Saturday, September 14, 2019

A Score To Settle Podcast - Episode 28, Listening To... "Planet of the Apes"

Hello and welcome to the next episode of my podcast! To celebrate the recent deluxe CD box set from La La Land Records, I am exploring the marvelous music composed for the original PLANET OF THE APES film series - from Jerry Goldsmith's groundbreaking score for initial entry in 1968 through to Leonard Rosenman's rousing music for the fifth and final film, 1973's BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES. This popular and successful series was a forerunner of the narratively serialized film franchises we see today and showcased its own unique sound world which became a recognizable "sonic stamp" that encompassed five movies, two TV series and several modern reboots.

One of my initial ideas with this podcast was to dive into the music for certain film or TV series in order to determine what the hallmarks are shared in the various scores, whether by one composer or several. The PLANET OF THE APES series has always been a favorite of mine since I was a kid, as I love the high concept sci-fi aspects and mind-blowing plot twists, but most especially the strange and enveloping scores for the movies. Film scoring legends Jerry Goldsmith and Leonard Rosenman each tackled two films in the series, while saxophonist and jazz arranger Tom Scott composed music for one installment. The best way to describe the musical landscape of the PLANET OF THE APES series would be avant garde, aggressive, dissonant and percussive. Jerry Goldsmith set the template by incorporating modern concert classical techniques, such as the serial, or 12-tone, style developed by Arnold Schoenberg in the early 20th century.

I hope that everyone who listens will enjoy the episode and forgive any technical or factual gaffes. Below is the embedded player from which you can listen or simply click on the website link to head directly to where the podcast is hosted on Podbean.

Feel free to subscribe and download the episode via iTunes, just search their store for "a score to settle" or launch from the link below. If you do listen through iTunes, take a moment to rate the show and write a review, it will help bring more notice. The podcast is also available on Spotify! Check out the links to the Facebook and Twitter accounts, the latter of which can be found at @score2settlepod. Thanks again!






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Sunday, July 14, 2019

A Score To Settle Podcast - Episode 27, Now Playing... The World of Hans Zimmer: A Symphonic Celebration, The Quinn Martin Collection Vol. 1 and "Robocop 2" (1990)

I am back with the next new episode of my podcast! In this installment, I am returning to the segment I introduced earlier this year, called Now Playing, during which I discuss recent soundtrack album releases. This could include a brand new film score, a new recording of classic film music or a previously unreleased or expanded title. This time around I cover those last three categories, as I first explore music featured on the new 2-CD "The World of Hans Zimmer: A Symphonic Celebration", a live concert performance recorded in 2018 at the Hollywood In Vienna festival honoring Zimmer.

Next up is previously unreleased TV music from the 1970's on "The Quinn Martin Collection Vol. 1: Cop and Detective Series", with swinging contributions from legendary composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, Lalo Schifrin and Dave Grusin to such Quinn Martin-produced television shows as "Barnaby Jones" and "Cannon". This is available from La La Land Records, found at https://lalalandrecords.com/.

Lastly, I focus on the expanded limited edition of Leonard Rosenman's unique score for ROBOCOP 2 (1990), available at https://www.varesesarabande.com/.

I hope that everyone who listens will enjoy the episode and forgive any technical or factual gaffes. Below is the embedded player from which you can listen or simply click on the website link to head directly to where the podcast is hosted on Podbean.

Feel free to subscribe and download the episode via iTunes, just search their store for "a score to settle" or launch from the link below. If you do listen through iTunes, take a moment to rate the show and write a review, it will help bring more notice. The podcast is also available on Spotify! Check out the links to the Facebook and Twitter accounts, the latter of which can be found at @score2settlepod. Thanks again!



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Sunday, June 16, 2019

A Score To Settle Podcast - Episode 26, Listening To... Elliot Goldenthal

Welcome to the next new episode of the podcast! Yes, I've been on a bit of a hiatus during the last few months, for various and sundry reasons (mostly work). I am getting back into the swing of things with a new installment of my "Listening To.." series, this time centered on composer Elliot Goldenthal. He is one of my favorite film composers of the modern era, becoming a major influential voice in the art form since the 1990's. Goldenthal is someone who has contributed brilliant and powerful music not only to movies but also live theater, stage musicals and the concert world, the latter in the form of operas, symphonies, ballets and oratorios. In fact, he could be considered primarily a concert composer for whom film is just one slice of his musical pie, so to speak.

