Elfman-like scores by other composers (from 1985-present)

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I recently purchased Elliot Goldenthal’s “Batman Forever” and really surprised myself by loving it very much. Now, it doesn’t move me towards ecstasy, to a heavenly place, which is what Elfman’s Batman scores do, but it’s still an incredibly fun, rousing, and IMMENSELY fun album. His Batman theme is VERY Elfman-like…again, I don’t even really listen to this score thinking its a Batman score…for me, it’s like having another Elfman score (though with more classical influence). The way Goldenthal variates his Batman theme into a circus march, a rhumba, a tango, and a waltz is really wonderful and is really like something Elfman would do (remember the love theme in Darkman performed as a ballroom waltz?).

Anyway, what I’m getting at is a thread where we all post about Elfman-like scores we know of.

Before we get going, let me say that I could be typing for hours talking about Nino Rota and his influence on Elfman (not to mention Herrmann, etc.), and since I’m more knowledgable about older scores rather than more recent, I’d like to ask for these scores to be in the time frame of 1985-present. These are scores that when we listen to them, even if it doesn’t sound exactly like Elfman (and even though it’s not), we get some of the same feelings and emotions as well as joy we get from a crazy or beautiful Elfman composition, and the composition is clearly influenced either from Elfman, or influenced from the same composers that Elfman was influenced by, creating a similar kind of musical expression because they’ve both tapped into the same musical style.

Elfman has a very lovely, distinct voice in his music, and even though a similar voice can be found in Rota and Herrmann, it was Elfman that brought it back to mainstream film composing after years when very few film composers looked to these composers for inspiration (like Elfman said, he is ‘carrying the torch’).

I’ll start by mentioning Shirley Walker’s marvelous score for “Willard” (maybe more Herrmann-like than Elfman, but then again, if we were counting scores before 1985, most of Bernard Herrmann’s scores would be mentioned). I know a lot more Elfman-like scores from the last 20 years, but I’d be typing all night if I listed them all.

I’ve heard that James Horner’s “Casper” and Steven Warbeck/Shirley Walker’s “Mystery Men” are a little Elfman-like. Any comments on these scores from other members?

I look forward to any response I receive.

Best Regards,
Dylan

[Anonymous]

I was thinking about starting a new thread with this but this one opened up, so just to give a plug for Ryan and this CD I would suggest listening to (and buying) Brian Tyler’s score to the TV movie “Terror Tract” the main theme has “a dash of pomp from Elfman’s BATMAN.” – Ryan’s own words from the liner notes and he’s not kidding here folks. Some of the other cues have an Edward-Suburbia feel to them as well. Brian Tyler’s one of my favorite up-and-coming composers (many would even say that he has already arrived) that seems to impress me more with each score I hear (new or old). Pick this one up from La-La Land records if you want something Elfman inspired and a great orchestral horror score to boot.

Great job Ryan on the liner notes.

Nat

[Anonymous]

Oh yes, I heard the clips from “Terror Tract.” Very good indeed, and very Elfman-like. I intend to pick it up sometime in the future.

[Anonymous]

All throughout “Van Helsing” I kept thinking to myself, “Why isn’t Danny Elfman scoring this movie?” If you’ve seen the movie, I think you’ll understand what I mean.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Nat for picking up TERROR TRACT. I’ve loved this score for a long time and am very proud and honoured to have my name somewhere in there.

I haven’t seen THE STEPFORD WIVES yet, but according to some sources the film was temp-tracked with EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and the resulting David Arnold score sounds very much like ES. You might also want to track down John Ottman’s THE CABLE GUY.

Ryan

[Anonymous]

If you want some elfman-like scores, be sure to check out John Debney’s Hocus Pocus, and The Halloween Tree. They’re fantastic. You might also like the ouverture from Haunted Mansion, by Mark Mancina.

Eric

[Anonymous]

About Van Helsing: from what I’ve heard, there is a beautiful ballroom set in the film. The track “All Hallow’s Eve Ball” on the album, is a lovely dance that turns into a booming and powerful waltz. That particular cue would fit in with what I’m looking for.

That’s too bad that the score for “Stepford Wives” hasn’t been released. I would love to hear what David Arnold did with it.

