1 Indy's Very First Adventure (8:13)
0:00-3:27 = 1M2 Young Indy
3:27-end = 1M3 Dunn and Duffy Circus Train
2 X Marks The Spot (3:12)
0:00-1:03 = 3M4
1:03-end = 4M1 [edited - the ending is not included]
3 Scherzo For Motorcycle And Orchestra (3:53)
7M3
4 Ah, Rats!!! (3:41)
4M3/5M1 Kazim and the Rats!
5 Escape From Venice (4:24)
5M3 To The Boats
6 No Ticket (2:46)
8M5 Intrigue On The Dirigible
7 The Keeper Of The Grail (3:24)
13M2
8 Keeping Up With The Joneses (3:38)
9M2 Shot Down
9 Brother Of The Cruciform Sword (1:56)
9M4 Kasim Meets Max
10 Belly Of The Steel Beast (5:29)
0:00-2:24 = 10M2
2:24-end = 11M2
11 The Canyon Of The Crescent Moon (4:17)
11M4/12M1 Canyon Of The Crescent Moon
12 The Penitent Man Will Pass (3:23)
13M1 The Breath of God
13 End Credits (Raiders March) (10:27)
0:00-2:07 = 13M4/14M1 Letting It Go
2:07-end = 14M2 End Credits
OK I'm gonna start posting ones that aren't already on the site
1981 - Raiders of the Lost Ark
1 Raiders Of The Lost Ark (6:03)
12M2 End Credits Part 2
2 Flight From Peru (2:23)
2M2 Flight To Freedom
3 The Map Room: Dawn (3:55)
6M2 Discovering The Script
4 The Basket Game (4:47)
4M4/5M1 Escape In The Alleys [edited]
5 The Well Of The Souls (4:57)
0:00-2:48 = 7M1 The Floor That Moves [edited]
2:48-4:45 = 1M2 The Cave [edited]
4:45-end = 7M1 The Floor That Moves [again]
6 Desert Chase (7:41)
0:00-2:26 = 9M1 Indie In Pursuit
2:26-5:12 = 9M1A Truck Chase [edited]
5:12-end = 9M1B Indie's Feats
7 Marion's Theme (3:10)
0:00-1:41 = 10M4 En Bateau
1:41-end = 4M2 To Cairo
8 The Miracle Of The Ark (6:11)
11M2/12M1 The Miracle Of The Arc
9 The Raiders March (2:29)
12M2 End Credits Part 2 [edited and looped]
1M2 Star Wars Main Title = The main title recording, recorded using the published suite (bars 1-68) on February 5th
7M3 Throne Room = the recording this thread was created to discuss, ANH's entire end credits recorded using the published suite (bars 107-end) on February 6th
Throne Room (End Credits) = either some kind of shorter rendition of the end credits also recorded on February 6th from the published suite that never leaked, or a full blown typo on the Dakota recording log.
7M3 End Credit = What we know as "Duel of the Fates", recorded on February 10th
7M3 End Credits Insert = The actual opening of the end credits used in the film, the OST, and the UE to bridge from Augie to DOTF, recorded using the published suite (bars 107-124, 127-131) + 4 new bars, on February 16th
Feb 5: They record bars 1-68 of the published suite (IE, ANH's main title), and this shows up as "1M2 Main Title" on the recording log
Feb 6: They record bars 107-end of the published suite (IE, ANH's end credits), and this shows up as "7M3 (Throne Room)" on the recording log
Also Feb 6 (Potentially), they record some other short version of the ANH end credits, this shows up as "Throne Room (End Credits)" on recording log, but this could just be some paperwork error and doesn't actually exist (I find it dubious that it has the same 1:24 length as the cue right under it - I think its a mistake that no one Xed out)
Feb 10: They record a brand new Williams composition he titled "7M3 End Credit", and this shows up on the recording log as "7M3 End Credits"
Feb 16: They record hybrid composition comprised of bars 107-124, then 127-131 of the published suite followed by 4 brand new bars that Williams titled "End Credit Part 1 Short Ending". This shows up as "7M3 End Credits Insert" on the recording log
Lucas and his team play with the music in the film. He tracks "7M3 End Credit" into several scenes instead of the music JW wrote. The end credits are "7M2 The Big Parade" followed by "7M3 End Credits Insert" followed by "7M3 End Credit" followed by "Anakin's Theme", though there are several bits snipped out of things to fit the run time of the film. "7M3 (Throne Room)" is completely unused.
