Ludwig 1,120 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 We've discussed what films made you a Williams fan, but if you remember one of the first cues that had an immense impact on you, do share it here...For me, it's probably a tie between the main titles for Superman and Star Wars. But the realization that these were by the same composer came later.(EDIT: Quint, Mr. Shark, GreyPilgrim, thanks for your answers to this in the JP analysis thread. Perhaps you could do a little cut and paste to re-post here - they're good stories!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 7,984 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 I think it was The Imperial March for me.Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faleel 5,337 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Fox Fanfare Ludwig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonesy 55 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romão 2,274 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Into the Trap. It was the track that immediatly grabbed me and ROTJ SE was the first cd I ever bought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faleel 5,337 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Was it the SNES version? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 It would have to have been JURASSIC PARK then HOOK in around 94/95 on home video. I remember having a nap then waking up to the Brachiosaurus scene (mum and dad must have fast forwarded past the opening scene). Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,465 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 It started off with the more fanfaric and action-oriented stuff, but at some point it was all about the cues with a more spiritual/pastoral/religious feel. Eventually the latter became the CORE of my Williams fandom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,232 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Surprise, surprise, for me it was Stored Memories. Of course I had been a fan long before that, but it was that cue that triggered something in my brain. Combined with a certain other landmark score that year, it was responsible for a life-changing revelation that music, particularly film music, wasn't just something I had a knack/passion for - but that it was what I wanted to do.My actual FIRST experience with John was most likely ROTJ, as it was I believe my first trip to the theater. I have a very vague memory of it that I treasure.CE3K was the first of his albums I actually bought, I think in '89, after seeing it on tv. My parents always say that was the moment they knew what I was going to do with my life haha. Had a bit of a detour, but here I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,713 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 For me the single cue that made me into a John Williams fan was the Journey to the Island from Jurassic Park (both inside and out of the film). I have a very vivid (and here much repeated) memory of seeing the film when I was 12 years old and suddenly being powerfully aware of the majesty of the symphony orchestra when I heard the Journey in the theater. After that I naturally wanted to hear it again and hunted down the soundtrack (my cousin actually bought it).After that came Schindler's List (my first CD) The Lost World (bought at the same time with Schindler's List) and the Star Wars scores and after that I was hooked and am on the same journey still. P.S. I was soon obsessed by Imperial March after I began to delve into John Williams' music. That is simply one of the coolest badass pieces of music ever composed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmmusic 1,823 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 I guess Halloween from E.T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igger6 894 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Great idea for a thread! Whatever it was for me, it came from Sony's 2-disc Greatest Hits 1969-1999 album. I think I have to choose three (maybe four):"Raiders March"/"Superman March": To this day, "Raiders" reminds me of being four or five years old and wondering how that guy could be a teacher and a cowboy at the same time. We had Superman recorded off TV, and we watched it enough that I can still remember some of the commercials. Both themes are an instant bridge to the most basic childlike connection with a character."Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra": When I got my hands on the 2-disc set, I had only vague memories of the motorcycle scene from Last Crusade, but this song so vividly recreated the idea of a fanciful/dangerous chase that I could imagine it perfectly. "The Reivers": The first few times I hit this track, the lazy guitar picking at the outset made me skip it. Only after I left it on by accident did I discover the gorgeous string theme and galloping action music that come later. This, along with Born on the Fourth of July, was the first Williams theme I fell in love with without seeing the movie. For me, these two scores sum up the stories they tell so well that I don't need the movies."Duel of the Fates": The music video for this premiered on Channel One, a syndicated news-for-teens show that played in the morning at my school. Since I had been baptized into Star Wars superfandom two years earlier by the Special Editions (and my two-cassette A New Hope soundtrack), this was probably my first time ever anticipating music as a major part of a movie, and hearing it today brings me right back to that feeling.(OK, so that turned into six tracks. Hey, it's a great album..) