A gentleman and a scholar (Part 1)

Generally, I would continue exploring the world of Film Music collecting, and originally I had planned on talking a bit about e-commerce and its effect.

But when it came to showcasing an author, and since I had started with him last week, I decided to work a little harder on the genius of one of the greatest composers of all time, Jerry Golsdmith.

I first started looking into what works I wanted to showcase. I have after all 100+ of his scores at home. So after selecting them, I started organizing so that they would work on the other sections of the blog, and with the result, I realized I had enough for the next four postings.

So, let me start showcasing why he is one of my 2 favorite composers. And I’ll do it by presenting a lot of music here. Not a lot of criticism though. I encourage to listen to the selected tracks, and form your own opinion.

Wikipedia / IMDB

Relevant website

Filmtracks’ Tribute to Jerry Goldsmith

Clear and to the point. A great starting point to discover the master.

A Few more favorites

Total Recall

One of the composers favorites. Vibrant, exciting, full of action.

Track: The Dream

The Shadow

One of those clear examples where the music is better than the film itself. A personal favorite.

Track: Chest Pains

Medicine Man

A gorgeous main theme showcases this “tribal” example

Track: The Trees

The Mummy

From one of his last works. Half horror half action score, all Goldsmith

Track: The Sand Volcano

First Blood

Due to the sequels success, it’s easy to remember the type of story First Blood was, but this main theme is a perfect reminder

Track: Home Coming

Collectors corner, Must-Have & Small Gems

As the section indicates, here I’ll try to name 3 scores; the first, a difficult to find title, the second, is pretty much given, and the third, is a score that you may not think about that often (mainly due to the quality of the film), but it’s a surprising find.

Collector’s corner: Islands in the Stream – Jerry Goldsmith

My personal favorite, also happens to be Goldsmith’s too. A beautiful score. And copies can still be found

Track: The Letter

Must-Have: Basic Instinct – Jerry Goldsmith

Another Oscar nomination for Goldsmith (his 15th) for some really steamy music.

Track: Pillow Talk

Small Gems: The Ghost and The Darkness – Jerry Goldsmith

Out of his tribal or ethnic scores, certainly the most authentic one. Another personal favorite

Track: The Bridge

Trivia

Goldsmith sported a long ponytail for many years. Apparently, Sean Connery took inspiration of it for his “Medicine Man” character, which Goldsmith scored. So Goldsmith receives double credit on the film, as Music composer, and Hair Designer