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What is your favorite performance of the Main Title and End Title?


Manakin Skywalker

What is your favorite performance of the Main Title and End Title?  

46 members have voted

  1. 1. Main Title?

    • The Phantom Menace (same as AOTC/ROTS)
    • A New Hope
    • The Empire Strikes Back
    • Return of the Jedi
    • The Force Awakens
    • Rogue One
      0
    • Concert (comment your choice)
    • Other
  2. 2. End Title?

    • The Phantom Menace (same as AOTC/ROTS)
    • A New Hope
    • The Empire Strikes Back
    • Return of the Jedi
    • The Force Awakens
    • Rogue One
      0
    • Concert (comment your choice)
    • Other


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What the title says; what is your favorite *performance* of both the opening and closing titles? I'm not talking about the music/suites/cues that play AFTER the titles, I'm talking about the title cues themselves. You can either choose from one of the films, or concert recordings.

 

In my opinion,

Main Title: TESB or ROTJ

End Title: ROTJ

 

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A New Hope for the Main Title; the original has never been beat, in my opinion.  As for the End Title, my favorite has to be the full concert version of Throne Room & Finale, specifically the performance by Zubin Mehta and the LA Philharmonic.  

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For the Star Wars Theme, it's the 1997 version recorded for the album "The Hollywood Sound".

 

Résultats de recherche d'images pour « john williams hollywood sound »

 

For the End Credits, it's of course, the one from ESB (the one from TFA comes in second place).

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Not sure if this is "Concert" or "Other" but I vote the Gerhardt Empire album for both.

 

5 hours ago, Matt S. said:

my favorite has to be the full concert version of Throne Room & Finale, specifically the performance by Zubin Mehta and the LA Philharmonic.  

 

I like that one a lot too and it's weird, because the Main Title recording from the Mehta album is probably my least favorite ever.  

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I've got a sneaky feeling the Main Title from TLJ will come close to being the best, but few will top the prequel version.

 

How I wish each film had its own recording though. Fucking Lucas.

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  • 1 year later...
On 7/15/2017 at 3:49 AM, Disco Stu said:

Not sure if this is "Concert" or "Other" but I vote the Gerhardt Empire album for both.

 

 

I like that one a lot too and it's weird, because the Main Title recording from the Mehta album is probably my least favorite ever.  

 

If that’s your least favorite main title, have you heard this bizarre version? I don’t see how this could possibly be the actual London Philharmonic.

 

 

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End Credits - TFA, with ESB close behind

 

I know the opening credits are different, and if forced I could probably tell them apart, but not enough to pick a favorite.

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58 minutes ago, BrotherSound said:

 

If that’s your least favorite main title, have you heard this bizarre version? I don’t see how this could possibly be the actual London Philharmonic.

 

 

 

make it stop

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11 minutes ago, Dieter Stark said:

 

At 4:08, the best version of the end titles I've ever heard begins.

 

JW at the end of Episode IX recording sessions after he’s put the finishing touches on his millionth micro edit for JJ.

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I agree with Bespin on the Hollywood sound.  A rich, full-bodied performance. 

 

The end title is ESB.  TFA arrangement is close, but just brilliant energy and thematic dominance in the former. 

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The main title is easy for me: the raw and gutsy original, with the refined and precise TPM in a close second.

 

Butthe end titles are tricky because the composition itself changes so much from film to film. Are we talking purely in terms of performance? It sounds that way to me. If so, it probably goes again to ANH/Star Wars for me. If we're talking overall enjoyment, factoring in the entire end title cue, ESB and TFA give it a run for its money.

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On 7/15/2017 at 1:46 AM, Matt S. said:

A New Hope for the Main Title; the original has never been beat, in my opinion.  As for the End Title, my favorite has to be the full concert version of Throne Room & Finale, specifically the performance by Zubin Mehta and the LA Philharmonic.  

 

I’d like to amend my answer from two years ago; the new recording of Throne Room & Finale from Dudamel and the LA Phil is now my favorite!

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1979

"Digital Space". London Symphony Orchestra/Morton Gould. Varèse Sarabande VCDM 1000.20; Reissued in 1985, Varèse Sarabande VCD 47229; Reissued in 2007 with previously unreleased material as "Morton Gould Conducts Film Score Classics And Rarities", Citadel Records 

 

source: http://www.goplanete.com/johnwilliams/music/composer/seldisco.htm

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On 3/19/2007 at 6:29 PM, Quintus said:

I'd have to go for ROTJ. I love the brass, though the percussion isn't as defined as it was in ESB, but its an acceptable trade off. The Main Title in ROTJ also seems to have a more epic sound than in previous recordings - a bigger sense of acoustic scale, particularly during the strings bridge before the main theme's reprisal. And what a reprisal it is, by far the most powerful of of all the renditions I've heard, including any of the re-recordings.

That said, I'd still like to tinker with it if only possible! I'd have the opening blast and Main Theme's first statement from EpIV followed by the strings of of EpVI, with a merging of EpV's percussion and EpVI's brass for the reprisal. But you can't have everything in life I suppose ;)

Also, what is regarded as the definitive version of the Star Wars: Main Theme by the people here? Perhaps its not even an ost rendition?

