A few of mine would be Rocky 4,The Living Daylights[James Bond],The Mission, Hoosiers, Agnes of God, E.T., Chariots of Fire, Out of Africa, Witness, Raiders of the Last Ark, RoboCop, Conan The Barbarian, Blade Runner, Missing, The River, The Right Stuff, Cry Freedom, The Untouchables, Empire of the Sun, to name just a few.
shareThe Empire Strikes Back
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Altered States
Quest for Fire
E.T.
Poltergeist
First Blood
Conan The Barbarian
Blade Runner
Lethal Weapon
Empire of the Sun
Die Hard
Why? No, no--there is no why!
Just kidding. I'd like to say the '80s had a grass-roots blue-collar feel to them, in the Reagan era anyway, but this is such an ecclectic list of film scores...I dunno, I'd just have to say these movies and their music had IMAGINATION.
that is also a good list Including the ones I had on mine :] mikekuhlman-415-393642,What did you think of my list?I mean some scores from the 80's sound abit dated now but the ones I said and yours still sound fresh :] where you from?
some of my other favourites that come to mind are Rocky 4+The living daylights[James Bond]
Yeah, those others on your list are great too!
Rocky IV definitely has a "blue collar", "working man"'s feel. I love, love, love the "workout montage" music when Rocky and Drago are training, Drago high-tech and Rocky low-tech. It turned me onto the concept of the music video. And of course Burning Hearts and Eye of the Tiger (originally from Rocky III) by Survivor are top-notch show tunes.
Living Daylights, scored by Michael Kamen, was hot on the heels of his scores for Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. It sounds very similar to those. Definitely a staple of the '80s violent action movie.
Empire of the Sun illustrated Steven Spielberg's second stab at "spiritual cinema" after The Color Purple, and illustrated John Williams' increasing use of choir. I love it, especially the Suo Gan that young Christian Bale sings with the boys choir in the beginning and as the Japanese Kamakazi pilots take off over the rising sun...beautiful...as is Exultante Juste with the choir. Very churchy.
The Mission: Never heard that one. That was Enino Morricone scoring, correct?
Agnes of God: Never heard it. Who was the composer?
E.T., of course, is just phenomenal. Have the 20th Anniversary CD?
Chariots of Fire: Ah, Vangelis, the great running in slow motion music, parodied by Chevy Chase and family in National Lampoon's Vacation...fond memories.
Out of Africa: Beautiful music for a beautiful but troubled love story between Robert Redford's character and Meryl Streep's character. I find John Barry's music annoyingly simplistic, and he likes to repeat melodic phrases, but sometimes this works for the film.
Witness: Maurice Jarre! Cool, serene, makes me want to stay on that Amish plantation and bed Kelly McGillis forever, leave the cares of city life behind.
Raiders of the Last Ark, of course, is great. I love the wide variety in musical pallette. I mean, we go from the weird, spooky percussion in the South American jungle of South America: 1936 to the flute and drum work in The Basket Game to the religious strains for the Ark of the Covenant to the fantastic Airplane Fight and Desert Chase (the truck chase) to the final fury of the brass for the wrath of God in Opening the Ark, with Indy's theme thrown in for heroic moments. This is definitely one of my favorite scores OF ALL TIME.
RoboCop: This was Basil Poledouris scoring, wasn't it?
Conan The Barbarian: Another fine Basil score.
Blade Runner: Melancholy Vangelis for a bleak dystopic future. I love it. In its melancholy, it is oddly serene and tranquil too. Soothes my soul.
Missing: Don't remember it. Jerry Goldsmith?
The River: Ah, grass roots John Williams. Love it. It makes me get back to nature.
The Right Stuff: Heroic Bill Conti! Love it.
Cry Freedom: Don't remember it.
The Untouchables: Don't remember it. Enino Morricone?
Hoosiers: Jerry Goldsmith if I recall. One of his sports movies, before Rudy.
