Yet these moments are few and far between original touches such as a chirpy piccolo leading the elephantine ensemble on "The Immigrant/Godfather," the sleek surfaces of "I Talk To The Trees" or trombonist Vincent Nilsson's arrangement of the little heard but affecting "This Is All I Ask." Following Henrik Gunde's piano, two tightly muted trumpets weave around Brecker's open horn, with dark tuba and tapping triangle underneath. The effect is uncluttered, silken but strong, and builds beautiful tension, before the release of lush strings. When Brecker steps back from double-time for a few halting notes, the effect is similarly arresting. Peter Fuglsang's smooth alto sax dueting with Brecker makes an ideal coda.

Thelonious Monk's beloved "Round Midnight" is a fitting end to any collection of ballads. Here it sports the slowest tempo on the disc, as well as the catchiest swing. The massive, transparent ensemble and Brecker's subtle yet dynamic reimagining also sum up this album's strengths (even if the superfluous Latin feel also points to its occasional excesses). The Jazz Ballad Song Book strikes a satisfying balance between re-imagined standards, tasteful explorations and straightforward big band brawn.

Tracks: All Or Nothing At All; Cry Me a River; Someday My Prince Will Come; Foregone Conclusion; Goldfinger; Skylark; I Talk To The Trees; This Is All I Ask; The Immigrant/Godfather; Round Midnight.

Personnel: Randy Brecker: trumpet; The Danish Radio Big Band; The Danish National Chamber Orchestra.

Download Randy Brecker With The Danish Radio Big Band.rar from uploading.com - FilesTube.com - download everything (http://www.filestube.com/25ea482c635e7df903e9/go.html)

---------- Post added at 02:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:29 PM ----------

Don Sebesky - Three Works for Jazz Soloists & Symphony Orchestra (1979)

When Don Sebesky recorded Three Works for Jazz Soloists and Symphony Orchestra in 1979, the idea of combining jazz and European classical music was hardly new. Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and others were being influenced by classical music back in the 1920s, and the 1950s found everyone from the Modern Jazz Quartet and Gunther Schuller to Gil Evans and Jimmy Giuffre blending jazz and classical. Nonetheless, jazz-classical fusion was an idea that still had a lot of possibilities, and Sebesky explores some of them on this chance-taking, though uneven, project. Initially released on LP by Gryphon in 1979 and reissued on CD by DCC in 1999, Three Works finds Sebesky uniting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with such jazzmen as guitarist Joe Beck, trumpeter Jon Faddis, and trombonist Bob Brookmeyer. The album underscores Sebesky's appreciation of classical greats Bach, Stravinsky, and Bartok, yet the solos are essentially jazz solos. Although not entirely successful, Three Works is enjoyable more often than not, and is certainly ambitious. Sebesky deserves credit for having the guts to take some risks, especially when you consider how predictable and unadventurous so many of the "young lions" who emerged in the 1980s and 1990s turned out to be. Three Works is an album that, despite its shortcomings, is interesting and worth checking out. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi

Бесплатный файлообменник TurboBit.net — обмен файлами до 100 Гб, бесплатный хостинг файлов (http://turbobit.net/9z4ld4puldaz.html)

---------- Post added at 02:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:16 PM ----------

Marcus Miller with NHK Symphony Orchestra - Tokyo Jazz Festival 2010, 4 September 2010

Free Online Storage & File Upload with FileServe (http://www.fileserve.com/file/ACXNu7K/M%25A%25R%25C%25U%25S%25MIL%25Tokyo%20Jazz%20Festi val%202010%2C%204%20September%202010%20%25.rar)

warstar937

02-17-2012, 03:34 PM

Dankworth and The London Philharmonic – Collaboration! (1962) [MP3]

Download Dankworth_and_The_London_Philharmonic_-_Collaboration_(1962)_[MP3]_ES_3540769 rar, fast and secure downloading from crocko.com (http://www.crocko.com/5880DCE2EF6D11E09676002481FAD55A/Dankworth_and_The_London_Philharmonic_-_Collaboration_(1962)_)[MP3]_ES_3540769.rar

jakob

02-17-2012, 03:36 PM

These Jazz with symphony orchestra things seem a bit out of the ordinary for the thread, but Randy Brecker is a fantastic jazz trumpet player and Marcus Miller is a great bassist too. I will try these, thanks!

