A Score To Settle
A Score To Settle is both a podcast and blog about music composed for Film and TV.
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Episodes
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Welcome to the first new episode of 2021! I am graciously joined once more by soundtrack album producer and editor Neil S. Bulk to review his projects from the previous year and discuss surprises, roadblocks and highlights along the way. Titles covered in this episode include THE KARATE KID II (1986) and THE KARATE KID III (1989), with music composed by Bill Conti, both available in deluxe editions released from La-La Land Records, completing the trilogy alongside their previous release of 1984's THE KARATE KID.
Following on from this, we discuss HOFFA (David Newman), DARKMAN (Danny Elfman) and the 4-CD set of music from the Irwin Allen produced 1960's TV series VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. Next, we delve into MR. MOM (Lee Holdridge), JACOB'S LADDER (Maurice Jarre) and a batch of 1960's era Jerry Goldsmith scores presented on the new GOLDSMITH AT 20TH (formerly 20th Century Fox) series from the aforementioned La-La Land Records. Neil also adds comments about working on the recently expanded 2-CD edition of Goldsmith's final theatrical score, LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION, from 2003.
Stay safe out there, wear a mask, take care of yourself and each other!
Albums discussed now available at:
https://lalalandrecords.com/
https://www.quartetrecords.com/
https://www.varesesarabande.com/
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/ascoretosettle
https://twitter.com/score2settlepod
Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com
Sunday Dec 06, 2020
Sunday Dec 06, 2020
Welcome back, everyone! In this episode of the podcast, I am charting the musical journey of the popular TV series, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, which ran from 1987 to 1994. THE NEXT GENERATION, or TNG, was a syndicated sequel series to the beloved original STAR TREK series, the first spin-off in what is now a long-running media franchise. Personally, it happens to be my favorite TV series, it's what made me into a Star Trek fan and features some of my favorite music for television.
The three primary composers on TNG were Dennis McCarthy, Ron Jones and Jay Chattaway. My aim, as with other installments in my "Listening To..." episodes, is to identify the hallmarks of the show's overall musical style, where each composer's sound represented this and differed and how the music evolved during its 7-year run.
Stay safe out there, take care of yourself and each other!
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/ascoretosettle
https://twitter.com/score2settlepod
Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com
Sunday Sep 27, 2020
Sunday Sep 27, 2020
Welcome to the next new episode of the podcast! It's been awhile since my last episode of this variety, being that it is split into two segments - the first focuses on a notable and favorite score of mine, followed by a segment that is a free-wheeling chat between myself and another soundtrack fan!
Modernist composer Alex North's challenging, complex and arresting score for the 1981 dark fantasy film DRAGONSLAYER has long been considered memorable for the genre overall. I briefly present North's background before turning my attention to DRAGONSLAYER, its recurring themes and where it fits among his other epic scores.
Afterwards, I talk with a fellow movie music fan and my good friend for more than 25 years, Todd Smith. He shares what scores caught his attention, becoming a soundtrack collector, what makes this music memorable and many mentions of James Horner's music. The beginning of our own friendship is revealed as well, all thanks to the early days of Film Score Monthly.
Stay safe out there, take care of yourself and each other!
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/ascoretosettle
https://twitter.com/score2settlepod
Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com
Sunday Jul 19, 2020
Sunday Jul 19, 2020
Welcome back, everyone! This is part two of my investigation into music of the popular cop/action film series, LETHAL WEAPON, composed by Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton and David Sanborn, and its fusion of rock, blues and orchestral stylings. In part one, I focused on the original, released in 1987, and the first sequel, along with presenting contextual examples from scores for police and detective movies which preceded this series. Here, I continue on into LETHAL WEAPON 3 (1992) and LETHAL WEAPON 4 (1998) while for context I touch upon other scores by Michael Kamen from around the same time period. In the late 1980's and throughout much of the 90's, Kamen's stirring approach of orchestral acrobatics defined the sound of cinematic action, including genre highlights such as DIE HARD, HUDSON HAWK and ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES.
Stay safe out there, take care of yourself and each other!
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/ascoretosettle
https://twitter.com/score2settlepod
Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com
Sunday Jun 21, 2020
Sunday Jun 21, 2020
Welcome to the next new episode! In another of my "Listening To" series, I am exploring the music of the popular cop/action film series, LETHAL WEAPON, which appeared onscreen in 1987 in its initial installment and then wrapped up in 1998 with LETHAL WEAPON 4. The core cast and crew remained mostly the same throughout the entire production, with Richard Donner as director, superstars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover headlining and music composed by Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton and David Sanborn. Specifically, Clapton and Sanborn provided wonderful tonal color via their respective solo instruments, guitar (acoustic, blues, electric) and saxophone.
