Mr_K

I agree that the ghostwriters added 'enhanced' bling to make it all Zimmery. Variety says "portions" of the score were used. I think that's probably the most honest assessment.

Goddamit, I am torn. I want that score NOW! Unpolished raw scoring sessions would be fine- I don't care! On the other hand, it is such a magical moment when you first encounter a great score accompanying a great film. We are dealing with music by the gods, after all...

BRIDGE OF SPIES is being distributed in USA by Disney (Oct. 16). I'll bet Official Trailer 1 is on it. Trailer 2 will probably be on GOOD DINOSAUR.

I wonder how many great cues are still out there unheard. I'll bet there's a treasure-trove of good stuff collecting dust on a reel in some studio warehouse... the original finale to AOTC comes to mind.

Oh yeah. This reeks of awesomeness. Yes, indeed. This one shot outshines Hayden Christensen's entire performance in every respect.

Ian McDiarmid was pretty awesome too.

OT score is an achievement. PT scores are excellent and outstanding but don't stand up against the originals. JW is the best thing about the prequels, by far. I never liked "Jabba the Hutt's Theme" though....drives me up the wall.

I can't stop listening to this damn thing. Hope for TFA for sure. JW was scoring TINTIN around this time and this actually sounds and functions better as a theme for that! At the very least, Sean Murphy didn't fuck it up too badly.

He might surprise us. JJ seems more enthusiastic about working with JW than anything else in the TFA production. JJ has no problem letting his opinions fly, especially about the prequels. There's was an article where JJ said that he simply showed JW the film and just told him to "do his thing". Despite that statement, I figure he has given JW plenty of instruction, opinion, and suggestions of tone, style, and flavor for the score.

William Ross did a fine job with HP&CoS. I'm sure JW, although unable to physically conduct himself, is in the control room for every cue with pencil and notebook in hand to correct, mold, and adjust every note that the orchestra is playing.

So who's going to tell Miss Morley that her boobs have fallen out? JW's voice was weak in the SDCC concert intro, btw. [....concerned]

That's what I think. Some are jumping to conclusions that this is just a lift of "TIE Fighter Attack"- I'm crossing my fingers for a wonderful arrangement with the Rebel Fanfare at the fore, like the Sail Barge Assault cue. One could call that "attack music from the OT" but it was by no means a direct lift. It was a sensational action cue using elements from previous material. I'm hoping for something like that to appear in TFA.

I'm going to break cover and actually post. For a kid growing up in the '80's, Horner's scores peppered so many good experiences. The gift he's been given and shared with us is timeless. To say he'll be missed goes without saying- I don't even care about AVATAR 2 anymore. Like previously posted, losing Jerry was sad- this is an outright shock. Mr. K

The trailer music hearkens back to the track used in the original teaser for Star Wars in 1977, I wonder if that's deliberate. The most moving music in the prequels was that short bit where Yoda lifted off in the escape pod to escape the Wookiee planet. JW hadn't hit strides like that since E.T. Mr. K

Although the original Star Wars (Ep. IV) is the most "iconic", and sincerely is outstanding in every respects, I must tip my hat to Revenge of the Sith. I was NOT expecting that blunt and striking transition to the battle sequence on the album version. It is meant to evoke a startling contrast to the usual goings-on in the SW universe and the decision JW made to forego the traditional bars immediately following the SW main title theme made the impact clear to listeners. I was kind of disappointed that the film version reverted back to the established style. I really liked the big blast on the OST- it really caught me off-guard and thematically made perfect sense, especially considering the wording of the roll-up after the title card, "Episode III- Revenge of the Sith.... WAR! The Republic is crumbling.....evil is everywhere." That 'in your face' transition after the main theme fit perfectly. No moment to awe, no moment to build mysterious overtone, just BOOM- war. I love it.

I like movies with space battles and lasers and people being shot with lasers and laser swords. And boobies. Boobies are good too. King Kong, ain't he that monkey? That big ol' monkey fella that picks up that gal 'n' runs 'round?

Well, I'll be dipped in **** and rolled in oats! James Newton Freakin' Howard???

Meco also used to frequent the boards at TF.N. Back when I was actively moderating that board, I had a brief correspondence with him. He's a very cool guy and was kind enough to send me a signed disc of his latest release- which included disco from TPM. Mr. K

Speaking of LFL and lost scores, didn't they lose the tapes for some of the source music from ROTJ from the Jabba's palace scene? Max Rebo stuff- totally not on any soundtrack release. Except that horrid Jedi Rocks and the latter Lapti Nek. Mr. K

It's not "bad". It just needs (or needed) better representation both on film and on the soundtrack. The quality of the music is good, it's the presentation that is in poor shape. Mr. K

Oh, hell yeah. Definitely. This score really needs it, quite frankly. About that other stuff "duality of the romantic music and the mysterious, brooding Separatist music was interesting. It was also a good bridge between the sap-happy music of TPM and the tragedy of ROTS"- I agree that the concert piece "Across the Stars" does exactly that. The score in the movie proper is lacking however. Mr. K

YES!!! I love the optimism of Greg and Jack's last posts. I really hope Spielberg/Williams rips a big one with this. So far, everything about it looks good. Mr. K

and John Williams, he's more to blame than either of those two. If you're referring to the quality of the score, I would have to agree. AOTC was a weak effort compared to the scores for the other films. If JW's age ever showed in a recent project, AOTC would be a prime example. It just didn't have the energy, thematic or otherwise, that this film needed. Don't get me wrong, a weak Williams score is a hell of a lot better than most composers' best work- but for SW, this was disappointing. I'm so hoping an expanded edition with unreleased cues could help save and turn around my perception of this lacking entry. I mean, come on! This is the Clone Wars. That scene alone should have been the saving grace of the whole score- instead tracked in music from TPM??? (Shakes head)... Mr. K

Hlao-Roo hasn't been taking his meds.

LOL AOTC seems like the most mysterious SW score. It's like the flavor of ice cream at Baskin Robins that nobody tries, but always looks at thinking "Hmmm... that looks good, maybe I'll try it next time." I just have a gut feeling that there's a lot more to this score than what was released, both on the OST and the film. I'm more curious about what Williams had originally written for this score than for TPM. AOTC (film) is just so ridden with tracked-in music from TPM that it's hard to decipher what kind of score this movie would have had were it scored the way Williams wrote it. Who knows how much unreleased material there is? From my understanding, even the final moments of the score were different in the recording sessions, with a huge bombastic piece in place of where the Imperial March is now. There is very little source material in games and the like for AOTC unreleased cues, unlike TPM which was abundant. If SW scores had an outcast, AOTC would be it. It's like a kid who's been picked on, teased, beaten-up, and neglected. Thanks to big bullies GL and Ben Burtt. Mr. K