The Changing Soundscape of Superhero Movies

Variety mem-publish tulisan Jon Burlingame terkait dengan Man of Steel-nya Hans Zimmer, berikut kutipannya:

You’ve known them for years, maybe all your life: the great comicbook movie and TV themes. John Williams’ soaring brass flourishes for Superman, Danny Elfman’s brooding Gothic fanfare for “Batman,” even the silly Spider-Man title song from the TV series that was so catchy it wound up in the first three Spidey movies.

Once upon a time, superhero movies demanded big orchestras and heroic musical signatures. The concept dates back to the Max Fleischer “Superman” cartoons of the 1940s, carried on in the “Adventures of Superman” series of the ’50s.

But in the 21st century, do big-budget comicbook movies still require the same treatment? More to the point, do audiences demand it? Is it a risky strategy to depart from the decades-old musical traditions of DC and Marvel heroes?

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Batman (Complete) - Danny Elfman

Situs Soundtrack Express me-review Batman complete tanggal 11 Januari 2011, berikut kutipannya:

Batman by Danny Elfman is one of his finest scores, one of the most well regarded superhero scores and the breakthrough effort that put him well and truly on the map. Therefore, if you don't own it already, shame on you.

I guess if you're equipped with the original album and aren't a die hard Elfman fan, it's not an essential expansion given the rather limited amount of truly unreleased material, but for everyone else, yeah, go buy it. Great stuff.

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Batman: (Danny Elfman) - Updated Review, With Additional Album

Situs Filmtracks memperbarui review-nya dengan munculnya soundtrack baru Batman tahun 1989 (Batman: Limited Edition 2 CD set Expanded Archival Edition) dari La-La Land Records. Berikut kutipannya:


...it does bring into question whether the 2010 album is worth its price for fans of the score. In its favor, the additional material is noteworthy, including outstandingly restrained performances of the title theme in "Bat Zone" and "Showdown I." The bonus tracks at the end of the second CD include two alternate versions of the overture, but with only subtle changes. Ironically, the "Joker's Commercial" is the most entertaining (and far better in sound quality). The final track has a hidden recording at the end with the studio crew seemingly drunkenly performing "Beautiful Dreamer" complete with catcalls, testimony to the toll that long days of recording must take on peoples' sanity. 

On the other hand, the La-La Land product really didn't live up to the hype that it initially generated because of its sound quality issues.

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Batman & Batman Returns Limited Edition

Pada tanggal 15 Juli 2010 yang lalu, La-la Land Records mengumumkan akan merilis Batman (1989) Limited Edition: 2 CD set (Expanded Archival Collection) pada tanggal 21 Juli di acara Comic Con di San Diego, Amerika. Harganya US$ 29.98 dan dibuat hanya lima ribu kopi. Bagi yang tidak hadir di acara tersebut, La-la Land akan mulai menjualnya secara on-line tanggal 27 Juli 2010. Berikut ini pengumuman lengkapnya:


As part of our Expanded Archival Collection, La-La Land Records presents the World premiere release of the film version of Danny Elfman’s acclaimed original score to the 1989 Warner Bros. blockbuster BATMAN, starring Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger and directed by Tim Burton. With a running time of 144 minutes, this 2-CD SET, produced by Dan Goldwasser, Neil S. Bulk and MV Gerhard, and remastered by James Nelson, features the previously unreleased film version (mix/edit) of Mr. Elfman’s score, as well as a remastered presentation of the 1989 soundtrack album and never-before-released Bonus Tracks. 20 Page CD Booklet features in-depth liner notes by Jeff Bond. Limited Edition of 5000 Units

ABOUT THIS RELEASE: In order to present as much music as possible from Batman in the best possible quality, multiple sources were utilized with the best-quality elements selected for each cue on an individual basis. For disc one and the bonus cues on disc two, three sources were used: Eric Tomlinson’s 35mm 4-track mixes, 1/4 inch stereo mixes and a stereo 35mm music only track. The album cues on disc two were sourced from the original digital album master featuring Shawn Murphy’s stereo album mix.