JW assembles his OST album. He decides to put "7M3 End Credit" in its own track (track #2) as "Duel of the Fates". He makes "Anakin's Theme" track #3. The final track is "7M2 The Big Parade" followed by "7M3 End Credits Insert" followed by "7M3 End Credit" followed by "Anakin's Theme" like the film, except "The Big Parade" is a different version than the version in the film, and "End Credit" and "Anakin's Theme" are not edited down like in the film. They are the same mastered files that already appeared in tracks 2 and 3. (he actually further edits Duel of the Fates by replacing some portions with material from within the same track but that's another story)
Lucasfilm starts pumping out video games. Eventually we find "7M3 (Throne Room)" in one of them but have no idea what it is or why it was recorded.
The sheet music leaks, with the recording log, so now we know the names of all the things and how to place every bit of music we've ever heard in the film, the OST, the UE, or a video game, but still don't know why this piece was recorded.
For all the challenges that 2020 brought us, the two albums for the second season of The Mandalorian were an encouraging reward at the tail end of an...interesting year. The music was, for me, love at first listen (no surprise), but I am still warming up to the presentations of the two volumes. Of course, at this point I understand why they were released this way, but certain omissions (some more glaring than others, especially considering a few, let's face it, mediocre cues have seen the light of day) have me hoping for some sort of deluxe edition. Up to this point no Goransson score has really needed a bigger release (Black Panther was pretty full and the sessions have since leaked, the two Creed OSTs were well and covered). Tenet was rereleased with bonus tracks, so I'd hope for something similar in the future, but in the meantime I'm more than content with the music we have now.
The second half of the season presented plenty of opportunities for unique musical moments, including several classily-integrated callbacks and a heap of new motifs and sounds. All of this comes in anticipation for the final episode, where we knew in advance that the full(er) orchestra had been able to record for that chapter exclusively. I'll try my best to make this an easy-to-read-and-follow breakdown. Let's take a look!
01. The Sorcerer (3:32)
A decent album opener, although not as immediately punchy as Volume 1's Mando is Back. There's a lot of running percussive rhythms here, underneath sliding electronics and whistles, including one sound that evokes a sort of lightsaber effect (appropriately). Essentially, it's a new environment, and that's abundantly clear in the music. Kiner's Ahsoka theme comes to the fore and the title card runs, upheld by slightly moody strings. There's some really cool unreleased music that directly follows this in-episode for the arrival at Corvus, but no cigar.
1:35 Ahsoka's Theme (Kiner)
3:06 Western Motif (downbeat)
3:12 Western Motif (downbeat)
3:18 Western Motif (downbeat)
3:23 Western Motif (downbeat)
02. The Story (6:48)
A thoughtful playground for recorders, strings and modest percussion. We hear everything from some expansions of Kuiil-esque soulfulness, to solo cello renditions of the fanfare, a brief glimpse at Yoda's theme, the return of the Child's mysterious motif from Season 1, and a peek at a semi-familiar Seeing Stone idea, which is essentially derived from several overlappings of the Jawa woodwinds (see Chapter 2's Jawas Attack). Towards the end there are some clear ethnic influences in percussion, as if to play into the samurai style that pervades the episode. A lot of that teamwork for strings and drums feels not too far off from something Greenwood might do.
0:56 see Chapter 1's You Are a Mandalorian
1:20 Rhodes Motif
1:27 Fanfare
2:00 Yoda's Theme (Williams)
2:36 The Child (Mystery)
4:02 The Seeing Stone
4:09 Western Motif (downbeat)
4:16 Recorder Riff (skeletal/outline)
4:39 Western Motif (downbeat)
Recorder Riff (skeletal/outline)
03. A Mandalorian and a Jedi (1:57)
This is a brief action cue, opening with a guttural, thunderous set of rolls, and connected by a percussive through line (which still reminds me of Greenwood for whatever reason). Ahsoka's theme returns amongst the lightsaber sound and upbeat drums, extending itself up into the atmosphere.
0:59 Ahsoka's Theme (Kiner)
04. Ahsoka Lives (3:43)
This is certainly the standout track of Chapter 13, and one of the best from this half of the season. The first half of the cue is a recorder fugue that dances between the riff and the fanfare, as well as several connecting ideas. These are both intertwined and constantly working around each other, so I will not specifically timestamp the themes present in that section. The second half of the track features a strong development on Ahsoka's theme, starting with that higher, distant effect and growing into a fuller variation. Goransson really owns it.
05. The Seeing Stone (2:12)
A number of familiar ideas reemerge for the first Chapter 14 cue on the album. The Seeing Stone idea returns, along with some fluttering synths, and a quick title card sets us on the way for a brisk, action-packed episode. Unfortunately this particular intro isn't as varied or interesting as the two chapters that follow, both of which did not make this release. No matter.