The Cable Guy theme, which I’ve heard, is very, very beautiful and yes, incredibly Elfman-like. It’s too bad that all of the choral parts apparently didn’t make it into the film…and that only 24 minutes were recorded…and I read Ottman was on the project for 5 months…what a nightmare. I plan on getting the Cable Guy promo eventually.

I’ve heard a little bit of Hocus Pocus, and I remember mostly quintessential John Debney, with a little bit of nice bounciness in there. I also remember hearing a beautiful song that James Horner wrote for Sarah Jessica Parker to sing (that’s not on the Debney promo) that had a melody that was actually pretty Elfman-like. I haven’t heard “The Halloween Tree” yet.

A little later I’ll come up with a few more myself.

Dylan

[Anonymous]

I’m a bit late with this thread, but Dylan – I totally know what you mean. I respect Goldenthal as an outstanding composer, and his batman stuff is so wonderful. His arrangements of the theme into different styles are brilliant. The ultimate quirkiness, and perfection of pastíche never fails to make me grin every time I hear it!

>¦:o)
The J

[Anonymous]

I’m actually entirely new to Goldenthal. I bought Batman Forever because the film (which I hate) was on a few weeks ago and I watched about twenty minutes of it. While the film itself was awful, the music really struck me. It reminded me, of course, of Elfman’s Batman theme, but Goldenthal’s score walks on an entirely different staircase, so to speak. It was like adding heavy, heavy doses of classical to Elfman/Herrmann/Rota. I was shockingly giddy to hear the theme variation on tango, as well as a wonderful waltz for Two Face, and some striking emotional material. I stopped watching the film afraid that it would ruin the music, and ordered the CD online. I really love it, it’s a tremendously fun and unique romp of a score (and as an obsessive lover of circus music, I absolutely adored the fact that bouncy, and very Elfman-like circus motifs dominate large portions of some of the tracks), and it really makes me wish Goldenthal was scoring more films. I haven’t heard “Batman and Robin” yet, but I absolutely can’t wait to get it because it’s about 110 minutes more of the same kind of music (I heard in this one he variates his Batman theme into an Indian dance!).

This is my only exposure to Goldenthal so far. Has he done anything like the “Batman” scores, or anything that many here really love? I’d love to try more.

Here are a few more Elfman-like scores I’ve thought of:

Voice of the Moon by Nicola Piovani (a score for Fellini, so of course it taps into the same musical territory that Elfman dips himself into as well)
Puppet Master by Richard Band (the theme)
The Vagrant, The Fly II, Hellraiser, and Hellraiser II by Christopher Young
The Elephant Man by John Morris (a very good companion with Edward Scissorhands, IMO)
Matchstick Men by Hans Zimmer (more Rota, but still, creating some divine Elfman-like madness while conjuring one of Elfman’s idols)
The Attic Expeditions by David Reynolds (Very good and very unknown Elfman/Young-like score)
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids by James Horner
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm- Shirley Walker
some material from Witches of Eastwick by John Williams
Coneheads by David Newman

Dylan

[Anonymous]

for elliot goldenthal try interview with the vampire…. its not perticularly Elfman-esque but it will satisfy anyones hunger for goldenthals music…it personally strikes me as one of his best and personafies all his scores with its marvelous classical undertones but extremly dark and beautiful.

Cliff eidelmans “overture” for star trek 6 the undiscovered country is quite dark and quite elfman-esque, but unfortunality only this track not the entire score. dont get me wrong, its a brillaint score in its own right but only the overture is reminiscent for Danny.

ta ta

Kane

[Anonymous]

I found a great Elliot Goldenthal webpage with many sound clips from his films. And it was created by no other than Ryan Keaveney of this site! I just put a ton of Goldenthal albums on my want list.

Also, I was channel surfing today and the film “The Shadow” was on TV. I watched the first ten minutes or so. WHAT A SCORE! The music is by Jerry Goldsmith, and he’s in full gothic/hero Elfman/Young mode and the music is absolutely beautiful. I’ll have to hunt this score down. If anybody hasn’t heard “The Shadow” yet you should sample tracks here:

http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/shadow.html

Very much like Young’s Hellraiser II and Elfman’s Batman, and naturally with some wonderful Goldsmith trademarks to boot. It’s great

[Author]

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