tangotreats

02-18-2012, 01:15 AM

To celebrate nothing in particular, here's another sound quality upgrade / reupload from my back catalogue. Originally posted in October 2009, all links are dead and so I have taken the opportunity to re-rip in FLAC and revise the track title translations. A firecracker from Masamichi Amano (and a stupendously hard album to find,) ladies and gentlemen, here is...

MASAMICHI AMANO
Umi no Aurora (The Aurora)
Filharmonia Narodowa (aka The Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra)
conducted by Masamichi Amano

My rip. FLAC Compression Level 8. Log and scans included.

Download MA-UNA-FLAC.part1.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/4PFM2NRN/MA-UNA-FLAC.part1.rar_links)
Download MA-UNA-FLAC.part2.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/1FVD5NSJ/MA-UNA-FLAC.part2.rar_links)

(I'm contemplating giving up on making MP3 versions of my own rips; I will continue to upload MP3 if that's all I have, or if I have another reason to withhold lossless. If there is a genuine demand for MP3, I will certainly reconsider. Please let me know your thoughts.)

If you liked Giant Robo, Super Atragon, or Battle Royale, you'll want to grab this without a moment's hesitation. It's a typical Amano score - thematic, symphonic, and superlatively orchestrated. I don't consider it to be his finest work but it's extremely good nonetheless - with a typical blend of fantastic action cues, tender romance, and soaring lyricism - furthermore, it's curiously plagiarism-absent (by Amano's standards)!

How these albums fall out of print so easily while endless discs full of utter crap remain readily available is beyond me... A company called Phoenix Music have re-issued a great number of Amano albums, but actively refuse orders from outside of Japan. I even wrote to them asking to order a copy of every single CD they had for sale - effectively a "name your price" offer - and after ignoring me for two months they eventually replied with a one sentence email which basically read "Much sorry, us is no make postage out Nihon, sorry go away round eye."

So, this music is available - you CAN go and buy it if you want... But the record company explicitly turn down orders from outside of Japan. Therefore, I consider this album out of print to all intents and purposes - and my "pirates' morality" is 100% satisfied. The original pressing is nearly impossible to get and the re-pressing is impossible to get unless you live in Japan.

Enjoy!

Sanico

02-18-2012, 02:08 AM

*writing while Ben-Hur Overture is playing...*

Well i agree with tango about the Ben-hur set. Actually $60 for 5 discs it's not bad of a deal, and i'm sure the package will be spectacular as usual from FSM, but considering that 3 of those discs are filled with repetitive alternates, outtakes, etc, and three(!) re-recordings, yet not including the most important of them all (Rozsa conducting the National Philharmonic Orchestra), it's literally too much.
A two disc of the original film score, plus one bonus CD containing Rozsa re-recording along with an half-hour of the most important alternates, and, in my opinion, would be a set that would give a better tribute of the score without falling over the redundancy of the 5 CD's.

*...just finished listening the Overture. In one word: sublime*

warstar937

02-18-2012, 01:32 PM

Nostalgic Journey - Tykocin Jazz Suite
Randy Brecker, Wlodek Pawlik Trio, The Podlasie Philharmonic Orchestra

The "Tykocin" project is intended to create an extraordinary musical event from the 4th until 7th of July. The main figure of this artistic undertaking is the internationally renowned jazz musician, the trumpeter Randy Brecker."Misterium Stabat Mater". The most significant project in Wlodek Pawlik's career so far. Eight parts of the misterium are set according to the order of the Mass. The piano improvisations follow every part of the Mass. Quite often the pianist plays along the choir's melodic lines and builds his own harmonies and textures over the traditional choral melodies. The philosophical and aesthetic depht of this music is unquestionable. The pianist and the choir create a mistycal atmosphere of an existential contemplation.

