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Was listening to complete scores of Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Superman: The Movie earlier today. Williams wrote all of that in the span of 18 months? Boggles the mind. The Empire Strikes Back Karol

Cue Jurassic Park Gate or T-Rex Rescue and FInale. A LEGO Jurassic Park set just announced: More info here https://www.brothers-brick.com/2019/06/11/lego-reveals-75936-jurassic-park-t-rex-rampage-featuring-largest-dinosaur-ever-in-an-official-set-news/#more-180833

Just picked this up at the mail box, sounds fantastic so far! Ten minutes of unheard music per MM's notes.

Crossed off Monsignor in the main post!

On a purely musical note, this video has a clean, high-quality version of an alternate ending we've heard here and there - the one that goes directly from the fanfare into a final bright major chord.

I watched it with my brothers awhile back. We titled it "True Grumble" regarding Bridges' performance.

Yes, specifically better than the 2007 version (it was sourced from better-quality elements, btw). I love how "Audience with the Holy Father" basically foreshadows the death of Yoda sequence in Jedi. The score is also Previn-esque in some of the lyrical moments (the variation on the Gloria material at the end of "Santoni's Compassion" reminds me of the theme from The Four Horsemen of Apocalypse.

The OST remaster sounds better than the 2007 version, it's warmer and more natural (i.e. less loud). The film version presentation sounds significantly better, it's a crisp, warm Tomlinson recording that finally shines.

We already have that A.I. software - it's called L0RN3.BALF3

Aww #Mothzilla is like totes a thing now

The series is a fascinating read but it is more on the scholarly side, chronicling the evolution of the whole legendarium from the original Book of Lost Tales to the literary history of the Lord of the Rings and beyond. You can of course read most of the stories without ever looking at the notes, commentary or footnotes but they might come off as fragmentary in some points and you might miss some of the fascinating little details the notes clarify and bring to light. There is a great deal of repetition as well as this series attempts to illuminate the lengthy creation and gestation process of these various stories and how they evolve and you will encounter slowly refined histories of his stories from book to book, version to version in the 12 volumes of the series. In addition Christopher Tolkien tries to offer textual analysis and textual history concerning the various editions of these stories, what manuscript was written when and which might be the first, which intervening and what the last or latest draft of a particular piece of writing. Plus he offers lengthy explanatory essays in all the volumes of this work. And not nearly all of these papers and stories Tolkien left behind are in any true published form but fragments and stories that are started and then left unfinished. E.g. volume 3 The Lays of Beleriand offers two lengthy poems on The Lay of the Children of Húrin and The Lay of Leithian, both of which were never finished as well as some other unfinished poem fragments. If you have read the Unfinished Tales then you have a pretty good idea of how this book series approaches the subject matter. So it is not a straight " oh wow here is a new 12 part epic fantasy novel from Tolkien's secret hoard of unpublished tales" but a well researched and scholarly work presenting us all these fascinating stories but very heavily leaning to showing us the development of Tolkien's various ideas, stories and thinking on his secondary world he did throughout his life and offer glimpses to the creation processes of this literary genius. That is certainly not to say there isn't purely literary pleasure to be reaped from these volumes but as I said these works seem more of a scholarly analysis of Tolkien's large body of writings while at the same time making them available to his ardent readers. But if you are able to get this at a decent price I would certainly recommend it if you have more than a passing interest in Tolkien's works.

The new music is somewhat similar to what was already on the 2007 release, but still nice to have everything included conveniently on one disc. Also, props to Intrada, this came in a box with an ample supply of packing peanuts to prevent damage. No cracked case and no broken teeth!

Quite true. He's really fired up, especially regarding educating audiences who are judgmental about film music, but careful to disarm his f-bombs! Thanks for another great episode.

Here's the new installment of the "Legacy Conversations" series: the new episode features an engaging and wide-ranging interview with film composer Joe Kraemer (Jack Reacher, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot), who talks about being inspired by the music of John Williams since childhood and how it led him to a career as a film composer in Hollywood: https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2019/06/10/joe-kraemer-podcast/

Galaxy's Edge exists in a different medium than the films, and it's hugely different from the rest of Disneyland, so I'm not convinced by those comparisons. That being said, I'm of two minds with it. On the one hand, I was worried early on that the experience would involve constant recognizable orchestral Star Wars music. That would have been awful. Area BGM is most effective when it's made up of music you'd be likely to hear in the environment being depicted. (Jazz in New Orleans Square, medieval instruments in Fantasyland, guitar and banjo in Frontierland, etc.) It's source music, in film terms. Because as silly as it sounds...the scores of Star Wars don't exist in the universe of Star Wars. Luke doesn't know the Force theme. Jabba doesn't ask his palace band to bring out the tuba and play his theme. And even a musical genius like Figrin D'an has never heard of an oboe or a violin. These are filmic devices for giving emotional context to specific moments. Perfectly suited to attractions, shows, and other settings where specific events or moments are being staged, but not appropriate for when you're just walking around Batuu on your own adventure. So I'm super glad that there's not a hint of orchestral score in the area BGM. On the other hand, indigenous source music is featured in just about every SW film. In keeping with that, I imagined/hoped that you'd wander in and out of earshot of the music enjoyed by the denizens of Black Spire. They could have even snuck some fun references to the iconic themes into this alien soundscape. The fact that most of the land is completely devoid of any music is surprising and a little disappointing to me. The animal sounds and the roars of ships overhead are enough for some areas, but the very few spots that have music work really well, and the land would benefit from more of that. I'm thinking especially of areas like the marketplace. Imagine something in the vein of the Most Espa music in that area. It'd be perfect! At least we aren't being constantly bombarded with a "greatest hits" playlist of Star Wars music throughout the land, though. That would be waaayyyy too much of a good thing.

