DominicCobb

90% sure you can hear the orchestral bit in Snoke (OST) in his second scene. Also, I think the first 30 seconds or so of That Girl With the Staff is used for when Rey refuses to sell BB-8.

The large majority of people who see the film will never even know that the piece was tracked. Fans included. First time I saw it I recognized it immediately and took me out of it for half a sec, but was brought back in quickly because it's a powerful piece of music and a powerful scene. Didn't bother me the other two times I saw it because I knew it was coming. Do I think it was a good idea? No, they obviously should have used an original piece or at least a new recording that fit in better. But, having heard what Williams originally intended on the OST, I can't honestly say that it would have had the same impact as Burning Homestead. Given the choice between the two, I'd probably go with Burning Homestead.

Same.

Saw the film again and this is definitely the case. After 0:45 the film cuts from Rey vs. Ren to the X-Wings and there's a piece that I couldn't put my finger to (sounds like mostly strings, kind of like Ways of the Force at 2:19 but don't know if that's actually it) and then when Poe goes into the trench the Scherzo finally comes in. I'm pretty sure the OST Snoke is used in his second scene. If it's the same recoding on the OST, it's truncated in the film, but I definitely noticed some of that ominous chanting and more importantly the string thing that starts at 1:23 is for certain in that scene which is telling. Don't remember for sure but I think the second scene with Snoke comes right after he and Rey have the mind duel (or whatever you want to call it). Which, yes, takes before The Bombing Run. I can't remember the complete order of scenes when it comes to the intercutting of Rey/Ren and the Resistance crew, but I think there's a good deal of unreleased stuff in that portion, between Finn and Poe, United and The Bombing Run. Han and Leia is a combination of a couple different cues - Han and Leia meet up on Takodona through Poe and Finn meet up, then Han and Leia talk about Ben which happens a good deal later. What's missing in-between is all the other stuff at the Resistance base (the map room, R2, forming the plan to attack Starkiller) and everything with Rey that in that portion (I don't know for sure how much of this stuff is actually backed with music though). After Han and Leia but before the Bombing Run is the Falcon landing on Starkiller and anything else that was scored up till the shields going down and the X-Wings arriving at Starkiller.

The Battles of Endor are awesome though! But they do sound like shit. Why is that? I've always wondered.

Yeah just saw the film again and noticed the first part of Girl With the Staff is when Rey refuses to sell BB-8 (recognized the bit that sounds like Luke and Leia) and I think you're right about chasing down in the marketplace, but it's also used again later on in the film after the Falcon escapes Jakku and Rey and Finn talk. The end bit is when the First Order officer is telling Kylo Ren they escaped. Pretty sure anyway.

The Journey Home is from when Rey and unconscious Finn get picked up by Chewie in the Falcon, through Starkiller being destroyed, and up to the end of Leia and Rey hugging. It is also represented as the first half of Farewell and the Trip on the OST. Go see the movie again if you need to, it's good.

Yeah you're right. I was listening and realized that 0:45-1:07 section comes after the X-Wing Scherzo bit on the FYC. Still, I don't think in the film it goes directly from 0:45 to the X-Wing bit. There's either an unreleased portion or tracked section in-between. Thanks for all the comparison info!

1. SW - 5 2. ESB - 5 3. ROTJ - 4 4. TFA - 4 5. TPM - 4 6. ROTS - 3 7. AOTC - 3 Hate to give ROTS and AOTC 3s but they're clearly one step below ROTJ/TFA/TPM and at least two steps below SW/ESB.

Yeah I noticed that, but I was sort of thinking if it was used along with the Tie Fighter Attack motif it could work.

Pretty sure it's OST 0:00-1:07, then all of the FYC. That's how I edited it anyway (with the first note of FYC starting at the same time as the the last note of the OST - sounds pretty good). I also tried to edit in Burning Homestead to get a track that resembled the film version but there is no good way to put that in (the movie hid the shite edits with sound effects).

Really? But it misses out on the awesome version of Kylo's secondary theme that you hear in the first half of the OST Abduction. What's the OST missing? I did a quick listen and it sounds to me like the FYC is just the second half of the OST.

One of the most enjoyable tracks to listen to has got to be Scherzo For X-Wings. It's pretty fun, sounds to me as if the Main Title was composed for an Errol Flynn swashbuckler. Only one thing, something rubs me sort of the wrong way about the first time we hear Luke's theme, like it goes against the melodic progression. Now, I'm no music guy, so I have no idea what I'm talking about, but it just sounds sort of awkward to me. And, if I'm being honest, I'm not sure if any of the statements of Luke's theme really feel like they completely fit. Wouldn't the Rebel fanfare have fared better here? Or how about Poe's theme, which is fantastic but doesn't show up nearly enough in the score?

Does anyone else hear a hint of the Imperial March during the Jedi Steps at 0:58-1:07? Was the first thing I thought of in the theater, surprised no one else has mentioned it. Am I crazy?

On that same line of thought, I saw the music for Snoke as more of a place holder. I think we'll get a real theme in either VIII or IX.

Hey all, I've lurked a bit here on and off and decided to join in (specifically for TFA discussion). I should just say right away I'm a total noob when it comes to music (don't know the difference between a fugal structure and a feudal structure or a cantinela and a cantina, etc.), and I can only vaguely read music but I definitely love music and am interested in it. I'm a casual fan of soundtracks and the only ones I listen to regularly are Star Wars ones (Star Wars 77 is the best film score of all time, hands down), so obviously I've already listened to TFA a bunch and am taking a pretty deep look into it musically (more so than normal). When I first saw the film I'll admit it was sort of hard to latch on to the new themes. Partly because there's a lot in the movie to absorb, music aside (so much of which is new), but also perhaps because of this "hummable" issue that people are complaining about. However, I still really enjoyed the music and loved how on the whole it had a more swashbuckling adventure feel to it (rather than the bombastic and "epic" music of the prequels, which is what I think some people were looking for). Since then I've been listening to the soundtrack again and again to the point of obsession. It's REALLY good. Rey's theme is just the best and holds the key to all, but the other new themes and motifs kill too. When I saw the film again, after familiarizing myself with the soundtrack, it was like a whole new experience. The way Williams has crafted this score is simply exemplary, I found myself getting quite emotional in the theater due to the beauty of some of his compositions and how they resonate with what's on screen. Also, contrary to what people are saying, it IS hummable. If there's one criticism, it's that there aren't very many moments in the score where it really takes over and drives the film. I suppose part of the blame for this blames on JJ. But while in the original trilogy we had a number of these moments, TFA has very few. In fact, probably the biggest moment in the film that's driven by music is when Rey grabs the lightsaber - a moment powered by music taken from the original film of course. It's a huge emotional moment that the music really sells, but the fact that that music is just "Burning Homestead" is a little irksome. Why not something new? Well, if you look at the OST, the music for that moment I think just would not have had nearly the same power. So while on the whole I think TFA is a fantastic score, and I appreciate its restraint in comparison to something like ROTS, it probably pulls too many punches. I think I like it better than the prequel scores, but it's not quite on the same level as any of the originals. Can't wait to see what Williams does with these themes in VIII.