Top Epic Music (Videos)

[Exofluke]

Hello everyone! I've made this post in hope that anyone who reads it will check out my youtube video I made of what I feel is the top 10 epic songs of all time.

I plan on making a 2nd video that deals with "fantasy" related music and if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Think Fable soundtrack or Harry Potter type stuff.

Thanks a bunch ppls, ttyl.

[Exofluke]

The production of my next top ten list (fantasy music) has slowed because of certain music that is completely unacceptable on youtube. I had a Harry Potter song in the list and apparently the song is affiliated with WMG (Warner Music Group) and any music with that company gets an auto delete. So now I have to re-configure the list... with no WMG business... making this very difficult.

[Jax]

Listening to your youtube video I understand what you mean by epic. But except for a few, I find most of those titles in your top ten pretty generic and in overall very unintersting. You seem to like strong vocals and alot of brass. And I bet you're a big fan of Zimmer's work and trailer "junk-food" music.

I suggest you try out these which to me is "epic":

Basil Poledours - Conan The Barbarian - "Riddle of Steel / Riders Of Doom"
Carl Orff - Excalibur - "Carmina Burama" (of course)
Bill Conti - Masters of The Universe - "Skeletor The Destroyer" or "Transformation of Skeletor"
Trevor Jones - Dark City - "You Have The Power"
Vangelis - Alexander - "The Drums Of Gaugamela"
Wojciech Kilar - The Ninth Gate - "Corso and the Girl" (You would probably like this alot cause it got a haunting female solo part building up and climaxing in a full men's choir)
Danny Elfman - Batman - "Descent into Mystery"
Ennio Morricone - Two Mules For Sister Sara - "The Battle"
Howard Shore - LOTR: Return of the King - "Battle Of The Pelennor fields" (from the complete recording boxset)
James Newton Howard - Snow Falling On Cedars - "Tarawa" (again lot of strong vocals, you might recognize this one from The Matrix trailers)
James Horner - Aliens - "Futile Escape"
Howard Shore - LOTR; Fellowship of the ring - "The Bridge of Khazad Dum" (think "Youuuuuu shall nooooooot paaaaaass" )
Howard Shore - LOTR TTT - "Glamdring" (from the complete recording boxset)
David Arnold - Stargate - "Kasuf Returns"
Don Davis - The Matrix Revolutions - Neodämmerung
Basil Poledouris - Starship Troopers - "Buggs!!" (wonderfull percussion driven action scoring piece)


Perhaps i can think of some later. But if you're interested in this kind of stuff this list should get you started.

[Jax]

Since I'm in a good mood and have some time on my hands I went and searched some of those titles on youtube:

Riddle of Steel/Riders of Doom: (this is actully a mix but it's very similar to the original)
Kasuf Returns:
Carmina Burama:
Skeletor The Destroyer:
The Drums Of Gaugemela:
Tarawa:
You Have the Power:
Descent into mystery:
Futile Escape:
Neodämmerung:

This kind of music should be listened to in a descent form (preferably CD or a high bitrate MP3), youtube mostly has poor audio quality.

[Harvey]

Carmina Burama:

I love Carmina Burama. The first time I ever heard it was in Excalibur in the great Prepare for Battle Scene. It's all I see when I hear it now.

[Exofluke]

Jax:

I actually own most of those songs (majority of those soundtracks too). I had certain songs that were in the mix when developing the list... like:

1. Alien vs Predator: Requiem - Brian Tyler
2. Navras - Juno Reactor vs. Don Davis
3. Klendathu Drop - Basil Poledouris
4. Barbarian horde - Hans Zimmer
5. The Battle - Harry Gregson-Williams
6. Death Is The Road To Awe - Clint Mansell
7. Bishop's Countdown - James Horner
8. Ashielf Pi - E.S. Posthumus
9. Gloriana - Corner Stone Cues

and others....

Music that promotes an end through power and uprising, all leading to a climax (the peak and point where epic is it's strongest). Any music that drives powerful but doesn't rise to a climax isn't considered epic, to me.

[Jax]

Any music that drives powerful but doesn't rise to a climax isn't considered epic, to me.

I cannot disagree with you more on that. To you "epic" just simply means action driven score with a climax.
I would say any score that sounds "grand" is epic. Poledouris (Conan, Flesh+Blood, Red October) and Miklos Rosza (El Cid, Ben Hur) are good at doing that, but also Goldsmith (The Ghost and The Darkness, Mulan and his Star Trek work) and John Williams (Superman, the main theme just breathes epic, best version is on the Varese label performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra). On the total opposite side you have people like Thomas Newman, Mychael Danna, Desplat and Zbigniew Preisner. Whom don't produce scores of a grand nature but often have a more introvert sound (Horse Whisperer, Ararat, Secret Garden, Girl With A Pearl Earing, The Painted Veil, Trois Couleurs)

[Exofluke]

Oh noes! My video's audio is being processed. We'll see in the next few days if WMG will allow my video to stay up at the cost of advertising the music in the video. Cross your fingers!

[Exofluke]

I edited the link on the first post of this topic with a new top ten video that has it's full audio and should keep it because there is now WMG affiliated music involved.

[Exofluke]

I had to make another video only because I felt SOME of the music in my previous video wasn't really qualified compared to other songs I know of.

Hopefully youtube can get this quality processed so you guys can enjoy it with better sound.



Enjoy ^^