Wlodek_Pawlik-Jazz_Suite_Tykocin-CD-2008-211.zip (http://www.mediafire.com/?nmtjdnvwz4w)

tangotreats

02-19-2012, 02:10 AM

Ah, splendid - we're back! How about some more music?

Time for a twofer, this evening - these scores may be the best kept secret in orchestral game scoring. Like Outcast, they are mature, symphonic works that feel more like concert hall works than game scores. Performed by the Russian Philharmonia Symphony Orchestra and the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, ladies and gentlemen, here is...

Composed and Orchestrated by
YURY POTEYENKO

Sea Dogs - An Epic Adventure At Sea (2000)
Russian Philharmonia Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Alexander Yedernikov
Chamber Choir of Moscow Conversatory
conducted by Boris Tevlin

and

Age Of Pirates - Caribbean Tales (2005)
Moscow Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Alexander Yedernikov
Choir "Kastalsky-Kapella"
conducted by Aleksey Rudnevsky

My rips. Scans and log included in FLAC edition; scans only in MP3.

MP3 Editions (these are my original rips from 2008, encoded with the then-current state of the art LAME 3.97; rips were verified accurate but no logs were recorded. Bitrate setting -V0)

Age Of Pirates (98mb): Download YP-AOP-MP3.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/0X1K7BRD/YP-AOP-MP3.rar_links)
Sea Dogs (52mb): Download YP-SD-MP3.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/0I6STYLW/YP-SD-MP3.rar_links)

FLAC Editions (these are new rips made today, also verified accurate, with EAC log included.)

Age Of Pirates (Part 1) (150mb): Download YP-AOP-FLAC.part1.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/1HNZTUSP/YP-AOP-FLAC.part1.rar_links)
Age Of Pirates (Part 2) (139mb): Download YP-AOP-FLAC.part2.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/2OHBTTCY/YP-AOP-FLAC.part2.rar_links)
Sea Dogs (168mb): Download YP-SD-FLAC.rar from Mirrorcreator - Upload files to multiple file sharing sites (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/KNUPFFSX/YP-SD-FLAC.rar_links)

Whew, where to begin with these? Yury Poteyenko has written two absolute corkers here - about as far away from the current Hollywood pirate music as you can possibly get, and yet also not at all like the more traditional Korngold swashbucklers. The music is more sea-faring; grand, and highly melodic. The action cues aren't about high-speed orchestral acrobatics; they're precise and stately.

The earlier score, Sea Dogs, is the more energetic score and is also the shortest of the two. It begins with a magnificent main theme first hinted by clarinet and strings but first stated outright by a glorious choir. The centrepiece is a masterful six minute action cue - "Battle Theme - Dies Irae" which wouldn't seem out of place if you programmed it in a concert next to Verdi's Requiem. Superlative choral writing compliment this brassy piece, full of tension and power. There are some "country themes" - which are a thousand times better than the titles would suggest; fully fleshed out pieces evoking traditional melodies of their respective nations. And "Sunrise" is just glorious - a glorious, impressionistic piece which evokes Scriabin, Ravel, and Debussy, all at once.

Age Of Pirates takes a slightly broader approach; the main theme is a grand piece that conjures up images of a beautiful sailing ship, coarsing majestically through the sea. This wonderfully versatile theme is used liberally through the score. There's another "Sunrise" cue, as well - this time a warm, romantic, sailing theme presented first on Cor Anglais and then later on flute, the rest of the woodwinds, brass, and finally with a choral accompaniment. The action cues are a little more... direct... than in Sea Dogs - and there's more of them; Fierce Close Fight, Mortal Combat, and "To Boarding" being some of the highlights.

All in all, two ridiculously good scores - certainly conceived as concert music first and game scores second. This is music that just screams out "quality" - no shortcuts, no cheap tricks, no lowest-common-denominator Hollywood concessions to modernity. Only imaginative, exceptionally well written music - superbly orchestrated and beautifully performed.

Sea Dogs features slightly muddy sound quality but the performance is excellent. Age Of Pirates is a vast improvement in sound quality, with an equally fine performance.

Enjoy! :)