|
|
Post by Val the Pro on Jun 10, 2004 10:05:57 GMT 10
Watching old cartoons with my 4 year old the other night was struck by the great music for cartoons pre 1970s - creative, inspirational and so well performed. What it is with all this new crap with kids cartoons these days, so much revolting formulaic bullshit that passes for music and worse, wins awards. Sounds like I'm turning into my old man. But he's right! Bugs Bunny and DOnald Duck had better music than anything coming out of those factories today - the Lion King sucks, while Sylvester rocks.
|
|
|
|
Post by isaacs on Jun 10, 2004 11:55:49 GMT 10
The old cartoon music is amazing, it's extremely intricate and so well performed as you say. It was basically sight-read in the studio too, incredible, the level of sight-reading ability by Hollywood studio musicians in the golden days has probably never been surpassed. In general pre-1980 TV music was on a far higher level than now. Great and memorable themes beautifully arranged for large ensemble were the norm. Even our dreadful Number 96 had a cool, jazzy theme with vibes and horns. One of the best TV music other than cartoons was the brilliant orchestral music (yes orchestral) for Lost in Space composed by none other than John Williams (the film composer not the guitarist). For the last 25 years much TV music has been generic and boring, cranked out by horrible synth sounds. Basically it was taken away from real composers/arrangers and given to ex-3 chord rock guitarists and their home MIDI studios who could undercut the real composers by not hiring musicans or booking studios. There are exceptions but this was the general trend (an exception is my friend Jeff Beal who I am going to hook up with in LA in a few weeks - he is a great jazz and classical trumpeter working in TV and film and he writes some tasty stuff for Monk and did the feature film Pollock). Same with jingles, which were never great but more interesting than now. Basically arranging is close to a lost art in commercial music, replaced by "tracking" and MIDI layers. I used to write TV music (from 1984-92) but am glad to be out of it, I got the tail end of the good days and got to be in the studio conducting real musicians in ensembles up to 45 piece, never did a demo of anything, strings etc but that's all changed now, it's all MIDI and demos. I'm glad I'm out of it but appreciate when the royalty cheques save my debt-ridden ass. There's still some opportunity to do good things in feature films but this too is fraught, the good ones are rare.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dr Suess on Jun 10, 2004 13:46:17 GMT 10
The music on the old Dr Suess cartoons is very cool too. Green Eggs and Ham etc.
|
|
|
|
Post by VHB on Jun 11, 2004 1:27:50 GMT 10
Well ok, a lot of music on kids shows is crapola but there is some good stuff out there too, I know this because I hear it some times, through my two nieces under 5 and one cool 7 year old nephew: but it is the exception rather than the general rule. Yet, some TV music is still great, and certainly Hollywood and Bollywood produce some exceptional soundtracks. Coen Brothers anyone? Wowser!
The variety and quality of the music on the Sopranos is, I think, superb although little of it is commissioned I suspect. I haven't checked the credits.
But as a kid, I remember quite clearly, lying in bed late at night listening to the TV, Crawford productions etc. theme tunes, Alan Deak (Buci) and Graham Lyle on IMT and Don Lane - those great musicians were, and many still are here, thank goodness, so fantastic. and continue to be.
But I disagree with you Mark, Number 96 was hip man! It was decades ahead of it's time in terms of gender and diversity. Abigail, with that amazing chest, and the 'straight acting' acting gay character whose name I have forgotten. The ethnic minorities for goodness sake. The theme music was bordering on MJQ only a billion times more interesting in my opinion, almost. I can sing the melody to anyone who cares to ask.
My all time FAVOURITE TV theme has got to be the later version of the theme from the Perry Mason show. I have been trying to convince Mr Chindamo to record a version for a few years now, but have so far failed.
Maybe I can talk the Bennetts Lane Big Band into covering it: kind of Charles Ives meets Mingus. Somebody, somewhere please do a version now before Kylie gets it and samples 10 seconds of it. Yeah, I know her bum is great, but it can't arrange tunes like that, but then who knows maybe her producer watches re- runs on Foxtel.
|
|
|
|
Post by isaacs on Jun 11, 2004 7:44:38 GMT 10
All right Vicki, I confess, I loved Number 96 at the time. I was about 15 or 16 and got hooked on the soap. And yes it was ahead of its time. It was the first sympathetic portrayal of a gay character - the actor was Joe Hasham. In one sense it was pushing the envelope in its content, but in the other sense it was just exploiatative in its salaciousness, but hey I'm no prude.
|
|
|
|
Post by NMF on Jun 21, 2004 1:17:19 GMT 10
Salacious is hip these days again, Mr I. Hubbah Hubbah.
|
|
