The Evolution of John Williams

[Quintus 5,399]

Many members here always speak of how our maestro has matured and grown in terms of style and quality over the years, but there are just as many members (myself included) who reject the ideal that JW is just as film score proficient as he was twenty years ago. For all his technical expertise in the specialist world of scoring for film, JW's last few scores, for all their 'magnificence' as music, lack the ingredient commonly known as magic. His contemporary scores are UTTERLY devoid of MOVIE magic. They are nothing more than a flexing of musical muscle, in my ever so humble opinion. More than ever I care about film, before it's music. JW himself is responsible for this; since it was he himself who first grabbed and nurtured my musical taste, as a child.

My question is this: Would the modern day (matured) musical genius of John Williams had been AS successful, had he scored Jaws and Star Wars with the same artistic and technical sensibilities he demonstrates today?

I say the answer is a big fat NO.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

I would highly doubt it, but we can never really know, though.

[Henry B 50]

No, Williams's modern, hit or miss minimalism would not have worked for Jaws and Star Wars.

[aj_vader 534]

totally agree with that, but would Williams have got to this stage now without scoring Star Wars and Jaws, like he did?

[Desplat13 1]

Many members here always speak of how our maestro has matured and grown in terms of style and quality over the years, but there are just as many members (myself included) who reject the ideal that JW is just as film score proficient as he was twenty years ago. For all his technical expertise in the specialist world of scoring for film, JW's last few scores, for all their 'magnificence' as music, lack the ingredient commonly known as magic. His contemporary scores are UTTERLY devoid of MOVIE magic. They are nothing more than a flexing of musical muscle, in my ever so humble opinion. More than ever I care about film, before it's music. JW himself is responsible for this; since it was he himself who first grabbed and nurtured my musical taste, as a child.

My question is this: Would the modern day (matured) musical genius of John Williams had been AS successful, had he scored Jaws and Star Wars with the same artistic and technical sensibilities he demonstrates today?

I say the answer is a big fat NO.

I think it is safe to say you would not have liked it as much.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

With his current form, no. But I also agree with others. In one vein, it's not too dissimilar a question to if the Stones would have gotten to the stature they are now if they'd released material along the lines of BIGGER BANG as opposed to AFTER-MATH and LET IT BLEED when they broke out.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I say yes, but I'm the one who says he hasn't changed musically in style at all.

[Luke Skywalker 1,798]

Look, i'm very tired of this.

Stop talking nonsense bullsh*t.

Williams has fully demonstrated that he can still write 'vintage' style with Kingdom of the Crystal SKull. When he does feel doing it. That is the damn point. He likes his new writting better and that's what he does. He can do what he wants, because he has earned the place where he stands.

People that 'got senile' 20 years ago do not continue to write excellent music today. Period

So yes he could have written Jaws and SW today, if that's the score those movies needed (which i highly doubt since they would be much different movies)

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Look, i'm very tired of this.

Stop talking nonsense bullsh*t.

I beg your pardon?

[Morn 8]

Yes of course.

I think he's handled Crystal Skull and Revenge of the Sith with more quality and musical maturity than the original scores for those series.

I'm more worried that he's forgotten how to write a great theme, but his general musical quality is at it's peak.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

Artistic Maturity = Artistic Conservatism = Lack of Creativity = No.

It's a simple fact of life, creativity lessens with age.

[Quintus 5,399]

Look, i'm very tired of this.

Stop talking nonsense bullsh*t.

Hehe

It's always fun to upset the fanboys.

KotCS is the exact opposite of the JW "Golden Age". Serviceable, is what it is. Its about as vintage as the bottle of plonk I had last night.

[Red 75]

My question is this: Would the modern day (matured) musical genius of John Williams had been AS successful, had he scored Jaws and Star Wars with the same artistic and technical sensibilities he demonstrates today?

No, but then again, those scores are so great that they wouldn't be as successful no matter what different way Williams scored them.

Also the old Williams vs. new Williams conflict isn't as black and white as you make it seem. Most people see the good in both eras, and don't just accept one and discard the other.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

Look, i'm very tired of this.

Stop talking nonsense bullsh*t.

Look...I know they circumcised your ears in your youth, but even so I would expect you to see that Crystal Skull is no where near retro.

[Quintus 5,399]

My question is this: Would the modern day (matured) musical genius of John Williams had been AS successful, had he scored Jaws and Star Wars with the same artistic and technical sensibilities he demonstrates today?

No, but then again, those scores are so great that they wouldn't be as successful no matter what different way Williams scored them.

Those two scores are just the earliest examples. More brilliance followed shortly after, as you know. My original point is obvious regardless of schematics.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

There is an inherent rawness, a magic if you will, that accompanies an artist in his first few steps, that will never be with him again as he matures in his technical prowess. As a result the only answer to this poll is a no.

[Trent B 337]

Look, i'm very tired of this.

Stop talking nonsense bullsh*t.

No need to get your panties in a bunch.

[Delorean90 42]

Look, i'm very tired of this.

Stop talking nonsense bullsh*t.

