rescoring

william_kent

Well-known member
seems like Tarkovsky's choice of scores must suck in some people's opinion as they feel the need to rescore them - I came across this today:


Robert Rich & B. Lustmord* ‎– Stalker

"Inspired by the film"
 

Leo

Well-known member
totally lucked out and got this super-limited (15 copies!) 2cd by Lisbon group Niagara, doing their interpretation of the soundtrack to "Metropolis", really good.



Google translation from the Flur website:

Spontaneous composition after (one more) viewing of the film "Metropolis", this is a soundtrack that illustrates some scenes from the film (images and sounds in sync to be released soon) but is also inspired by it and goes on to cosmic explorations whose only frontier seems be the duration of each track. Free interpretations on synthesizers and samplers, rolling on the same kosmische carpet that has been woven in Germany for 45 years, offering all the harshness and candor of "real" sounds and also recovering sui generis approaches that we have already heard on his "São João Baptista" and " Apology ", for example. Limited edition of 15 copies only available at Flur.
 

william_kent

Well-known member
What about when the director puts out a version of one of their films with a completely different soundtrack? Does that count as "rescoring"?

The 1994 version of Wong Kar-Wai-Wai's Ashes of Time was a masterpiece of arthouse martial arts cinema. It had a synthesiser soundtrack which, although "cheesy" in places, perfectly complemented the action on screen. Then in 2008, Ashes of Time Redux appeared which was a total disappointment, featuring a new orchestral score and various scenes juggled about ( one of my favourite features of the original was the confusing non-linear narrative structure which demanded multiple viewings ) resulting in a massive letdown for fans of the original version.

A definite influence from Kitaro can be detected in this synthy track from the original version of the film:


Frankie Chan & Roel A. Garcia - Bygone Love ( 1994 )

roughly the same point in the film, but now we have an orchestra playing something that sounds like it was lifted straight from the David Carradine Kung Fu TV series even though they're using some of the same melodies from the original film:


National Ballet Of China Symphony Orchestra - Peach Blossom ( 2008 )
 

william_kent

Well-known member
Not a complete rescore, but...

Walter Hill's cinematic version of The Odyssey, The Warriors, features this remake of the Martha and Vandella's tune ( the original couldn't be used for copyright reasons ):


Arnold McCuller - Nowhere To Run

Some UK releases of The Warriors wrecked the film by substituting this during the same scene:


Arthur Brackett - Just A Fugitive

Just a travesty if you ask me... completely ruined the film for me..
 

polystyle

Well-known member
Gotcha William on those 2 examples posted ...
A riff on what you asked - What about when the music artist changed the track for the movie ?
Back in that day - mid '80's after i had gotten a cassette demo up to Nic Roeg's hotel in midtown, fielded the call from his music super Ray Williams, licensed Death Comet Crew's "America" for their film "Insignificance" ( you can still hear it, in elevator scene as the Indian and crew close the door and ride ) -
we, the group thought it completely essential to do a new version of the track.
Completely essential !
Nic wasn't having it.

A bit off topic , still ...
He did though help himself to another track on my demo tape - one of the first things i did in a Studio after Ike Yard and after getting bk from W Berlin and originally done for a UK 'Anti Vivisection' Comp.
This track was made mostly of samples, from "Day After Tomorrow", US made movie about those rockets red glare going up in one's back yard, Berlin Zoo,
Nagisa Oshima from TV interview and a bit of ol' Diamanda Galas wafting through a section.
Roeg put it in the movie at least a couple times to illustrate his ' Atomic, end of the world' / 'rape of the Earth' ( his words i believe )- the visual is close up smoking wreckage pile.
He used it as his temp music.
After i complained that well, i certainly wanted Nic to ' use anything ' from the tape that felt like using - of course i meant one 'has to pay for that one too'.
He / they wanted a free bee !
And i would have given it to them, but that reply did not fly with me.
In the end, i was in NY, they were in London and the twain did not meet.

Nic's music man Stanley Myers had an ' intern ' ( not too sure interns were named just that then ) or staff member , one Hans Zimmer.
Maybe Hans could have a go at the scene ...
 

Leo

Well-known member
Gotcha William on those 2 examples posted ...
A riff on what you asked - What about when the music artist changed the track for the movie ?
Back in that day - mid '80's after i had gotten a cassette demo up to Nic Roeg's hotel in midtown, fielded the call from his music super Ray Williams, licensed Death Comet Crew's "America" for their film "Insignificance" ( you can still hear it, in elevator scene as the Indian and crew close the door and ride ) -
we, the group thought it completely essential to do a new version of the track.
Completely essential !
Nic wasn't having it.

A bit off topic , still ...
He did though help himself to another track on my demo tape - one of the first things i did in a Studio after Ike Yard and after getting bk from W Berlin and originally done for a UK 'Anti Vivisection' Comp.
This track was made mostly of samples, from "Day After Tomorrow", US made movie about those rockets red glare going up in one's back yard, Berlin Zoo,
Nagisa Oshima from TV interview and a bit of ol' Diamanda Galas wafting through a section.
Roeg put it in the movie at least a couple times to illustrate his ' Atomic, end of the world' / 'rape of the Earth' ( his words i believe )- the visual is close up smoking wreckage pile.
He used it as his temp music.
After i complained that well, i certainly wanted Nic to ' use anything ' from the tape that felt like using - of course i meant one 'has to pay for that one too'.
He / they wanted a free bee !
And i would have given it to them, but that reply did not fly with me.
In the end, i was in NY, they were in London and the twain did not meet.

Nic's music man Stanley Myers had an ' intern ' ( not too sure interns were named just that then ) or staff member , one Hans Zimmer.
Maybe Hans could have a go at the scene ...

great tales of the musical past, poly. funny how people would never expect their dentist or lawyer or accountant to provide free service, but for some reason it's ok to want a freebie from an artist. "but you'll get exposure!" yeah, exposure doesn't pay the rent, tho.
 

polystyle

Well-known member
great tales of the musical past, poly. funny how people would never expect their dentist or lawyer or accountant to provide free service, but for some reason it's ok to want a freebie from an artist. "but you'll get exposure!" yeah, exposure doesn't pay the rent, tho.
Jah jah , thanks - the other side of re scoring fer sure.

Nic must have really liked the Anti V track as it then went on to appear in the movie.
First time i saw the film, had to dig out a notepad and jot down screen times for my next reply to them.
Then, many moons later when Insignificance was released on Laser Disc, Roeg retrospective series or so , my piece was by then gone.

There was an article in a screen mag -last time i looked for it t'was behind a paywall - where i got hipped to what happened after i left their conversation - Hans did try to replace my piece and in the interview ( Hans Zimmer on working with Roeg and Chris Nolan ) he talks about what Roeg wanted ( ' rape of the earth' Einstein's pre vision of the famous Oppenheimer quote ).
Oh Hans ... ya had it tough.

All in all, i would have agreed to let them use it if they had asked in a nice way.
Same time, i did not want to come down too hard on them , esp. Roeg as i didn't want them to just go on and nix the DCC track.
But it was a pretty slippery move, thinking back.
 
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