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Check out our new main page article where I interview Mike Matessino about E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial 35th Anniversary Edition, The John Williams Jurassic Park Collection, Stanley & Iris / Pete 'n' Tillie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and more!

Could not agree more. Terrific interview, Jay! It's refreshing to come away after reading a great interview like this with some of the minutiae of the process -- and in my case, to learn that the work involved is actually WAY greater than I expected. It brings my appreciation and respect for the work of MM, LLL, et al. to a whole new level. Most interviewers are pathetic. They hardly ever let you glimpse what it's really like to be the interviewee because they never ask the insider questions. But it's exactly the answers to such questions that allow people to learn how the sausage is made, so to speak. That's where the novelty lies. After reading this interview, I no longer have ANY issue with the prices charged for an expanded limited release of a JW score. Once you realize how MM, LLL, and seemingly half of the film and music industry back office in SoCal cooperate to produce such a niche product, there is nothing to feel but total gratitude. (And when that event happens over and over and over in the span of a few years in the JW oeuvre, it's nothing short of miraculous.)

This could have been a standard interview, but your questions made it actually an interesting interview. There are many professional interviewers that could learn from you. And am I mistaken or is it the original La-La Land cover of The Lost World, for the first time?

http://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-a-new-hope-soundtrack-vinyl-box-set-coming-december-1 https://disneymusic.shop.musictoday.com/product/XVLP69/star-wars-a-new-hope-40th-anniversary-box-set?cp=81712_81750 "...the 3-LP set features a 48-page hard cover book on 180-gram vinyl." So I guess every page of the book doubles as a playable record? That's gonna be a heavy book! #MisplacedModifiers #RehireYourEditors #ConcernedEnglishTeachersOfJWFan

All I really want is just one great track that I immediately want to listen to over and over again.

I have plans to do a series of articles like this one for Empire of the Sun that reveal the take information for all the JW scores that MM has tackled. If there's enough interest, it should happen!

It was. Rian Johnson confirmed it on Twitter some time ago

There's nothing to feel mean spirited about with that comment. Interviews are important if you find the subjects meaningful. Since you're unlikely to ever get to interview the person yourself, you depend on the interviewer to try to glean details that you'd never otherwise get a chance to learn about. My wife and I were at Comic-Con this past July and watched a replay of some of the Saturday Hall H panels. Chris Hardwick was interviewing the Justice League cast and it was atrocious. You learned NOTHING from it that would have merited a 20-hour wait in line. "How was it to work with this group?" "Oh, it was amazing." Yeesh. Maybe that's why any lingering interest I had in JL evaporated on the spot that day. (For the record, Ray Miller was probably the only one who bothered not to phone it in and gave answers that were not completely asinine or empty.) I may not have heard of the term "mechanical rate" before reading the MM interview, but it took me only 15 seconds on Google to learn what it means, and now I have some trivia about how a tiny part of the music industry works. That's rewarding to me. That's what a good interview should allow for. Again, thank you, Jay. Maybe you could one day interview Shawn Murphy or Conrad Pope -- I for one would love to learn a bit about the intricacies of sound engineering or orchestration!! Or any of the folks at JoAnn Kane. Or...

Saying Jay is "just" a moderator is like saying Yoda was just another member of the Jedi Council. We need Jay. Now, more than ever.

"just"? "just"!? "just"!?!?!??! Oh Stu, you disappoint me.

It's almost like he was intentionally avoiding Disney. And when your only Disney score over 50 years is a film like Nixon, I mean.... that's like a statement or something.

A sith lawd?

I'll tell you what they got

Fantastic interview. Congrats, Jay! I'm so glad we have Mike overseeing and producing these projects. He's definitely the right person at the right moment doing the right job. Bless him!

This makes me want to listen to JP/TLW again!

Ah, but you selfishly want a new theme for everyone to enjoy, thus making this actually quite a selfless desire on your part.

Universal has the Jaws shared universe! Jurassic Jaws. You heard it here first.

Sometimes a third party is needed to license the album cues from the album-rights holder and the film cues from the film-rights holder and then release a combined product as a third party. Universal Music Group and Universal Studios may have similar names but are run are completely separate entities. Could be something like that. Aw, shucks, thanks! I was wondering when someone would point that out!

