Batman '89 The Danny Elfman Appreciation Thread

[Elevator Man]

Composer Danny Elfman making his Disney Legends plaque
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[Elevator Man]

Another Spider-Man 2 cue comparison of the train sequence was uploaded on YT. The others have been taken down.

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I still stand by Elfman’s being the superior cue. Young’s cue is decent and even heightens the tension but nothing else, imo. Elfman’s version has more heart and emotion, imo. Plus the way Elfman alternates between Spidey’s motif and Ock’s theme sets it apart from Young’s as well. And unlike Young’s cue I think Elfman’s cue would’ve left more of an impact in the movie. I guess Raimi and Sony thought it was too whimsical for that sequence.

 

[Elevator Man]

Oh wow! Sam Raimi’s Darkman was released 25 years ago yesterday hopefully in the near future a label will release an expanded reissue of Elfman’s gothic melodramatic score.

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[Elevator Man]

Ben Affleck's Batman with Danny Elfman Batman 1989 Theme

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Ben Affleck with Batman: The Animated Series Theme

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[ddddeeee]

The End of the Tour CD is limited to 1000 copies so don't hesitate if you're an Elfman completist.

 

[Elevator Man]

Oh snap! I'll have to check out the movie as soon as it hits BR/DVD. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Elevator Man]

The original "Psycho" was released 55 years ago today. And though it might be a strange coincidence I've noticed Elfman seems to have somewhat of a fascination with the Norman Bates character. He scored the Gus Van Sant shot for shot 1998 remake of "Psycho". And in 2012. Elfman also scored the movie “Hitchcock” which dealt with the production of "Psycho". Not to mention the late film composer Bernard Herrmann (composer of the original "Psycho" ) was his idol since he heard Herrmann's score to the original "The Day the Earth Stood Still" movie. But before Elfman’s career took off as a film composer and back during his Oingo Boingo days Elfman wrote a song called “Mama” (for 1988’s "Boingo Alive" album) that was a tribute to Norman Bates. It seems like he was destined to score a Norman Bates movie.

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[Elevator Man]

Here we go again with one of our favorite live Halloween season shows! Danny Elfman is back but is moving from Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live AKA Microsoft Theater over to the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, October 31. Instead of playing the usual "Music From the Films of Tim Burton", Danny Elfman will screen The Nightmare Before Christmas with a full orchestra and choir performing live to the film with conductor John Mauceri along with special guest artists. Attendees can also participate in a costume contest.

Tickets to see Danny Elfman's "Halloween At The Bowl" at the Hollywood Bowl will go on sale on Friday, September 18, at 12:00 p.m. via Ticketmaster for $29.50 to $255.00 each plus service fees. We'll keep you posted on any presales to get your tickets early to spend this Halloween under the stars watching The Nightmare Before Christmas live with Danny Elfman!
BUY TICKETS: The Nightmare Before Christmas w/ Danny Elfman at the Hollywood Bowl

The Nightmare Before Christmas At The Bowl

 

[Elevator Man]

Got around to listening to LLLR expanded edition of Elfman’s Big Top Pee Wee. I’ve never owned the original 1988 soundtrack. I only have the suite produced for Elfman’s Music For A Darkened Theatre Vol. 1 compilation. So it was quite a treat to finally hear this score.

Big Top Pee Wee is a very dynamic, wild, playful and flamboyant score. And overall is very much in the vein of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. Even though Elfman avoided his themes from the previous film by composing new themes for the sequel. He still maintains the Nina Rota-esque approach.

The main theme is very grand defining Pee Wee’s experience of being apart of “the greatest show on Earth”. As a listener I feel the music helps me feel like I'm apart of the experience as well. The main theme makes plenty appearances throughout the score.

The love theme is also touching in a quirky way, which impeccably encapsulates the romance between Pee Wee and an Italian acrobat named Gina. The love theme is similar in style as Lydia’s theme (from Elfman’s Beetle juice) as well as Claire’s theme (from Elfman’s Scrooged), each from the same year.