 

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The Morton Gould performance is gorgeous but too much glockenspiel.  It's crazy just how great the music is even though I've heard it a billion times.  Comparing it to the rest of the very fine album it still stands out.  Also, a very fine performance of the Bliss.  Might be my new favorite.  The previous favorite was conducted by Bernard Herrmann here:

 

I was totally into these rerecordings of epic sci-fi scores at that time but somehow never heard the Morton Gould which is very fine so thanks for posting a new favorite.  Oh, just imagine how great a performance of Star Wars suite Benny could have done.

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11 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

It would have been too slow and moody!

 

True, Benny's emphasis would have been on the "Wars" part emphasizing the tragedy of Anakin's fall, Ben's death, the countless storm troopers and Aldaranians killed. 

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Star Wars. John never wrote a score called a  new hope. That's not semantics that is just a fact.

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On 7/3/2019 at 5:44 PM, BrotherSound said:

 

If that’s your least favorite main title, have you heard this bizarre version? I don’t see how this could possibly be the actual London Philharmonic.

 

 

 

That is a quite popular (and infamous) recording which a lot of people in record stores back in 1977 fell buying for the actual soundtrack of the film. This was the LP cover, which made people think it was the actual OST album:

 

R-1494077-1263051026.jpeg.jpg

 

This was actually an unauthorized orchestral transcription made by ear by some arranger, who quickly put it together for this recording, produced with the intent of exploiting the success of the film and its music (that's why subsequent pressing of the OST album came with a sticker saying "This is the original. Beware of imitations!")

 

This was also one of the reasons why JW and Fox secured performance rights and put out a concert suite available to rent for concert/record performances.

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55 minutes ago, TownerFan said:

 

That is a quite popular (and infamous) recording which a lot of people in record stores back in 1977 fell buying for the actual soundtrack of the film. This was the LP cover, which made people think it was the actual OST album:

 

R-1494077-1263051026.jpeg.jpg

 

This was actually an unauthorized orchestral transcription made by ear by some arranger, who quickly put it together for this recording, produced with the intent of exploiting the success of the film and its music (that's why subsequent pressing of the OST album came with a sticker saying "This is the original. Beware of imitations!")

 

This was also one of the reasons why JW and Fox secured performance rights and put out a concert suite available to rent for concert/record performances.

 

Yeah, I heard it understandably took a long time for enough Star Wars LPs to be pressed to keep up with demand.

 

Oh, where did you hear about it being transcribed? I've had some morbid curiosity about this recording. It sounds to me like they must have had access to the original scores (but not the parts), because there are some sections of this recording that are absolutely spot on, but others that are just bizarre and incompetent. It's hard to imagine an arranger capable of getting some bits absolutely note-for-note correct, but then also making bizarre errors, like sections where the strings should be in octaves but play fifths instead.

 

I'm also surprised the London Philharmonic was willing to put their name on this thing. It certainly doesn't sound remotely like other London Philharmonic recordings from the era. For what it's worth, the LPO does have a record of the session for July 22, 1977. It sounds like it was sight-read once straight to tape, but even then, it's hard to imagine actual LPO musicians sounding this bad...

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Love the rawness of the original ‘77 recording of the main title, but I can’t ‘unhear’ the missed trumpet note at 0:06..... Anyway, the TFA performance seems to be disliked by quite a few people, but I think it’s beautifully performed.

 

BTW, is there anyone else who never really liked the main titles concert arrangement? I’ve always found the transition to the credits a bit jarring - I’d rather listen to the main title as the start of the score, or listen to the throne room and finale.

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On 7/16/2019 at 7:10 AM, DarthDementous said:

oh my goodness, if anyone wants a hearty laugh take a listen to how bizarre their version of 'Imperial Attack' sounds:
 

 

 

I like it.

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6 hours ago, Remco said:

Love the rawness of the original ‘77 recording of the main title, but I can’t ‘unhear’ the missed trumpet note at 0:06..... Anyway, the TFA performance seems to be disliked by quite a few people, but I think it’s beautifully performed.

 

BTW, is there anyone else who never really liked the main titles concert arrangement? I’ve always found the transition to the credits a bit jarring - I’d rather listen to the main title as the start of the score, or listen to the throne room and finale.

 

I tend to be the same way with the juxtaposition of the main and end titles. Just keep 'em separate as bookends to the listening experience.

 

Still disagreed on the TFA performance, though. It's not bad - but the snare always sounds a little off-beat to me, and I inexplicably hate the double cymbal crash in the first statement of the A theme. Maybe it's just all these years of hearing it only with the second statement, but it always sounds so weird to me there.

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Not my favourite film, nor my favourite Star Wars film, but if you’re allowed one John Williams score on a desert island, A New Hope it is...

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16 hours ago, Datameister said:

I inexplicably hate the double cymbal crash in the first statement of the A theme. Maybe it's just all these years of hearing it only with the second statement, but it always sounds so weird to me there.

 

Oh, wow, how did I never notice that before? That's an odd variation. Other than the 1977 recording (which doesn't seem to have those 2 crashes at all), every other recording uses the published Fox Fanfare / Hal Leonard score (which I believe are identical, the later just being typeset by computer), so it must have been either a podium request or written directly into the part.

 

I'm weirdly fascinated by all the little changes in the main title between the 5 different 1977 takes and later recordings...

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