SydLexia.com - The Forums :: View topic - Superman: The Music (1978-1988)

Posted: May 29 2008 12:40 am

This is the greatest soundtrack collection ever. Ever.

Screw Superman I (previously released) and the cartoons, this is the full score for the REAL version of Superman II and Superman III.

AND the UNCUT VERSION OF SUPERMAN IV! That's right, Alexander Courage wrote and recorded the score for the full 134 minute version of Superman IV. That includes the Nuclear Man I scenes AND the Nuclear Man II almost nukes the world scenes. It is a fantastic score by itself and gets a major thumbs up from me. It is a score worthy of a better film. Seriously, the music is on par with the version of Superman IV I see in my head. Although, to be fair, there is some 80s synths in there. I love 80s synths, but a lot of people don't so fair warning.

http://www.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm?ID=8874

Posted: May 29 2008 08:47 pm

The Superman music is so masterful. You can tell exactly what it is if you just listen to it and not know what your listening to. It makes you feel like Superman, and I feel thats what Williams wanted you to feel when you listen to it. Great film composers do that, like Jerry Goldsmith and the Star Trek films he did. James Horner has some good pieces too. Williams is a great composer.

Posted: May 30 2008 02:18 am

Williams is by far the greatest composer alive. I think we're lucky that he's done so many movies, and we have albums and albums of his stuff available.

Star Wars, Superman, Indiana Jones, those are some of the most memorable melodies in pop culture, especially Star Wars. Any person who's seen any Star Wars can hum 5 different tunes at will.

Danny Elfman is second place.

Posted: May 30 2008 01:06 pm

ross_rifle113 wrote:

Williams is by far the greatest composer alive. I think we're lucky that he's done so many movies, and we have albums and albums of his stuff available.

Star Wars, Superman, Indiana Jones, those are some of the most memorable melodies in pop culture, especially Star Wars. Any person who's seen any Star Wars can hum 5 different tunes at will.

Danny Elfman is second place.

I suppose It depends on how you look at it. I don't think John Williams is the greatest composer alive. He writes very memorable melodies, but he gets his grand sound from massive orchestras. I think Danny Elfman has written many great memorable tunes as well, but his music is more complex, and relies on his variety and countermelodies and whatnot to give his music energy, and not a massive orchestra. So like I said, I think it depends on what you consider a great composer. It takes a great gift to be able to come up with such memorable meladies that John Williams does, but I think elfman is more creative, and maybe a bit more technically proficient.

Posted: May 30 2008 01:57 pm

hmm, well said. I actually just tossed that Elfman comment in at the last moment because I remembered him as I was finishing my praise of Williams. Elfman is indeed amazing, and yes, on a different level as Williams.

Posted: May 30 2008 02:15 pm

and yeah... I love em both.. like picking favorite kids... If i were to have kids.

Posted: May 30 2008 02:18 pm

yeah, they're both masters. I love the little details in Williams' stuff, and how it always builds up to grandiose, explosive melodies.

Elfman has such a grasp of atmosphere it's sickening. If anybody else did Tim Burton movies, they wouldn't be as good. Elfman emerses you into Burton's fucked up fantasy worlds.

Posted: May 30 2008 05:09 pm

Not to burst anyone's Williams' love (cause Lord knows I love him too), but listening to the scores of II, III, and IV you realize what good composers Ken Thorne and Alexander Courage are. This set cleaned up the audio to its best yet.

Superman II in particular is great. I like it even better than Superman I's score. The Metropolis fight alone is a better action score than Williams' Supefeats (although it is really an arrangement of that cue). Superman delivering the US flag back to the White House is also one of the strongest variations of the Superman theme ever. My favorite cue of the whole thing is probably when Clark finds the green crystal after he returns to the fortress. It is so haunting and yet inspiring at the same time.

Superman III I remembered being a really recycled score, but listening to it I realized it is quite well done itself. The grand slam cue here is Montage. While the scene in III of it sucks donkey balls, the music is a fine orchestral piece that I could easily see enjoying at a concert. Again the variations and arrangements are very well done.

Superman IV as intended is the best thing about the album IMO. It sounds wonderful. There's also much more original music here than II and III which used about 60% of Williams material. Here I'd say about 40% (not including the Nuclear Man theme which apparently Williams did write).

Superman Returns is not included here and I'm glad. Ottman used like 30% Williams score and his original cues sucked hard. They were unmemorable or insipid. His Luthor theme is especially horrendous. But this additional rant is just my fanboy hate coming out. I actually quite respect Ottman a lot, but I hate it when we fuck with music that works.

Batman though is another matter... There's a lot of good Batman scores. Elfman, Walker, Goldenthal is actually quite good despite the animosity for the films, and the new Batman theme is quite good too. I'm surprised they could all come up with great Batman themes, meanwhile Superman has one real definitive theme. The original Superman serials, shows, cartoons, Lois & Clark, etc. could never hold a candle to matching.

Posted: May 31 2008 12:43 am

i always liked the opening theme to 'Batman TAS'

Posted: May 31 2008 01:11 am

username wrote:

i always liked the opening theme to 'Batman TAS'

that whole show just had a great vibe.

I read that instead of drawing on white they started drawing on black to get the feel down.

Posted: May 31 2008 03:08 am

erock wrote:

username wrote:

i always liked the opening theme to 'Batman TAS'

that whole show just had a great vibe.

Word.

Posted: May 31 2008 09:29 am

erock wrote:

username wrote:

i always liked the opening theme to 'Batman TAS'

that whole show just had a great vibe.

I read that instead of drawing on white they started drawing on black to get the feel down.

drawing on black? thats pretty fucking cool.

Posted: Jun 12 2008 03:24 pm

erock wrote:

I read that instead of drawing on white they started drawing on black to get the feel down.

If you only read it, I command you to buy and watch the first season on DVD.