He also really got to cut loose on the circus/carousel music , which defined his career for most of his detractors, and even various other styles. “Elephant Ride” and “Idyll’ both share a latin mamba type feel.

The three songs were also a great addition. I was very impressed by Paul Reubens singing here. Especially the jazzy “The Girl On the Flying Trapeze”, where he sounds a lot like Michael Buble, is a standout. And his rendition of “Rimprovero” is very good as well, which shows his French/Italian romantic side. It’s no wonder he had some singing parts in “Nightmare Before Christmas”. The ensemble performance “Big Top Finale” is similar to Elfman’s approach to some of his Nightmare songs (e.g. “Making Christmas&#8221 with Pee Wee and the troupe singing and performing at the show.

The only issue I had with the score since it’s very mickey mouse-y in some areas of the score I didn’t know the context of where the cues took place in the movie b/c I haven’t seen it in about 15 - 20 years. So my memory’s fuzzy on the movie. Probably should’ve refreshed it by re-watching it before listening to this score. However I was still able to enjoy this score as a whole.

What might be a drawback for some is that there are a lot short cues ( which are less than a minute) on this album. And some of the combined cues are less than two minutes long. That might bother the flow of the album for some b/c the score mostly highlights Pee Wee’s antics.

Highly recommended to hardcore Elfman fans. And those who admire Elfman’s quirky scores from that era Forbidden Zone, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Back To School, Beetlejuice, Scrooged, Hot To Trot, Edward Scissorhands, and Nightmare Before Christmas should definitely check it out. It’s definitely somewhat of an obscure score from Elfman’s earlier years.

 

[Elevator Man]

Better late than never, but I finally got around to listening to Mr. Peabody & Sherman. I saw the movie back in July. And though it isn’t Pixar level I found the movie very entertaining. It’s something I’m sure the whole family would enjoy. Elfman’s score was very effective in the movie as well. And even got to shine in a few scenes. Which doesn’t surprise me animated films tend to allow composers the freedom to write more boldly, imo.

The soundtrack was presented in a digi pack (a format I don’t really care too much for), which includes the disc, liner notes booklet, and a mini Peabody & Sherman coloring book (which is a first).

I enjoyed the score, which reminded me of some of Elfman’s mid to late 80s comedy scores e.g. “Back To School“, both Pee Wee scores, “Family Dog”, etc. It’s a very vibrant and frolicsome score. With the film dealing with time traveling Elfman got to quote and reference traditional pieces from famous landmarks and historians throughout the score.

The highlights for me were “Mr. Peabody’s Prologue” , “Reign Of Terror!”, “The Drop Off”, “A Deep Regard”, “Dinner Party”, “The Flying Machine”, “Trojan Horse”, “History Mash-Up”, “I’m A Dog Too”, “Fixing The Rip”, and “Back To School”.

I noticed two themes/motifs. There’s a motif for Peabody’s, which is at times urgent, heroic, adventurous. I heard it throughout most of the score. It basically highlights Peabody’s knowledgeable intellect and his way of getting out of drastic situations. Sherman is given an emotional theme, which also represents the father and son relationship between Peabody and him. It becomes more dominant throughout the score as their relationship becomes conflicted. The emotional theme really gets to soar and excel in “The Flying Machine”. For me Sherman’s theme is the heart of this score.

I thought the touching John Lennon song “Beautiful Boy” was effective in the film as it played over a montage of Peabody raising Sherman from a baby to pre-pubescence. And was a nice addition to the album and Even though it obviously wasn’t written for this film, “Beautiful Boy” really highlights that father and son dynamic.

The other song “Way Back When” by Grizfolk was pretty generic and uninspiring, imo. It’s two and a half minutes long and blends in with every other song by a teeny bopper band, imo. Wish Elfman could’ve been involved somehow to improve it.

A couple of cues are short and abruptly end. And certain cues may come off a little too bombastic for some since Elfman does some “mickey mousing” to capture every action on screen. But overall I thought it was fun score with a lot of heart.