I open by spotlighting some examples of music for cop & detective movies that preceded LETHAL WEAPON, noting how the styles moved from dissonant, dark orchestral turmoil to downtrodden, lonely sounds that often incorporated popular trends of the time, such as blues, jazz, funk and synth elements. I aim to provide some context for where the LETHAL WEAPON scores both follow this model and chart a new path, the latter through recurring character themes and motifs.
Everyone stay safe out there, take care of yourself and each other!
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/ascoretosettle
https://twitter.com/score2settlepod
Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com
Sunday May 03, 2020
Sunday May 03, 2020
Soundtrack album producer and editor Neil S. Bulk returns as an honored guest to the podcast to discuss several of his notable film score restorations completed during 2019. He shares behind-the-scenes information and anecdotes from wonderful projects he guided last year for fan favorite record labels, including La-La Land Records, Quartet Records and Varese Sarabande. I ask Neil about his efforts on the 5-disc PLANET OF THE APES box set, which collects all music from the original five films in the beloved franchise.
In addition, we chat about eagerly anticipated expanded album releases such as THE SWARM, THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY and U.S. MARSHALS, all composed by Jerry Goldsmith, THE KARATE KID by Bill Conti and STARGATE by David Arnold. We also spend some time talking James Horner's lush score for LEGENDS OF THE FALL from 1994, and its expanded edition from Intrada Records. This interview was conducted on April 17, 2020. Stay safe and healthy, everyone!
Find these albums available at:
https://lalalandrecords.com/
https://www.quartetrecords.com/
http://store.intrada.com/
http://www.kritzerland.com/
https://www.varesesarabande.com/
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/ascoretosettle
https://twitter.com/score2settlepod
Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com
Saturday Mar 21, 2020
Saturday Mar 21, 2020
Welcome to the first episode of the show for 2020! While it's been a difficult year so far, I trust that everyone is currently staying safe, healthy and sheltered in these unfortunately uncertain times. The podcast has been on hiatus for awhile, but I plan to return with more episodes this year, beginning with this one, which carries a more personal focus.
Last year, 2019, was the 25th anniversary of my father's passing and to acknowledge how he affected my love of movie music, I wanted to devote time to showcasing the film scores he enjoyed and introduced to me. This includes wonderful classics such as THE BLUE MAX, STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE and PATTON from Jerry Goldsmith, music for the James Bond series, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA by Maurice Jarre and Ron Goodwin's exciting music for WHERE EAGLES DARE and 633 SQUADRON. Along with these selections, I share some anecdotes and memories of my dad. I realize this is an unusually personal focus, but I hope you find it entertaining nonetheless!
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/ascoretosettle
twitter.com/score2settlepod
You can email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com
Saturday Sep 14, 2019
Saturday Sep 14, 2019
Welcome to the next episode of the podcast! To celebrate the recently released 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 the 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 serialized, narrative 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.
La La Land Records - https://lalalandrecords.com/
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/ascoretosettle
twitter.com/score2settlepod
Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com
Sunday Jul 14, 2019
Sunday Jul 14, 2019
Hello all, I am back with the next new episode of the podcast! In this installment, I cover a new concert recording and previously unreleased and expanded albums. First, I 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 Mr. Zimmer.
Next up is previously unreleased TV music from the 1970's on "The Quinn Martin Collection Vol. 1: Cop and Detective Series" (featuring legendary composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, Lalo Schifrin and Dave Grusin) and lastly, I focus on the expanded limited edition of Leonard Rosenman's unique score for ROBOCOP 2 (1990). The latter two albums are available from La La Land Records and Varese Sarabande, respectively.
La La Land Records - https://lalalandrecords.com/
Varese Sarabande - https://www.varesesarabande.com/
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/ascoretosettle
twitter.com/score2settlepod
Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com
Saturday Jun 15, 2019
Saturday Jun 15, 2019
Hello and welcome back to the podcast! In this new installment of my "Listening To.." series, I am centered on composer Elliot Goldenthal, one of my favorite film composers of the modern era. 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 ALIEN 3 (1992), INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE (1994), HEAT (1995), BATMAN FOREVER (1995), MICHAEL COLLINS (1996) 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 very tonal and melodic music to very dissonant and challenging tonalities.
Goldenthal has emerged as a major influential voice in the art form since the 1990's, contributing 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. My primary focus in this episode will be on his incredible score for 1999's TITUS, a film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play, as directed by Julie Taymor.
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/ascoretosettle
twitter.com/score2settlepod
Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com