Datameister

I...agree, to a certain extent. There's a lot of music out there that I love about as much as JW's work, and I'm grateful that not all music sounds like his. Variety is, after all, the spice of life. But I've never found another composer who pushes the right buttons in my brain so consistently and so strongly and for so many decades.

I can't be bothered to check how many times I've posted this sentiment, but...if you don't have this one, and if you have any interest whatsoever in this music, pick this set up. The sound quality is as big as improvement over the Blue Box as the Blue Box was over the old Rhino release, and that's saying something. I don't triple-dip too often, but this one was easily worth it.

I...agree, to a certain extent. There's a lot of music out there that I love about as much as JW's work, and I'm grateful that not all music sounds like his. Variety is, after all, the spice of life. But I've never found another composer who pushes the right buttons in my brain so consistently and so strongly and for so many decades.

I can't be bothered to check how many times I've posted this sentiment, but...if you don't have this one, and if you have any interest whatsoever in this music, pick this set up. The sound quality is as big as improvement over the Blue Box as the Blue Box was over the old Rhino release, and that's saying something. I don't triple-dip too often, but this one was easily worth it.

I can't be bothered to check how many times I've posted this sentiment, but...if you don't have this one, and if you have any interest whatsoever in this music, pick this set up. The sound quality is as big as improvement over the Blue Box as the Blue Box was over the old Rhino release, and that's saying something. I don't triple-dip too often, but this one was easily worth it.

I can't be bothered to check how many times I've posted this sentiment, but...if you don't have this one, and if you have any interest whatsoever in this music, pick this set up. The sound quality is as big as improvement over the Blue Box as the Blue Box was over the old Rhino release, and that's saying something. I don't triple-dip too often, but this one was easily worth it.

I can't be bothered to check how many times I've posted this sentiment, but...if you don't have this one, and if you have any interest whatsoever in this music, pick this set up. The sound quality is as big as improvement over the Blue Box as the Blue Box was over the old Rhino release, and that's saying something. I don't triple-dip too often, but this one was easily worth it.

I can't be bothered to check how many times I've posted this sentiment, but...if you don't have this one, and if you have any interest whatsoever in this music, pick this set up. The sound quality is as big as improvement over the Blue Box as the Blue Box was over the old Rhino release, and that's saying something. I don't triple-dip too often, but this one was easily worth it.

I...agree, to a certain extent. There's a lot of music out there that I love about as much as JW's work, and I'm grateful that not all music sounds like his. Variety is, after all, the spice of life. But I've never found another composer who pushes the right buttons in my brain so consistently and so strongly and for so many decades.

I...agree, to a certain extent. There's a lot of music out there that I love about as much as JW's work, and I'm grateful that not all music sounds like his. Variety is, after all, the spice of life. But I've never found another composer who pushes the right buttons in my brain so consistently and so strongly and for so many decades.

I...agree, to a certain extent. There's a lot of music out there that I love about as much as JW's work, and I'm grateful that not all music sounds like his. Variety is, after all, the spice of life. But I've never found another composer who pushes the right buttons in my brain so consistently and so strongly and for so many decades.

It's virtually note for note - more so than the AOTC speeder chase.

Yeah, the Goat Bait/Eye to Eye rip in that track is far more direct than Lockhart's theme, which is "just" very much in the same vein as No Ticket.

Yeah, the Goat Bait/Eye to Eye rip in that track is far more direct than Lockhart's theme, which is "just" very much in the same vein as No Ticket.

The issue I was talking about was timing. There were 34 years between ROTJ's use of that music and TLJ's. There were only 6 months or so between TLJ and Solo, so when I saw Solo, the moment lost some of its impact. (Which is a pity, because I really dig Powell's take on it!)
 
The overuse of the Force theme in the sequel trilogy is a different discussion altogether, but...yes.

Ultimately, @Chen G., this issue is gonna be a very subjective one. But for me, the joy of hearing it quoted in TLJ was the well-placed surprise dose of nostalgia. Suddenly I was hearing an amazing piece of Star Wars musical history that hadn't poked its head out in a long time. I could have just as easily had the same reaction to Solo if it'd been released first, or if the films had been separated by enough years. But with them being released so close together, Solo's scene ended up feeling like kind of a cheap shot to me on first viewing. Like, "Hey, you just used that move on me a few months ago!"

