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A complete change of topic: music
I enjoy music, and my tastes are wide and varied. I especially love soundtracks, both anime and conventional. Two or three times in my blog I've mentioned my love for the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks, and that's what I feel like discussing today.
But first, please note that aside from 4 years or so of piano lessons when I was in elementary school, I know nothing about music except what I like and don't like. I took the art track in school, I've never been in a band, and thus far my karaoke voice isn't very good. I do, however, listen to music all day every day as I work. If I love a song, I can listen to it on infinite loop and be perfectly happy, and I've made myself hoarse just from humming along with my instrumental CDs. Believe me when I say that takes some serious effort!
So!! Allow me to give my observations on my beloved PotC CDs.
But first, please note that aside from 4 years or so of piano lessons when I was in elementary school, I know nothing about music except what I like and don't like. I took the art track in school, I've never been in a band, and thus far my karaoke voice isn't very good. I do, however, listen to music all day every day as I work. If I love a song, I can listen to it on infinite loop and be perfectly happy, and I've made myself hoarse just from humming along with my instrumental CDs. Believe me when I say that takes some serious effort!
So!! Allow me to give my observations on my beloved PotC CDs.
First up, movie1, Curse of the Black Pearl. Music composed by Mr. Klaus Badelt. This CD established the main Pirates movie refrain, which is the melody we hear when Captain Sparrow makes his intro appearance on his sinking little ship. My only regret about this soundtrack is that it's so short, only 45 minutes long. T.T I've memorized the entire thing, and yet it still manages to give me goosebumps. The powerful and lilting Pirates refrain is a theme of beauty. I fully believed this CD would reign supreme as my all-time fave until...
Movie 2, Dead Man's Chest. Music composed by the uber-famous Mr. Hans Zimmer. Oh my. How can I describe my love for this CD? Mr. Zimmer does use the CotBP Pirates movie theme in his version, but he expands upon it, deepens it, and adds his own signature Pirates refrain, which you can really hear when the Kraken is wrecking that one ship. This CD is amazingly fast-paced, and I love it because it really gets my energy level up and my heart pumping. As with the first movie's, I have DMC memorized. I admit I was surpsried to see a new composer for the 2nd movie, but Kiokonai tells me that Mr. Zimmer was Mr. Badelt's teacher at some point, so it's understandable why he might take over. I'm glad he uses his protege's(?) melody, though I do believe Mr. Zimmer does a better job with it. When I need an energy boost and really need to perk up, this is one of two CDs I play. (The other being the first Naruto themes CD.) Interestingly, aside from the shortness of CotBP's CD, I didn't notice anything else lacking until I compared it to DMC's CD. Now the first one is...thin. Or something. Still good, mind, but thin. Moving on!
Movie 3, At World's End, music composed again by the uber-famous Mr. Hans Zimmer. I like this CD, but not as much as DMC. It's quieter, and not as gripping and epic as DMC. AWE will be good when I need calming music, or want something to match a softer mood. It also has quite a bit of choir harmonizing, which I don't really remember hearing in CotBP and DMC. Mr. Zimmer has also added the intruiging inclusion of an electric guitar. I rather enjoy electric guitars, so this pleases me. ^^ Mr. Zimmer did develop a third Pirates movie refrain, based on the song you hear that little boy singing when he's on his way to be hanged. O.o As with DMC, the previous movies' themes are worked into the new soundtrack. I do enjoy hearing all three refrains together. It's nice. ^^ I've only been listening to this CD for the past few hours, so I don't have it memorized just yet. Give me a couple of months. ^^V
I admit, I'm in awe of Mr. Zimmer and those like him. How does one person write music for 20 different instruments in a full orchestra and make it into real music, not a mindless cacophony of noise?? I was squeeing about my admiration for Mr. Zimmer's DMC music to L-chan and her hubby some months back, who exchanged a Knowing Look that still irritates me when I remember it. Both of them are semi-professional jazz musicians, and they told me that the movie music guys don't really write music, they just use sound recordings and mush them together electronically to make a finished piece. But. Even if they aren't scribbling away with a pencil stub on sheets of parchment for each individual instrument, working by candlelight into the wee hours of the morning because of their dedication to the art of music, it takes a special kind of skill to produce what I'm hearing. Not just anyone can do this, I don't care how fancy and developed music software might be. This takes skill, and I'm very glad that Mr. Zimmer, Mr. Williams, and Kanno-san--my three soundtrack faves--all decided to go into movie music. Their work inspires me, lifts me up, gives me goosebumps, and makes me happy. They have my utmost thanks and respect.
Movie 2, Dead Man's Chest. Music composed by the uber-famous Mr. Hans Zimmer. Oh my. How can I describe my love for this CD? Mr. Zimmer does use the CotBP Pirates movie theme in his version, but he expands upon it, deepens it, and adds his own signature Pirates refrain, which you can really hear when the Kraken is wrecking that one ship. This CD is amazingly fast-paced, and I love it because it really gets my energy level up and my heart pumping. As with the first movie's, I have DMC memorized. I admit I was surpsried to see a new composer for the 2nd movie, but Kiokonai tells me that Mr. Zimmer was Mr. Badelt's teacher at some point, so it's understandable why he might take over. I'm glad he uses his protege's(?) melody, though I do believe Mr. Zimmer does a better job with it. When I need an energy boost and really need to perk up, this is one of two CDs I play. (The other being the first Naruto themes CD.) Interestingly, aside from the shortness of CotBP's CD, I didn't notice anything else lacking until I compared it to DMC's CD. Now the first one is...thin. Or something. Still good, mind, but thin. Moving on!
Movie 3, At World's End, music composed again by the uber-famous Mr. Hans Zimmer. I like this CD, but not as much as DMC. It's quieter, and not as gripping and epic as DMC. AWE will be good when I need calming music, or want something to match a softer mood. It also has quite a bit of choir harmonizing, which I don't really remember hearing in CotBP and DMC. Mr. Zimmer has also added the intruiging inclusion of an electric guitar. I rather enjoy electric guitars, so this pleases me. ^^ Mr. Zimmer did develop a third Pirates movie refrain, based on the song you hear that little boy singing when he's on his way to be hanged. O.o As with DMC, the previous movies' themes are worked into the new soundtrack. I do enjoy hearing all three refrains together. It's nice. ^^ I've only been listening to this CD for the past few hours, so I don't have it memorized just yet. Give me a couple of months. ^^V
I admit, I'm in awe of Mr. Zimmer and those like him. How does one person write music for 20 different instruments in a full orchestra and make it into real music, not a mindless cacophony of noise?? I was squeeing about my admiration for Mr. Zimmer's DMC music to L-chan and her hubby some months back, who exchanged a Knowing Look that still irritates me when I remember it. Both of them are semi-professional jazz musicians, and they told me that the movie music guys don't really write music, they just use sound recordings and mush them together electronically to make a finished piece. But. Even if they aren't scribbling away with a pencil stub on sheets of parchment for each individual instrument, working by candlelight into the wee hours of the morning because of their dedication to the art of music, it takes a special kind of skill to produce what I'm hearing. Not just anyone can do this, I don't care how fancy and developed music software might be. This takes skill, and I'm very glad that Mr. Zimmer, Mr. Williams, and Kanno-san--my three soundtrack faves--all decided to go into movie music. Their work inspires me, lifts me up, gives me goosebumps, and makes me happy. They have my utmost thanks and respect.
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