View Full Version : Music Scores from Aerospace Movies
Chris Scott
26th May 2011, 16:50
Which are your favourite music scores from aerospace movies?
Was yours written for the movie, or picked off the shelf?
Was the movie script: largely factual, based on fact, pure fiction, or science fiction?
The music must be evocative of flight.
Being British, I love the works of Coates, Vaughan Williams, Walton, Goodwin, et al. But I'm going to start the ball rolling by nominating an American, James Horner, and his work for Apollo 13. I now discover that he did grow up here, and studied at the Royal College of Music in London.
The best film themes become synonymous with the movie, and Apollo 13 is one of them. The script, although it takes minor liberties with the facts, is worthy of Jim Lovell's account. And Horner's music is worthy of them both. Lovell, Hanks, Howard... and Horner.
Chris
Apollo 13
treadigraph
26th May 2011, 17:32
I think the only bit of Walton's score that made it into the Battle of Britain is my favourite - Battle in the Air? Wonderful music accompanying a great scene, both of which seem to capture what I can only imagine it must have been like, from the various accounts I've read from those who were there. To be honest, I'm not quite so keen on Goodwin's contribution though, too martial for my taste!
Mind you, the music at the start of Catch 22 is pretty choice too - just birds singing and the sound of Wright R-2600s starting up... magic!
Still, I'll stick with Battle of Britain.
I found George Fenton's stirring music to Memphis Belle wonderfully evocative of the era, and beautifully arranged with the flying sequences.
Warmtoast
26th May 2011, 21:05
"The World is Mine" the dreamy music / love theme used to accompany the aerial sequences in "Strategic Air Command", a film made way back in 1954/55 is hard to beat.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Strategic%20Air%20Command%20Film/StrategicAirCommandSreenShot.jpg
Music was composed by long established Hollywood composer Victor Young (one of his last compositions – he died in 1956, a year after the film’s release).
Another favourite is "Apocalypse Now" and one of the best-known pieces of music of all-time "The Ride of the Valkyries" by Richard Wagner which plays as a U.S Army helicopter cavalry group charges in to eliminate a Viet Cong outpost.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/ApocalypseNow.jpg
A clip can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHjWDCX1Bdw&feature=related
Music starts about three minutes in.
kevmusic
26th May 2011, 21:37
On Treadi's theme (geddit?) I'm with Battle of Britian but Goodwin's 'Aces High' march is a real winner for me. I can't say where I've picked up much knowledge of the genre before, but that march, to me, is pure German military! If he'd written it for them in 1940 they'd have won! :eek:
YouTube - ‪Battle of Britain (http://youtu.be/5ZJdRRN3dOQ)
(Can't do the embed thingy. I've tried. Honestly, I've tried)
edskarf
27th May 2011, 07:50
Dr Strangelove is more noted for Vera Lynn and "We'll Meet Again" at the closing of the film but I think the opening sequence of a B-52 refuelling to the sound track of "Try A Little Tenderness" is both ironic and apt.
pasir
27th May 2011, 14:38
'Aces High' - The opening scene of Goerings arrival on the airfield showing the line-up of He111's - and his Mercedes motorcade driving past the lines of bombers and aircrew to the superb bands rendering of 'Aces High' is a great credit to Goodwin in getting the German military sound so very right.
...
longer ron
27th May 2011, 19:24
The TV film 'Affair with an aeroplane' used a passage from Dvorak's (sp ?) string serenade...I am not really a classic music lover but it is a lovely piece.
The film was about Major Jack Parham and his aeronca in pre war days.
ISTR that the string serenade was one of his favourite tunes.
west lakes
27th May 2011, 20:39
YouTube - ‪The Right Stuff‬‏
XV490
28th May 2011, 12:11
'Aces High' is a great credit to Goodwin in getting the German military sound so very right.Could it be because Goodwin's first two-bar phrase is a kind of melodic mirror-image of Das Lied der Deutsche, the German national anthem ("Deutschland, Deutschland uber ...." etc)?
How about Jerry Goldsmith's score to The Blue Max and Roy Budd's score to Zeppelin? Good stuff.
kevmusic
28th May 2011, 15:03
Could it be because Goodwin's first two-bar phrase is a kind of melodic mirror-image of Das Lied der Deutsche, the German national anthem ("Deutschland, Deutschland uber ...." etc)?
Nope, not getting that. Goodwin's theme starts on the upbeat then climbs the tonic arpeggio. Haydn's starts on the first beat and meanders in step around the first four degrees of the scale. Besides, Deutschland Lied is on a melody from a not-particularly-Teutonic-sounding classical string quartet movement.
chevvron
29th May 2011, 03:42
No-one's mentioned 'The Dam Buster's March'. I've got a version on cassette played by a Gavioli 'steam'* organ powered by a Fowler Showman's engine - awesome.
