Morricone or Vangelis
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Forum Name: General Music Discussions
Forum Description: Discuss and create polls about all types of music
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=89631
Printed Date: April 23 2024 at 18:44
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Topic: Morricone or Vangelis
Posted By: Logan
Subject: Morricone or Vangelis
Date Posted: September 17 2012 at 14:04
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I've been thinking about doing a little soundtrack composers series of polls, and this is the first of them. I've long loved Vangelis' music, and Ennio Morricone has become a particular favourite of mine for his (huge discography) 60's through 1970s work. I've been so into Morricone over the last couple of years that my choice is easy, and I still have so much to discover that I'll be getting his albums for years to come.. Some tracks of both from the late 60s through 70s (not trying to be really representative -- just some stuff I like, and please do share your favourites by both). Ennio Morricone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv-pdL8J-jY" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv-pdL8J-jY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDyVsg-WEH0" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDyVsg-WEH0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL-X53ze5O0" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL-X53ze5O0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5jElkp3IHs" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5jElkp3IHs Vangelis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECPgkv7_QB0" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECPgkv7_QB0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8qo575Ypww" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8qo575Ypww http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwAop6MVxa4" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwAop6MVxa4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3nzbYFZ1yw" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3nzbYFZ1yw EDIT: Though I wanted to easily share more of some of my favourites (and choosing only seven per artist just from the late 60s through 70s was already really tough, and then there's later material I love) in the interests of making this topic more accessible to those without broadband, I have only embedded three each. I hope that helps page-load. Hopefully more people will now join in the discussion. I do want a media rich thread though, so I really do hope people embed themselves, which makes it more of a shared musical experience (I like it when we're listening to each-other's favourites and maybe discovering something new). Much Later EDIT to fix embeds as they won't work the way they used t, but messed up on two so not sure which third tracks I chose before -- probably the same Vangelis as I really love that one, but I would have chosen more variety with Morricone. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Replies:
Posted By: thellama73
Date Posted: September 17 2012 at 14:09
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Interesting poll. I'll go with Morricone. Vangelis has his moments but relies too heavily on synths that now sound pretty dated and cheesy. Is it necessary to have 15 videos in your post? My internet connection here is less than stellar and it's a serious pain to load this page. ------------- 
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 17 2012 at 14:18
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I have broadband, and have forever, so I sometimes forget that it may be difficult for some to load the page. Well, I didn't forget this time, truth be told. I meant to do only 14.
------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: September 17 2012 at 14:41
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Posted By: The T
Date Posted: September 17 2012 at 14:56
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Morricone. Vangelis sounds too generic at times. Morricone never does. ------------- 
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Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: September 17 2012 at 14:58
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Morricone ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 18 2012 at 12:40
I agree, and I think Morricone much more versatile and sophisticated. I do love lots of music by both, though. What gets me with Morricone is how incredibly prolific he was, yet he has such quality to his compositions and arrangements. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I am somewhat surprised, though to see Morricone with twice as many votes (yes, only six people have voted, so it's not that amazing) since Vangelis gets way more discussion at this site. And one day I do plan to push for Morricone in Prog Related (though I think he could fit RPI, I know they have qualms about opening the door to lots of soundtrack composers). I started with Morricone's "spaghetti western" work many years ago with Sergio Leone, which I think brilliant: And then fell in love with the Mission and it's soundtrack. It wasn't until relatively recently, thanks to a poster here, that I started to explore his in-between work, which just took over my listening habits to a significant extent (and then started exploring other Itlalian soundtrack composers). As for Vangelis, Richard, I like those too. I'ma little more into his 70s stuff, but for a time that was mostly the kind of music I listened to. I had a Best of Themes Vangelis CD (guess it's still around), and this was one of my favourite: I agree with theLlama though that a lot of music has dated and now sounds rather cheesy due to the synths (but since that kind of synth music was at one time my particular thing, I still have a place in my heart for it). Some of Vangelis' pop is pretty intolerable for me 9espeically if it gets AORish), whereas I love lots of Morricone poppy music with Edda dell'Orso, but that Morricone music is quirkier or more beautiful to me. Both have been quite experimental, but I think Morricone has experimented with a more diversr palette of music more consistently (he has great knowledge of music and could play with lots of styles to create different moods for soundtracks that offer interesting juxtapositions on the OSTs). EDIT to fix embeds (I used to do it in a way that is no longer supported by the software, whereas others did it a way that still is). ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
The T wrote:Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: September 18 2012 at 14:59
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^ Vangelis has recently claimed that he has composed hundreds of classical works that the record companies refuse to release and feels somewhat imprisonsed now within a preconceived idea of what his music is meant to be (not his exact words but the interview can be found on a recent Vangelis thread in this forum) .He is therefore suggesting we only see a small part of his output which is chosen for releae based on commercial and not artistic considerations.
