A Score To Settle
Brian McVickar
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Top 10 A Score To Settle Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best A Score To Settle episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to A Score To Settle for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite A Score To Settle episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
ASTS 048: Listening To... Music for ”Predator” and ”Prey”
A Score To Settle
09/18/22 • 95 min
Welcome back to the podcast! In this episode, I present and examine the music composed for the PREDATOR film franchise, from the 1987 original through to the latest installment, PREY, released via the streaming service Hulu in August 2022. My goal is to identify the themes, motifs, instrumentation and approach applied by composer Alan Silvestri (BACK TO THE FUTURE, MOUSE HUNT, THE AVENGERS) to PREDATOR (1987) & PREDATOR 2 (1990) and how this symphonic model was subsequently interpreted in the sequels and spin-offs (or not). Later, PREY eschews much of the previous musical language and charts new sonic territory, with a subtle nod to Silvestri. Additional composers represented in this pulse-pounding episode include John Debney, Brian Tyler, Henry Jackman, Harald Kloser and Sarah Schachner.
Title playtime index:
PREDATOR - 00:00:00
PREDATOR 2 - 00:26:25
ALIEN VS PREDATOR - 00:37:10
ALIENS VS PREDATOR: REQUIEM - 00:44:36
PREDATORS - 00:51:52
THE PREDATOR - 1:04:48
PREY - 1:19:23
Stay safe out there, take care of yourself and each other!
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02/10/23 • 85 min
Happy New Year to all listeners out there and welcome to the first new episode of 2023! In this inaugural episode of the new year, I am accompanied by popular soundtrack album producer and editor Neil S. Bulk, in what has become a perennial, (hopefully) entertaining and often “inside baseball” type of discussion. Neil and I recap his standout projects from the prior year, 2022, for the venerable soundtrack record labels La La Land Records, Quartet Records and Varese Sarabande. As always, I appreciate when Neil can spend time to relay the details and experiences on these albums!
Below are the films and composers represented here, with time index for helpful reference:
FIRST BLOOD (1982), RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II (1985), RAMBO III (1988) (Jerry Goldsmith) - 00:00:00
MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS (1971) (John Barry) - 00:15:39
CHAPLIN (1992) (John Barry) - 00:19:10
DR SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (2000) (James Horner) - 00:26:09
TOMORROW NEVER DIES (1997) (David Arnold) - 00:33:43
THE GODFATHER (1972) (Nino Rota) - 00:44:54
PRESUMED INNOCENT (1990) (John Williams) - 00:55:00
DEATH BECOMES HER (1992) (Alan Silvestri) - 1:01:02
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997) (Jerry Goldsmith) - 1:08:09
THE BURBS (1989) (Jerry Goldsmith) - 1:15:50
Stay safe out there, take care of yourself and each other!
Albums discussed now available at:
https://www.quartetrecords.com/
https://www.varesesarabande.com/
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ASTS 053: TV Goes To The Movies - ”The Transformers”
A Score To Settle
08/10/23 • 67 min
Hello and welcome back to the podcast! In this episode, prepare to be transformed as I continue my mini-series entitled “TV Goes To The Movies” and now explore the music for THE TRANSFORMERS franchise. As before, my focus is musically what was or was not carried over from the television episodes of a particular series to its respective theatrical feature, such as the main TV theme or scoring style.
During its near 40 year history, from the original 1984 syndicated cartoon series, to the animated and live action movies, the Japanese-only series and more, music for the THE TRANSFORMERS has been remarkably varied. The vocal and score tracks have often reflected current or trendy musical approaches, leading to elements of lush symphonic strains, synth pop, hard rock and jazzy funk all being heard in various incarnations. Now, hold on to your crankshafts and let's transform and roll out!
Title playtime index:
Intro - 00:00:00
THE TRANSFORMERS (US, 1984 cartoon series, theme by Anne Bryant & Ford Kinder, score by Johnny Douglas and Robert J. Walsh) - 00:06:17
TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE (US, 1986 animated theatrical film, songs by Stan Bush, Lion & Spectre General, score by Vince DiCola) - 00:16:45
THE TRANSFORMERS: HEADMASTERS (1987), TRANSFORMERS: SUPER-GOD MASTERFORCE (1988) and TRANSFORMERS: VICTORY (1989) (Japan, songs & score by Ishida Katsunori, Toshiya Igarashi, Michiaki Watanabe) - 00:31:45
TRANSFORMERS (2007), TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON (2011), BUMBLEBEE (2018) and TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS (2023) (US, live action theatrical films, song "What I've Done" by Linkin Park, scores by Steve Jablonsky, Dario Marianelli and Jongnic Bontemps) - 00:38:18*
*This segment also contains an excerpt from BATMAN BEGINS (2005), composed by Hans Zimmer and James Newtown Howard
Additional tracks heard but not referenced -
"Calling You", Theme from TRANSFORMERS: SUPERLINK (Japan, 2004), by Takayoshi Tanimoto
"Time Limit", from TRANSFORMERS: LEGEND OF THE MICRONS (Japan, 2002), composed by Hayato Matsuo
Stay safe out there, take care of yourself and each other!
