Best and Worst Music Editing

[CartoonJazzLover]

When did you think Nicolas Carr had the best and worst music editing on the show (in terms of how he determined the BGM to be used)?

IMO:

Season 1: lots of tracks that were only played once, bunch of Hawaiian/surf guitar tracks. They played mostly APM tracks with the occasional original composition tracks.

Seasons 2-3: some of the iconic tracks like Comic Walk, Toomfoolery, Wooden Bear, Sponge Monger, Earl’s Revenge, as well as Wakefield/Carr stings etc. were introduced. A lot of good musical numbers as well.

Seasons 4-5: Some new tracks from the composers, a more balanced amount of APM/original tracks played. Last seasons with really great music editing.

Seasons 6-8: No offense to Nick Carr, but he started to become lazier in music editing here. Unfitting music choices especially in title card sequences. And the music somehow become a little childish. At least there’s some decent new tracks.

Seasons 9-present: Carr is slowly getting better but he still need to not overuse same tracks. Season 9 was still late post-movie like, but eventually when post sequel progresses the APM/original tracks become close to being balanced again. And the new tracks are almost as memorable as early seasons tracks.

 

[Klu]

I like first season music editing the most. It's just so atmospheric.

 

[SpongeOddFan]

s2-3 music were good imo.

 

[Pugs4Thugs]

I think seasons 2 and 3 were the best. Season 1 was good, but it still had a very limited amount of tracks. They were all different, but kinda sounded the same. I did like how it had an underwater feel though. Seasons 4-5 is when tracks started to get overused, seasons 6-8 sound like white noise because of how bad the repetition was, and season 9 is getting there, but not quite yet.

Seasons 2-3 had the best music because they kept it unique, and yet still didn't have a million tracks. They just changed it up sometimes.

 

[RomNick]

You know, when APM adds new music to its collection every year, you can't just ignore its tracks.
The Phil Green and Harry Lubin music started playing right after they were added on APM: since 2009. And then they disappeared from the show because the label was completely removed in late 2016. I once emailed to Carr, and he said that ever since the beginning, he liked the archival light/dramatic tracks more than the others, which reminded him of the classic Looney Tunes shorts or cheesy sci-fi/horror movies (in a good way, of course).
You can't just confine yourself to a narrow period of albums' release dates, you should always check out what tracks were added recently on APM.

What made matters worse in 2008 is that the 10-year contract with Lovecat Music (the surf rock tracks distrubutor) has ended, and Dennis Music (label with Jan Rap tracks) left APM to live its separate way.

Plus, the music becoming childish: I think he had no choice with that, since most of the dialogue in these seasons was REALLY slow. And with Barry Trop dead, I think it's a good thing to have Carr continue using his tracks after his death.

Seasons 2-3 had the best music because they kept it unique, and yet still didn't have a million tracks. They just changed it up sometimes.

That's when getting the lisences to tracks started to become harder and harder. And in 2008, it became even MORE hard, especially with the German labels like Sonoton or Selected Sound: their liscences became more expensive unlike the British labels (Bruton, KPM, CPM). Since then, he could't afford a liscence to using one track for several years. To use the library track, he had to pay for it EVERY TIME when he wanted to use it in a single episode. So they started composing the tracks by themselves.
The year 2008 is actually the year when the animated shows with library music used in every episode became almost extinct. And for a while, SpongeBob remained the only one of them, until Sanjay and Craig and Loud House appeared.

I distinctly remember the Nostalgia Critic (aka Doug Walker) had the APM music in his videos frequentely from 2010 to 2014 (one or two tracks per one video), but since late 2014, Doug started to use more cheap royalty-free music or from YouTube Library or his father's original compositions. So Carr is not the only one who had this dilemma.

 

[EliasAzevedo]

The real story about what happened to Dennis Music is that they left their sitter company Sonoton Music. They start working with Sonoton in 1989 I believe. In 2008, Dennis Music and Sonoton Music want to go to separate ways. While they still support Sonoton, they're no longer a part of Sonoton. (Now don't think that they're coming back because they joined Soho Production Music in UK, because APM don't support Soho in UK). What's worse is that Hilo March was remove in the site, and it was replace by "South Sea Improvisations", which is known as Grass Skirt Blowing (Yes Hilo March is really not called Grass Skirt Blowing). Correct me if I'm wrong but this album is the one that SpongeBob used. https://www.discogs.com/The-Royal-H...oa-Voices-Beautiful-Hawaii-Th/release/1721266. ESCD 508 Hawaii came out in 2001. (All of these track came out in 1969, here's their first album, https://www.discogs.com/Royal-Hawai...instrels-Olv-George-de-Fretes/release/1229450, well, except Hilo March and Lonely on the Beach, I don't know what's their first album, and I'm trying to find it so hard because they are the best Hawaiian tracks. These two track were created by The Hawaiian Serenaders, and there are many of people that are called The Hawaiian Serenaders. I only listen to three of their track, Hilo March, Lonely on the Beach, and Hawaiian Tattoo.) Move on, now Dennis Music works with CTM Music. I don't think they are ever coming back, especially Hilo March.

 

[RomNick]

Way to bump the topic...