I don't know about 'Cheesey and Dated' though. Most seventies prog could be described thus and Albedo and Heaven and Hell are very much of the seventies (and I love that they are
 ). Recent more 'studious' works such as El Greco and Mythodea perhaps truly demonstrate what a great composer Vangelis is |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 18 2012 at 15:18
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^ I think sometimes, to be glib, for the classic-oriented progger, most everything not of the 70s sounds dated (or at least certain 70s music is more likely to be described as timeless despite being very much of its time). Very good post, by the way -- food for thought and another reason to delve more into his music. I have heard some of his more "studious" works, and know that he can be a great "art music" composer, and has delved into many styles. That's very interesting what Vangelis has said, and he has been overly stereotyped by some. The clash of industry vs. art goes on. I'll look for the interview. Thanks.
------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: September 18 2012 at 16:00
I will have to think about this as both of these men have churned out quite a number of riveting soundtracks and albums. I love early Vangelis - a lot of the stuff that's been posted actually, but then again Morricone is very close to being my absolute favourite soundtrack composer. What a pickle...
What a pickle... ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: thellama73
Date Posted: September 18 2012 at 21:02
Oh, we were supposed to get pickles! -------------
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 19 2012 at 23:47
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Wanted to post another vid as I had wished I'd combined track 2 of Milano Odia... with the track from that vid I posted earlier, but as I didn't, did tracks 2 and 3 from it instead. I love it, and will post it on the off-chance that someone else will discover it and like it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMZQgUx2ptw" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMZQgUx2ptw That's been one of my most listened to albums . I guess Cosa Avete Fatto a Solange? has been my most listened to Morricone album over the past six months. He's so prolific that I still feel that I have only skimmed the surface of his music. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Raccoon
Date Posted: September 20 2012 at 00:46
Well, to be honest I've never heard of Morricone, but I love Vangelis! But I won't vote for the sake of an open mind  any recommendations for my first Morricone album?Sidenote: I mostly enjoy the calmness of El Greco, so if you could give me some Morricone in that type of direction, that'd be great! ------------- Check out my FREE album: A one-man project The Distant Dynasty |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 20 2012 at 13:04
Ennio Morricone has scored a huge number of films, and I bet you've heard music of his. Morricone has a lot of calm themes, but not much in the way of albums that I know and would compare to Vangelis' El Greco. I've watched a lot of films with Morricone's more modern music that might compare to that album, but I tend to explore different albums of his from an earlier period that I don't think would relate so well. Vangelis 'El Grecois not really my bag (I like the rather more experimental or dynamic Vangelis works. An album that you might enjoy by Morricone is Le Professional (1982): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUyjYC_Pv90" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUyjYC_Pv90 Even if it's not like El Greco, I feel like suggesting the Mission to you (watch the film if you haven't). [tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5qlWLXbfL4[/url] Incidentally, Morricone did a soundtrack to a 1964 film called El Greco. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGXPTEoUjh4" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGXPTEoUjh4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cL4VGD3_OQ" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cL4VGD3_OQ Quite brilliant, I think. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: September 20 2012 at 14:50
| Just ordered the soon to be released 5 CD box set of Morricone's Greatest Movie Themes. Seems a good place to start (Amazon does state its for the 'casual fan' which would be me I guess) |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 20 2012 at 15:51
Of course I'm more than a casual fan, but I'd like to have this 15 CD boxset: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Edition-Ennio-Morricone/dp/B001KXHSCO" rel="nofollow - http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Edition-Ennio-Morricone/dp/B001KXHSCO Seems a little misnamed as it could hardly be complete -- not by an amazingly long shot (but I don't know much about it). For a casual fan a compilation is a good idea, but have to be really careful with the compilation. Different compilations cover different styles/ and or periods from him, and many don't use the original soundtracks. I was looking to see what 5 CD box set at amazon would be, and didn't search hard, so i don't know (didn't find one under that name with a quick google search), but I did find an older 5 CD box set from 2007 http://www.amazon.com/Ennio-Morricone-The-Soundtracks-Box/dp/B000N4S9LA" rel="nofollow - http://www.amazon.com/Ennio-Morricone-The-Soundtracks-Box/dp/B000N4S9LA which states:
There are so many compilations of that ilk that one has to be very careful. I have been burned a number of times, I can blame my own carelessness, with buying soundtracks that turned out not to be the version I expected (not the OSTs). I once bought a Vangelis album which turned out to be someone else making what sounded close to midi files of his music (the kind of crap one often finds in karaoke versions of music). ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: September 20 2012 at 18:02
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I'd vote for Vangelis if he wasn't up against Morricone. I've got more albums by the latter than any other artist. But none of the Morricone soundtracks I got are recorded later than 77 or 78, and they're not among my favorites. Everything I've heard made post 70's has at best been solid craftmanship, and worthless generic crap at worst. Is there any title from the last 35 years that's great enough to actually reccomended?