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnaud 6 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Time Tunnel for me before 1977 though I didn't pay attention to the composer's name. It was such a striking and dynamic cue. Then Star Wars came out and the music blew me away along with the rest of it. I couldn't say which cue in particular. It was the whole experience. Back then, which was good, one was more prone to listen to entire sides of LPs. No remote controls... This is probably why my parents didn't go nuts because of hearing SW music all the time!Magazine articles gave details about Williams bio so I realized he had also composed Time Tunnel and I made sure not to miss the Towering Inferno on TV. And then Close Encounters nailed it in the cinemas a few months later. Information about Williams was scarce and I missed several films he had composed music for when they came out with the exception of Superman and the Lucas/Spielberg movies which were must see films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alejandro 26 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 To the Lair from Superman. Mine Car Chase from Temple of Doom. Adv on Earth from ET. March from 1941. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,625 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Hard to tell, it was a bit post Star Wars (not immediately after I saw the film, but when I got the Zubin Metha re-recording as a gift from an aunt)I remember liking the Star Wars cues , Close Encounters Finale, Superman Main Titles in cinema , some cues in Jaws like Man against Beast and all of the TESB score sealed the dealI already liked the Lost in Space music but didn't know it was Williams for some timefirst soundtrack I bought is the TESB cassette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Theme From Jurassic ParkDuel Of The Fates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 75 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 HookEmpire Strikes BackThe whole things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indy4 155 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Imperial marchNBC Mission ThemeRaiders marchDuel f the FatesET flying themeSpecifically the versions on the by request cd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Breathmask 555 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Journey to the Island Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karelm 2,903 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 I remember Jaws in 1976 and already being blown away by the cumulative affect of the music. Especially memorable was the very scary music for the research vessel in the ominous fog plus the Orca voyage out to see with the shark mouth in the foreground. But when seeing Star Wars a year or two later I was just blown away from the first note. I became a fan when realizing it was the same guy. Only a few months later would be Close Encounters and I was a deep fan by then though only five or six years old. It had a visceral emotional impact on me from the first notes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-moll 1 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 The Raiders march, more exact the march in Flight from Peru - I remember that I knew a little bit classical music and a lots of charts music and I wanted to figure out which musical power has an orchestra in a film. I discussed it with my brother and we saw Raiders of the lost Ark, then the march sounded when Indy was pulsating with his whip... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Score 770 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Journey to the Island, at the cinema. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Journey to the Island, on the settee in the living room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurkensalat 336 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 The Asteroid Field Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Journey to the Island Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,478 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Empire Strikes Back : Imperial March and Yoda's Theme.The first CD ever that I bought was : John Williams conducts John Williams – The Star Wars Trilogy (1990).So, I collect John Williams CDs since 1990, I was 16.Journey to the Island, on the settee in the living room.Are you sure It was'nt with Colonel Mustard in the Library? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,496 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Oh, that's easy! The film, and the score are the same: the Main Title from "The Towering Inferno". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Skywalker 1,792 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Journey to the island-theme from jursassic park. It was the 1st Williams score film i saw in cinema. It could have been hook two years prior but the cinema was full when we arrived so we went for another film.. i think. cant remember.Though, i liked the indiana jones films before that-TOD was the 1st one i saw. (i didnt knew who williams was anyway) and i have a flashback everytime i hear the opening of 'Love theme from superman' I must have seen it in the mid 80's. I liked the superman theme too (used in some late 80's-early 90's cartoon).Then i wanted to buy Lost world...but it was too expensive...and i ended renting it in the library one or two years later. I also got "filmworks" there. They had ESB SE but i could not get it in one year (must have been pretty popular...) so...The 1st cds i bought were the SW SE trilogy in june 2000. (i saved money for months...) i still have the receipt.Previously I had the jurassic park ost in tape recorded from a friend of my sister. He also put some star wars cues in the end to fill then 90 min tape.it all went downhill from there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,496 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Journey to the Island...which, by the way, has a nice little musical in-joke from..."The Towering Inferno". