John Williams Action Music

[Rachael Foley 10,162]

The Ultimate War reminds me of Short Round Helps (the Indy Takes Charge bit).

[Taikomochi 1,460]

Oh man, Rescuing Sarah is a beast of a song.

With the unreleased portion making up some of, what is in my opinion, Williams' best and most frightening action material. Don't know why he'd cut it out...

[ComposerEthan 24]

Does anyone have a good quality of the full version of Rescuing Sarah?

[Rachael Foley 10,162]

Well...

[Xander Harris 9,673]

I don't believe that the missing parts of Rescuing Sarah are available in good quality.

[Rachael Foley 10,162]

Its availlable in decent quality, but it sounds a bit distant (Blu-ray rip)

[Salacius 7]

Don't know if anyone mentioned it but the whole Battle of Hoth 15 minute track is probably one if not the finest action cues ever written. Simply breathtaking!!

[airmanjerm 84]

I'm also a fan of Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra. It's more "chase" music, but still lots of fun!

[Brónach 1,330]

The Lost World. Oh, The Lost World. Hell, it puts you on the side of the dinosaurs... When tracks like the visitor in San Diego open, it sounds like "hello... the T. rex is HEEEEEEREEE HAHAHA", I just love it.

And I'll defend the action music in War of the Worlds as well. That score gives me the creeps.

[WilliamsStarShip2282 327]

Williams' action cues doesn't have that oomph that gets your adrenaline pumping wildly.

sorry, but youre a fool

Raiders beats both of those.

No, but it's close.

His best is the final section of ET

Definitely one of the best cues in film music history

The Lost World. Oh, The Lost World. Hell, it puts you on the side of the dinosaurs... When tracks like the visitor in San Diego open, it sounds like "hello... the T. rex is HEEEEEEREEE HAHAHA", I just love it.

And I'll defend the action music in War of the Worlds as well. That score gives me the creeps.

so awsome...

[Jonesy 55]

No one mentions the action music from Superman.

[Rachael Foley 10,162]

Because its so good, that its obvious, and does not need to be said.

[eitam 423]

And I'll defend the action music in War of the Worlds as well. That score gives me the creeps.

so awsome...

wow! I didn't know this video, and indeed it's awesome! It reminded me how much I like this score. It masterfully blends elegiac cues with raw and brutal action (The Ferry Scene!)...

[Jonesy 55]

Because its so good, that its obvious, and does not need to be said.

It's better than good

[Fozmo 13]

Just enjoyed the War of the Worlds vid too, definitely a score I was underwhelmed by at the time but should go back to and listen again!!

I'm pretty sure JW INVENTED Action music...

[MrJosh 1,205]

First time seeing that WOTW featurette. way cool! I liked the WOTW score when I first heard it, I liked the raw power and the dual timpani playing.

[Xander Harris 9,673]

When Superman takes off in Chasing Rockets...

[ComposerEthan 24]

Anymore? I need a bigger Williams library.

[mrbellamy 8,234]

Two that come to mind that haven't been mentioned already:

And I've always loved the first minute or so of "Man of the House" from Home Alone, especially that crazy trumpet blast of "Star of Bethlehem" at 30 seconds:

[igger6 1,045]

Has anyone mentioned "The Land Race"? I fell in love with this track, of all places, when it was temped on the trailer for Treasure Planet.

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And I think someone already threw out "The Flying Car" from Chamber of Secrets, but let me add "The Spiders," which I'm convinced he wrote as a series of descending four-note phrases to represent all those eight-legged creatures. (The track is certainly more impressive than the spider effects in the movie...)<br>

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And in my book, the action highlight of the prequel trilogy<br><br>

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[Hlao-roo 390]

"Jango's Escape" is probably the finest piece of music in modern times.

[indy4 160]

Never understood the hate for "Jango's Escape." There's a lot to love, from the vicious assault of trombones in the beginning to the wonderfully inventive medieval sounding woodwind odd-meter idea at the end.