+++++
Then there was:
Under Fire (Jerry Goldsmith)
Ghost Story (Phillippe Sarde)
Quest for Fire (Phillippe Sarde)
Altered States (John Corigliano)
Romancing the Stone (Alan Silvestri)
Predator (Alan Silvestri)
The Abyss (Alan Silvestri)
Back to the Future I-III (Alan Silvestri)
Gremlins (Jerry Goldsmith)
The Goonies (Dave Grusin)
Young Sherlock Holmes (Bruce Broughton)
Silverado (Bruce Broughton)
The Mission: Never heard that one. That was Enino Morricone scoring, correct? yes that is correct,
Agnes of God: Never heard it. Who was the composer?
it was Georges Delerue
RoboCop: This was Basil Poledouris scoring, wasn't it?
yes that is correct
Missing: Don't remember it. Jerry Goldsmith?
Vangelis
The Untouchables: Don't remember it. Enino Morricone?
Yes that is correct
Under Fire (Jerry Goldsmith)
Ghost Story (Phillippe Sarde)
Quest for Fire (Phillippe Sarde)
Altered States (John Corigliano)
Romancing the Stone (Alan Silvestri)
Predator (Alan Silvestri)
The Abyss (Alan Silvestri)
Back to the Future I-III (Alan Silvestri)
Gremlins (Jerry Goldsmith)
The Goonies (Dave Grusin)
Young Sherlock Holmes (Bruce Broughton)
Silverado (Bruce Broughton)
Those are also other good 80's soundtracks+
Rocky IV definitely has a "blue collar", "working man"'s feel. I love, love, love the "workout montage" music when Rocky and Drago are training, Drago high-tech and Rocky low-tech. It turned me onto the concept of the music video. And of course Burning Hearts and Eye of the Tiger (originally from Rocky III) by Survivor are top-notch show tunes. They still get your heart pumpin if your training or not very moving indeed!any scores from TV shows in 80's you like not just films?:]
you gone quiet Mike you ok
shareLoved The Mission theme and The Last Emperor theme which were both featured on the Pure Moods CD. Liked the lively Beverly Hills Cop and the jazzy opening music of Roxanne.
Dini
Sorry, mikekaraoke23, had to tune out there and get to job.
I also like the '80s soundtracks, like the '80s themselves, because they had HEART, a red richness, were colorful. The '80s in the U.S., despite the flourishing of the porn industry, seemed to have a moral imperative, a moral compass, a love and honor of country (thank Ronald Reagan), a long-term plan, before everything disintegrated and fell into total chaos (Reagan's giving unlimited power to corporations and his failed "trickle-down economics" theory). The '80s were a time of self-discovery, of finding and honoring one's self, of the INDIVIDUAL rising and standing out above the pack. We know now, of course, that the individual can't possibly stand on one's own two feet financially or emotionally without help, pulling some strings, politics, favors...
Flashdance, starring Jennifer Beals as a welder by day and strip-tease dancer at night who dreams of dancing in the metropolitan ballet, with a score by Giorgio Moroder and songs by Irene Cara, Michael Sembello and others, is another fine example of the '80s sound and the '80s "me" generation.
The original Footloose is another great '80s soundtrack, featuring songs by Kenny Loggins, Kim Carnes and others.
And who can forget Top Gun, with its famous Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins, Take My Breath Away by Berlin and Top Gun Anthem by Beverly Hills Cop alumnus Harold Faltermeyer?
This thread makes me sick. There were so many truly great composers working in the 80s and all you people focus on is mainstream top 50 films.
Here is my list:
- Bladerunner, Vangelis
- Chariots of Fire, Vangelis
- Paris Texas, Ry Cooder
- Southern Comfort, Ry Cooder
- Death Wish, Jimmy Page
- The Natural, Randy Newman
- Ragtime, Randy Newman
- LadyHawk, Alan Parsons
"Oh, Mama, can this really be the end, to be stuck inside of mobile
with the memphis blues again"