Look...I know they circumcised your ears in your youth, but even so I would expect you to see that Crystal Skull is no where near retro.

Not retro I could see...nowhere NEAR retro? I think that's pushing it. There are certainly some heavy non-modern Williams factors in the KOTCS score. However, if you're talking 80s Williams I could see it a bit more. I think what he was going for more (and for the most part succeeded) was writing it as if they had kept going, and so it is much more in the early to mid-90s Williams idiom. Listen to KOTCS, and then listen to Hook and Far and Away, and see if they don't feel a lot closer to each other than this score does to something like ROTS. Does it have elements of modern Williams? Sure. But it's also...nowhere near...being totally modern.

As for the question, I would say no, it wouldn't, but I also don't agree that recent Williams music is terrible tripe that should be thrown to the dogs. In fact, The Terminal is one modern Williams score that I have grown to love, and I consider the Love Theme to be amongst his greatest.

[Quintus 5,399]

I also don't agree that recent Williams music is terrible tripe that should be thrown to the dogs.

Who said such a ridiculous thing? You just put words into your own mouth man!

[ChuckM 1]

Absolutely not!

The ability to score music well from a technical aspect has absolutely nothing to do with the music actually sounding good.

[Trent B 337]

By the way I voted No for this subject.

[Quintus 5,399]

The ability to score music well from a technical aspect has absolutely nothing to do with the music actually sounding good.

^

Indy's Very First Adventure, expanded. Fantastic.

[Henry B 50]

There is an inherent rawness, a magic if you will, that accompanies an artist in his first few steps, that will never be with him again as he matures in his technical prowess. As a result the only answer to this poll is a no.

I wouldn't say it will never be with him again - just less and less frequently. Scores like A.I. and Prisoner of Azkaban are every bit equal to his Golden Age work (and they display the best traits of Williams's maturation, rather than the needlessly complicated writing and repetitive action music). But back then he was cranking out about two stellar scores a year. Now it's maybe one every five years.

[John Crichton 4]

The Star Wars and Jaws question is just plain silly. There's no way to know, just as there's no way to know how different the movies themselves would be if made today.

That being said, I do agree that a good deal of Williams' recent output is missing that spark, and Indy 4 just might be the best example. But these things just happen with age, which is why I don't see it as that big a deal. I would say that you fall just as much in the "fanboy" category (a term I still hate) by getting all worked up over this question as you would denying any difference at all.

[indy4 155]

No.

However, John Williams would not have written as awesome a score for SS or PoA had it been filmed in the 70s. John Williams' style has changed, I have never denied that. But it has not been for better or worse. He has always been the maestro of film music, and he continues to be today.

There is an inherent rawness, a magic if you will, that accompanies an artist in his first few steps, that will never be with him again as he matures in his technical prowess. As a result the only answer to this poll is a no.

Which is why Daddy-O will always be 5 times better than Star Wars...

[Henry B 50]

There is an inherent rawness, a magic if you will, that accompanies an artist in his first few steps, that will never be with him again as he matures in his technical prowess. As a result the only answer to this poll is a no.

Which is why Daddy-O will always be 5 times better than Star Wars...

He said "first few steps," not first composition ever. Of course you don't start at the top.

[indy4 155]

There is an inherent rawness, a magic if you will, that accompanies an artist in his first few steps, that will never be with him again as he matures in his technical prowess. As a result the only answer to this poll is a no.

Which is why Daddy-O will always be 5 times better than Star Wars...

He said "first few steps," not first composition ever. Of course you don't start at the top.

So almost two decades of film scoring, 38 film compositions, plus numerous television ventures doesn't qualify as "first few steps?"

[Luke Skywalker 1,798]

Look, i'm very tired of this.

Stop talking nonsense bullsh*t.

No need to get your panties in a bunch.

I'm also tired of playing nice and shut up my mouth (bite my tongue more accurately).

And blumenkhol, nobody who likes zimmer is going to tell me i have circumcised ears.

Hehe

It's always fun to upset the fanboys.

KotCS is the exact opposite of the JW "Golden Age". Serviceable, is what it is. Its about as vintage as the bottle of plonk I had last night.

Upset?

No, just extremely fed up ('hasta los cojones', i would say but i dont know the exact english translation) of the 'I talk truth' attitude. I just chose this topic for the outburst

Indy's Very First Adventure, expanded. Fantastic.

That 'crap' was one of the 1st Williams scores from his 'decline'.

[Quintus 5,399]

That 'crap' was one of the 1st Williams scores from his 'decline'.

Bollocks.

[Ollie 1,059]

The Star Wars and Jaws question is just plain silly. There's no way to know, just as there's no way to know how different the movies themselves would be if made today.

That being said, I do agree that a good deal of Williams' recent output is missing that spark, and Indy 4 just might be the best example. But these things just happen with age, which is why I don't see it as that big a deal. I would say that you fall just as much in the "fanboy" category (a term I still hate) by getting all worked up over this question as you would denying any difference at all.

John is correct.

It's a simple fact of life, creativity lessens with age.

