Williams, John Williams

[ehowton]

Doing what I said could never be done (and still managing to miss quite a bit, I'm sure) I decided to catalog my music this weekend after moving my media out of the bedroom. At over 2000 physical CD's just writing them down was laborious, not to mention arranging them by genre (and, in cases of my classical music by label) then alphabetically and typing everything up....well, exhausting. I spent two days doing this. Separating my musicals from my soundtracks from my scores first, and only then deciding to add what I have in iTunes.

*sigh*

At 80GB of songs, most of them scores, that genre is my lowest ratio, physical vs. digital, sitting at about 1:1. This turned out to be more time intensive than I ever wanted. And no, I didn't want to export my iTunes database into XML, import it into a spreadsheet and reformat it. Bah! So what will likely be a GRAND LIST will ultimately never be updated and shortly after its publication, languish in obscurity forever.

But that's nothing. When I was in Germany in 1990, I met a man who had THREE-THOUSAND COMPACT DISCS - all of them soundtracks. IN NINETEEN-NINETY! That's crazy to think about!

Then there's John Williams.

When I was but a boy in shortpants, there were only two film composes I knew: John Barry, and John Williams.

And Mr. Williams brought the world Star Wars.

In 1977 I saw Star Wars an unprecedented (even today) NINE TIMES in the theater and we stood in line to purchase the double-LP at the music store. It was all black, with a barely visible shadow of Darth Vader's helmet on it. It opened up between the two records to show stills from the film. Luke Skywalker was my hero, and John Williams made him come to life more than Mark Hamill ever did. My father had one of those "Reader's Digest" stereo systems back in the day that he ran his 4-track through. So when the entire soundtrack was simulcast in Dallas for the uninterrupted network television premiere, he recorded that as well. Just listening to Vader breath in stereo in a day when movies weren't yet being released on media. The man could do no wrong.

I "ooohed" and "aaahed" in all the right places with Close Encounters, Superman was a mighty step back in the right direction (and gives me goosebumps even today) but my attention was caught once again with Raiders of the Lost Ark! That wonderful Williams sound. I remember it like it was yesterday - the thrill that ran through the theater. Wow.

Then the dry spell.

He was busy with other things, I was busy with other things.

Ten years of...well, nothing notable that made an impact on me.

In 1993 I was TDY to MacDill Air Force Base supporting USCENTCOM, and voraciously reading, and watching movies at the high-end Hyde Park theater, as U.S. Servicemen could get a ticket any time of the day for $2. This particular week, I'd seen a lot of Jurassic Park plushies and lunchboxes at the mall. Must be a new kids movie out I thought. I JUST ABOUT SHIT MYSELF WHEN THAT T-REX RAISED HIS HEAD AND SCREAMED THE FIRST TIME!

The next day I made a beeline to the mall, bought the cassette and listened to it over and over and over. I put the CAV version laserdisc on 6-month pre-order, sent the cassette to my father when I bought the CD (he blew out his speakers with the first track) and hosted a Jurassic Park viewing party when I returned home from Saudi (thanks to photogoot for picking it up for me while I was overseas).

Dual of the Fates was the next item which impressed me as he reprised his role in the Star Wars franchise, but the opening strains of Harry Potter once again confirmed for me that he still had it, and why I've always loved this man. The way he can make me feel a certain emotion, with just his mind, is amazing.

Sure there's a string of dull compositions in-between that I just cannot sink my teeth into, and though I cannot wax intelligent on this matter like swashbuckler332, no name in film music, I bet, is known to those outside its fanbase, than John Williams. I've pre-ordered Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at amazon.com for an amazing price of $9.99 and I fully expect to be blown away, once again.

Comments

[swashbuckler332.livejournal.com]

I'm not talking about talent here... I think there are other film composers perhaps as talented as they are, but both composers created very accessible melodies for high-profile projects and so their names 'stuck.'

There are other composers who have had some public recognition from time to time - not counting people like Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Sergei Prokofiev or Quincy Jones, all of whom wrote very important and influential film scores but whose primary notoriety came from their concert works - but pretty much those are the two composers primarily of film scores whose work is pretty much known.

[schpydurx.livejournal.com]

What about Zimmer or Elfman?

[lehah.livejournal.com]

What about putting that plastic dick back in your mouth when the adults are talking?

Zimmer and Elfman are composers that work in the field of film. Previn may have a problem with them, classical artists may have a problem with them - but the general working public doesn't give shit or fuck about a composer anymore than a gaffer. Right?

[swashbuckler332.livejournal.com]

I would say that Elfman comes closest because of his association with Tim Burton, and most specifically The Nightmare Before Christmas... but Elfman was already somewhat prominent because of Oingo Boingo.

For the most part, however, the composer remains invisible to the general public.

[schpydurx.livejournal.com]

Upon closer examination, I suppose it was Elton John who took the limelight on Lion King, not Zimmer.

[schpydurx.livejournal.com]

Sure, we're speaking, Jedediah: you're fired.

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

Oddly, the first time I saw his name listed as composer (I think it was Batman), I thought they meant someone else, as in, NOT Danny Elfman from Oingo Boingo.

[swashbuckler332.livejournal.com]

Something like the whole Brian May confusion... The Road Warrior versus Queen!

[melancthe.livejournal.com]

Zodiacal dust has become mainstream?

[swashbuckler332.livejournal.com]

It could be.

Go to the Wikipedia entry for Zodiacal dust and sing sentence to the tune of "Princes of the Universe."

[schpydurx.livejournal.com]

but the general working public doesn't give shit or fuck about a composer anymore than a gaffer.
I think that the general public cares more about the composer then a gaffer, else ehowton's words are in vain.

[lehah.livejournal.com]

[schpydurx.livejournal.com]

Marks for creative retort, no marks for repeating yourself.

[lehah.livejournal.com]

[melancthe.livejournal.com]

You're a cruel, cruel person.

It's hot. Do it some more.

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

Absolutely on the talent vs. influential, but I still think its going to be subjective as to when you were born as to what you felt was influential.

[swashbuckler332.livejournal.com]

Well, the influence I was talking about would have been fairly observable even objectively. The prominence would be something that would be generational. Older folks knew who Mancini was, younger people not so much.

After all, if I had to pick one composer who was the single most influential voice in film music, it would be Max Steiner, and few people outside of film and film music buffs know who he is (even though some of his themes - Gone with the Wind and A Summer Place spring to mind - would be instantly recognizable to almost anybody who is not completely oblivious).

[drax0r.livejournal.com]

There are people (I've met them) who have NO IDEA what I'm whistling when I whistle the Theme to A Summer Place except that it "sounds like elevator music."

*sigh*

I suppose one could argue that the few minutes of music heard in an elevator could be considered exposure.

~Eric on drax0r's laptop