Bowie

I'm assuming the "score snippets" are indeed fragments taken from several different pieces? The separate ideas are all brilliant IMHO although none of the ideas last quite long enough so I'm definitely hoping they're different tracks. The main-sounding theme and the dangerous-sounding waltz (the first two snippets) sound better than I was hoping (i.e. not too close to the "too many notes" workmanlike end of the scale, like Tintin is IMHO). There's definitely an effortlessness and majesty to what I've heard so far. The fact some of the reviewers have said the music is heavy-handed doesn't especially concern me. I expect soaring "old-fashioned" orchestral film music to be criticised these days, and I more or less couldn't care less how the music sounds in the film as long as it sounds amazing by itself.

Excellent observations!! I also think the falling semitone and minor third structure has roots in Anakin's Theme itself (especially the B-part of the theme where it has the sequence of three falling lines followed by Vader's motif).

Has to be TESB. The gorgeous HSAP and Force theme quotes, the energetic rendition of Yoda's Theme with the Rebel Fanfare counter motif, launching into the Imperial March and ending with HSAP theme, and topped off with an emphatic augmentation (the drawing out into longer note length) of Vader's theme as four orchestral stabs... He was on fire that day.

My estimate is probably way off. 75 does seem low lol

How did I never pick up there was a mini canonic response in the woodwinds at 1:43 of "Rey's Theme"? I heard the second bit but not the first bit lol. That's after about 75 listens.

We'll be lucky if it's even nominated. It's a competitive year this year. But there's no way Morricone won't be walking away with that Oscar. He's assured. People who know about him will vote for him. The less intelligent voters will be voting for the foreign and Tarantino factors. I guarantee it.

I don't agree. The fugato (it's not really a fugue), as is, would work fine either way. The overall structure of the piece is fine, with appropriate development and truncation here and there, but I'm just saying, personally, I feel the theme sounds truncated already; he doesn't establish the same solid melodic foundation he does in basically all of his other marches and indeed theme suites in general. It's not "wrong," it just doesn't sound "inevitable" in my opinion, which is something he is known for.

TFA debuted this week at #5 on the Billboard album charts! That's insanely good for a film soundtrack, especially an orchestral one! Not sure how it compares with other big event soundtracks though...?

I was just about to make a thread about the 1-2-3-4 punch of Scherzo for X-Wings, The Ways of the Force, and Farewell & The Trip, followed by the end track (should have been in that order on the album)... they form a brilliant set of writing rivalling anything from your Last Crusade/Jurassic Park/Prisoner of Azkaban type of scores. So I'll go with those three, plus I'd have to say Rey's Theme. And it's a toss up between The Scavenger (solely because it's so similar to Rey's Theme) and maybe Han and Leia... or The Abduction. Since I can't choose, I'll stick with: 1. Rey's Theme 2. Farewell & The Trip 3. The Ways of the Force 4. Scherzo for X-Wings 5. The Scavenger

Could be his granddaughter. Or Snoke's great great granddaughter. Or something.

Don't forget Leia's theme doubling as the Death of Obi-Wan theme.

I'm sorry but I've been going through these tracks more closely now and often the unreleased music sounds exactly the same as the OST. It doesn't really seem like there's much actual new music? Maybe I'm confused.

I'd love to, but I don't have access to a computer these days Yours is fine though, especially as a quick reference of the themes' variations.

A couple of things. The repeated bars in your new version don't work. Also try experimenting with 'cross fades' so you don't get sudden sharp sounds switching from one section to the next (and reduces the 'clipped' noise). The order is a bit messy as is, it sounds like you just placed bits together randomly (some sounds like random underscore), which is inevitable to some degree, but could be minimised by maybe transposing or changing tempos of some sections. Also are you missing a few moments of both themes (Kylo Ren theme and tragic/First Order motif)?

How do you figure?

Alright these last few pages have made me desperate for Williams to score at least Episode 8. We NEED to hear how he treats the development of themes from 7: March of the Ren (Imperial March-esque version of Ren's theme) Snoke's Theme (evolution of Snoke, more Emperor's Throne Room-esque) The New Jedi theme (based off Jedi Steps) Finn's Theme (evolution of his 5-note motif) Reappearance of Luke and Leia theme And it would really elevate the power of TFA score if it retroactively proves to lay the thematic foundation for an even more lush intricate thematically evolved score for Episode 8.

I feel like the second Kylo theme you mention is more like a tragic theme for the loss of Ben. I think it's played once in a scene with Han and Leia discussing him, but I can't be sure. Also just FYI the main Kylo motif actually has a descending augmented 4th not a perfect 5th, so as in your example (g# minor), the first note would actually be d# and the second is c double sharp.

Crazy that this album has been in the top 4 iTunes albums (US) since release. Should make a pretty high Billboard charts debut. Anyone know what his record is?

lol well my laptop is out for the count at the moment so I had to resort to more traditional methods (if taking a photo and uploading from one's phone can be considered traditional).

1:26 of the Bomb Run is Kylo Ren's theme backwards, in the lower strings lol.

For those interested, this is what I was referring to by an additional statement of the theme before it ventures off. As it's currently written it still feels unfinished as a melody.

Crazy that there's a whole 14 minute stretch of music unreleased (between the tracks Han and Leia and On the Inside).

It really is missing the first half of the melody. It detours away from itself too quickly. The descending notes at 0:20-21 need to continue firstly, and fall away to a lower emphatic "bum BA!" then go back and repeat the phrase continuing off where it does currently.

I think the action cues are letting people down a bit. Fans will throw on "Falcon" thinking it's going to be 1980-level Williams and instead get an average meandering action cue. There are about 15 great-to-excellent tracks, highlighting Rey's themes, Ren's themes, and the old trilogy themes. The others water the experience down a bit which is a little unfair, but the expectations are incredibly high, so Williams' mediocre writing for these action moments probably could have been a bit better.

It's funny but looking at the tracklist reminds me of the type of OST I was expecting, i.e. loads of action cues omitted.Well, yeah. They're "good" but a bit listless. Would be good to maybe microedit a few of them into one longer "Falcon" track (and fix up the fading flutes).