*For the uniniated, a 'steam' organ actually used compressed air from an electric pump driven by a generator on the steam engine.
Brian 48nav
29th May 2011, 20:15
Not a film, but the TV series about the Ark Royal back in the 70s; Phantom doing Aeros to the backdrop of Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here'. Awesome!
alexis_lambert
30th May 2011, 21:42
Aces High top of my list but I can't say there's a bad 1 of the top of my head. I really liked Bill Conti's music for The Right Stuff.
Love everything about Strategic Air Command, such a shame it'll never be released on DVD, it was apparently James Stewarts least favourite movie & never spoke about it.
Lucky Six
31st May 2011, 06:21
I'm with 'chevvron', its the Dam Busters March. :D
bobward
1st Jun 2011, 12:16
Mark Mainwaring's Phantom Phinale 2, the Queen's Birthday Flypast 1992.
16 Wattisham F4's in a diamond, all backed by Queen's One Vision, what more could you ask for?
:8:D:D:D:ok:
Chris Scott
2nd Jun 2011, 08:40
Thanks to all, and for reminding me of several I'd forgotten.
Re the Dam Busters March, I heard recently that Coates had actually composed it for some other purpose?
Like tradigraph, I think Walton's score for the Battle of Britain, ("Battle in the Air"?) is chilling and fantastic. Did he write "Spitfire Prelude and Fugue" for First of the Few ?
I absolutely agree that the sounds of aero engines can be even more evocative than music. Off topic, the sound of Merlins from (the Spanish) Bf 109s and He 111s slightly spoiled the Battle of Britain for me. I wonder if that could be fixed.
Opening sequence and music from Where Eagles Dare - outstanding!:ok:
Level bust
2nd Jun 2011, 13:14
633 Squadron for me, another Ron Goodwin composition.
Victory At Sea
The Dam Busters
Pacific, the recent HBO series
thunderflash
10th Jan 2012, 12:34
It 'really strange that an Italian is to remind you this .....
COATES - HIGH FLIGHT MARCH.wmv - YouTube
http://oi40.tinypic.com/biuf06.jpg
thunderflash
10th Jan 2012, 16:27
It was also worthy of note the march "The Air Force Takes Command" that accompanied the opening credits of the movie "Strategic Air Command" .....
Strategic Air Command -- (Movie Clip) Opening Credits (http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/179070/Strategic-Air-Command-Movie-Clip-Opening-Credits.html)
:D
It's pretty hard to get away from Ron Godwin when it comes to film scores with an aviation theme. I love both '633 Squadron' and 'Where Eagles Dare'...the opening sequence of the latter is still thrilling after all these years. I attended a Wings and Strings' at Yeovilton some years back. RG was there, as well as Sir George Martin. They played Rons finest as a Spitfire aerobatted against a terrific fiery sunset and a sea of Union Jack were waved...... One of lifes finer moments...and hardly a dry eye....! :ok::{:ok:
pasir
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: london
Posts: 198
'Aces High' - The opening scene of Goerings arrival on the airfield showing the line-up of He111's - and his Mercedes motorcade driving past the lines of bombers and aircrew to the superb bands rendering of 'Aces High' is a great credit to Goodwin in getting the German military sound so very right.
...
I think that's because it was originally a German wartime tune. 'Rosemarie' if I recall correctly...!:)
chiglet
14th Jan 2012, 22:08
The opening scene of Goerings arrival on the airfield showing the line-up of He111's
It's NOT Goering. I "think" that it may be von Runsted, Kesselrings Boss.
Mechta
16th Jan 2012, 13:30
Love or hate the film, Kenny Loggin's 'Highway to the Danger Zone' at the beginning of 'Top Gun' is great. I'm surprised no one's mentioned 'Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines' yet either. I guess its all about the films of your formative years.
Its 633 Sqn that I have as a ring tone though, much to my kids' annoyance...
Genghis the Engineer
16th Jan 2012, 15:38
Out of interest, does anybody have the words for "Those magnificent men"?, I remember spending a lot of time trying to find them once, and failing miserably.
I have a colleague whose phone ringtone is Richard Burton "Broadsword calling Danny Boy" from Where Eagles Dare; works quite well, except that I really wish he'd turn it off in meetings.