 

[Elevator Man]

'Goosebumps' Soundtrack Details

The full details of the soundtrack album for the adventure horror comedy Goosebumps have been revealed. The album features the film’s original music composed by Danny Elfman (Spider-Man, Batman, Alice in Wonderland, Men in Black, Avengers: Age of Ultron). The soundtrack will be released physically on October 23, 2015 by Sony Classical and is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Madison Gate Records is expected to release a digital version the week before. The cover art will be added to this article soon. Goosebumps is directed by Rob Letterman and stars Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, Amy Ryan, Jillian Bell, Ryan Lee and Ken Marino. The movie based on the book series of the same title follows a teenager who moves to a small town and meets the beautiful girl next door whose mysterious dad is revealed to be Goosebumps author R. L. Stine. The comedy will be released nationwide on October 16 by Sony Pictures. Visit the official movie website for more information.

Here’s the album track list:
1. Goosebumps
2. Ferris Wheel
3. To the Rescue
4. Camcorder
5. Ice Rink
6. Capture
7. Slappy
8. Confession
9. Slappy’s Revenge
10. Bus Escape
11. Lawn Gnomes
12. Ghost Hannah
13. Mantis Chase
14. Hannah’s Back
15. They’re Here
16. Farewell
17. Credit
18. Something’s Wrong (Bonus Track)
19. Champ (Bonus Track)
20. Break In (Bonus Track)
21. The Books (Bonus Track)
22. Instagram (Bonus Track)
23. Floating Poodle (Bonus Track)
24. Werewolf (Bonus Track)
25. Lovestruck (Bonus Track)
26. Panic (Bonus Track)
27. On The Run (Bonus Track)
28. Fun House (Bonus Track)
29. The Twist (Bonus Track)

http://filmmusicreporter.com/2015/09/17/goosebumps-soundtrack-details/
The 12 bonus tracks is probably included on the digital release only.

 

[Elevator Man]

The Flash (1990) tv series "Pilot" premiered on CBS 25 years ago today and so I decided to listen to the LLLR 2-CD original television soundtrack composed by the late Shirley Walker. Since Elfman wrote the main theme as well as the pilot’s score (though written by Walker) being very Elfman-esque. I thought I talk about the soundtrack on this thread anyway.

I was always impressed by the scores to the Flash TV series even as a little kid. Walker was able to distinguish and bring something fresh to the table each adventure/episode with her dynamic music. The scores never became trite or a retread from previous episodes, imo. It enhanced the episodes by making ‘em even more cinematic. Just as she and her team did for B:TAS Walker’s scores for “The Flash” seem like it was written for 60 minute movies rather than episodes.

I even believe the score for the pilot is up there with some of the best superhero/comic book movie scores e.g. Williams’ Superman '78, Goldsmith’s Supergirl, Elfman’s B89 and BR, Walker’s B:MOTP to name a few. The scores to the episodes itself rivals her B:TAS work. Even putting most of the current superhero movie/tv scores to shame, imo.

Elfman’s Flash theme is still the melody I associate most with the scarlet speedster. Yes it shares similarities with his Dick Tracy theme, but I still think it’s phenomenal. And Walker easily made the main theme her own on the show. She even came up with a compelling secondary theme for the Flash as well, which made a brief appearance during The Flash’s guest spot on S:TAS (which Walker of course wrote themes and some scores for as well) episode titled “Speed Demons”.

Blake Neely’s score for the CW tv series is decent but isn’t a patch on Walker’s, imo. I was so delighted when LLLR released some music from the 90s TV series five in a half years ago. Which happens to still be available on LLLR site for $15.98 as of the date of this post.
THE FLASH: LIMITED EDITION (2CD-SET) Hopefully they’ll release more music in the near future.

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[Elevator Man]

Listened to the Burton/Elfman box edition of Corpse Bride, which was released nationwide 10 years ago today. I still dig this score and I still stand by that “Remains Of The Day” should’ve at least been nominated for best original song at the Oscars in ‘06‘. That song easily rivals his TNBC songs, imo. It’s also my favorite scene/song in the movie. Elfman’s singing (as always) was phenomenal here.

