First off, excellent work here.

> Now, finally, I have gotten my hands on just about every major work of
> Walker… and instead of just a mini-Odyssey, I’m just going to cover it
> all. First because she is awesome, and second because she fucking deserves
> the spotlight.

> It’s a grave injustice that she seems to have fallen through the cracks of
> history. Her only works available on Apple Music are “Batman: Mask of the
> Phantasm,” “Mystery Men” (where she wasn’t the primary composer) and
> “Batman: The Animated Series,” which you need to search for separately
> because she is not properly categorized as primary composer on the albums.
> Like… what the actual fuck? So even if you wanted to explore Walker, it
> would be incredibly difficult to track her down without messaging someone
> like me who has access to most of her released and unreleased material.

> And yes, so much of it remains unreleased that it should be a crime. Her
> most lasting work aside from animated “Batman” is the “Final Destination”
> franchise, and none of her three scores have ever gotten a legitimate
> release despite her themes continuing in Tim Wynn’s excellent score for
> this year’s “Final Destination: Bloodlines.”

I was confused why I hadn't heard much talk about her scores for this series until this new one came out, though I was pretty sure I had heard one of Tyler's scores for the franchise. Baffling that there hasn't even been a compilation for all three films released.

> In addition to her composing work, Walker is also one of the most notable
> conductor/orchestrators in the history of film… crafting their sound in
> ways essential to their success. Here are just a few films she did one or
> both on: “Batman,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Backdraft,” “True Lies,” “A
> League of Their Own,” “White Fang,” “Days of Thunder,” “Child’s Play 2”
> (you’re welcome, Luke), “Darkman,” “Dick Tracy,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja
> Turtles,” “Nightbreed,” “Scrooged,” “Children of a Lesser God” and “Batman
> Forever.”

She's secretly one of the most important figures in guiding all of those guys who were up and coming in the 90s.

> Finally, it should be noted that she was one of the only female composers
> during this time period to merit any kind of critical or commercial
> success (she won two Emmys), so the fact that so little of her work is
> available is fucked up for other reasons too.

I've told a variation on this story a couple times now, but a friend asked me for composer recs for a project, and wanted more than just the standard white dudes that dominate the record books, and Walker was one of those composers who, despite knowing "Oh yeah, important woman in this industry!" I failed the "Name three scores she did" test.

> Notable Works

> The Black Stallion – Primarily Composed by Carmine Coppola
> Score: **

> Ghoulies Co-Composed with Richard Band
> Score: **1/2

I should probably check out more of Band's scores as well.

> Chicago Joe and the Showgirl – Hans Zimmer Credited as
> Co-Composer

> Because of the Zimmer connection, I’m absolutely stunned this has never
> gotten an official release, and was one of the most difficult to track
> down. A pity.

Wouldn't be surprised if Zimmer didn't want to release it since none of it was his own work.

> Score: **** UNRELEASED

> Memoirs of an Invisible Man
> Score: *****

Oooh, very intrigued.

> Escape From L.A. Co-Composed by John Carpenter
> Score: **

> Turbulence
> Score: ****

> Superheroes

> The Flash
> Score: ***

> Batman: The Animated Series
> Score: Top 100 Scores of All Time

It's so great. I do feel like I had to break my listening into chunks of episodes instead of plowing through the whole thing or even individual volumes at a time.

> Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
> Score: *****

Terrific stuff.

> Superman: The Animated Series
> Score: ***

Spoilers for my Superman interview, but David Fleming mentioned in passing his affection for Walker's work on this series.

> The Morgan/Wong Era

> Space: Above and Beyond
> Score: ****1/2

> Final Destination
> Score: **** UNRELEASED

> Final Destination 2
> Score: *** UNRELEASED

> Willard

> Morgan & Wong chose to reboot a little-remembered mediocre horror
> movie from the ‘70s about killer rats called “Willard” as their next
> project, casting Crispin Glover as the lead. The movie bombed critically
> and commercially and isn’t remembered at all today. But holy shit the
> music is awesome – it’s a grand thriller score with a wild sense of humor
> and extensive use of… wait for it… wait for it…

> Accordions!

> Yes, a bunch of accordions form the soul of the score, and if that idea
> doesn’t make you smile… you need to go touch grass. It has two great
> themes, Walker catches the racing of the rats perfectly with her flitting
> strings and it’s all so damn good that it’s almost convinced me to watch
> the movie!

> Score: ****1/2

I have heard this score once. I don't even remember the accordions. But I remember feeling vaguely underwhelmed. Maybe it was the accordions, idk. Most likely deserves a revisit from me sometime.

> Final Destination 3
> Score: **** UNRELEASED

> Black Christmas
> Score: ***1/2

> If you want to know where to start with Walker, here are my Top 5 scores
> with links to my favorite cues:

> 1. “Batman: The Animated Series” –
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjhNY2vAGP0&list=RDCjhNY2vAGP0&start_radio=1

> 2. “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” -
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WgoiJs8vFE&list=RD1WgoiJs8vFE&start_radio=1

> 3. “Memoirs of an Invisible Man” -
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiUuqOIiZ7Y&list=RDSiUuqOIiZ7Y&start_radio=1

> 4. “Space: Above and Beyond” –
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHqbS89-iEE&list=RDGHqbS89-iEE&start_radio=1

> 5. “Willard” -
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esn6yRqrt6Q&list=RDesn6yRqrt6Q&start_radio=1

> You know, I really hope that this article gets views. I really hope that,
> if you’ve never heard Walker’s work before, you give it a shot. And I
> really hope that, if you have only heard one or two of her scores, that
> you use this article to discover more.

> Like everyone, I look at views on my articles to gauge everyone’s interest
> (my “Superman” post will be my highest ever and probably hit 1,000 views
> when all is said and done – I haven’t read any of the comments yet because
> I don’t enjoy being punched in the face, but I really hope at least one or
> two people got what I was going for), and I am worried this one will top
> out at like 150 views. Which is such bullshit… not because I put in a lot
> of work on it (even though I did), but because Walker is so fucking
> awesome and discovering her voice and work was a total pleasure for me.

In general, I do wish you were in the replies more when you post stuff from your odysseys. But I suppose your writing speaks for itself.

> Her name deserves to be screamed from the rooftops, her work deserves to
> be discussed much more than it is… and I really hope my writing here can
> do a small part in getting more attention on her oeuvre.

For sure.