John Barry's score?

Is it me or is Barry's score for this film possibly the greatest of all time? It's big and brassy and really captures the size of King Kong like no other movie. I know Max Steiner's score for the original was deliciously over the top, but I feel like it dates the movie heavily and almost makes the movie into more of an exciting adventure while Barry's brooding melancholy score hits a lot more of an emotional roller coaster. It captures the wonder of the new island, the mystery of the ancient wall, the spectacle of the tribal dance, and the awesome intimidation of Kong all in one. The movie just wouldn't work at all without it and it easily elevates the whole thing by at least 10-20%.

I particularly love the opening credits. Even when I was a little kid, the shots of the Petrox Explorer rumbling across the waves with Barry's score en tow made it seem like the ship was creeping toward a dangerous destination, almost as though it has a will of its own. It turns the ship into almost as much of a character as Kong himself.

The music where Lang runs off toward the arch on the beach has to be one of the most soaring and exciting tracks in a giant monster movie, and I was disappointed that they never make use of that arch later (like have Kong walk under it and pound his fist above him, caving it in, or something similar).

I also loved the music when he is holding Jessica Lang in the waterfall. It really captures the grandeur of nature and has since rung in my head every time I look at an impressive waterfall.

The montage of Lange on the ship bonding with the sailors was a great similar track as well, and I always found it amusing when the camera zooms in on the spinning radar dish and the music matches the movements of the dish. It kind of broke the 4th wall.

But honestly I don't think the movie has a bad song in it anywhere. Even that track following Bridges as he climbs up the footprints rings in my ears whenever I find myself climbing a steep hill.

Are there any musical scores which come close? Any others that potentially lift a bad movie out of badness by just being such a great musical score? I feel kinda similarly about a lot of Italian movies, especially ones with Stelvio Cipriani scores like THE GREAT ALLIGATOR and CONCORDE AFFAIR 79. They're generally pretty shoddy affairs themselves but boast such a fun musical score that it's easy to forget what you're watching and to just get lost in the sound bath.