You might not immediately recognize his name, but Elliot Goldenthal has contributed music to some of the most notable and popular movies of the last few decades. This includes such diverse titles as HEAT (1995), A TIME TO KILL (1996), BATMAN FOREVER (1995), INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE (1994), ALIEN 3 (1992) and FRIDA (2002), the latter garnering him the Academy Award for Best Original Score. He showcases an eclectic style and approach ranging from large-scale orchestral music to choral pieces, to jazz, swing and rock, ethnic instrumentation and from the very tonal and melodic music to very dissonant and challenging tonalities. My primary focus in this episode will be on his score for 1999's TITUS, a film adaptation of Shakespeare's play, as directed by Julie Taymor.

I hope that everyone who listens will enjoy the episode and forgive any technical or factual gaffes. Below is the embedded player from which you can listen or simply click on the website link to head directly to where the podcast is hosted on Podbean.

Feel free to subscribe and download the episode via iTunes, just search their store for "a score to settle" or launch from the link below. If you do listen through iTunes, take a moment to rate the show and write a review, it will help bring more notice. The podcast is also available on Spotify! Check out the links to the Facebook and Twitter accounts, the latter of which can be found at @score2settlepod. Thanks again!


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Sunday, April 7, 2019

A Score To Settle Podcast - Episode 25, Guest Jeff Bond, author, album producer and editor at Geek Magazine

Welcome to the next new episode of the podcast! In this installment, I talk with Jeff Bond, the author of books such as "The World of The Orville" and "The Music of Star Trek", plus a noted soundtrack album producer who has penned liner notes for hundreds of albums, the editor at Geek Magazine and an all-around favorite among fans in the community. I ask him about his personal history as a fan of music for film and television, then we discuss his recent album projects such as THE REINCARNATION OF PETER PROUD (Jerry Goldsmith, 1975) and the multi-disc sets of music from LAND OF THE GIANTS, LOST IN SPACE and the original STAR TREK. In talking Jerry Goldsmith, we cover his evolving musical style over the course of his expansive career, from those dissonant, challenging early scores to the more lush and tonal efforts of his later years. 

I hope that everyone who listens will enjoy the episode and forgive any technical and factual gaffes. This was my first interview conducted over Skype and honestly, next time will be different as it bothers me that I didn't mix both Jeff and me into one track. Oh well! Below is the embedded player from which you can listen or simply click on the website link to head directly to where the podcast is hosted on Podbean.

Feel free to subscribe and download the episode via iTunes, just search their store for "a score to settle" or launch from the link below. If you do listen through iTunes, take a moment to rate the show and write a review, it will help bring more notice. The podcast is also now available on Spotify! Check out the links to the Facebook and Twitter accounts, the latter of which can be found at @score2settlepod. Thanks again!




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Sunday, March 17, 2019

A Score To Settle Podcast - Episode 24, Listening To... Franz Waxman

Welcome to the next new episode of my podcast, 'A Score To Settle'! In this installment, I explore the rich, melodic and memorable film music of Golden Age composer Franz Waxman. Born in Germany in 1906, Waxman was known by his peers as the consummate musician, having studied music in Berlin while supporting himself by performing and arranging pop music of the day in local cafes. Waxman emigrated from Germany to the United States in the early 1930's, along with many talented artists, and became part of that first generation of brilliant musicians who developed and perfected the art of film scoring, alongside giants such as Max Steiner, Alfred Newman and Erich Wolfgang Korngold. He also became very active in the concert arena, both with his own symphonic works and conducting the works of others all around the world. I discuss Waxman's place in the early days of the new art form of music for motion pictures, plus its development overall for some context, and his evolving style to the highlights during his career, including REBECCA, SUNSET BOULEVARD, THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS and TARAS BULBA.

As always, I hope that everyone who listens will enjoy the episode and forgive any technical and factual gaffes. Below is the embedded player from which you can listen or simply click on the website link to head directly to where the podcast is hosted on Podbean.

Feel free to subscribe and download the episode via iTunes, just search their store for "a score to settle" or launch from the link below. If you do listen through iTunes, take a moment to rate the show and write a review, it will help bring more notice. The podcast is also now available on Spotify! Check out the links to the Facebook and Twitter accounts, the latter of which can be found at @score2settlepod. Thanks again!