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[Elevator Man]

Danny Elfman Announces 2nd Hollywood Bowl Show November 1st

 

[Elevator Man]

As an experiment, Danny Elfman decided to put together the soundtrack album to GOOSEBUMPS along the lines of how soundtracks were once sequenced back in the days of LP's where technical limitations demanded roughly 30 minutes of score.

A byproduct of this was creating a format that focused primarily on creating the best standalone listening experience without feeling a need to recreate the film order or include excess tracks.

For this experiment, Elfman assembled the soundtrack to GOOSEBUMPS (tracks 1-17) as if it were an old-school "Album."

And because this is a modern CD that does allow for a longer running time, after the "Album" sequence finishes, there is a 10-second pause at the conclusion of the final track and then 12 additional "bonus" tracks (tracks 18-29) are included for those interested in having more material from the score.

An experiment: Why GOOSEBUMPS has 12 bonus tracks

Relieved the bonus tracks aren't just exclusive to the digital release.

 

[Elevator Man]

A tradition I try to do every October is listen to some of the horror related scores/soundtracks I have in my collection. And today I got around to the masterful Beetlejuice album (Burton/Elfman box edition).

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[Elevator Man]

And this morning I got around to Elfman's wonderful Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack (Burton/Elfman box edition).

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[Elevator Man]

This evening I got around to Elfman's fascinating Sleepy Hollow soundtrack (Burton/Elfman box edition).

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[Elevator Man]

This compilation of Danny Elfman's early film and TV work reveals a composer we all miss, even though he's still working.

As I mentioned in my SoundTreks rundown on the soundtrack record for The End of the Tour, Danny Elfman seems to have disappeared in recent years. This is not to say that he is hurting for work; the man is constantly composing music for movies, and he wrote the score for one of the most successful films of the year (Avengers: Age of Ultron) and he wrote the music for the Goosebumps movie, which opens this Friday, October 16th.

But ever since Ang Lee instructed him to write scores that "don't sound like Danny Elfman" for Hulk way back in 2003, Elfman has diversified and explored to the point of losing the signature sound that made him so popular. These days, many of Danny Elfman's film scores can be, I'm sad to admit, interchanged with any other composer's. His film music went from being idiosyncratic and appealingly Gothy to being merely functional.

This is, of course, his right as an artist, and I would never impugn his artistic freedom. But I - as do many - miss Elfman's older sounds. The choirs, the basso profundo, the music-box-from-Hell qualities that he first fostered in Oingo Boingo, and nurtured under the aegis of Tim Burton. He did TV theme songs you could (and still can) hum. He was a wicked, dark-pop, Halloween-ish composer with a talent for "edge." This is how so many fell in love with Danny Elfman.

I was so in love with Danny Elfman's movie music back in high school, that I happily purchased - and repeatedly listened to - his first movie compilation record, released in 1994 by MCA records. The full proper title of the record was Music for a Darkened Theatre, volume 1: Film and Television Music, and it included non-chronological samples of just about everything Elfman had worked on from the beginning of his career up until the record's release.

This is, in many ways, represents Danny Elfman's golden era. And since a lot of this is nice spooky music, this article may also serve as a dandy Halloween tie-in (although the sample from The Nightmare Before Christmas wouldn't appear until Music for a Darkened Theatre, Volume 2).

People criticize him/his scores when remaining in his comfort zone for being "predictable", "homogeneous", "haven't any range", etc. But when he steps out of his comfort zone and showing his versatility for certain projects he's criticized for being "interchangeable with other film composers/scores", "generic", "boring", "streamlined", etc. The man can't win. Smh.