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ASTS 026: Listening To... Elliot Goldenthal
A Score To Settle
06/15/19 • 82 min
Hello and welcome back to the podcast! In this new installment of my "Listening To.." series, I am centered on composer Elliot Goldenthal, one of my favorite film composers of the modern era. You might not immediately recognize his name, but Elliot Goldenthal has contributed music to some of the most notable and popular movies of the last few decades. This includes such diverse titles as ALIEN 3 (1992), INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE (1994), HEAT (1995), BATMAN FOREVER (1995), MICHAEL COLLINS (1996) and FRIDA (2002), the latter garnering him the Academy Award for Best Original Score. He showcases an eclectic style and approach ranging from large-scale orchestral music to choral pieces, to jazz, swing and rock, ethnic instrumentation and from very tonal and melodic music to very dissonant and challenging tonalities.
Goldenthal has emerged as a major influential voice in the art form since the 1990's, contributing brilliant and powerful music not only to movies but also live theater, stage musicals and the concert world, the latter in the form of operas, symphonies, ballets and oratorios. In fact, he could be considered primarily a concert composer for whom film is just one slice of his musical pie, so to speak. My primary focus in this episode will be on his incredible score for 1999's TITUS, a film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play, as directed by Julie Taymor.
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04/24/22 • 98 min
Hello again and welcome back to the podcast! In this somewhat "super-sized" installment of my multi-part trek through the music of Science Fiction cinema, I attempt to close out the decade of the 1980's. The previous installment in this series focused on titles from the years 1980-82. Here, I cover the remaining years of the decade with examples of the competing and sometimes collaborative film music trends - pop & electronic and orchestral.
The 80’s were a peak time of musical surprises, somewhat akin to the 1960’s when we heard a mix of traditional orchestral scores, jazz, pop & rock-based colors as well as avant garde music derived from concert techniques. Following its revival, the large scale orchestral approach continued reigning over much of cinematic Science Fiction, now bolstered by electronic and choral elements. Parallel to this were the experiments in synth and pop styles, connecting the genre to present day (for the time) musical trends. To help identify these unique sonic qualities, I'll sample music from TERMINATOR (Brad Fiedel), 2010 (David Shire), ENEMY MINE (Maurice Jarre), KRULL (James Horner), SPACEHUNTER: ADVENTURES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE (Elmer Bernstein) and THE ABYSS (Alan Silvestri), amid more!
*Correction - During this episode, I mistakenly attributed the theme song for the TV series "Cheers" to composer Craig Safan. In fact, while Safan provided the series bumpers and underscore cues, the theme was composed by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo.
Stay safe out there, take care of yourself and each other!
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ASTS 052: TV Goes To The Movies - ”The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”
A Score To Settle
05/21/23 • 82 min
Welcome all to the podcast! In this episode, I continue my mini-series entitled "TV Goes To The Movies", a topic in which I intend to explore TV shows that migrated over to the big screen. As expected, my focus is musically what was or was not carried over from the television episodes of a particular series to its respective theatrical feature, such as the main TV theme.
This time I open Channel D to examine "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." - a popular spy series which aired on NBC from 1964-1968. Its musical template was initially set by legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith, while still early in his career, and subsequently experienced many unexpected tonal shifts. Afterwards I discuss the eight "Man From U.N.C.L.E." "movies", each built from 2-part TV episodes and primarily released theatrically internationally, and lastly wrap up with the 2015 feature film, directed by Guy Ritchie, starring Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer, with music composed by Daniel Pemberton.
Title playtime index:
Intro - 00:00:00
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. Theme (Concert Version) (Jerry Goldsmith) - 00:03:59
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. Theme (Season One broadcast version) (Jerry Goldsmith) - 00:06:15
Early Jerry Goldsmith TV & Film works - DR KILDARE (TV, 1961), CITY OF FEAR (Film, 1959), THE PRIZE (Film, 1963) - 00:07:10
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (TV, Season One) (Jerry Goldsmith, Morton Stevens, Lalo Schifrin) - 00:15:50
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (TV, Season Two) (Gerald Fried, Robert Drasnin) - 00:28:28
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (TV, Season Three) (Gerald Fried, Robert Drasnin, Nelson Riddle) - 00:39:11
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (TV, Season Four) (Richard Shores) - 00:50:40
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. "movies" (released theatrically internationally) (Gerald Fried) - 00:56:22
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (Film, 2015) (Daniel Pemberton) - 01:02:49
Stay safe out there, take care of yourself and each other!
