Bland John WIlliams

[Sea Change]

   Lauren said:

Though, I feel that the reason JW is so well-known happens to 
> be because he is pretty good at what he does.  
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    Sea Change replies:

No argument here.  John Williams *is* good at what he does.  There are two different 
issues here and we are both conflating them to some degree.  The first, is is the music 
good 'movie music' and if it is, is it good for the Harry Potter movies 2 and 3.  The second, 
is the music good as music and stands on it's own, either for personal enjoyment or for 
posterity.

Certainly there's a subjective quality of this that really can't be argued about much.

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Lauren continues:


 When I review a movie's 
> soundtrack, I ask two questions: How well does the music fit and 
> enhance the film? How will does the music stand alone, separate from 
> the film? As to the first question, this soundtrack fits and 
> enhances its film as well as any. The scene-to-scene transitions of 
> the music are never jarring. As to the second question, most 
> soundtracks sound a bit disjointed when heard away from their 
> movies.  I don't think PoA is disjointed as much as GoF is.  I don't 
> enjoy GoF on it's own at all.  It's ok for the movie, sort of flat 
> and empty, but the movie is so good, I barely pay attention.

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Sea Change replies:

The Doyle soundtrack is definitely meant to be 'movie music', that is to say, it doesn't 
really stand on it's own and isn't intended to.  You mention below this that you like 
boisterous, and the Doyle soundtrack almost never is this.  It is meant to unobtrusively 
enhance the sceneone is watching, and so one is not supposed to particularly notice it.  
For me, this was a relief, so I haven't yet made any decisions about whether I like his music 
on it's own or not. I will have to watch the movie 5 more times or so.

This boisterousness in the movies 2 and 3 is precisely what I am not liking about John 
Williams' music.  (Not that I don't like boisterous music, I listen happily to Stone Temple 
Pilots and Pearl Jam).  At issue with me is that it doesn't suit the darkening moods of the 
movies.  The one place in PoA where this shows up the most is in the 'dementors on the 
Hogwarts Express' scene in which the track with Williams' large, loud chords is supressed 
into near inaudibility and the sound effects take center stage.

[snips interesting review of PoA music, which may show that it stands quite fine on it's 
own]

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Lauren adds:

 And for the record, I like Lawrence Welk too.

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Sea Change replies:

Me, I like Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw.  Welk and his music remind me of people I know 
who drink (or use other concious alterations) just a little too much and aren't all that 
interesting without the addition.