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 20 2012 at 18:37
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I actually down't own a single Morricone album from later than 1977. Il Gatto is his most recent I own, I believe (not a fave) -- got a few more from that year. And I have only a few past 1975 1972 is the year I have the most releases of his from. That said, this is supposed to be from a 1985 TV series, and sounds good, buit then it sounds like an older Morricone theme to me (sounds like pretty classic Morricone and may have not been originally composed for the series). I once loved his the Mission soundtrack, though now it rather bores me. Still, there are people who would really like even his most shmaltzy of works, and so worth recommending to some. I felt kind of bad mentioning The Professional, but it seemed something that some Vangelis fans might like. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: September 21 2012 at 01:57
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ennio-Morricone-Greatest-Movie-Hits/dp/B008L69IRQ/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1348210401&sr=1-6" rel="nofollow - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ennio-Morricone-Greatest-Movie-Hits/dp/B008L69IRQ/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1348210401&sr=1-6
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 21 2012 at 12:51
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Well, I hope it turns out to be good. It's pretty inexpensive, anyway, unlike a CD box set of his that I considered spending an awful lot on.
------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: October 01 2012 at 09:51
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Posted By: The T
Date Posted: October 01 2012 at 13:32
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I have to say that my assertion that Morricone never did a generic soundtrack is false. I just saw Sergio Leone's "Duck, you sucker" with James Coburn and Rod Steiger and, while the movie was slow and not the director's finest, it was ultimately ruined by an atrocious soundtrack that had nothing to do with what happened on the screen. The author: Morricone. All artists can fail. -------------
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: October 01 2012 at 14:29
Well, I'm glad it's nicely done. SO much of the stuff is done really cheaply by a guy on synths. I like the lush orchestration or interesting arrangements of so much Morricone (I've found that I'm a sucker for rather muzaky string sections).
Never seen the movie, but I have heard music off that, which i quite enjoyed and found rather comical (what I heard had a typical Morricone sound). It's a shame id didn't fit, since one thing Morricone had become very good at with Leone was making music that complemented the storytelling very well. Maybe it was a rush project, and he was busy with other stuff, and might have used music he was planning to use for something else. I realized after researching more of his music, partially due to Racoon's request, that he has been not nearly as consistently interesting, according to my tastes, as I had thought, and not as original or as innovative as I might have once thought.. With such a copious amount of music, he's bound to have stinkers (less than satisfying results). Digressing, but mind you, for how prolific he has been in making film soundtracks (and he's done a lot of non-soundtrack music) of course he repeats themes a lot in those soundtracks, so it's generally not like a band putting out more than a hundred studio albums -- the actual number of themes becomes less, and there is a sort of generic Morricone sound that permeates so much of his work. I have noticed variations on older themes running through multiple films (or sounds so similar), which isn't necessarily a bad thing as certain sounds become his signature for certain periods/ film cycles in particular, which brings some consistency and authorial vision, but I babble. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: October 01 2012 at 14:58
That 1985 track was solid, and if it was composed thatyear it would probably rank as the best Morricone I've heard post 70's. Which isn't saying much. I guess Once Upon a Time in America has many fans too but I'm not one of them. Its the cheese version of his earlier Sergio Leone OST's. {Edited to fix non-working embed in the quote} -------------
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Posted By: Pietro Otello Romano
Date Posted: October 22 2012 at 14:14
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Vangelis is an outstanding artist, but sorry Ennio forever!!!