It's because most interviews are not conducted by the most passionate and obsessive enthusiasts, who are not generally the people who get access for such interviews.

Wow! It's actually called Botanicus Theme!

I think it's among Williams most versatile themes simply because he was able to adapt it to a variety of functions and moods throughout the score. To name a few... Adventure Somber Drama Playful/Lighthearted Action Badass

And maybe the 20th Century Fox fanfare/logo could be restored to the beginnings of the Star Wars movies? Haha, a teeny grain of sand in the beach of implications this sale could mean.

And picking up on the subject of music for wintry sleigh rides from earlier in the thread, here are two wonderful pieces from Bernard Herrmann The latter doesn't seem especially Christmasy to me, perhaps because it's an adaptation of "Miss McLeod's Reel" which can only ever make me think of Copland's "Hoe-Down," which is definitely not Christmasy at all.

Well, E.T., Empire of the Sun, Star Wars... what else... it begins to make a lot of alt tracks released on records... enough to document them I think. I'll be interrested to see that happening!

Holy shit, someone else here knows this score! Stu, you'll like it. Its a great score.

Great interview @Jay! I was surprised to learn that 1996 and 2002 E.T. releases featured a lot (if not for the most part) of alt takes! That's a so big problem in the industry today. Labels give the job to consultants, who restore the old tapes and they don't even know what they do, they don't even know the artist, the content... they just listen that quickly, pick the takes they think are the best ones, without even bothering to compare them with the old records or original release. That's a shame! Being a Charles Aznavour fan, like all people know now (I hope), it's a big problem... and Universal (and particularly since the multi-tracks stereo tapes have been newly transfered in HD) still continue to release alt tracks by error. In the case of Aznavour, we can talk of almost 50 years of alt tracks released by error... It was such a mess, that I've decided to make a catalog. Anyway... Happy to learn that at least 2 other expansions are coming... surely next year!

Call it "Strox Box" in Comic Sans with an image of a soap box underneath.

This potential sale is especially concerning given the recent story of Disney blacklisting the Los Angeles Times for publishing an unflattering story about their business ties to the City of Anaheim. Any corporation, especially one with as much power and reach as Disney, that behaves that way with a major press outlet, where they had better only publish things that make them look good 'or else' is abhorrent. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-holiday-movie-preview-2017-times-note-on-disney-1509668978-htmlstory.html The offending story: Is Disney paying its share in Anaheim? The money battle outside the Happiest Place on Earth. It's funny. I bet many executives at Disney would consider themselves anti-Trump yet they behave just as pettily and pathetically when receiving negative press.

Heh, I actually put “Ripples” on while reading the first section of the interview yesterday

An excellent interview Jay! Also you ask all the right questions. Especially when JW fans are concerned.

This is definitely my kind of person.

Yeah no more of this realistic and relatable crap!

LLL posted some pics on their Facebook page I believe that's Neil in the back left!

Disney is buying everything!!! Hey, I wonder if they'd be interested in my mint copies of the LOTR Complete Recordings?

As long as a catalog release of an older score is released with 100% of the cues there, I am OK with swapping the order of some cues around if if both 1) improves the listening experience and 2) We can easily re-arrange tracks into order if we personally desire to do so. The problem with some of the albums created at the time of the films' releases is when thematic buildup is ruined by putting climactic instances of themes too early in programs.

I watched Sugarland just last year but I honestly can't remember if there was enough material to justify a standalone release. I suppose if they priced it a little cheaper than the normal expansion that would be ok. Of course we have no idea how much if any unused material there is from the sessions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- @The Doctor's Holy Grail

Fantastic!

This movie looks like crap

Sony is relatively dry and also quite shallow. There isn't as much depth possible as in other spaces, and that lack of depth adds to the intimate feeling. And, it's a very wide space despite not being deep, which emphasizes "in your face" even more. Obviously, recording and engineering techniques can make scores recorded there sound very different, but TFA to me sounds like it has bare bones mixing going on and is pretty faithful to the conductor's perspective - wide, with the winds a little buried, and the brass rather strident and upfront. But my ears aren't what they used to be.

