Crate Digging is a recurring feature that finds us taking deep dive into music history to turn up several albums all music fans should know about. In this edition, composer, arranger, and record producer Brian Tyler tells us which of his favorite albums most influenced his own career.
Just this year alone, composer Brian Tyler has credits on three films that will undoubtedly go on to define the 2023 box office. First came Scream IV, the first entry in the franchise to cap $100 million domestically since Scream 2 and the highest-grossing Ghost Face film ever; then there was The Super Mario Bros. Movie, a billion-dollar smash that’s revitalizing video game adaptations and animated adventures; and next comes Fast X, Tyler’s seventh contribution to the blockbuster series.
The guy has created music for Las Vegas shows, video game franchises (F1), studio logo fanfares (Universal Pictures, Marvel Studios), hit TV shows (Yellowstone), and films ranging from Crazy Rich Asians to Iron Man 3 to Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. No doubt, Tyler has range — so of course we wanted to know what inspired such an accomplished career.
Smack between Super Mario Bros. breaking box office records (and on the day it hits VOD services, no less!) and the hype for Fast X revving up ahead of its May 19th release, we asked Tyler to share with us the 10 film scores that he thought were essential. Perhaps we should have known that someone who always seems to be bouncing between such varied projects wouldn’t be able to narrow his attention on just one topic.
Instead, Tyler came back to us with 10 albums across the musical spectrum that have influenced his own work. Yes, that includes one iconic score, but the list also features RUSH, Billie Eilish, and Run the Jewels. So when you’re gripping the armrest in the theater as Vin Diesel sideswipes Jason Momoa’s car while you’re watching Fast X this weekend, keep an ear open for the music that’s soundtracking the action. Maybe you’ll hear a bit of Brian Tyler’s influence from his favorite albums by Metallica or Depeche Mode sparking through the wreckage.
Bernard Hermann — Vertigo
The score from the Alfred Hitchcock movie is so beautiful and fractured in a way that reflects life. The melody is so amazing, the string writing… It was so influential on my writing. The way Bernard Herrmann understood chords, and also use of string vibrato or non-vibrato at times. And the lead instrument in this score is a viola, which I think is amazing because it is an often overlooked instrument.
But this score is romantic and beautiful and tragic. Brilliant movie too.