TRACK LISTING:
Disc One: Original Score (film version)
1. Main Title* (2:42)
2. Family*/First Batman*/Roof Fight* (3:24)
3. Jack Vs. Eckhardt* (1:37)
4. Up Building*/Card Snap* (1:54)
5. Bat Zone*/Axis Set-Up* (1:55)
6. Shootout* (5:42)
7. Dinner Transition*/Kitchen Dinner* (**)/Surgery* (3:00)
8. Face–Off* (**)/Beddy Bye* (3:59)
9. Roasted Dude* (1:03)
10. Vicki Spies (Flowers)* (1:56)
11. Clown Attack* (1:59)
12. Photos*/Beautiful Dreamer* (***) (2:30)
13. Men At Work* (0:33)
14. Paper Spin*/Alicia’s Mask* (0:30)
15. Vicki Gets A Gift* (1:13)
16. Alicia’s Unmasking* (1:10)
17. Batman To The Rescue*/Batmobile Charge*/Street Fight* (4:25)
18. Descent Into Mystery* (1:33)
19. Bat Cave*/Paper Throw* (2:48)
20. The Joker’s Poem* (0:59)
21. Sad Pictures* (0:38)
22. Dream*/Challenge*/Tender Bat Cave* (**) (4:28)
23. Charge Of The Batmobile* (1:43)
24. Joker Flies To Gotham (Unused)*/Batwing I* (0:31)
25. Batwing II*/Batwing III* (6:02)
26. Cathedral Chase* (5:07)
27. Waltz To The Death* (3:58)
28. Showdown I*/Showdown II* (5:05)
29. Finale* (**) (1:47)
30. End Credits* (1:29)
Disc One Total Time: 75:40
Disc Two: Original Soundtrack Album (remastered)
1. The Batman Theme (2:37) 
2. Roof Fight (1:22) 
3. First Confrontation (4:43) 
4. Kitchen/Surgery/Face–Off** (3:09)
5. Flowers (1:51) 
6. Clown Attack (1:46) 
7. Batman To The Rescue (3:57) 
8. Roasted Dude (1:02) 
9. Photos/Beautiful Dreamer*** (2:31)
10. Descent Into Mystery (1:33)
11. The Bat Cave (2:35)
12. The Joker’s Poem (0:59)
13. Childhood Remembered (2:43)
14. Love Theme** (1:30)
15. Charge Of The Batmobile (1:41)
16. Attack Of The Batwing (4:45)
17. Up The Cathedral (5:05)
18. Waltz To The Death (3:56)
19. The Final Confrontation (3:48)
20. Finale (**) (***) (1:46)
21. Batman Theme Reprise (1:31)

Bonus Cues:
22. News Theme* (0:11)
23. Joker’s Commercial* (1:23)
24. Joker’s Muzak (unused)* (1:15)
25. Main Title (alt 1)* (2:42)
26. Photos*/Beautiful Dreamer (alt)* (**) (2:33)
27. Batman To The Rescue (original ending)* (0:52)
28. Charge Of The Batmobile (film edit)* (1:47)
29. Main Title (alt 2)* (2:47)

Disc Two Total Time: 68:20
Total Running Time: 144:00

* Previously unreleased
** includes “Scandalous” composed by Prince with John L. Nelson
*** includes “Beautiful Dreamer” composed by Stephen Foster

Berikut kutipan dari review pertama terhadap album ini oleh Daniel Schweiger di situs Film Music Magazine:

There’s something about clowns and circus evil that brings out Danny Elfman’s best, giddy darkness. Combine that with the first non-superhero to most popularly embody all that is good and brooding, and you’ve got a landmark score that wiped away the smirks of Elfman’s detractors, establishing this art rocker as a symphonic composer of the first order. Since he roared out of that Batcave in 1989, Danny Elfman’s powerhouse work has arguably stood as the most influential “comic book” score of the past two decades.

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Selain itu diumumkan pula bahwa La-la Land Records juga sedang memproduksi Batman Returns (1992) Limited Edition tapi kemungkinannya masih beberapa minggu (bulan?) lagi. 

Q&A with composer Jim Dooley

All Things Fangirl mewawancarai Jim Dooley, salah satu composer Remote Control Productions, berikut ini kutipannya.


And there was one moment I remember clearly in high school, it was [during] a short film a friend of mine made, he was throwing a cue ball down the halls of our school to the music from Danny Elfman's score to Batman. And I was like, "This is the greatest music I've ever heard in my life, I've got to find out who this is" and obviously it was Elfman and I was like "Film music? Cool." So I went to the CD rack, saw Batman, and said "What else has this guy done? Pee-Wee's Big Adventure!" and I fell in love. From that day on, I knew it was what I wanted to do. 

I think most composers can pick the film score that brought the art form into consciousness. For me it was Danny Elfman's score to Batman.


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