Quicksand Fans

I was very saddened to learn of James Horner's death in a plane crash:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/22/living/fe ... ane-crash/

He was my favorite film composer who really got me turned "on" to film scores in my youth in the 1980s.

This is a great loss. He was responsible for one of my favorite movie soundtracks, namely from Star Trek II - The Wrath Of Khan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOFHi7SRMoU

Which, to this day plays out in my mind from time to time, mainly the part from the end of the movie, and especially Spock's monologue, and closing credits:

https://youtu.be/DOFHi7SRMoU?t=3651

He will be missed

The track from Khan was derived and used into probably a half-dozen other films it was so good; just watch Titanic when she leaves Portsmouth and they wind her up; very familiar tempo there.

His early work for Roger Corman in Battle Beyond the Stars and Humanoids from the Deep was so good that Corman recycled the soundtracks outright for numerous other films like Sorceress and Space Raiders and both Wizards of the Lost Kingdom movies.

Another reminder movie soundtracks are becoming a lost art...

QuicksandMania wrote:His early work for Roger Corman in Battle Beyond the Stars and Humanoids from the Deep was so good that Corman recycled the soundtracks outright for numerous other films like Sorceress and Space Raiders and both Wizards of the Lost Kingdom movies.

I actually went to see Battle Beyond the Stars during it's brief original theatrical release. I recognized it for the Roger Corman ripoff of the Magnificent Seven that it was but enjoyed it at the time. As we were coming out my girlfriend made the comment that the music was better than the movie deserved. We had quite a discussion about the entire thing. The memory came back as I was leaving Titanic seventeen years later with my wife as she raved about the music.

Duncan Edwards wrote:As we were coming out my girlfriend made the comment that the music was better than the movie deserved.

Horner's creation of "big fish" music for "little pond" movies early in his career drew the attention of the people behind Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and led them to tap him to re-score the film after they felt dissatisfied with the original synthesized score by an unnamed composer. (Sources: Aliens soundtrack album liner and Star Trek Movie Memories by William Shatner.)

Lesson learned: Always do your best work even in little shitty jobs because they can prove fertile ground for career advancement!

I'm not one to get weepy over celebrity deaths but this one honestly hurt. I grew up listening to his music long before I ever knew who he was (or even realized that the same guy was responsible for all those awesome movie sound tracks). The two big things I remember from The Land Before Time are the tar pit scene and this guys epic music. Both made an impression on that 5 year old kid that never went away.
RIP Maestro. You are missed.