THE POWER OF THREE

"You have to make an audience experience with the ears as well as their eyes." THE POWER OF THREE: Track One Song: Distant Memories Composer: James Horner Album: Titanic OST Quote: James Horner The three greatest movie score composers of our age team up in THE POWER OF THREE! John Williams, James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith at their very best in fifteen different movies spanning back to 1980. Buckle Up. On June 22nd, 2015, the world lost one of it's brightest Lights when James Horner died tragically in a plane crash. I'm still pissed about it. But James died doing something he loved to do (flying planes) and perhaps he had accomplished what he was sent here to do. If you've ever watched a motion picture, chances are you have heard his work even if you didn't recognize it at the time. From Aliens, to Braveheart, to Krull, and yes, to Titanic itself, James Horner has touched so many souls with his compositions that it's almost beyond comprehension. He won his two Academy awards for the score to Titanic in 1997, which also happens to be the best-selling orchestral film soundtrack of all Time. And for good reason. Imagine watching Titanic with no music. How boring would THAT be? Yeah, no thanks. Here's a sample of his Oscar winning score, that we may keep his Light shining through these Dark Times and beyond.

"If our music survives, which I have no doubt it will, then it will be because it is good." LATER DAYS: The Jerry Goldsmith Experience: Track Ten Song: Ba'Ku Village Composer: Jerry Goldsmith Album: Star Trek: Insurrection OST Quote: Jerry Goldsmith Mix: The Power of Three The three greatest movie score composers of our age team up in THE POWER OF THREE! John Williams, James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith at their very best in fifteen different movies spanning back to 1980. Buckle Up. Here we have Jerry Goldsmith's painfully beautiful beginning credit scene score for Star Trek: Insurrection. Jerry did a TON of work on the Star Trek series during his life, including the score to Star Trek: The Motion Picture as well as the theme to Star Trek: Voyager to name just a few. For now, let's just bask in the melody of his God-given talent.

"You never write a theme for a movie thinking, 'This will live Forever." THE POWER OF THREE: Track Three Song: Jurassic Park Theme Composer: John Williams Album: Jurassic Park OST Quote: John Williams The three greatest movie score composers of our age team up in THE POWER OF THREE! John Williams, James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith at their very best in fifteen different movies spanning back to 1980. Buckle Up. If any piece of music has the chance to live Forever, it just might be this one. Of the three composers featured on THE POWER OF THREE, only John Williams remains alive to this day. As of this moment he is 92 years old and as far as I know, he's still working! While I believe all the musical compositions of John, James and Jerry to be the same in terms of quality, beauty and passion, John Williams has probably written the most recognizable theme songs of the three. I mean, come on. Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Superman, E.T., Harry Potter, Jurassic Park...need I go on? His collaboration with Stephen Spielberg over the years definitely had something to do with it, but there's absolutely no denying that his compositions have touched the hearts and imaginations of just about everybody on this planet for the past 50 years. The Theme to Jurassic Park is one of his most instantly recognizable and powerful and is played everywhere from parades to sports arenas to symphony halls to internet music Mix Channels. 😉 Let the melody wash over you and allow your hearts to soar.

“There’s a very basic human, non-verbal aspect to our need to make music and use it as part of our human expression. It doesn’t have to do with body movements, it doesn’t have to do with articulation of a language, but with something spiritual.” THE POWER OF THREE: Track Four Song: Short Round's Theme Composer: John Williams Album: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom OST Quote: John Williams The three greatest movie score composers of our age team up in THE POWER OF THREE! John Williams, James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith at their very best in fifteen different movies spanning back to 1980. Buckle Up. I have a confession to make. The Temple of Doom is my favorite Indiana Jones movie. Gasp! I know. You might be wondering why I didn't use the Raiders March on this mix, I mean, it's kind of THE song. But I don't know, I'm kind of "Raidered Out" if you know what I mean. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Raiders of the Lost Ark and I adore that theme, but for THE POWER OF THREE you'll see that I consistently choose songs that are a little off the beaten path, lesser known themes that deserve their moments in the sun. Short Round's Theme perfectly encapsulates why I love the Temple of Doom so much. It's light and cheerful and at the same time has a hint of something much darker just beneath the surface. It's the perfect theme for Short Round, who was played to perfection by Ke Huy Quan way back in 1984. I was thrilled when he won the Oscar for best supporting actor for Everything Everywhere All at Once (great movie, watch it if you haven't seen it). He deserves it, not just for that movie, but for his outstanding work when he was just a boy. His smiling face, paired with this theme, has the ability to soften even the hardest of hearts.

"The music's job is to get the audience so involved that they forget how the movie turns out." THE POWER OF THREE: Track Five Song: The Ascension Composer: James Horner Album: Cocoon OST Quote: James Horner The three greatest movie score composers of our age team up in THE POWER OF THREE! John Williams, James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith at their very best in fifteen different movies spanning back to 1980. Buckle Up. So have you seen the movie Cocoon lately? Yeah, me neither. And then I found THIS. "Disney (through 20th Century Studios) owns the film, but you can't watch it on streaming outlets due to music licensing rights the original producers never paid for future media distribution." Right. So...they don't want the music to this movie played for some reason? I don't know. I don't care. Ready or not, here it is. This is some hardcore James Horner working the orchestra for all it's worth. I really don't remember much about the movie at all, I think I saw it in the theater in 1985. Something about Space Aliens laying eggs in a pool in a nursing home. Oh yeah, and Steve Guttenberg and this alien chick have cosmic sex in a swimming pool without even touching each other. I for sure remember THAT. But the scene this awesome piece of music was written for eludes me, something about a ship rising out of the water. In the end it doesn't really matter. The Music always stands where the rest passes away. A remarkable achievement.