Well I have to report in that this was a stunning concert, the best I've ever been to. The Birmingham Symphony Hall is the most splendid concert hall I've seen, and the acoustics were flawless. The orchestral power was contained and conveyed brilliantly, and when quiet the sound was rich and warm. I sat top and centre (higher than in the picture), and had a great view - better than my experience in the Royal Albert Hall, whose scale I now believe to be too large. This concert had a minimum of frills - no introductions except for a deep voiceover in the dark between odd tracks, spelling out the chronological story with mixed success (try paraphrasing the plot of the prequels, they sound awful!). The conductor was vibrant and hardworking, really drawing out every performer and getting the most out of the orchestra and the music. Concert-goers will know that a joy of hearing familiar music live is seeing how the orchestra creates our beloved music, but also the changes in sound mix that allow us to experience the music, and its technical excellence, in new ways. Just what you want from this playlist: Main Title/End Credits was the classic opener, played flawlessly at the thrilling tempo demanded by the original, which I know not all concert performances can handle. A bombastic start was duly followed by The Flag Parade, in a concert arrangement I hadn't heard before. Full of boisterous interludes and flighty passages (sounding more scattered than the tonal writing we typically hear in The Phantom Menace, and the film presentation of this piece, and more akin to The Force Awakens action). The brass gave this an attitude and verve I hadn't heard and the quality of the performance excited me for the rest of the concert, as it was not about to let up. Anakin's Theme showcased the rich, coherent sound they could express in slower movements, then the ~80-strong choir stood for Duel of the Fates. A special piece to hear live, this was full of more powerful percussion than usual, but the propulsive force and tempo of the piece was executed brilliantly. Across the Stars started to reveal the talent of the soloists, then the choir returned for Battle of the Heroes. As we know, it strikes a more jagged tone than Duel of the Fates, but they nailed it. Then (and I forget the specific order), onto the familiar classicism of 'Episode IV'; Here They Come dived headlong into action, giving space to all the orchestra and handling deftly the crescendos and drops, and the range of pitch, in this classic piece. Princess Leia's Theme again showed us the control and poise of the soloists, passing the theme around without putting a step wrong. Cantina Band was another treat, played in dim 'bar-like' lighting, featuring a guitar and possibly another odd instrument I couldn't identify. Throne Room/End Titles was performed with as much confidence as you'd now expect from an orchestra knocking out these pieces so skillfully; however it surprisingly segued into the Celebration End Titles from Revenge of the Sith, with the slow Force theme and fabulous 'Tatooine' bridge. A satisfying piece to close the first half. In the second half, around half the members of the orchestra came back in Star Wars costume. From Rey, hooded Jedi and Rebel pilots to Darths Maul and Vader (who joined lit-eyed Jawas on percussion at the back), the unassuming affair raised cheers from the audience. The best was a bulbous Jabba waddling on stage, giving a wave, then going to sit in the wind section to play flute! Asteroid Field was yet another treat to hear in its concert form, the tempo handled excellently, the percussion on point and the brass coming forth in broad strokes. Yoda's Theme was a pleasant interlude, followed by the fantastic Parade of the Ewoks. It was brilliant to see odd percussion being played, and played hard, and the piece took on far much more character live (here in a slightly different concert presentation with a differing intro). Luke and Leia, now my favourite romantic theme of Johnny's, was another testament to the hall's warm sound, this orchestra's coherence, the soloists skill, and really brought forth this layered and melodically-fascinating theme. The Forest Battle set the conductor alight, tested the players' skills, and thrilled us with a pumping and powerful opening leading to the percussive Ewok sections and bombastic finale. Music from The Force Awakens, newly-heard live for most, I suppose, kicked off smartly with March of the Resistance, which drew my eye and ear to the hard-working brass section. Rey's Theme will surely become a classic, and it was nice to see celesta (I think) in the opening and closing. Scherzo for X-Wings was played as hard as you would hope, keeping the original's tempo and expressing well the tension between order and chaos in Williams' modern action writing. Finally, Jedi Steps and Finale captured the initial mystery, and then handled expertly the thematic changes through the credits, to the touching and quiet ending. The celesta closing of the main theme seemed born to cap a thrilling fans' concert like this. Of course, there was one piece missing, and a Palpatine, Vader and stormtroopers came out for the encore, which was a thunderous approach to the Imperial March, as confident, flawless and enriching performance as any throughout the evening.

