I find this whole thread crazy. The fact that the ooriginal post refers to him "becoming famous randomly" or words to that effect blows my mind.

This guy started in the 1970s, he wrote classics like The Buggles' Video Killed The Radio Star, he wrote some of the most memorable theme tunes for British TV game shows like Going For Gold in the 1980s, he was one of the pioneers of sampling, and in particular sampling orchestral instruments, which he then used to score films like the Oscar winning films like Rain Man, The Lion King, and so on. He then continued to evolve, popularising things like the hybrid score, the baaaarrrps, and so on, notwithstanding that he's scored some classic games too like Call Of Duty, Assassin's Creed, and Crysis and TV shows like BBC's Planet Earth.

He has now got to the stage where he has his Remote Control Studios (I think that's what it's called?!), which works as a team of musicians, engineers, orchestrators, and so on. So by now, things that have his name on are likely created by a conglomerate of people in reality, so its unsurprising to me that he probably chooses to focus on some things that actually interest him, like the writing or the creation of synth patches, and as a result becoming sloppy on other things he's less interested in like the detailed use of Cubase, which he can leave for others in his Remote Control set up to sort out. This is just a consequence (and a perk?) of becoming a superstar Hollywood composer. This happens with all, including John WIlliams et al. And this approach is what has launched several other Remote Control employees, such as Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL), Harry Gregson-WIlliams, Rupert Gregson-Williams, as well as given a platform for musicians and engineers like Tina Guo, Alexey Igudesman, Alan Meyerson, and Howard Scarr (would the u-He Dark Zebra collab have happened without Zimmer? Probably not) to make them world famous. Hell, he's even facilitated the bringing in of legends like guitarist Johnny Marr of the The Smiths into the world of film music.

Hans Zimmer is not someone who got randomly famous when he scored Dark Knight or Inception. This is someone with a 50 odd year history in the music, TV, and film industry. Labelling him someone who doesn't know what he's doing and got randomly famous just seems a tad disrespectful and, frankly with no offence intended, stupid.

You can critique his music from a subjective standpoint as some people will love it, some people will hate it. I like some of it, I hate some of it; I am definitely no Hans Zimmer fan boy. But that's life. This applies to all music where you can't expect everyone to love it.

Sometimes hard work just needs to be acknowledged and respected. Anyone with a credit list like this (which doesn't even include a lot of what he's written or been involved with) is not as a result of "becoming famous randomly": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Zimmer_discography

Baffles me how this thread got so long when based on misinformed, miseducated presumptions. Gotta love the internet

 

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Talking of miss informed - he didn't write Video killed the radio star, but he is in the video. Trevor Horn explains why Hans popped up in it in his autobiography.

But i do generally agree this thread is pointless, I adore Morricone and Williams, and I'm happy to say Hans has create some brilliant scores in a different style.

He didn't ruin modern scores. Clueless executives have ruined big budget cinema in many ways, one way was insisting a modern score should just support a scene instead of defining it, and not be too noticeable. Like everything they touch, that's a bland ignorant concept.

 

I remember some 10 years ago, he was quite active on VI-Control. Reading through his posts, it was evident that he is very talented composer, but he knows his limits, and is very humble about it. He does not have the most complete knowledge of music theory, but he is one of the best producer out there. Unlike many other composers, he needs an orchestrator. However, this guy's sound design skills are pretty much unmatched in Hollywood.

He brings something different, that's only a good thing. I think the people hating on him are just jealous of his popularity (or one could argue, over-exposure), or they never got to see Interstellar in Imax, or got absolutely slapped to another dimension by Dune's opening.

 

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Or may be just asking WHY someone is exposed ... and others NOT.
"Random" is part of that, too.

As an example, i love Paul Wardingham. But almost no one know him ...
I could make a post about why a "random" guitarist is well known ... but not him, with less than 30k YT.

One thing for sure : it is NOT related to any kind of "level"

Zimmer lovers may like this one under
And guitarists can go to 2:14 and 4:27 direct

 

Last edited: Nov 6, 2023

That's pretty helpful advice for blind people. Especially for those who have working ears. Fortunately, even Hanz "fanz" like Christopherated Nolan have dumped Hanzi. I always thought that the point of his muzak is that it was cheap and produced quickly? Maybe it's too expensive, nowadays?

 

Last edited: Nov 7, 2023

This thread is a wonderful example of why Hans Zimmer is one of the greatest composers of the XXI century and his haters are just losers. Thanks for updating this thread every now and then and adding new "pearls" of frustration hahaha

 

He's a soundscape designer not composer. There's no living composer and composition is a dead art at present.

 

This here song might offend you some
If it does, it's because you're dumb
That's the way it is where I come from
If you been there too, let me see your thumb

Let me see your thumb. (16x)

Show me your thumb if you're really dumb
Show me your thumb if you're really dumb
Show me your thumb if you're really dumb
Show me your thumb if you're dumb

Hey now, better make a decision
Be a moron, and keep your position
You oughta know now, all your education
Won't help you no-how

You're gonna wind up workin' in a gas station
Wind up workin' in a gas station
Wind up workin' in a gas station
Wind up workin' in a gas station

Pumpin' the gas every night
Pumpin' the gas every night
Wind up workin' in a gas station
Wind up workin' in a gas station

Manny da camper wants to buy some white
Wind up workin' in a gas station
Manny da camper wants to buy some white
Wind up workin' in a gas station
Manny da camper wants to buy some white
Wind up workin' in a gas station
Manny da camper wants to buy some white
Wind up workin' in a gas station

 

Last edited: Nov 7, 2023

Huh. Could've sworn I've been to several concerts this year and heard music composed by people who are alive. Thanks for correcting my stupid mistake.

 

Perception is not reality. I was walking down the street the other day when suddenly I turned into a store!

 

The man's nuts, grab'm

 

Last edited: Nov 7, 2023

you mean composers that dont sound like they are from the 16th/17th century ? those still exsit too, but we dont want to hear them in films.

 

Instead of hating, it's better to enjoy, while all those great composers are still alive

 

he may have got the jobs for reasons not pertaining to music.

 

shit doesn;t sound good even if it is your own!

 

If anyone can identify anything about this incongruous, bland "score" that stands out as memorable, my sneezy bud? Solid Snake goes on holiday to the caribbean and doesn't see anything memorable or even interesting?

Yeah, that's so true. But wasn't Pachelbel used in everyone's favourite film: that masterpiece Dude, where's my car?

And yet all of his fascinating muzak sounds like he just got a synthesizer for xmas?

Although most (all?) of the music you liked turned out to be produced by other composers, who Hanzi took credit for; in all senses of the word.

 

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Hans Zimmer is an industry giant. He has composed for countless movies and survived decades in this industry. You hear a movie score and even as a layman you can say after a few seconds "Yes, this score is by Hans Zimmer".
You may love him or hate him, but I think that's the end of the discussion.

 

Same could be said about The Shaggs.

Actually you only need to hear The Shaggs once in your life, after that you can recognize them immediately, even if you're tone deaf.

 

No. If The Shaggs were to record a new song, I wouldn't be able to assign it to a specific band. They sound like any other garage band whose members are holding an instrument in their hands for the first time. On the other hand, listen to the first three chords of a random Hans Zimmer composition and you immediately know who composed it. Even if you're hearing it for the first time.

 

Last edited: Nov 7, 2023

Yeah, like in the supreme, exhalted muzakal genius of DunkIRK where the same three notes are played over and over and over and over and over and over and. It might even qualify to being as many as one chord, although by then you've stabbed yourself in the ears and prolly hit your brain by mistake, to make it stop?

 

Last edited: Nov 7, 2023