G
Mechta
16th Jan 2012, 16:40
Genghis, These appear to be correct:
Lyrics - Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines - Ron Goodwin (http://www.lyricszoo.com/richard-kaufman/those-magnificent-men-in-their-flying-machines-ron-goodwin/)
Whereas these would be a contender for the 'Mis-heard Lyrics' thread running over in Jet Blast:
FRED THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES LYRICS (http://www.gugalyrics.com/FRED-THOSE-MAGNIFICENT-MEN-IN-THEIR-FLYING-MACHINES-LYRICS/2030/)
'...They're all rightfully kings...', I ask you; some people need to clean their ears out...:{
thunderflash
16th Jan 2012, 21:25
Without forgetting, again from "Top Gun", another great theme .... "Take my Breath Away" .....
Berlin - Take My Breath Away (Top Gun) - YouTube
Genghis the Engineer
16th Jan 2012, 21:34
Thanks Mechta.
G
Krakatoa
17th Jan 2012, 09:02
What about The High and The Mighty. I believe it was a favourite with 2TAF in the fifties.
thunderflash
17th Jan 2012, 12:42
And ..... why not the opening theme from "Flight from Ashiya"?
"Flight from Ashiya" (Michael Anderson, 1964) - Opening Theme by Frank Cordell / OST - YouTube
Flight from Ashiya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_from_Ashiya)
http://oi41.tinypic.com/5alzj9.jpg
thunderflash
19th Jan 2012, 07:03
Another music theme, very dramatic, is the one that can be heard during the opening credits of the movie "A Gathering of Eagles" ..... which I consider to be the third film, after "Strategic Air Command" and "Bombers B-52" ("No Sleep Till Dawn"), in the popular trilogy dedicated to the SAC at the turn of the fifties and sixties .....
AGOE (1963) - YouTube
http://oi40.tinypic.com/scygif.jpg
Noyade
19th Jan 2012, 07:59
Not an aviation film, although there is some nice footage of the Vickers Valiant at the end of the movie.
Shirley Bassey. :ok:
THE LIQUIDATOR 'Main Title' - Shirley Bassey - YouTube
thunderflash
19th Jan 2012, 15:47
Can "Dr. Strangelove" be considered an aviation movie?
The main themes .....
Dr Strangelove (1964) - YouTube
Dottor Stranamore - calvalcata atomica - YouTube
Dr. Strangelove - Ending - YouTube
teeteringhead
19th Jan 2012, 18:04
Am I allowed to count the Blue Danube/rotating Space Station from 2001? It does say Aerospace Movies.:ok:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUwCkKIYY80&feature=related
thunderflash
19th Jan 2012, 20:14
Some of you said "Aerospace"?
Remove the word "aero" and then come with me into the dark depths of "space" .....
Louis & Bebe Barron - Forbidden Planet : Main Titles Overture - YouTube
thunderflash
21st Jan 2012, 18:51
And what about "Call to Glory" ..... a television series aired in the eighties?
Call To Glory - Opening Credits - YouTube
http://oi42.tinypic.com/2nsrke8.jpg
Call to Glory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_to_Glory)
thunderflash
29th Jan 2012, 22:17
Maybe even "The Rocketeer" can be considered an aviation movie .....
The Rocketeer Soundtrack - YouTube
..... after all ..... the main character flies ..... and its theme is really compelling .....
MarkerInbound
30th Jan 2012, 03:29
The first Airport:
Airport Opening Segment - YouTube
thunderflash
30th Jan 2012, 08:12
Year 1951 ..... a very British movie ..... played by a future USAF Brigadier General .....
MOVIE TRAILER -- "NO HIGHWAY IN THE SKY" (1951) - YouTube
No Highway in the Sky (Henry Koster 1951) James Stewart Marlene Dietrich Jack Hawkins - YouTube
http://oi40.tinypic.com/4lvk8.jpghttp://oi40.tinypic.com/24nlhtt.jpg
Richard Woods
30th Jan 2012, 08:52
Another vote here for James Horner.
"The Rocketeer" soundtrack is wonderful, in particular the beginning as the hangar is opened and the GeeBee is pushed out.
Thanks for putting it up thunderflash, I couldn't find it on youtube, though I have it on CD. :ok:
thunderflash
30th Jan 2012, 12:03
"The Rocketeer" soundtrack is wonderful, in particular the beginning as the hangar is opened and the GeeBee is pushed out.
The Rocketeer part 1 (1/11) - YouTube
:)
Doug E Style
30th Jan 2012, 12:15
Slightly off topic but does anyone know what the landing aircraft is in the opening sequence of Hawaii Five-O? DC8 or 707?
thunderflash
30th Jan 2012, 16:11
..... but does anyone know what the landing aircraft is in the opening sequence of Hawaii Five-O? DC8 or 707? .....
If you're referring to the 1968-1980 TV series .....
Hawaii Five-O - Opening Credits Sequence - YouTube
..... I would be inclined to say it is a 707 .....
Doug E Style
1st Feb 2012, 09:09
Yes Thunderflash, I think you're right.