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Sunday, February 24, 2019

A Score To Settle Podcast - Episode 23, Now Playing... "First Man" (2018), "Wargames" (1983) and "The Bride Wore Black" (1968)

Welcome to next new episode of my podcast! In this installment, I am introducing a new, hopefully recurring, segment called "Now Playing", in which I discuss recent soundtrack album releases, whether from a new movie or a classic title. Featured in this segment is Justin Hurwitz's lyrical score for 2018's FIRST MAN, followed by a new 2-CD complete edition of Arthur B. Rubenstein's classic WARGAMES (1983) and finally a stunning new recording by the Basque National Orchestra of Bernard Herrmann's dark and turbulent music for THE BRIDE WORE BLACK, from 1968. The latter two albums are available from Quartet Records, at http://www.quartetrecords.com/. 

As always. I hope that everyone who listens will enjoy the episode and forgive any technical and factual gaffes. Below is the embedded player from which you can listen or simply click on the website link to head directly to where the podcast is hosted on Podbean.

Feel free to subscribe and download the episode via iTunes, just search their store for "a score to settle" or launch from the link below. If you do listen through iTunes, take a moment to rate the show and write a review, it will help bring more notice. The podcast is also now available on Spotify! Check out the links to the Facebook and Twitter accounts, the latter of which can be found at @score2settlepod. Thanks again!






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Sunday, February 3, 2019

A Score to Settle Podcast - Episode 22, Guest Neil S. Bulk, soundtrack album producer and editor

Welcome to the next new episode of the podcast! In this installment, I've invited back Neil S. Bulk, soundtrack album producer and editor, to talk about the major projects he shepherded for various record labels, such as La La Land Records. Neil graciously shares behind-the-scenes details and stories as I inquire about their expanded album editions of the James Bond epics DIE ANOTHER DAY and THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, both with music by David Arnold, as well as the 3-CD 30th anniversary release of Michael Kamen's DIE HARD, the expansive set of music from the 1960's sci-fi TV series LAND OF THE GIANTS and the deluxe treatment of Elliot Goldenthal's score for ALIEN 3.  We also discuss the recent LP edition from Mondo Records of the complete Danny Elfman score for 1989's BATMAN.

As always. I hope that everyone who listens will enjoy the episode and forgive any technical and factual gaffes (or the errant plane flying overhead). Below is the embedded player from which you can listen or simply click on the website link to head directly to where the podcast is hosted on Podbean.

Feel free to subscribe and download the episode via iTunes, just search their store for "a score to settle" or launch from the link below. If you do listen through iTunes, take a moment to rate the show and write a review, it will help bring more notice. The podcast is also now available on Spotify! Check out the links to the Facebook and Twitter accounts, the latter of which can be found at @score2settlepod. Thanks again!





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Sunday, January 20, 2019

A Score To Settle Podcast - Episode 21, Listening To... Alan Silvestri

Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of the podcast for 2019! I hope everyone has been enjoying a great start to the new year so far. I am opening with an installment of my "Listening To..." series, focusing on specific composers. This time I am diving into the film and TV music of fan favorite composer, Alan Silvestri. At an early age, Silvestri took to playing both drums and guitar, furthering his studies at Berklee College in Boston and quickly deciding to simply move to Los Angeles to put his talent into practice.  He began by performing in and arranging songs for touring bands, such as Wayne Cochran and the CC Riders, later finding his way into television scoring and hitting it big in this arena with the popular series "CHiPs", where he provided disco-flavored music for each episode. 

This percussive, rhythmic approach brought him to the attention of director Robert Zemeckis, who in 1984 needed to find a composer to score his South American-set comedy-adventure ROMANCING THE STONE. With this project, Silvestri and Zemeckis began a fruitful partnership that continues to this day, with Silvestri scoring all of Zemeckis' films, from BACK TO THE FUTURE and WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT to FORREST GUMP and THE POLAR EXPRESS. Outside of the Zemeckis canon, he also composed wonderfully robust music for action movies, such as PREDATOR, comedies, such as SOAPDISH, Westerns (YOUNG GUNS II), animation (THE CROODS), science fiction (THE ABYSS) and has recently been called into service in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to underscore the adventures of CAPTAIN AMERICA and also THE AVENGERS.

I hope that everyone who listens will enjoy the episode, whether it's your first or you're a long time listener. As usual, forgive me any technical and factual gaffes. Below is the embedded player from which you can listen or simply click on the website link to head directly to where the podcast is hosted on Podbean.

Feel free to subscribe and download the episode via iTunes, just search their store for "a score to settle" or launch from the link below. If you do listen through iTunes, take a moment to rate the show and write a review, it will help bring more notice. The podcast is also now available on Spotify! Check out the links to the Facebook and Twitter accounts, the latter of which can be found at @score2settlepod. Thanks again!





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