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbellamy 6,272 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 It was really checking out these three CDs from the library (probably just looking for Star Wars and Indiana Jones music) and listening to them on the CD player in my room that blew my mind. Kind of my Almost Famous/Tommy moment. I probably already loved all the famous themes just from watching the movies, but I remember being pretty overwhelmed by the emotional statements I didn't quite realize he was capable of, like "Remembrances," "Face of Pan", the JFK prologue, "Hymn to the Fallen", as well as stuff that had the catchy melodies and big "capital letters" sound that I loved, like The Cowboys overture, "The Barrel Chase," "Jim's New Life," "The Banquet", the Midway march...etc. Bespin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mr. Brown 91 Posted March 1, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted March 1, 2014 The music during the final scene of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND ("The Visitors/Bye/End Credits" from the OST).Gorgeous piece of music. Dixon Hill, Quintus and Sharkissimo 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien F 1,742 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Journey to the Island for me also. I remember watching the VHS in 1994 when I was 8 and constantly rewinding that scene due to the music.It would seem that that track is responsible for a lot of us becoming JW fans. It is one of the best cues ever composed for film and it is a perfect marriage of image and music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,206 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 As a 11 year old promising horn player, I saw Star Wars and in the Binary Sunset horn solo I thought "what the fuck"?! Gnome in Plaid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Even more than Leia's theme's horn solo? During last year's BBC Proms I saw the lead hornist interviewed and he reckoned it was the most beautiful horn melody ever written. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,206 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Was the Leia's horn solo very open in the first film or is it the concert arrangement witch made it famous? As I said I was eleven andthat's what I remember with the double sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Talking about ANH horn solos, I really love what Williams with the first statement of the Force Theme for two open horns and two muted. Instead of Dum Dum Da-Da-Da Dum, he compresses it into three triplets Da Da DAA Dum, with a cool legato slur to the third. Sounds bold yet pensive. Would be great to hear another variation with that same rhythm. @ 2:19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Dat wet writing...Grrrrr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 In the poster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mari 279 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 As a 11 year old promising horn player, I saw Star Wars and in the Binary Sunset horn solo I thought "what the fuck"?! This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,206 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Indeed!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SF1_freeze 131 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 My earliest memories (even before the TPM score made me buy my first soundtrack album) are the following:Journey to the IslandThrone Room and FinaleBattle of Yavin (Force Theme Statement)Binary SunsetImperial March statements when you see the Executor in TESBSetting the TrapNew York City Fanfare in Home Alone 2The fanfare when Dack and Luke depart for the Battle of HothArrival at Neverland ( I was and still am amazed and astonished that JW captured the feel of pirates and the pirate town so perfectly, i remember shivers in that scene when i saw Hook for the first time as a child) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Hilary Bray 235 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Clash of Lightsabers, chiefly during Leia et al's flight through Cloud City Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,625 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 It was the first time I heard Olympic Fanfare clean. Amazing airmanjerm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hlao-roo 389 Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 "What A Feeling" from Flashdance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,287 Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleo 63 Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Journey to the island, Father's study, Wrong choice, right choice, Star Wars main theme. I was quite surprised that all the film music I first noticed had been composed by the same guy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightscape94 965 Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 I find it pretty fascinating that "Journey to the Island" affected so many of us. I was in the theater and that was the exact moment I became aware of the power of orchestral music, and instantly a Williams fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Journey to the Island, at the cinema. Journey to the Island, on the settee in the living room. Journey to the Island For me the single cue that made me into a John Williams fan was the Journey to the Island from Jurassic Park (both inside and out of the film). Journey to the island-theme from jursassic park. Journey to the Island for me also. I find it pretty fascinating that "Journey to the Island" affected so many of us. Incanus and A. A. Ron 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faleel 5,337 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 "Cinema Reveals" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwig 1,120 Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 So where are all those for whom the Star Wars main title made them a fan? I know you're out there. Come on, admit it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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