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It's an absolute cornerstone for me too. Scores like CRIMSON TIDE and THE ROCK are so much part of my film music DNA; my backbone, so to speak, that I don't know what to say about them anymore.

I see it more as the culmination of the power anthem style that was first heard briefly in BLACK RAIN. THE ROCK eventually became the more popular of the two, but CRIMSON TIDE seems like the embodiment; its zenith. So much testosterone (the male chorus signalling the cameraderie), the prog rock chord changes, the propulsive energy - that it suddenly becomes surprisingly poetic. It also became the benchmark for the middle part of the opening theme for my webcast Celluloid Tunes (composed by Eirik Myhr): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7gOW16 … uloidTunes

Ouch!

Yes, I'm afraid we disagree there.

THE ROCK became a phenomenon. It basically spawned a whole new generation of film score fans the way STAR WARS had done decades earlier. I know, because I was right there as it happened and witnessed my friends (who are not interested in film music) get drawn in. Or saw endless new, young teenage fans starting posting about it on messageboards. It was the popular culmination. I think CRIMSON TIDE was the artistic culmination of it all.

THE PEACEMAKER is a fine score, I totally agree, but it's basically a parenthesis in the scheme of things. Power anthem style, for sure, but too loud and theme-less and overwrought to make much of an impact. For me, it was the first example of that particular style finally losing its steam - with its last hoorah being the PIRATES movies.

You and Hans Zimmer are free to disagree, of course, or to consider it underrated. But that's how I perceive the history of it.

I know it's not ACTUALLY theme-less. It's more of a rhetorical point, i.e. not as striking or defined as its stylistic predecessors. Or focussed. But I might go against my principles and check out the expanded version one of these days, just to hear these themes that you're talking about more clearly. I won't budge on my evaluation of it in a historical sense, but I'm keen to like it more than I do - which is "just fine" at the moment.

Well, you’ve sold it in well!

NP: You Only Live Twice - John Barry

Probably my favourite Bond score, I really warm to the Barry/Bond style mixed with ethnic Japanese influences. And the song is definitely up there in my Top 5 Bond theme songs - it may even be my favourite.

It's a complex one, because this is one of the less crowd-pleasing scores of the whole lot (I'd argue The Rock and Broken Arrow are the most fun in that series, Crimson Tide being the most atmospheric and Peacemaker the heaviest and most dissonant, if, conversely, most traditionally structured and dramatic).

In a way, I think that Crimson Tide's biggest virtues, except the thematic material, which still rivals Hans' best stuff (Roll Tide is the track to keep for any future reference, especially when it comes to choral writing) are in the way it works in the film. Also there's some notable missing material, like the boxing training cue, featuring a very propulsive version of the Denzel Washington theme, the first part of the long cue where Hackman is relieved of duty (the second half of the cue, the Das Boot-like sinking-until-they're-not sequence is left intact and it's one of the most unpleasant moments of the score), with its militaristic and confident, yet sad and somewhat finite scoring featuring a beautiful melody (beautiful in terms of the style of the score). There's also the main title, but I'm the crazy guy who wanted that one and nobody ever discussed it anyway.

All-in-all except its very high functionality in the film and the thematic material, what I love on the album is that it retains the unique atmosphere of the film in its sound (on the Zimmer side of things, it's still the best electronic/orchestral hybrid score and the golden standard in integrating these elements). Its an oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere, very fitting for a submarine. I think Crimson Tide's popularity and historical significance doesn't stem from the fact that its a highlight-ridden album, but from the fact that this particular style of film scoring was shown to be very highly effective as film music.

The album is not without its problems, the long tracks can be divisive, but there is also a significant mixing difference between Alabama and 1SQ (particularly noticeable with how the drum samples become much louder in the latter cue) and I think there has to be more to that than the mere fact that there is quite a bit of Nick Glennie-Smith in that cue. That said: 1SQ is a single long piece as featured in the film. I'd have to see (and get back to you guys about it) if there are any significant cuts. Alabama, not unlike Sarajevo in The Peacemaker, is all over the place (starting right before Hackman retakes the boat, going back to early "sightings" or rather hearings of the Russian submarine, then back to Hackman retaking Alabama...).

You'd think so, but alas it didn't do much for me. That goes for pretty much everything he did in the 2010s. The only ones I decided to keep in my collection from this period are ROMEO & JULIET (rejected), WOLF TOTEM and LIVING IN THE AGE OF AIRPLANES. This opposed to the 2000s, where there's a host of great things. But by all means -- I intend to re-explore and re-assess the 2010s output again at some point, including SOUTHPAW.

James Newton Howard - Dinosaur

Great score, one of his very best and very mature for a "kiddie" film, which this Disney production was. Some of the music is downright serious and scary in a very dissonant and even abrasive way. That actually very much adds to why I love it!

I remember you recommended this to me awhile back, on Facebook. The track you shared was great, but the rest didn't do that much for me when I got around to it. But at the same time as your recommendation, one of the CT contributors also alerted me to it, and even wrote a review: http://celluloidtunes.no/flinch-miami-nights-1984/

I dig a lot of what MN1984 has done outside film, and hoping for future scores to reflect more of that.

NP: DROP ZONE (Hans Zimmer)

So I went to my digital collection to relisten to the OST after the announcement of the expanded version, only to find it wasn't there anymore. Must have deleted it years ago. So I went to Spotify, and quickly understood WHY I had deleted it. A bunch of swishes, swooshes, bangs and whizzes without going anywhere. So I don't really want to reacquire the OST, much less the expanded version.

NP: TO THE WONDER (Hanan Townshend)

The film was OK. I wasn't as enamoured with it as everyone else. I love THE TREE OF LIFE and I love A HIDDEN LIFE. Not that thrilled with the Malicks inbetween. But I love the score by Townshend. Of course, it's hard to get a grasp of amidst the classical selections in the film, but on CD it shines. Has a kind of shimmering, impressionistic, Debussy-ian quality to it.

Spy Game - Harry Gregson-Williams

One of my favs! I love the choral, the techno, the middle eastern instruments, love it all! It's reminiscent of two of my other most favorites as well, Powell's Bourne Supremacy and JNH's Blood Diamond. Such great work by HGW!