I don’t think his score was better than Williams’ TFA, but I can accept his win as a long-due career achievement award from the Academy. In a perfect world, he would’ve gotten his Oscar for either GBU or OUATIA, imo.

You can barely hear it under the chanting and pounding percussion.

I can only think of one swashbuckler score after Korngold's golden era that I really like: Harry Gregson-Williams Sinbad.

on headphones the Film Presentation sounds a lot better. Has more bass, sounds warmer and detailed than the OST which has a more forward midrange and sounds more tinny. . Kind of like Dracula but more of a gap in sound quality with Dracula OST: Slight improvement over 2007 release Film Presentation .Large improvement over 2007 release

It'll have a CD/streaming album friendly soundtrack, full of minor funk hits that will give millennials semi erections as they pat themselves on the back for recognising them and feeling all cool and pleased with themselves.

Star Trek Is Better Than Everything ©

Scott is tht most consistent director in his inconsistency.

The remake was hard going tbh. Even worse, it was entirely bereft of the original's warmth and charm.

The dogs episode was pretty weak, I agree. A cheap way to evoke drama.

CD and English description: https://www.actmusic.com/en/Artists/David-Helbock/Playing-John-Williams/Playing-John-Williams-CD

I'd say the film presentation, but keep in mind that they're mostly different takes and mixes than the OST album (like Dracula, for example).

The back cover is on Intrada's website.

Here's my list: 1)E.T. Adventure :ET LLL. 2)Teaser from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 3)Fortress of Solitude Alternate (Superman LLL) 4)Return to the City Alternate (Empire of the Sun LLL 5)The Plane Alternate (Empire of the Sun LLL) 6)Inside (Ce3K LLL) 7)A.I. Theme Instrumental (A.I. LLL) 8)The Love Scene Extended Version (Dracula Varese) 9)Hungry Raptor (Jurassic Park) 10)Eleventh Commandment (Ce3K)

Superman and or Dracula for me next month

There were just too many birds!

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The film version edits a bit out and is entirely unnecessary.

I’m was thinking giving it just a ***. There’s too much good craft, and Nolan trademark seriousness (which I love) for me to score it less. I like liking movies, and I’m trying my hardest not to be too harsh with most films.

Any comments on the SQ vs the Varese? FSM is in a tizzy. I have the Varese and noticed that Mr Erick Labson mastered that one. Brickwalling perhaps? Haven't listened in a while.

Wow! You're certainly pulling in some impressive talent for your website @TownerFan. Awesome work! Cannot wait to listen to this, I loved Kraemer's score for MI.

I've been working on Williams's action music lately, and as part of this project I put together a little super-cut of everyone's favorite tune, the "Ludlow Motif". Let's see how long it is before YouTube decides to take this down. Am I missing anything? There are corners of the War Horse and BFG scores I'm not so familiar with where this gesture may lurk..

Good Omens. Being a big Terry Pratchett fan (I finished my almost two decades long read-through of the Discworld series earlier this year), and having finally read several Neil Gaiman stories in the past few years, I have to admit that the book isn't among my favourites by probably either writer. It's good, of course, and often very good, and very witty; it just doesn't really come together so well as a whole for me. Not surprising then that, while I was massively anticipating it, I'm not quite as ecstatic about the TV version as many others on the web seem to be. It's an excellent adaptation though, and like to book it has its moments of brilliance. Aside from a few bits here and there, I didn't have any quibbles with it, and that alone is a feat, considering how hard to adapt Pratchett's writings tend to be. Based on that alone, anyone who likes the book should find the series perfectly satisfactory. But probably the most successful aspect of the TV version is the absolutely brilliant casting. David Tennant and Michael Sheen (who I was almost entirely unfamiliar with; apparently I've seen him in two films before, but I didn't remember him from either) are a dream pairing in the lead role, and the rest of the cast is fabulous as well. And you get a fun score by David Arnold, including some Brian May style guitar work (in addition to them making full use of their Queen licence and appropriately littering the show with their greatest hits). All in all a must see.

From the comments quoted above, that would probably leave out at least about one full disc of (significant!) alternates.

Some of the bombast in the first track sounds very Star Trek TOS to me. @Richard is wrong, Courage wrote the full score, using Williams' themes old and new.

It really doesn't. Harry Potter 2 sounds like Williams through and through, even if a lot of it is clearly copied AKA "adapted" from the first score. It still sounds like JW. Superman IV does not.

But the score doesn't sound all that much like Williams!

All I have to say is: ORDERED.

Anyone else want to just talk about how cool Powell’s score is instead?

From their great filmed '86 concert in Pittsburgh. They are all on pretty good form here, especially Steele who navigates a pretty intricate bass line rather seamlessly with her lead vocal, while having a nice little dynamic with Susanna during the instrumental bridge and at the end. Really needs to be remastered and re-released.

Star Trek owes almost everything to Star Wars. "Star Wars was the impetus to [re]starting up the franchise of Star Trek for years to come".

So there’s this thing called money that people really like...