Poll: Which Star Wars film has the best recording of the Main Title?

[JoeinAR 1,957]

Only the Gerhardt rerecording is Joseph!

nope I never thought it was as good as all you do.

[Jilal 681]

Goldsmith likes trumpets and horns in the center channel (ST:TMP).

if you listen closely the horns are at the left and the trumpets are appr. 40% in the right.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

nope I never thought it was as good as all you do.

Get the crusties of of your ears and get back to me.

it's the best version ever recorded. Williams has bowed in shame in front of it.

Goldsmith likes trumpets and horns in the center channel (ST:TMP).

No such thing on stereo recordings I'm afraid.

[avalanche 0]

I never realized the recordings were different until I started critically listening a few years ago. My favorites are A NEW HOPE and JEDI, each one has its stunning moments.

My mind must be playing tricks on me - I thought that I heard more rolling snare in the SITH opening, like the music had more of a "military march" feel.

[Datameister 2,586]

This is a toughie. What I know for sure is that ROTJ has my least favorite recording. ESB isn't my favorite, either, though it's still a fine recording. ANH has that in-your-face boldness and brilliance, but the prequels are more technically precise and less harsh on the ears. I enjoy both quite a bit. In the end, I'd have to choose ANH, I suppose.

Goldsmith likes trumpets and horns in the center channel (ST:TMP).

No such thing on stereo recordings I'm afraid.

There's no separate stereo channel, but if you have the exact same signal in the left and right channels, it amounts to the same thing.

[Trumpeteer 304]

I'll reply to this thread with my response to a similar thread in 2007:

I get chills equally from "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back."

"Star Wars" for its opening blast and the way the tempo seems to pick up slightly as the main theme churns away, and for the French horn near the end. (I've always wished there was footage of those first takes. There had to be a lot of electricity in the air, knowing that they were doing something amazing.)

"The Empire Strikes Back" for the bridge between the string section and the second rendition of the theme, and the trumpet crescendo near the end.

I get the use of the trumpet solo in "Jedi" symbolizing Luke's lone journey to overturn the Emperor and his heroic attempt. But the orchestra at times doesn't seem to be in sync and JW has to wrangle them all together a couple of times. Of course, that could just be the editing.

I think Empire had a fuller sound in the original recording, which may be due to upgrades in mixing during those three years. Add in the militaristic feel of the recording (played as more of a march than in 1977) and it just slightly trumps the 1977 version.

[Marian Schedenig 11,694]

The timpani, especially at 1:04, makes this my favourite of the film recordings.

Only the Gerhardt rerecording is Joseph!

...but this remains the best one, overall, to me.

[hornist 1,261]

The timpani, especially at 1:04, makes this my favourite of the film recordings

Never payed a tension to the timpani there. Cool indeed!

[Maurizio 6,913]

It's interesting to note that in the 1977 original film recording Williams gave the role of prominent rhythmic accompainment to the timpani, but starting with the symphonic suite he replaced them with snare drums, which became standard in all subsequent recordings of the main title.

[crocodile 9,724]

I think ESB is probably best, but SW has an intangible nostalgic quality that makes me love it most. I also love the take 16 version with the swell before the crash.

Yes!

Karol

[KK 3,313]

I think the best recording of the SW Main titles must be this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yWiMI8MQ6Y

[Demodex 593]

They're all the same to me.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

Then you are stupid.

[Datameister 2,586]

By the way, it stuns me that ROTJ is nearly tied for first place. It's always struck me as the clear loser in this battle.

[hornist 1,261]

Well people love full and rich brass(especially trumpets) sound. Nothing wrong with that.

And I don't like when they stuck the microphone almost inside of the horn bell like in the first film. The sound will be unnatural.

[Demodex 593]

Then you are stupid.

No, I'm really not.

[Rachael Foley 10,162]

It's interesting to note that in the 1977 original film recording Williams gave the role of prominent rhythmic accompainment to the timpani, but starting with the symphonic suite he replaced them with snare drums, which became standard in all subsequent recordings of the main title.

might have something to do with the line in the script: "War Drums thunder throughout the galaxy"

[Sharkissimo 1,978]

ESB is the only one that is different arrangment wise (the intro is slightly different) ROTJ just has more trumpets.

I thought ESB and ROTJ both had 4 trumpets?

[Xander Harris 9,675]

Jedi's sounds more punchy. It sends the last one off with more of a bang. I just like it most, I think.

[Rachael Foley 10,162]

ESB is the only one that is different arrangment wise (the intro is slightly different) ROTJ just has more trumpets.

I thought ESB and ROTJ both had 4 trumpets?

I meant, the Trumpets are more emphasized in Jedi.

[Datameister 2,586]

Well people love full and rich brass(especially trumpets) sound. Nothing wrong with that.

And I don't like when they stuck the microphone almost inside of the horn bell like in the first film. The sound will be unnatural.

It's the trumpets that turn me off most from ROTJ's recording - the sloppy performance, the extra notes heading back into the "A" theme, and the fact that the trumpets are simply too prominent in the mix. I'm all for the sort of brilliant, slightly imprecise gusto that you hear in a lot of LSO recordings from that era, but I find this particular recording of this particular cue to be the dark side of that tendency. It doesn't sound professional to me.

The horns, on the other hand, don't sound too great in ANH. I agree.

[hornist 1,261]

Well my opinion of the Main Title is based to the original LP records. In the Jedi OST the trumpets are very good

but I agree that in the later , expanded releases there are many cues where the trumpets are ...well not so good.

We have to also remember that the trumpet parts in Jedi are extremely difficult...

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

Spoken like a hornplayer.

[sulky 6]

SW: Most iconic of the lot; relaxed, a bit stately & soft in playing- very Korngold / Golden Age vibe.

ESB: Upfront, more "martial" & "militaristic", in your face aggressive; cut from Superman: The Movie sonic cloth.

ROTJ: Refined and elegant, quite classical sounding- got some of that nice slight ambience also found on the Raiders OST.

Prequels: Like a weird amalgam combo of the playing on ESB with the classical centric recording of ROTJ- not really a highlight, more an afterthought.

Anyway, ESB's slightly edges out ROTJ's as far personal preference.

Though not necessarily best, SW's Main TItle is definitive (or whichever resulted from the edited takes put together back in '77).

[Foxfan 239]

Though the prequel main title may have been sourced from the same recording, there are some slight differences in the mixes. For instance, the harp glissendo when the introduction segues into the main theme comes out a lot clearer in Episode 3.

In the original trilogy ESB wins hands down. Rough recording on ANH and out of tune brass on ROTJ.