 

[ThePhantasm]

People criticize him/his scores when remaining in his comfort zone for being "predictable", "homogeneous", "haven't any range", etc. But when he steps out of his comfort zone and showing his versatility for certain projects he's criticized for being "interchangeable with other film composers/scores", "generic", "boring", "streamlined", etc. The man can't win. Smh.

yeah this **** gets pretty ridiculous

 

[BatLobster]

The thing is, every composer has their golden era. John Williams had his late 70s, 80s Spielberg/Star Wars era. Elfman had his late 80s, 90s Burton era. Regardless of whether he's in or out of his comfort zone, of course anything he produces today isn't going to feel as iconic as his earlier work.

It's just the reality of being a successful artist honestly. Even if you continue to put out good work, a lot of people are always going to compare you to what you did in the prime of your career.

 

[Elevator Man]

The guy who wrote that article is obviously a fan of Elfman's earlier scores and wants the composer to return back to those days. My problem is the hypocrisy of Elfman's critics/detractors. They complain about his fantasy and superhero scores sounding repetitive and interchangeable with one another. They want him to be more diverse with his projects. He shows his diversity e.g. Good Will Hunting, A Simple Plan, A Civil Action, Proof Of Life, The Kingdom, The Next Three Days, Hitchcock, Promised Land, Big Eyes, 50 Shades Of Grey, etc and yet they still complain by calling 'em "dull" and "streamlined". What do they want "typical" Elfman or "chameleon" Elfman b/c they aren't satisfied with either.

 

[Elevator Man]

Today I got around to Elfman's chilling and underrated Red Dragon soundtrack.

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Also Elfman's lovely Corpse Bride soundtrack (Burton/Elfman box edition).

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[Elevator Man]

I got around to Elfman's haunting Kilar-esque The Wolfman soundtrack.

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Also Elfman's ambient Dark Shadows soundtrack.

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As well as Elfman's wickedly fun Frankenweenie soundtrack.

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[Elevator Man]

31 Essential Horror Scores

Update: The below list is in no particular order.

It’s October, which means we want to help you plan your Halloween spookfest! Be it a big costume party, a small gathering of your close friends, a night in with your loved ones, or even just you chilling on your own, the mood needs to be properly set and what better way to do that than with a solid horror score? From playfully delightful to eerily sinister to full out nightmare chaos, we’ve compiled a list of 31 essential horror scores that you need to check out!

Below is full list, which includes composers such as Danny Elfman, Jerry Goldsmith, Goblin, Howard Shore, Douglas Pipes, Takefumi Haketa, Krzysztof Komeda, and much, much more. Additionally, this list isn’t just movies. We’ve also tapped a few video games as well as TV shows, so there’s a nice bit of range to this list.

1.) The Perfume of the Lady in Black – Nicola Piovani
2.) Suspiria – Goblin
3.) Alien – Jerry Goldsmith
4.) Rosemary’s Baby – Krzysztof Komeda
5.) The Beyond – Fabio Frizzi
6.) Halloween – John Carpenter
7.) Insidious – Joseph Bishara
8.) Friday the 13th – Harry Manfredini
9.) Silent Hill 2 – Akira Yamaoka
10.) Resident Evil 2 – Masami Ueda, Shusaku Uchiyama, Syun Nishigaki
11.) Lord of Illusions – Simon Boswell
12.) Clive Barker’s Undying – Bill Brown
13.) Twin Peaks – Angelo Badalamenti
14.) Nightmare on Elm Street – Charles Bernstein
15.) Hannibal – Brian Reitzell
16.) The Fog – John Carpenter
17.) The Omen – Jerry Goldsmith
18.) Trick r Treat – Douglas Pipes
19.) Psycho – Bernard Herrmann
20.) Evil Dead – Roque Baños
21.) Beetlejuice – Danny Elfman
22.) Jaws – John Williams
23.) Bram Stoker’s Dracula – Wojciech Kilar
24.) Kairo (Pulse) – Takefumi Haketa
25.) It Follows – Disasterpeace
26.) Dawn of the Dead – Goblin
27.) The Addams Family – Marc Shaiman
28.) Sleepy Hollow – Danny Elfman
29.) Cape Fear – Bernard Herrmann
30.) Candyman – Philip Glass
31.) The Fly – Howard Shore