My appreciation for this cue (and the lead-in from "Ben's Death") just keeps getting stronger and stronger as the years pass. It's too bad both TLJ and Solo decided to play the same nostalgia card just 6 months apart - otherwise, I really like both takes on the material.
 
Anyway, some Williams action music can start to sound slightly interchangeable. Happens to the best composers; it's all good. But this writing is quite unique amongst all his works I've heard. And it perfectly demonstrates what I love most about Williams: his balance between accessibility and interestingness.

Luke's. First. Crash.

You dismiss the importance of variation, but I think that's a key issue. This isn't a leitmotif that Williams has developed in a variety of ways to clearly represent the notion of space combat per se; it's a single cue that's been directly quoted in a few other films.
 
Anyway, I'll echo the love for The Asteroid Field and Attacking a Star Destroyer. And the entire Battle of Hoth. And Yavin.

My appreciation for this cue (and the lead-in from "Ben's Death") just keeps getting stronger and stronger as the years pass. It's too bad both TLJ and Solo decided to play the same nostalgia card just 6 months apart - otherwise, I really like both takes on the material.
 
Anyway, some Williams action music can start to sound slightly interchangeable. Happens to the best composers; it's all good. But this writing is quite unique amongst all his works I've heard. And it perfectly demonstrates what I love most about Williams: his balance between accessibility and interestingness.

The issue I was talking about was timing. There were 34 years between ROTJ's use of that music and TLJ's. There were only 6 months or so between TLJ and Solo, so when I saw Solo, the moment lost some of its impact. (Which is a pity, because I really dig Powell's take on it!)
 
The overuse of the Force theme in the sequel trilogy is a different discussion altogether, but...yes.

Great idea for a thread, Thor. I'll be following this one closely. My first contribution is the Maestro and Yo-Yo Ma playing together on Jay Leno.
 
https://youtu.be/2sjiJFBhb6U

Sorry about that. Here's an alternative video, hopefully that works:
 
 

Well, this topic died quickly.
 
Tonight's Williams performance is this gem from 1958 (1959?), i.e. Fred Katz' album FOLK SONGS FOR FAR OUT FOLK. Williams gets his workout with fast-paced finger runs. Also on display is Gene Estes' vibraphone playing, which kinda dominates throughout the album. Williams shines from about the 2-minute mark:
 
 

I’ve seen just about enough posts in my 22 year history on this board that try to theoretically or even scientifically prove that John Williams -or someone else- is ‘the greatest film music composer of all time’, but that is never going to work.
 
There is no objective method to determine ‘the greatest color’, ‘the greatest country’, ’the greatest football player’ and so on, and the same applies for ‘the greatest film composer of all time.’
 
Personal taste, viewpoint and criteria take such a crucial part in answering these questions and far outweigh pure logic.
 
That's why my taking on the matter started with: 'I think history will remember John Williams as the greatest film music composer of all time’, which is fundamentally different than saying he actually is the greatest.

 
It is my belief that due to Williams’ string of instantly recognisable themes that have become part of our cultural heritage -just like the films for which they were written-, Williams is the film composer who will remain relevant for a long time, simply because his themes for Star Wars, Jaws, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, etc. will be around for awhile.
 
When asking a random person on the street who the greatest classical composer of all time is, don’t be surprised if they go with either Mozart, Bach or Beethoven.
 
For many reasons, these names are passed on from generation to generation, as well as their most famous pieces.
 
Is Mozart, Beethoven or Bach ‘the greatest’? There are quite a few viewpoints from which such a notion can be defended, but is it logic? No.
 
The same goes for popular music. One could argue that The Beatles, Elvis or Michael Jackson could hold on to a title which says ‘the greatest’, but if anyone is opting for Imagine Dragons, that person is in essence not wrong, since it is not science we’re dealing with.
 
What is less likely though, is that Imagine Dragons or Maroon 5 will go down in history as ‘the greatest band of all time’.
 
Because history is determined by a larger, collective viewpoint. It transcends generations and takes into account factors as cultural impact, popularity, critical acclaim, influence, etc. The Beatles still enjoy universal praise based on various factors and it wouldn’t raise a lot of eyebrows if one were to label them ‘the greatest band of all time’.
 
John Williams is holding extremely strong cards in his hand and these are the aforementioned batch of perfectly constructed famous and iconic themes which -through their respected films and franchises- get discovered again and again by newer generations. It’s the asset that will keep him in the common man’s eyesight, long after many other composers will be forgotten and it is quite likely that in time he will be regarded as ‘the greatest film music composer of all time.'