0:00 Mando & Child Motif
0:51 Western Motif (downbeat)
0:56 Western Motif (downbeat)
1:00 The Seeing Stone
1:11 The Child (Mystery)
1:56 Western Motif (downbeat)
06. Capture the Flag (5:38)
This the first real set piece on the album, and it's certainly a kicker. Shades of the Seeing Stone are interspersed throughout a fascinating mixture of electronic and organic elements, introducing old and new motifs in prime Goransson fashion. This of course brings us to Boba Fett, who gets a motif of his own, used in both following episodes in unreleased cues (you have to wonder if it will carry on into the new show, and more importantly, if Goransson will take the helm, especially with Mando S3 seemingly further down the line). Fett's musical treatment is similar to Mando's in terms of the earthy elements offered by the set of recorders. In this case, however, they are tougher and more aggressive, and ultimately more befitting of the character. The semi-vocal underlayment for his motif sounds like a beefed-up, lumbering approximation of some excerpts of Black Panther. It's super cool, but it's also hard to trace where it stops and starts, so the beginning of each section is all that I'll timestamp. We also hear a number of shimmery references to Moff Gideon's theme, as well as stellar statements of the heroic utility motif and the fanfare, both in action mode.
0:07 The Seeing Stone
1:01 Moff Gideon A
1:09 Moff Gideon A
1:41 Boba Fett Motif
2:09 Heroic Motif
Western Motif (downbeat w/ interlude) (underneath)
2:15 Western Motif (downbeat w/ interlude) (underneath)
2:26 Boba Fett Motif
2:50 The Seeing Stone
3:53 Fanfare
Heroic Motif (underneath)
4:54 Boba Fett Motif
5:12 Boba Fett Motif
07. The Armor (2:43)
This is a fine cue, although it certainly wasn't one that I especially picked up on in-episode. The riff and Mando & child motif are glanced at, and a strange guitar theme variant picks up in the middle, later carried on by strings and synth.
08. Invaders on Their Land (2:48)
This is yet another fine cue, athematic in nature but still quite punchy, what with a Tenet-y synth backdrop, electric guitar and percussion, with the strings aiding in the back half. When the cue titles leaked I was near certain that this would be the great 6-7 minute pirate set piece that follows in-episode, and so while I was greatly disappointed at that (IMO) huge omittance, I still very much like this track for what it is.
09. Brown Eyes (2:51)
This is a cue that really leaves me wondering. If the score was released like it was last season, I'd welcome a little tension builder like this on the mini-OST, but in the case of two fairly limited albums, I really don't see how a track like this gets by. In any case, it does exactly what it needs to in one of my favourite scenes of the series, so there's that.
10. Rest in Peace (2:44)
Another cute track title from Goransson, this one because it completely threw us off when it leaked. The RIP is in reference to Bill Burr's character and the conclusion that he's "off the grid" (or killed in an explosion, as the cover-up goes). Again, this track is just fine, but I would take that action set piece over it in an instant. Enough moping though! It's a fairly relaxed and bouncy cue, with non-descript approximations of...some theme (?) coming in the first minute. A short bit starting around the minute mark reminds me of the electronic part of Oksana Floren (...) off the Solo Deluxe Edition. The cue ends with a cut to Gideon, and a tracked segment of the recorder riff from Chapter 6 is the final word.
11. Activated (6:08)
Goransson finally had a bigger orchestra to work with in the finale, and he held nothing back, making full use of the increased strings and the addition of winds and brass. This track is an album edit, but it works well all the same. It's a symbiosis of hard electronics and delicious orchestrations. There are a number of really great ideas passed around here, some familiar and others really fresh. This episode in particular had a lot of great prominent stretches for the wind section, which I really enjoyed. As far as new motifs go, it's kind of hard to put a finger on just what exactly qualifies for the dark troopers, but one thing is for sure- they have their own sound, and that is dubstep. A little easter egg is the drip-drop The Egg synth that appears two times throughout, as well as on numerous occasions elsewhere in the show. There's just a lot of cool things overlapping and working alongside each other- it takes a couple listens to really wrap your head around all the different elements at play!
0:42 Recorder Riff
1:22 The Egg Synth
1:40 Fanfare
2:03 Heroic Motif
2:49 The Egg Synth (underneath)
12. The Sword (3:07)
Another great cue, this time with references to Moff Gideon's material, with plenty of variety as his theme slowly phases out towards the end. I particularly like that col legno (hit with the bow) slap that accompanies the swirling strings after 0:19, as well as the woodwinds that space out the marks of the skeletal riff after 1:17.
