Dr. Rick

Just saw it.
 
Okay firstly - you people think way too much. Because of the internet, I limped into the theatre expecting the worst, but what I got was oddly satisfying. One of the biggest problems with fandom is its preoccupation with details, technicalities and whether every facet makes perfect sense. Come on, SW has always been a bit dodgy; it mirrors its 40 B-flick serial heritage. But thanks to nostalgia and persistent self-important marketing, fans respond to the films with way more seriousness than they really merit.
 
And that's the trick to enjoying TROS - don't think too much. Instead, experience it at a visceral level and forget about how Palpatine had a nookie, alleged TLJ retcons (I didn't detect any), supposed fan service or minuscule contradictions and lapses in logic.
 
TROS is a romantic space fantasy about forgiveness and acceptance. How oddly fitting an end to the saga that the children/grandchildren of the Skywalkers and the Palpatines could find harmony with one-another on the homestead that's been a series touchstone since the very beginning. You're not responsible for the "Sins of the Father", I suppose its message is.
 
It probably sounds lame on paper, but for me it worked, even if it was a bit clunky in places.

...courtesy of Amazon...
 
 

Aha!
 

 
Karol

It sounds like you just prevented a disaster.
 
 
You gotta fix the inlay on AotC!

You can't do that!
 
Is there any replacement disc or everything is okay this time?

...courtesy of Amazon...
 
 

The "entire" score.... LOL
 
 
 

Initial reaction through four tracks so far...
 

Yes, except that "Music By John Williams" font on TFA is much smaller than the other two...   

...courtesy of Amazon...
 
 

Yes, except that "Music By John Williams" font on TFA is much smaller than the other two...   

...courtesy of Amazon...
 
 

...courtesy of Amazon...
 
 

A friend in Tokyo sent me this pic... Time for me to travel to Japan again.
 

Now I can finally listen for the first time! 
 






 

 
Karol

LOL, sorry had a senior moment there...  Too much going on at once!  LOL

Falcon Flight 

I agree with everyone's comments on the OST. (Well, almost; MaestroUE, I don't know what defective mp3 files you must have been listening to!) This is a phenomenal presentation and I LOVE the power and punch in the loud parts. There's verve in there to spare, easily the LSO's equal to my ear. Like everyone knew this was the last hurrah and played it that way.
 
The fanfare... good lord, it's almost beyond belief. My new insta-fave. We may not have always had new fanfare recordings, but when it counted most, at the last opportunity for a fresh recording, JW and the LA players delivered.
 
Anthem of Evil... a minute and a half of gorgeously ethereal choir, and then the low low strings (and brass?) rise out of the aural void like the arrival of the end of the world. My very first impression was that it sounds like a transition that today's breed of film composer would synth in... but JW is simply in too strong a command of his craft and his players to have to resort to that silliness.
 
Finally, for now, while I'm not as dismissive of the Finale as many here are, my hot take is that this was a bit of a missed opportunity. Especially the transition at 6:10, which strikes me as quite jarring, and the reprise of the fanfare, which seems...unnecessary? 
 
That said, I got the surreal chills around 9:00 hearing material from the very first OST in a fresh, new, vibrant recording. I mean, no one expected to hear the last two minutes of the Star Wars '77 OST in TROS. And now I'm convinced it could not have been any other way. We are truly, finally, utterly full circle now. It's JW's perfect sign-off. Those two minutes are, in my mind, the "bow" he promised us for his incomparable gift to us, four decades in the making.
 
I am in awe of this album and this man.

Ah right, I've never really listened to ESB (don't even start...). I just liked the trailer cue.
 
Anthem of Evil from 1:00 sounds like a slower re-working of March of the Resistance.

No spoilers in this thread please.

The Digital Bits interviews Mike Matessino about the 40th anniversary of 1941!
 
https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/history-legacy--showmanship/1941-40th-anniv

Tracklist with durations (from https://www.highresaudio.com/en/album/view/22pwf4/john-williams-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-original-motion-picture-soundtrack):
1. Fanfare and Prologue 04:34
2. Journey to Exegol 02:49
3. The Rise of Skywalker 04:18
4. The Old Death Star 03:16
5. The Speeder Chase 03:21
6. Destiny of a Jedi 05:12
7. Anthem of Evil 03:23
8. Fleeing from Kijimi 02:51
9. We Go Together 03:17
10. Join Me 03:42
11. They Will Come 02:50
12. The Final Saber Duel0 3:57
13. Battle of the Resistance 02:51
14. Approaching the Throne 04:16
15. The Force Is with You 03:59
16. Farewell 05:14
17. Reunion 04:04
18. A New Home 01:47
19. Finale 10:51
Total Runtime 01:16:32

Mine just arrived, it also had the correct loose insert for Earthquake in the box, mine was a tad bent but not too bad, but when I pried loose the back clear plastic I did cause a slight crack on it ugh...  I'll dive into the music tomorrow, the packaging looks great!  They've already found their place on my shelf! Thanks @La La Land Records !!!

Mine just arrived, it also had the correct loose insert for Earthquake in the box, mine was a tad bent but not too bad, but when I pried loose the back clear plastic I did cause a slight crack on it ugh...  I'll dive into the music tomorrow, the packaging looks great!  They've already found their place on my shelf! Thanks @La La Land Records !!!

Mine just arrived, it also had the correct loose insert for Earthquake in the box, mine was a tad bent but not too bad, but when I pried loose the back clear plastic I did cause a slight crack on it ugh...  I'll dive into the music tomorrow, the packaging looks great!  They've already found their place on my shelf! Thanks @La La Land Records !!!