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Just got the cd and finished (thank god) listening to it.
It is, by far, the most uninteresting and boring Elfman experience I’ve had so far.
It’s generic, repetitive, and even irritating. The only other score that did that to me was Zimmer’s Batman movies…
The vibe of the movie probably needed something like this. So, maybe it does fit the movie.
But the monotony of the whole album drove me insane. Really hard to stand listening to the whole thing.
And that last cue, the variation, is the worst. Same motiv, again and again… Almost like listening to minimalist pop house music, only at a slower tempo….
I really hope this is an exception in Elfman’s carreer… Because if this is the direction where is heading, then, he better start working for Zimmer and his friends….
Danny Elfman talks about creating the “dark” orchestral music that accompanies the developing romantic and sexual relationship between Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) and Ana Steele (Dakota Johnson).
Thank you Ryan.
It’s interesting to see that he enjoyed writing this score.
The music makes more sense when you listen to Danny, explaining how and why he scored it this way.
The repetitive motives probably underline the obsessive aspect of their relationship.But stil… It is difficult to listen to the full album from A to Z.
Looks like he pulled another The Next Three Days, by far the most uninteresting kind of music he writes..
The Next Three Days is one of my favorite of Elfman’s recent scores so that works for me. After seeing the film it’s definitely what it’s closest to. Then Bliss would be The Truth, a huge yet lovely departure from the rest of the score.
I’m not a huge fan of The Next Three Days, but I really enjoy Danny’s music here and will continue to re-visit it I’m sure. You can officially call me me a fan of this score, though I’ll probably be skipping the movie (and novel) itself.
Personally, I wouldn’t be as harsh as boingomusic but I can’t say I’m excited either. It gets repetitive and it confirms that this is not the kind of score where Elfman excels; it’s okay, very professionally written but just not very interesting. I’d rank it above The Next Three Days (my most boring Elfman score to date, I think you got it) but only because there are at least 3 or 4 tracks that breaks the monotony.
Yes, it probably works fine with the images and yes, it’s what matters but still, he delivered much more convincing works in the past in the genre. And I have to agree with boingomusic the pop/rock beats are really cheesy, even embarrassing at times.
I might be completely imagining things here but I feel that, with these type of scores, Elfman needs a director to help him get out of it comfort zone. He wrote really great drama scores for Van Sant, Burton, Raimi, O’Russell or even Morris…but when it comes to Article 99, A Civil Action, The Next Three Days or this 50 shades, the only difference I see is the one-time collaboration on very average films.
After listening it on album, I must admit that the “Next three days” aspect is very present, it wasn’t so striking in the movie according to me. Amusing also to see that the main theme is a bit similar in its process to the ones of “The unknown known” and “Standard operating procedure” (solist piano, very regular rythm, most of the notes repeted two times…), even if the global mood is very different
I like it a lot, especially the second half. A strong work according to me. Elfman slowly builds his score, making the music more and more powerful as tracks go by (helped, maybe, by a good album presentation)…I’ll come back to it quite often, I think.Wow! I didn’t expect to be in the minority (on this forum at least) who liked The Next Three Days. Underrated score and movie, imo.
boingomusic Wrote:
> Just got the cd and finished (thank god) listening
> to it.
>
> It is, by far, the most uninteresting and boring
> Elfman experience I’ve had so far.
>
> It’s generic, repetitive, and even irritating. The
> only other score that did that to me was Zimmer’s
> Batman movies…
>
> The vibe of the movie probably needed something
> like this. So, maybe it does fit the movie.
>
> But the monotony of the whole album drove me
> insane. Really hard to stand listening to the
> whole thing.
>
> And that last cue, the variation, is the worst.
> Same motiv, again and again… Almost like
> listening to minimalist pop house music, only at a
> slower tempo….
>
> I really hope this is an exception in Elfman’s
> carreer… Because if this is the direction where
> is heading, then, he better start working for
> Zimmer and his friends….To be fair Elfman’s mono-thematic Silver Linings Playbook was repetitive with the main/love theme, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of that score.
SLP theme was more dynamic and allowed for more variation. 50SOG is more static and dull in my opinion.
But hey, it’s all about tastes after all and it’s nice to hear how people react differently to the same material.Ok… Well… I must admit I feel kind of stupid to have reacted so strongly, and so quickly after my first listen…
The more I listen to it, the more it grows. It is repetitive… But some variations are truely intersting. And the obsessive repetition really does grow on you.
I still can not listen to the whole cd, but some tracks are really, really good!
It’s interesting how our tastes and feelings can evolve. You just have to stay open minded…
My less favourite Elfman score so far remains “Kingdom” “Meet the Robinsons” and “Mr Peabody & Sherman”…
Oh you got to give Mr. Peabody another try. It’s nothing special but it’s above his average animated score standard (with the exception of Burton’s animated films). Very playful.
My CD arrived today, I love it.
I know it’s not for everybody but these repetitive, rhythmic scores are what I listen to most from Elfman these days. The Unknown Known was my favorite Elfman since Alice, for example.
I love the theme that emerges later on in the score, it makes up the bulk of ‘Show Me’ (I love the ghostly synths in this one) and Bliss centers around it too. ‘Counting to Six’ manages to bring together pretty much everything Elfman does musically in the entire score, which is quite something. He tells the entire story in the last track too.
I’ll be listening to this one a lot no doubt.
I just got mine and I too really enjoy it. I was prepared for the worst based on the first opinions…that and the fact that the movie looks terrible
Hey lonzoe! I’m also a HUGE fan of THE NEXT THREE DAYS. If you like post-rock bands like Explosions in the Sky, Sigur Ros, Mogwai etc. (and I definitely do!), then it’s right up your alley. An extremely underrated and misunderstood score by those who want more traditional ‘symphonics’.
So by comparing it to that, you actually upped my expectations even more. I’ve ordered the CD, and am waiting for it to arrive in the mail. I’ve refused to listen to samples (except that “Bliss” cue, which sounded fantastic).
Well, now that I’ve received the CD and listened to it a few times, I have to agree with some of the comments above. It’s a nice score — and I prefer Elfman in this mode over the big and rambunctious these days — but overall it’s no RESTLESS or PROMISED LAND or definitely not the Morris scores. It’s a little ‘by-the-numbers’. But hey — some great tracks still, like the aforementioned “Bliss”.
So apparently Danny didn’t write Bliss, my favorite track?
http://davidbuckleymusic.net/?page_id=29
‘In addition to his work for Harry, he has written additional music for Danny Elfman on films including AMERICAN HUSTLE, BIG EYES & FIFTY SHADES OF GREY (including the choral piece BLISS) and Hans Zimmer & Rupert Gregson-Williams on WINTER’S TALE.’
I really don’t like this sort of thing. Buckley should have gotten credit for the track instead of a message on a site only a handful of people would even see.
Yeah, I must admit that it’s really embarrassing. I don’t mind additional composers that much (film composing is very demanding) but give them a proper credit, especially for such an “iconic” piece.
It’s also quite astonishing that Elfman needs additional composers for scores like Big Eyes and even American Hustle !I’m disappointed to say the least…
Damn, the only truly worthwhile piece on the album and it isn’t even Elfman’s. Count me in among the disappointed — including disappointment in lack of proper credit.
Danny Elfman using additional composers is nothing new. Shirley Walker wrote some cues for Dick Tracy and Jonathan Sheffer wrote the helicopter action scene in Darkman. But I agree with Danny Biker. Elfman shouldn’t need additional composers for movies like American Hustle, Big Eyes and 50 Shades. That’s very weird.
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