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06/06/21 • 69 min
Beginning with this episode (the 40th!) of the podcast, I plan to present a multi-part analysis into a specific cinematic genre, that being the music of science fiction through the years. The 1950's is often considered the initial Golden Age of Science Fiction, when the genre showcased its own distinctiveness onscreen and gained notoriety in part due to films such as THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951), CONQUEST OF SPACE (1955) and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956). Music from this decade's theatrical entries is where my listening journey starts, including selections composed by Bernard Herrmann, Leith Stevens, Herman Stein and Nathan Van Cleave.
Of course, this isn’t meant to be an exhaustive or definitive overview in any sense of the word, consisting instead of my own observations of how music for science fiction movies, those involving outer space, invading aliens and time travel, developed its own personality and evolved over time. With luck, my reach won't exceed my grasp and I will endeavor to produce an episode for each decade at least up until the 1990's. As a teaser, I've created a special suite of musical selections from various Sci-Fi film scores from the 50's to the 90's.
Stay safe out there, take care of yourself and each other!
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ASTS 039: Composer Benji Merrison ("SAS: Red Notice")
A Score To Settle
05/02/21 • 29 min
Hello again, everyone! On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by the brilliantly skilled composer Benji Merrison. Benji is based in London and has provided music across a wide spectrum of media, from TV to film, documentaries and art installations. His background includes both formal music schooling as well as music production and engineering. Some of Benji Merrison's previous projects include TV series for BBC 1 such as FORCES OF NATURE, DYNASTIES and GREEN PLANET. Today, I have welcomed him to my podcast to talk about his latest feature film score, for the action thriller SAS: RED NOTICE, directed by Magnus Martens. The soundtrack for SAS: RED NOTICE is available from Lakeshore Records.
Stay safe out there, wear a mask and take care of yourself and each other!
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ASTS 038: Composer Matthew Head ("Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia")
A Score To Settle
04/11/21 • 29 min
Welcome back to the podcast! Marvelously proficient composer, arranger and songwriter Matthew Head joins me on this episode to discuss his background and diverse career. Matthew's soundtracks have garnered Grammy, Emmy, Peabody and NAACP awards and nominations, all while working from his home in Marietta, Georgia. His notable projects include TV series such as GREENLEAF (on OWN), Boomerang (on BET), THE FAMILY and P-VALLEY. Here I talk with Matthew about composing and arranging score and songs for the new Lifetime feature, ROBIN ROBERTS PRESENTS: MAHALIA, which details the life of gospel music legend Mahalia Jackson, starring Danielle Brooks and directed by Kenny Leon.
The soundtrack for ROBIN ROBERTS PRESENTS: MAHALIA, produced by Matthew Head, including both score and songs with performances by Danielle Brooks, is available from ABKCO Music & Records.
Stay safe out there, wear a mask and take care of yourself and each other!
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ASTS 027: Now Playing... The World of Hans Zimmer, Quinn Martin Collection Vol. 1, "Robocop 2"
A Score To Settle
07/14/19 • 67 min
Hello all, I am back with the next new episode of the podcast! In this installment, I cover a new concert recording and previously unreleased and expanded albums. First, I explore music featured on the new 2-CD "The World of Hans Zimmer: A Symphonic Celebration", a live concert performance recorded in 2018 at the Hollywood In Vienna festival honoring Mr. Zimmer.
Next up is previously unreleased TV music from the 1970's on "The Quinn Martin Collection Vol. 1: Cop and Detective Series" (featuring legendary composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, Lalo Schifrin and Dave Grusin) and lastly, I focus on the expanded limited edition of Leonard Rosenman's unique score for ROBOCOP 2 (1990). The latter two albums are available from La La Land Records and Varese Sarabande, respectively.
La La Land Records - https://lalalandrecords.com/
Varese Sarabande - https://www.varesesarabande.com/
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FAQ
How many episodes does A Score To Settle have?
A Score To Settle currently has 55 episodes available.
What topics does A Score To Settle cover?
The podcast is about Podcasts, Music Commentary, Tv & Film and Music.
What is the most popular episode on A Score To Settle?
The episode title 'ASTS 039: Composer Benji Merrison ("SAS: Red Notice")' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on A Score To Settle?
The average episode length on A Score To Settle is 70 minutes.
How often are episodes of A Score To Settle released?
Episodes of A Score To Settle are typically released every 28 days, 2 hours.
When was the first episode of A Score To Settle?
The first episode of A Score To Settle was released on Nov 27, 2017.
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