favorite film composers?

ok, here's another almost useless topic:

Name your favorite film composer(s). And yes, I'm talking full proper film scores, not just individual songs on soundtracks (thus, New Order and Joy Division are off bounds--even if NO did have numerous songs on the Salvation soundtrack). Not to say that bands can't do scores, but they have to do the full scores (hence why Goblin and Popul Vuh are on my list, and the Dust Brothers and Air are honorable mentions).

for me: Danny Elfman (#1 by a mile) Angelo Badalamenti Bernard Herrmann Craig Armstrong Lisa Gerrard Howard Shore Carter Burwell Michael Nyman John Williams Philip Glass Ennio Morricone Popul Vuh Goblin (or Claudio Simonetti)

Hans Zimmer.

The man's a genius. Scores like Backdraft, The Rock, Broken Arrow, Black Rain, K2, Days Of Thunder, Gladiator (with Lisa Gerrard).... the list goes on.

Agree with most of your choices, to be honest I've not heard of some, but Zimmer has to be one of the best, in my opinion. Got into his work through a mate who thinks of Zimmer in the way we do New Order, only multiplied by 100. (Honest!!!) Through the same friend, I'm just starting to find out about Philip Glass. Also getting into other composers because of their collaborations with Zimmer, such as Harry Gregson-Williams and (again only just discovering) Nick Glennie-Smith.

Gregson-Williams has also ventured into writing scores for computer games, namely Metal Gear Solid 2. The theme tune is absolute class.

Also loved Morricone's "The Mission", Nyman's "The Piano", Shore's "Lord Of The Rings" (all 3; ok, we've only heard 2 but judging by those, number 3 will be top notch), and of course, most of John Williams' work.

Good choices so far, I also like Barry Adamson, ex-Magazine and Bad Seed, for his work on Delusion and his own solo album Moss Side Story. A couple of Stereolab fans have recommended Krzysztof Komeda, who did music on a lot of Polanski's earlier films, though he died in 1969, I think, but I haven't checked him out as of yet.

Danny Elfman gets my vote everytime!....but I also love Oingo Boingo

Originally posted by Pretty in Pink Danny Elfman gets my vote everytime!....but I also love Oingo Boingo

oh yeah! Boingo's the greatest.

Originally posted by David Church > Originally posted by Pretty in Pink> Danny Elfman gets my vote everytime!....but I also love Oingo Boingo

oh yeah! Boingo's the greatest.

shhhh...dont say that in here...they might hear you

Originally posted by 1878 Hans Zimmer.The man's a genius. Scores like Backdraft, The Rock, Broken Arrow, Black Rain, K2, Days Of Thunder, Gladiator (with Lisa Gerrard).... the list goes on.Agree with most of your choices, to be honest I've not heard of some, but Zimmer has to be one of the best, in my opinion. Got into his work through a mate who thinks of Zimmer in the way we do New Order, only multiplied by 100. (Honest!!!) Through the same friend, I'm just starting to find out about Philip Glass. Also getting into other composers because of their collaborations with Zimmer, such as Harry Gregson-Williams and (again only just discovering) Nick Glennie-Smith.Gregson-Williams has also ventured into writing scores for computer games, namely Metal Gear Solid 2. The theme tune is absolute class.Also loved Morricone's "The Mission", Nyman's "The Piano", Shore's "Lord Of The Rings" (all 3; ok, we've only heard 2 but judging by those, number 3 will be top notch), and of course, most of John Williams' work.

That's funny because I've got "a mate who thinks of Zimmer in the way we do New Order, only multiplied by 100," too. He's a total film score junkie who has literally racks upon racks of scores stretching all the way along his walls; he has almost everything I could ask for (which is nice whenever I want something). He's constantly raving about Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard (he's a big DCD fan) and all of Zimmer's little Media Ventures accomplices (along with Nyman and Glass, to name a few). I have to give him credit for getting me into Depeche Mode, DCD, and Oingo Boingo--but for some reason he just doesn't like New Order or The Cure, prefering Erasure and Pet Shop over them. What a loss for him.

here's the webpage that has a list of the Media Ventures guys: http://www.mediaventures.com/htmls/comp.html

Originally posted by Pretty in Pink > Originally posted by David Church> > > > Originally posted by Pretty in Pink> > Danny Elfman gets my vote everytime!....but I also love Oingo Boingo >

oh yeah! Boingo's the greatest.

shhhh...dont say that in here...they might hear you

"All those naughty little things that we don't discuss in public..."

Dang, now I got to go listen to some Boingo....thanks!

Geez, a topic on which I have no strong opinions....

I guess I'd have to go with John Williams, the man behind the best original orchestral music score ever (Star Wars, if you didn't know). The music for the Imperial Navy scenes in "Empire Strikes Back" is just perfect.

John Carpenter contributed the single spookiest movie opening song with "Halloween", and I think he composed the score for "The Thing" as well. Both are very good.

Stanley Kubrick's longtime composers (Wendy Carlos and someone else whose name escapes me) did some brilliant work in "Clockwork Orange" among others.

Other than that, I dunno :D

I'd say my favourite film composer is Danny Elfman too, whenever he works with Tim Burton. Apart from that I just love some particular scores, like "The Virgin Suicides" (by French band Air), "Amelie" (by another French artist, Yann Tiersenn) and my fave soundtrack of all time: "Blade Runner" (Vangelis).

Mark Mothersbaugh (ex-Devo) did some great work on the scores of "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tennenbaums", which almost makes his work with Nickolodeon (Rugrats, various crappy cartoons) forgivable :D

Of the classic ones Bernard Herrmann is IMO the best, difficult to imagine most Hitchcock films without his music. From those working today I would go with Danny Elfmann too, but also this gentleman whose name I've forgotten but whose outstanding work you can listen to mostly in Kenneth Brannagh's films. His best todate: Henry V

hmm. Well, Morricone is a no brainer, he has to be on the list. My personal favorite soundtrack of his is 'Two Mules for Sister Sara'. Krystof Komeda is great, but it is mainly his adventurous jazz recordings that I like, not his film music although it is all good as far as I have heard, especially 'Rosemary's Baby'. Nino Rota did music for most of the well known Fellini films and the music has a lot to do with their appeal in my opinion. I also love the various Popol Vuh soundtracks as well as the films they are in. That's everyone I can think of to praise who made a career out of doing film music. There are also a bunch of individual film scores that I love that were done by musicians that didn't do all that many soundtracks, such as: The Holy Mountain (Don Cherry and Alejandro Jodorowsky) L'ascenseur Pour Echafaud (Miles Davis) Andromeda Strain (Gil Melle) Last Tango in Paris (Gato Barbieri)

and the soundtrack to 'Casino Royale' is a great one.

top five reasons why elmer bernstein is a fantastic composer:

5. airplane!
6. far from heaven
7. to kill a mockingbird
8. the magnificent seven

.....1) THE GREAT ESCAPE, oh yes!

Graeme Revell

Ennio Morricone

but anyone know the Barney connection... ;)

eric serra for leon

trevor jones for angelheart & mississipi burning

mark isham for the hitcher and romeo is bleeding

ALL FANTASTIC FILMS

Michel Legrand Ennio Morricone Anne Dudley

Originally posted by teleharmonium and the soundtrack to 'Casino Royale' is a great one.

Too bad the film's not so hot, I saw it released on DVD at a couple of stores but I know better. Some decent moments, to be sure, but too much of a mess.

I like the guy who has composed the music for most of Peter Greenaway's films and the the guy who composed the soundtrack for "The Wicker Man" (sorry i can't remember their names).