Day 2 – Bladezimmer In the second day JWFan begins with a traditional touch that recalls Giacchino, before sensual whistles take us into the realm that can only be called Bladezimmer. Today, we made 2.75 minutes of music together. Still ahead of the maestro, John Towner Williams.

That was a very rude thing to say, Stefan. Please let these people enjoy their process, and leave them alone if you aren't interested in participating or providing constructive feedback.

I have no expectations that this will be anything new, but a remastered version of the original OST programs would be pretty nifty to have on CD. It already exists in digital form, they'd just have to press it.

I know EXACTLY what you're talking about, and I agree with the first sentence, but I don't think darkness is the missing ingredient. On the contrary, I think darkness might be the overused ingredient. I think the best illustration I can think of, and this going to be a round-about example, so stay with me, is "The Prime Directive" in Insurrection (aka "The Lost Ship/Prepare The Ship"). There's a part of the track I think Goldsmith gives us one of the most John Williams' approaches to drama and suspense he ever has: just as the oboe kicks in and we get the melancholy heavy strings. But throughout the whole track Jerry walks an intricate tight rope of conspiracy, bureaucratic detachment, defeat, sadness, fear and youthful rebellion. That's what suspense is all about, per the definition: " a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen:" You're never quite certain what the track is really getting at, it's an infuriating and deeply satisfying dance of both positive (energizing) and negative (dark/melancholy). John's approach to these types of scenes tends to be drenched more strongly in the dark/melancholy. I would guess that if he scored that scene, the oboe/heavy strings section would provide the predominant framework for the whole of the track (much of RotS is evidence of that, where everything in the movie is largely supplanted by the tragedy). And while he'd include other elements as well (the man writes complicated music, there's no question about that), by selecting a dominant emotion (melacholy/darkness) you by definition eliminate suspense. There's no longer any uncertainty about what the emotional core of the scene is, it's dark melancholy with other emotional elements mixed in. Goldsmith doesn't select the dominant emotion of the scene for you, he choreographs a war between the emotions, and that creates suspense. That's why his music so often captured that sense of mental turmoil. Hence you get the feeling that Williams writes with broader emotional strokes (though he of course employs the finer strokes). If he were a painter, if you zoomed out far enough you could pick a dominant color from his paintings. With Goldsmith's suspense writing, zooming out just makes things look black or white (mix of colors). A sad track with happy or scary or rebellious bits sprinkled throughout is a sad track. But a track that weaves emotional cores more ambiguously is a suspenseful track. You mentioned sex. Same principle applies with sex. Sex can be a romantic, passionate, primitive, and savage affair. It's all about how the music brings attention to those things. [EDIT] And just to add, I think their approaches inform their overall thematic styles as well. Goldsmith's more "suspenseful" approach means he tackled fewer but bigger ideas, otherwise his music would sound like a mess. Williams' approach lets him use way more ideas, because he can anchor them to a unifying emotional core but at the cost of being unable to have more than one dominant emotional framework for a piece. I would even argue the two composer's styles are driven by functional necessity. If you hold the core emotional architecture constant, it's easier to pepper and mix in more smaller different ideas: you have to meld all those ideas against one backdrop. But if you have several core emotional frameworks, every time the core architecture of the piece changes you have to re-adapt smaller different ideas against that new backdrop, and that doesn't just happen by itself. John Williams can use complex and rich sets of leitmotivs because he anchors his pieces to a central emotional core. Jerry on the other hand needs the broader thematic ideas because his music has a less obvious emotional core.

Have to agree about Williams being wood and JG glass... if they were materials that is.. Both are good at suspense but l think in terms of helping the movie I think Goldsmith was more effective.. there is tremendous light and shade in is scores even in the Mummy... where JW might write some churning ostinato or dissonant synth swell ( which I love.. not dissing this approach at all) in a more romantic style (the chords are 20th/21st century dissonance but the orchestration is so perfect that it sounds very polished), JG wouldn't hold back and would probably use a melody or notes...as opposed to sustained passage with harp etc... So my 2c is both are good but Goldsmith wins for range but maybe not in terms of quality of composition.....John is more refined. Goldsmith scores to me seem very raw and he doesn't hold back (think Star trek Insurrection, Mummy, Air Force One) I don't think JW could have written a better score than JG... But then again I cannot imaging JG doing Star Wars...

4:40 to the end. Bone chilling.