[Hlao-roo 390]

Never understood the hate for "Jango's Escape." There's a lot to love, from the vicious assault of trombones in the beginning to the wonderfully inventive medieval sounding woodwind odd-meter idea at the end.

It gets off to a great start, like so much of Williams' early 2000s action music -- I'll give you that much.

[Datameister 2,586]

I like that cue. If he'd written that particular cue in 2011 instead of 2002, it would have struck me as a rather tired style, because it's certainly not very unique among Williams' 2000's action music. But I enjoy it.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,383]

It's emotionally barren and technically uninteresting

[Quintus 6,494]

I'm going to go for three rarely mentioned cues from The Phantom Menace: Anakin Defeats Sebulba (not the ost version, but the awesome 'xylophone vs. snares' arrangement), Panaka and the Queen's Protectors (0:55 1:10 IS John Williams Action Music) and The Sith Spacecraft and The Droid Battle (one of those great incidental pieces he used to write with such high frequency, it's a typically surging and soaring cue full of the sorts of flourishes and boom-tish you expect from the maestro).

Nowadays it's easy to forget how great the Phantom Menace score was, and still is. It ain't perfect, but when it's good, it's really fucking good.

[Jay 46,241]

It ain't perfect, but when it's good, it's really fucking good.

That's about my feelings on it. There's SOOOOO much filler in that score (dialogue scenes...), but the parts that kick ass kick a LOT of ass

[Rachael Foley 10,162]

I like the filler....... ;(

I like the bit when Qui-gon and Darth Maul are fighting on tattooine.

[Ravi Krishna 132]

Also, "Dueling The Basilisk" from COS. That choir+french horn moment gives me chills!

[Xander Harris 9,673]

Phantom has wonderful action cues. Also, Panaka and the Queen's Protectors is one of JW's best album arrangements.

[Marian Schedenig 11,694]

Never understood the hate for "Jango's Escape." There's a lot to love, from the vicious assault of trombones in the beginning to the wonderfully inventive medieval sounding woodwind odd-meter idea at the end.

I've always liked it. It's no Escape from Naboo, but it's still cool.

[Rachael Foley 10,162]

Its like concert version DOTF for me for me, its rather "overrated"

[ComposerEthan 24]

Is there anymore "gritty" John Williams action music? Like, the Fist Fight/Flying Wing or General Grievous?

[Romão 2,473]

[Sharkissimo 1,978]

Is there anymore "gritty" John Williams action music? Like, the Fist Fight/Flying Wing or General Grievous?

BLACK SUNDAY's full of it.

[KK 3,313]

I've always been impressed by that cue. Very well done in building up the terror and the dread in that scene....

[Romão 2,473]

It's a terrific piece. Love those menacing chords in the first 30 seconds or so

[Xander Harris 9,673]

Is there anymore "gritty" John Williams action music? Like, the Fist Fight/Flying Wing or General Grievous?

Lost World, perhaps?

[ComposerEthan 24]

I have the Lost World Score, and the Ferry Scene (along with the intersection scene). I'm just wondering if there are any more? I have all the Star Wars scores and Indy scores. Anything I missed? I would like more of his xylophone and flute runs, which are so characteristic of his action music.

What's Black sunday?

[MrJosh 1,205]

I like the filler....... ;(

I like the bit when Qui-gon and Darth Maul are fighting on tattooine.

I like the "filler" too! TPM is a score that I love nearly every minute! I love it! Especially the action music, very swashbuckling and perfectly captures the essence and magic of what Star Wars is (better than the film did!)

[ComposerEthan 24]

I like the filler....... ;(

I like the bit when Qui-gon and Darth Maul are fighting on tattooine.

I like the "filler" too! TPM is a score that I love nearly every minute! I love it! Especially the action music, very swashbuckling and perfectly captures the essence and magic of what Star Wars is (better than the film did!)

Filler?

[Rachael Foley 10,162]

Filler?

You know, the stuff that is there, just to be there.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,110]

"The Ferry Scene"? Really? Talk about scraping the bottom of the man's portfolio barrel. Have some people been bashed in the brain by a falling meteor or something? It's hard to imagine some of you as functioning members of society!