"A good string section and an orchestra are the first things I think of when I start a project. The strings are particularly important to me. With them I can do any kind of picture. After the human voice, they are the most expressive instrument I know." LATER DAYS: The Jerry Goldsmith Experience: Track Seven Song: The Parachutes Composer: Jerry Goldsmith Album: Air Force One OST Quote: Jerry Goldsmith Mix: The Power of Three The three greatest movie score composers of our age team up in THE POWER OF THREE! John Williams, James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith at their very best in fifteen different movies spanning back to 1980. Buckle Up. Merry Christmas! I've got something special for you all today. This song here is what I like to call a "crowd pleaser". I don't know what it is about it....well actually I do, but I don't know why this PARTICULAR song attracts so many people who otherwise don't really care too much about orchestral movie scores. But attract them it does, and with good reason, because Jerry's main theme to Air Force One is one of those songs that just makes you feel...patriotic. I think it also has something to do with Harrison Ford and the fact that Air Force One is just such a great and memorable movie. So here it is, with a bow on it, JUST for you. Hope everyone has a great day and a wonderful Christmas! Later!

"Sounds mean nothing without music." LATER DAYS: The Jerry Goldsmith Experience: Track Four Song: Main Titles Composer: Jerry Goldsmith Album: Star Trek: First Contact OST Quote: Jerry Goldsmith Mix: The Power of Three The three greatest movie score composers of our age team up in THE POWER OF THREE! John Williams, James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith at their very best in fifteen different movies spanning back to 1980. Buckle Up. THE POWER OF THREE consists of 5 sections with each composer taking a turn each section. The order of the composers could be any number of combinations. I was staring at the lineup and wondering why I had back-to-back similar sounding Jerry Goldsmith going on in the middle of the Mix. I asked myself from four years ago why I set it up that way. Past Chris told me to just go with it, it has something to do with the flow of the music later on in the Mix. So, yeah, uh, let's just go with it. But yeah, Star Trek, man. I fear it's lost without him and without Gene. But if you ever just want a taste of what Real Star Trek is really all about, just listen to this theme and get back to me. I was unable to decide between this theme and the Insurrection theme so I just put them both on, they are both magnificent in their own way. Jerry Goldsmith truly was a Master. May his vision through his music live on forever.

"Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours." THE POWER OF THREE: Track Eight Song: Night Mists Composer: James Horner Album: Field of Dreams OST Quote: James Horner The three greatest movie score composers of our age team up in THE POWER OF THREE! John Williams, James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith at their very best in fifteen different movies spanning back to 1980. Buckle Up. Let's slow things down a bit, shall we? The second half of THE POWER OF THREE is decidedly darker in tone, not depressing or anything like that, it's just...well, you'll see. The last time we checked in with James he was working the orchestra so hard it's a wonder he didn't blow the roof right off the concert hall. Here we have a James Horner stripped of almost the entire orchestra save for some percussion, piano, and some other instrument which I can't quite place. And yet within this one song we get three of the main themes from FIELD OF DREAMS, just paired way down to the basic melodies. There's the "Dad Theme" first, followed by a short moment of the "Corn Theme" and it all ends with the "Field Theme" before fading away into mesmerizing chimes at the end. It's a very introspective song, full of sadness and mystery. Without his score, FIELD OF DREAMS would have been a boring baseball movie. With it, the movie becomes a soul-stirring Legend where Dreams really do come true.

"I don't make a particular distinction between 'high art' and 'low art.' Music is there for everybody. It's a river we can all put our cups into and drink it and be sustained by it." THE POWER OF THREE: Track Nine Song: Flying Composer: John Williams Album: E.T. The Extra Terrestrial OST Quote: John Williams The three greatest movie score composers of our age team up in THE POWER OF THREE! John Williams, James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith at their very best in fifteen different movies spanning back to 1980. Buckle Up. Didn't I JUST get done saying that the second half of THE POWER OF THREE was going to be darker in tone? Right, I meant AFTER this song. John Williams' main theme to E.T. is decidedly one of the most "undark" songs ever written. I already mined the soundtrack years ago, put some of the best stuff up on WISHBRINGER, but I think this track best sums up what E.T. The Extra Terrestrial is all about: Pure wonder, magic and the innocence of childhood. Fun Fact! Have you ever idly wondered why the california subdivision from E.T. looks a LOT like Cuesta Verde from Poltergeist? That's because they are the exact same place down the street from each other and were filmed around the same time. I think Stephen Spielberg was running back and forth between the two locations, keeping an eye on Poltergeist while he was crafting E.T. But make NO mistake. Poltergeist was directed by Tobe Hooper. Period, the end. And it was scored by none other than Jerry Goldsmith. Who knows? Maybe we'll see a sample of that legendary soundtrack later on.... Oh, and Happy New Year!! :)

“So much of what we do is ephemeral and quickly forgotten, even by ourselves, so it’s gratifying to have something you have done linger in people’s memories.” THE POWER OF THREE: Track Ten Song: The Heroics of Luke and Han Composer: John Williams Album: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back OST Quote: John Williams The three greatest movie score composers of our age team up in THE POWER OF THREE! John Williams, James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith at their very best in fifteen different movies spanning back to 1980. Buckle Up. No way no day was I going to spend the Star Wars song on the main theme, my goodness no. I've always been an Empire man, born and raised. We used to watch it on laser disc over at the Dengees. But yeah, i was seven when ALL this shit happened like all at once. Poltergeist, E.T., Empire, those movies are somehow all connected. It was magical. The Heroics of Luke and Han really covers it all as far as Empire is concerned. You even get a little Imperial March thrown in there for good measure. I feel like The Empire Strikes Back is just Peak Everything. It's Perfect. Like the movie Aliens. But that is another story and shall be told another time.