0:19 Moff's Frenetic Strings
0:27 Moff Gideon A (continues interspersed)
0:33 Moff Gideon B (continues interspersed)
1:17 Recorder Riff (skeletal/outline)
2:23 Moff Gideon B (partial)
2:46 Moff Gideon B (partial)
13. Troopers (2:33)
This track certainly defines the dark trooper sound further, going full in on the electronic side of things, but carrying through with highly complimentary orchestral furnishings to fill the space and round things out. Strings tend to be easiest as a counterpart to the dubstep, and they have plenty of great teamwork moments here. 1:36 might be the closest the troopers get to a motif of their own, but I think it's clear that they're most easily represented by a generally mechanical sound.
1:18 The Egg Synth
1:25 Recorder Riff
14. A Friend (3:52)
As we reach these last three tracks, each of which features some of Goransson's best work to date, I find I already have an immediate emotional response to each of them. In short, I'm of the mind that the final 10 minutes of the episode are perfectly scored. This cue is unlike anything else in the Mando repertoire up to this point, and rightfully so. A choral effect carries on throughout, and what starts out as a darker, more mysterious idea for the hooded hero quickly turns triumphant and magical. It makes way more sense than Luke's theme, especially considering even Williams rarely considers it in that context anymore. There are so, so many masterful strokes here that solidify this sequence for me, and I'll touch upon a few of them. The oboe (?) at 1:41 syncs up perfectly with a slight hand movement from Grogu as he's drawn in to the security footage (see the isolated score video up the page). It's a small touch, but it works so well. As the troopers prepare to face the lightsaber wielder at 1:57, there's an absolutely splendid blending of all the sounds: the dubstep working with the choir effect and strings to create a powerful build-up, leading into a release at 2:33 with a reprise of the "friend" idea. The end of the cue features some dissonant textures between strings and winds. From start to finish, it's a fantastic sequence of musical storytelling, and even within these 4 minutes, Goransson's development as a composer is quite apparent.
3:29 Fanfare (ascending closing figure)
15. Open the Door (4:52)
It's crazy to think about just how many great themes and memorable ideas Goransson has delivered for the show in the last two years, and what's crazier is that at least four or five of them reach their highest points one after the other in this next cue. The track opens the same way as A Friend, a little repeating figure that kind of feels like a touch-up of Binary Sunset, which makes sense because it does in fact lead into the Force theme here, complete with the second phrase. The Mando & child motif makes a touching return in similar fashion to the emotional climax of last season, before giving way to the glittery Grogu synths that came as such a sweet surprise not but a few weeks ago. From the chiming theme to the bright eyes portion, up to the strings and then eventually on brass with counterpoint, it's a perfect incarnation of the material and a beautiful resolution in so many ways. I hate to make the comparison to E.T., but the music garners a similar response from me, as I think both ending scenes are similar in a lot of ways as is. The fanfare and riff appear on glorious brass before an uplifting and highly fulfilling ending closes out the season. This track feels like such a definitive conclusion to this part of the Mando story, and I don't think it could be any better than this. It's clearly one of Goransson's best.
16. Come with Me (2:45)
And then this lovely surprise- a brand new credits piece derived from the recorder fugue in Ahsoka Lives, playing out the end with bittersweet joy. It starts with the riff and then goes into the piece proper, the riff, fanfare and western motif fused together by strings, and some winds (see 1:42).
I'm preparing some "resources" using an easy-to-access medium that should clear up any questions/confusion there might be as to which theme or motif is which and such. Basically, I've set up a blog site where I will collect revised versions of my write-ups for Season 1, album analyses for Season 2 and much more in that regard, and probably the most useful part; a comprehensive guide to all the recurring musical ideas in the show (as far as I understand them ). It's a major work in progress, but fortunately it is also a passion project, so I look forward to sharing it here for anyone who may be interested!
What a ride! Goransson has really impressed me this season, both in how he made do during the pandemic and with how he has progressed in the writing itself. I do wonder when we might start to get announcements about composers for the other upcoming shows. Depending on the scheduling, I'd be willing to bet Goransson might just be able to stick around for some of the other Mando timeline projects, especially if Mando S3 doesn't go into production until sometime after The Book of Boba Fett is completed. Who knows. Wishful thinking, and it's too soon to tell, but I look forward to hearing how it works out.
Thank you for taking the time to read my writing, and for all the discussion and shared excitement of these past two months! I'm looking forward to a good year ahead, what with all the music I have to keep busy with until next time. Cheers and happy new year!
I've decided to continue with the isolated score videos (available with a handful of Ch. 8 cues in this Drive folder), this time with three notable moments from Season 2. Note that for most of them you can change the video quality to be higher than the default.