I'll just leave these here:

"The Ferry Scene"

[indy4 160]

"The Ferry Scene," much like the rest of the score to War of the Worlds, has a lot more to it than meets the eye (or ear). People pass it off as random filler, but it actually is incredibly well thought-out. There are thematic ideas that stand on their own, develop throughout the cue, and serve to develop the main theme from the score. Plus there's a clever homage to the score to the original WotW film. It's as intelligent--perhaps more intelligent--than any of Williams' other cues, it just takes a little effort to appreciate it. Nothing's as accessible as "TIE Fighter Attack," but that doesn't make it bad music.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,110]

The Ferry Scene isn't even that complicated. And even if it were I can provide a computer a set of mathematical functions and tell it to generate music that is complex, contains themes and that would require effort to make heads or tails of it. (There's a chance what I linked probably sounds like shit, because your brain lacks the capacity to make sense of it!) Just because something takes effort to listen to or sounds slightly busy doesn't mean it's good. Complexity alone ≠ good. Complexity = complexity.

There is very little that's engaging about the Ferry Scene. I think people just like how cool it makes them feel to listen to something that seems complex.

Now the Mine Car Chase...engaging, complex, and energetic. THAT is good action music.

[Rachael Foley 10,162]

All I think about while listening to TFS, is that it sounds like "The Falling Car" from Jurassic Park....

[Jay 46,241]

What's Black sunday?

The score Williams composed just before Star Wars and Close Encounters. FSM released it on CD in 2010:

http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/cds/detail.cfm/CDID/443/

That link also has samples of every track

You can buy it in several places like:

http://www.screenarc...il.cfm/ID/13395

http://www.moviemusic.com/soundtrack/M07367/blacksunday/

http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.6500/.f

[Incanus 5,890]

Black Sunday is a really cool score with tons of intense 1970's style Williams suspence and action music. The FSM release is a stellar one with punchy soundquality, excellent liner notes and thorough presentation of the score.

[Sharkissimo 1,978]

Probably my favourite cue from the score.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UBN5JSAbI4

Mossad should hire John Williams.

[indy4 160]

The Ferry Scene isn't even that complicated. And even if it were I can provide a computer a set of mathematical functions and tell it to generate music that is complex, contains themes and that would require effort to make heads or tails of it. (There's a chance what I linked probably sounds like shit, because your brain lacks the capacity to make sense of it!) Just because something takes effort to listen to or sounds slightly busy doesn't mean it's good. Complexity alone ≠ good. Complexity = complexity.

There is very little that's engaging about the Ferry Scene. I think people just like how cool it makes them feel to listen to something that seems complex.

Now the Mine Car Chase...engaging, complex, and energetic. THAT is good action music.

There is a difference between conceptual complexity and immediate complexity. While "Ferry Scene" exhibits some of both traits, I was referring to its conceptual complexity (because you're right--in terms of instrumentation it is not as dense and complex as it could be). It plays a very important function both in the film and on the album by developing the theme (for the former) and introducing it (for the latter). For this reason it works better as a part of the score than it does as a standalone listen--the first reason why your computer-composed piece doesn't compare. While "Mine Car Chase" has a lot of moving parts and bells and whistles (which classifies it as immediately complex), analytically there is not a whole lot to chew on (at least in comparison to "Ferry Scene").

That said, "Ferry Scene" still works as a standalone listen. From a purely visceral perspective, there is still a lot to love: the low brass hits that sound like an irregular heartbeat, the choir that gives voices to the people who are being killed underwater, the development of various rhythmic motifs to a very satisfying conclusion...even if these things aren't obviously apparent, they at least have a subconscious impact on the listener. This is the second reason why your computer-composed piece is lacking.

Sure, complexity in itself is imperfect (not to concede that WotW is complexity for the sake of it). But there's also nothing wrong with art making you think a little! The best is when visceral integrity and conceptual complexity are combined, but when a composer breaks out of his comfort zone and delivers something that's closer to the "conceptual complexity" end of the spectrum than the visceral end, what's wrong with spending a little effort to understand it?