New Podcast - Star Trek!

[cdouglas]

Hey folks,

The latest podcast is up, featuring music from the various Star Trek films and television shows. You'll also hear my gushing review of the new J.J. Abrams Star Trek film. So, this week's question is one that has been debated on many film music message boards:

What's your favorite Star Trek score? What's your least favorite?

Personally, I've got to go with Goldsmith's remarkable score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, a rich classic of the 1970s. Special mention goes to Horner's The Wrath of Khan and Eidelman's The Undiscovered Country. My least favorite is probably Leonard Rosenman's Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, an effort that just doesn't feel remotely like a Trek score to me.

[Eric Profancik]

I was listening to them for the past week in anticipation of the new film and pretty much have to agree with your thoughts. TMP is the best overall soundtrack followed closed by TWOK and then TUC.

As for the new soundtrack, it's a very mixed bag. While I think it works well in the film, when listening to it by itself it doesn't quite work. It has a few good beats, but it misses the mark. It doesn't tell a story like TWOK or other scores. My biggest complaint is that the CD is too short (40 minutes?!?) and the track names are really stupid.

[BrettCullum]

For my two cents, the one I can hear in my head most easily was THE WRATH OF KHAN. I think it was just brilliant, and fit the movie perfectly. The first one was certainly more lyrical, but the sequel beat the snot out of every element including the music.

[cdouglas]

As for the new soundtrack, it's a very mixed bag. While I think it works well in the film, when listening to it by itself it doesn't quite work. It has a few good beats, but it misses the mark. It doesn't tell a story like TWOK or other scores. My biggest complaint is that the CD is too short (40 minutes?!?) and the track names are really stupid.

I agree with you about the lack of a musical story being told by Giacchino's Trek score (at least on the album presentation), and initially I also had mixed feelings towards the score. Still, I became an instant fan after hearing how well it worked within the film. I think it's quite an entertaining effort, about on par for me with the stuff Goldsmith wrote for the Next Generation films.

As for the CD track titles, offering cornball titles is a little gimmick that Giacchino employs on a regular basis (as do Marco Beltrami and Christopher Young). "Anti-James Horner" track titles, I suppose.

[Boba Fett]

Best Score: The Motion Picture
Favorite Score: Wrath of Khan

I have to say though, there are a few themes from Star Trek V that are absolutely wonderful.

[Michael Stailey]

I have to say though, there are a few themes from Star Trek V that are absolutely wonderful.

Agreed. The rock climbing riff from "The Mountain" is one of my all-time favorites.

[Michael Stailey]

My least favorite is probably Leonard Rosenman's Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, an effort that just doesn't feel remotely like a Trek score to me.

That's because it's nothing more than a rehashing of his own score from Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings.

[cdouglas]

My least favorite is probably Leonard Rosenman's Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, an effort that just doesn't feel remotely like a Trek score to me.

That's because it's nothing more than a rehashing of his own score from Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings.

Right, except his Lord of the Rings actually had some weight and depth, something the Trek score was sadly missing.

[Kevin]

My favourite Star Trek score is Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, simply because it was completely different from Horner's and Goldsmith's approach.

[Carl Wonders]

First time poster here...

My favorite Trek score is a hard one to nail down. TMP is such an iconic score that is has to be up there. Horner's work is equally excellent -- I tend to lump II and III together because, as was pointed out in the podcast, III is essentially a re-hash of II (although, I have to say that Stealing the Enterprise is possibly my all-time favorite Horner cue). Undiscovered Country is quite good as well, although the middle of the score tends to become a bit droning for me.

I'm going to buck the trend with my least favorite and go with Star Trek: Insurrection. The title theme, much like the movie, is too fluffy and sappy for my taste, and the action music is pretty much the same Goldsmith formula that we've heard since Total Recall. It's not BAD, per se, just not up to his usual standards.

Rosenman's score doesn't work for me at all on it's own, but I thought it functioned reasonably well in the film.

[cdouglas]

First time poster here...

My favorite Trek score is a hard one to nail down. TMP is such an iconic score that is has to be up there. Horner's work is equally excellent -- I tend to lump II and III together because, as was pointed out in the podcast, III is essentially a re-hash of II (although, I have to say that Stealing the Enterprise is possibly my all-time favorite Horner cue). Undiscovered Country is quite good as well, although the middle of the score tends to become a bit droning for me.

I'm going to buck the trend with my least favorite and go with Star Trek: Insurrection. The title theme, much like the movie, is too fluffy and sappy for my taste, and the action music is pretty much the same Goldsmith formula that we've heard since Total Recall. It's not BAD, per se, just not up to his usual standards.

Rosenman's score doesn't work for me at all on it's own, but I thought it functioned reasonably well in the film.

Thanks for the thoughts, Carl! Yeah, I can see how "Insurrection" might seem a bit underwhelming in comparison to the Goldsmith scores that preceded it, but I do find the title theme rather attractive. I switch back and forth between that and Nemesis in terms of picking Goldsmith's weakest. Still, both of those are leagues above the Rosenman and McCarthy installments for me.

[Carl Wonders]

Thanks for the thoughts, Carl! Yeah, I can see how "Insurrection" might seem a bit underwhelming in comparison to the Goldsmith scores that preceded it, but I do find the title theme rather attractive. I switch back and forth between that and Nemesis in terms of picking Goldsmith's weakest. Still, both of those are leagues above the Rosenman and McCarthy installments for me.

*snicker* I actually completely forgot about McCarthy and Generations when I wrote my original post (that may say something in itself). Now that you brought it up, I completely agree with your description of that score, though the decent theme is much too close to Deep Space Nine for comfort.

Speaking of Nemesis, the sample you played was something I hadn't heard before on an album...is there an extended release available, or is it something you were able to get because of your podcast? I agree that it's not one of Goldsmith's best efforts, but I have to credit some of that to health issues.

[cdouglas]

Thanks for the thoughts, Carl! Yeah, I can see how "Insurrection" might seem a bit underwhelming in comparison to the Goldsmith scores that preceded it, but I do find the title theme rather attractive. I switch back and forth between that and Nemesis in terms of picking Goldsmith's weakest. Still, both of those are leagues above the Rosenman and McCarthy installments for me.

*snicker* I actually completely forgot about McCarthy and Generations when I wrote my original post (that may say something in itself). Now that you brought it up, I completely agree with your description of that score, though the decent theme is much too close to Deep Space Nine for comfort.

Speaking of Nemesis, the sample you played was something I hadn't heard before on an album...is there an extended release available, or is it something you were able to get because of your podcast? I agree that it's not one of Goldsmith's best efforts, but I have to credit some of that to health issues.

The piece from Nemesis was actually from a "for your consideration" promotional album. It wasn't included on the official soundtrack. Yeah, sadly, Goldsmith's last really stellar period was probably the late 1990s, when he wrote the scores for The Mummy and The 13th Warrior. His final works were certainly professional and engaging, but definitely below-par for the composer. I still miss him, perhaps more than any other composer.

[Carl Wonders]

I'm with you on missing Jerry Goldsmith. I dread the day when we lose John Williams, because there just aren't many symphonic composers out there like that anymore.

The other name that comes to mind is Basil Poledouris, because he wrote some of my all time favorite scores as well (in particular Conan, Robocop, and Starship Troopers) and then he just disappeared. I didn't even know he was sick until it was announced that he had passed away.