------------- "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be." Mother Night - Kurt Vonnegut |
Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: November 16 2012 at 09:37
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I have a Morricone question for you fans out there. I like what I've heard of his music (I think John Zorn's "The Big Gundown" was my intro to him) and other artists influenced by him. Yesterday I became aware of two different 5 CD box sets on the market, once called "Complete Spaghetti Westerns" and the other called "Complete Mafia Gangster Movies". Both sets were very cheaply priced at about $15 US. Seemed almost too good a deal to pass up, but I wonder if any afficionados here think that is a good way to get into the music, or if you have any opinions about the quality of the box sets themselves.
------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: November 17 2012 at 13:28
It sure is cheap, but I'm rather skeptical. I see that the Deja Vu label released at least four such Morricone compilations this year, but I didn't find any reviews. The only one I knew well of before of theirs, since I read about it before, was their 2007 Soundtracks Morricone compilation which was a cheaply done production of midi-synth remakes (think bad Karaoke type music). At least the ones you're looking at say that they are the original scores, but I don't know if they are the original soundtrack recordings. As I was saying to Richard in this thread before, there are a lot of really poor remakes of his music without the original arrangements, musicians etc. If those are the original recordings, then it's probably a really good deal. I prefer getting each full soundtrack release as my particular favourite themes, or versions of themes, may only be on the individual soundtrack release, and I like to hear the variations of particular themes that one hears on individual OSTs (and various CDs with formerly unreleased material) rather than typical compilation albums/ box sets. Most of the Morricone albums I have are from the first half of the 70s, though I love his 60s western works as well, and wouldn't be that represented on those compilations I guess. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: November 17 2012 at 14:59
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I appreciate the advice, Greg. I know that those cheap repackagings can be a risk. I'll see if I can figure out if they're the original performances or what, and go from there. But I would also be inclined to get one nice complete standalone soundtrack if I come across a good one. ------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: September 10 2017 at 12:03
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Morricone so many amazing soundtracks!
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 10 2017 at 12:38
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Thanks for bumping this. Not only do I love so much of his classic stuff, but I thought that his Hateful Eight (2015) soundtrack was superb. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: September 10 2017 at 12:39
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: October 29 2017 at 12:23
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Was looking for something else, came across this thread again. I missed that post. That Copkiller music is fantastic! It's another soundtrack I need. I think Morricone has great music throughout his career. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: October 29 2017 at 15:01
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I believe Hans Zimmer is a good contender to both Vangelis and Morricone. -------------  
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: October 29 2017 at 16:08
There are lots of terrific composers of soundtracks and library music. I never really got into ZImmer, partially because I haven't really been into the filmography that he's produced films for. That said I have and love a large number of Morricone soundtracks where I haven't even seen the films (the majority of them, and I enjoy the music on its own merits). Zimmer's rather different because he didn't start making soundtracks until the late 80s, whereas Morricone got started in the early 60s and Vangelis first soundtrack, I think, was in 1970. In both Morriocne's and Vangelis' cases I've been more into their pre 80s work. There is so much soundtrack/ library music of the late 60s through 70s that I adore, but lots more that I like too. Vladimir Cosma is one of my particular faves and Egisto Macchi for his librarymusic and other is stunning (thanks Saper). Don't know if you now him, but one I really like that got started in the 80s is Zbigniew Preisner (who famously collaborated with Kieslowski). What are your favourite Hans Zimmer soundtracks? According to rateyoumusic, his Gladiator soundtrack is considered to be one of his best (didn't like the movie, from that year the similarly themed Titus I found so much better, but giving the soundtrack a listen -- reminding me of Holst's War meets a Zelda Ganondorf battle and lots of other epic music). Of course these composers are very talented and there's plenty of variation in the music. But Morricone is really special to me. Anyway, which do prefer of Vangelis and Morricone? ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: October 29 2017 at 16:38
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wonder woman have great soundtrack, and the new Blade Runner2049 and Interstellar and Iception are noe joke, pure class. -------------
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Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: October 29 2017 at 16:40
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i believe Morricone, love the way electric guitar finds its use in hes orchestral inspired pieces. -------------
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: October 29 2017 at 16:45
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I meant to go see Blade Runner 20149 last week, planning to go in two days time. Seen Inception, I did like that, forgot about it. Listening to the Inception soundtrack alone now and loving it, got some James Bond feel to it, bit of almost post rock (how great is having youtube). Awesome. I have chills. Have to re-watch the movie now. And actually especially with Vangelis doing the original Blade Runner soundtrack, that's a dang good call on mentioning the composer. Thanks. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: October 31 2017 at 17:55
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really like Cinema Paradiso also good coming ofxage movie with compelling and strong score -------------
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