Unfortunately, all of these play out differently on album than they do in episode, which means that whatever you hear in these clips has been subjected to my editing, having been patched together with extracted audio from the episode as well as the OST tracks to sync up with the images. OBVIOUSLY, these videos contain spoilers.
Ship o hoj, Mandalorians! (contains brief SFX)
A Friend
Open the Door (Album Version) (cleanest version) Open the Door (Edited Version)
Open the Door (Film Version) (contains some SFX)
Explanations on the editing process:
I had wanted to do some more (especially Activated et al.) but I realized that the "film" versions were far too different that it wasn't worth the editing trouble. Pity! Should there ever be a sessions leak or more complete release in the future I will revisit these. I'll dump some more thoughts here soon. Thanks!
You're on the right track! That is, as far as we've been able to tell, the theme for Mando & child, as it has essentially charted their relationship from early on in Season One. See my earliest explanation here:
There have been a few more allusions to it this season as well, such as in Vol. 1's Experiment as well as in Vol. 2's The Seeing Stone. I'll be sure to provide a full breakdown for this album in the same format I did for Volume 1.
Here's the new credits piece to make the wait a little easier:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GzDN51owVhDub6HN3V84uxMNqltgOKT1/view?usp=sharing
Also looks like that Bart Oss fellow has confirmed the tracklist:
The Chapter 13 cues were exactly as we thought. The Chapter 14 ones look like they include The Armor, which may cover some Boba Fett stuff. Rest in Peace is quite clearly now a cute joke title for when they leave Bill Burr. And then the rest of the album is full out Chapter 16 stuff, and with good reason!
My attempt at trying to piece together the original Mimban Battle sequence. Obviously there's no way to know exactly how the original scenes were edited, but I tried. Not too much editing was necessary; for part 1 I needed to edit out about 1-2 seconds of footage (I randomly selected a very short shot), for part 2 I needed to simply extend the transition between the opening portion and the latter portion since the second half doesn't sync correctly if left unedited.
Mimban Battle
Not as significant, but I also restored the Oksana Floren cue. Not nearly as edited in the film, but there are a few small cuts and loops here and there, most notably when the Pike character is revealed.
If only to tide us over until Friday, I've been working on some isolated score videos for Chapter 8. They are available to view in this Drive folder, or as they are below. I recommend switching to 1080p HD if your device does not display that quality by default.
The Ewebb / A Thousand Tears Pt. 1
A Thousand Tears Pt. 2 / Nurse and Protect
A Warrior's Death
Sacrifice / Mando Flies / The Baby
Companion guide is on the way! Turns out it isn't merely as simple as a copy/paste job, as there are many necessary revisions to be made based on recent discoveries. In any case, it's nearly ready! Looking forward...
What an awesome episode, with probably the most new music for Season 2 thus far! Here's what I heard in terms of fresh stuff:
- lovely string-led development on the egg music from last episode for the frog reunion
- new theme introduced for Bo Katan's group, a kick and punchy synth idea in action form for the barge fight
- short cue involving strings and solemn guitar fanfare as Mando looks on at the exploding barge
- a cue for the Quarren confrontation, features atmospheric synth ideas and short statement of the new theme
- riffing on the new theme with familiar synth elements and eventually pizzicato when Mando drops the child off
- an extended heist sequence full of the new theme and rocking hip hop elements, around 4 minutes in full
- more Baby Yoda egg music for when Mando picks up the child
- return of Quarren atmosphere for the squid in the cockpit at the end
- one or two stringy dialogue underscore moments
Tracked music, with alterations, includes:
- opening atmosphere crash is a touch-up of Ch. 6's Hyperspace
- Ch. 2's To the Jawas fanfare and chimes with a different ending for the boat shot
- one cue made up of tracked elements from the Nevarro covert of Mandalorians (see Ch. 8's What Remains In The Tunnels)
- several trackings of parts of Moff Gideon's theme, along with that heroic brass line that we had previously associated with IG not but a few weeks ago (that has since been changed as you can hear it in the strings in Ch. 6's Hyperspace, among other places)
- a different mix of the opening of the orchestral version of the credits from Ch. 7 (does not play over the credits but just before)
In conclusion, this episode shares the most similarities with Ch. 6, but is still largely unique and feels very much at home with what we've heard so far this season. I loved the new theme for Bo Katan's group!
The Drive folder has been updated with everything that could be extracted as cleanly as possible, around 10 minutes in total with another 4 or 5 missing. New music will be posted here weekly: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15HO0z-sqlJU07G5IAe6FRxUVsT6zbfbb
Hopefully we'll get a halfway release next week as there should be no shortage of music with which to fill it. Fingers crossed!