Oh thank god someone else has some common sense of reality.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

It doesn't have to, but we live in a society where conformity is preached to you since the first day of your education.

Once you build your fort, you no longer are concerned with creating the greatest fort in the countryside, but rather you settle down and defend it.

[Henry B 50]

There is an inherent rawness, a magic if you will, that accompanies an artist in his first few steps, that will never be with him again as he matures in his technical prowess. As a result the only answer to this poll is a no.

Which is why Daddy-O will always be 5 times better than Star Wars...

He said "first few steps," not first composition ever. Of course you don't start at the top.

So almost two decades of film scoring, 38 film compositions, plus numerous television ventures doesn't qualify as "first few steps?"

Williams did very little dramatic film scoring in that period. It wasn't until around 1970 that he got much more serious as a composer. After two decades of learning the ropes and writing fluffy, comedic scores he must have had so much pent up energy and creativity. Well, he released it with Jaws. Or maybe the death of his wife changed his outlook on life.

By the way, did you really not have anything better to do than look up exactly how many films Williams scored before Jaws?

[Quintus 5,399]

It doesn't have to, but we live in a society where conformity is preached to you since the first day of your education.

Once you build your fort, you no longer are concerned with creating the greatest fort in the countryside, but rather you settle down and defend it.

The BBC apologises for the interruption and normal viewing will resume as soon as possible!

[Desplat13 1]

It's a simple fact of life, creativity lessens with age.

Have you ever heard a little (ha!) sonata called "Hammerklavier" by one Ludwig van Beethoven?

[Hlao-roo 389]

It's a simple fact of life, creativity lessens with age.

Have you ever heard a little (ha!) sonata called "Hammerklavier" by one Ludwig van Beethoven?

If anything, Beethoven grew only more creative and daring as he aged. Sometimes, facts aren't quite that simple.

[Desplat13 1]

Exactly. Usually, with really great artists, the middle period works are the most popular at the time, and the late period works are the most creative and groundbreaking, and most acclaimed later, usually after the artist's death.

[oierem 153]

And those who didn't understand the late works of the composer considered as fools....

[indy4 155]

Creatively, John is currently in his peak. If you make a list of all the different genres of music JW has written for, most of them would be in the 90s-2000s.

There is an inherent rawness, a magic if you will, that accompanies an artist in his first few steps, that will never be with him again as he matures in his technical prowess. As a result the only answer to this poll is a no.

Which is why Daddy-O will always be 5 times better than Star Wars...

He said "first few steps," not first composition ever. Of course you don't start at the top.

So almost two decades of film scoring, 38 film compositions, plus numerous television ventures doesn't qualify as "first few steps?"

Williams did very little dramatic film scoring in that period. It wasn't until around 1970 that he got much more serious as a composer. After two decades of learning the ropes and writing fluffy, comedic scores he must have had so much pent up energy and creativity. Well, he released it with Jaws. Or maybe the death of his wife changed his outlook on life.

So he was learning the ropes in the 50s-60s to become better technically before attempting to combine his technical knowledge with his creative power to create awesome scores.

In the 70s-80s, he began the creative experimentation process, at the same time continuing to build his technical skills.

And as his technical skills are at a peak (though there is always room for improvements) in the 90s-2000s, JW is free to exercise his creative power, which he has done a lot in the past years.

By the way, did you really not have anything better to do than look up exactly how many films Williams scored before Jaws?

I don't think any of us are in a position to say such things, as we're posting on a John Williams fansite.

[Hlao-roo 389]

My question is this: Would the modern day (matured) musical genius of John Williams had been AS successful, had he scored Jaws and Star Wars with the same artistic and technical sensibilities he demonstrates today?

I believe he would have been as successful, given that, in this alternate universe of yours, Williams retains the good fortune of having associated himself with both Spielberg and Lucas during what many consider to be their heyday. True, Williams's contributions to their work were invaluable, but I think it'd be hyperbolic to proclaim that Williams was their ticket to success. Furthermore, at that stage in his career, Williams is bound in a much greater degree to the temp track. That sort of incumbent Holstian romanticism, even filtered through Williams's current "artistic and technical sensibilities," would have gone a long way toward bringing about a renaissance of the Korngoldian tradition in Hollywood.

The not so subtle subtext of your question, of course, is whether or not Williams's music is as "magical" as it once was. That's a far more difficult discussion to have, given how ill-defined and hopelessly subjective that term is.

[Henry B 50]

So he was learning the ropes in the 50s-60s to become better technically before attempting to combine his technical knowledge with his creative power to create awesome scores.

In the 70s-80s, he began the creative experimentation process, at the same time continuing to build his technical skills.

And as his technical skills are at a peak (though there is always room for improvements) in the 90s-2000s, JW is free to exercise his creative power, which he has done a lot in the past years.

I agree with it all... except for the creativity part. He's not writing groundbreaking works at nearly the speed he used to (or at all - unless this Duo Concertante is great, I will consider his latest "creative" work Memoirs of a Geisha). Why? Because he's an old man, for God's sake. People slow down and fade away. That's life. Really, don't get me wrong, I still like most of his music and I was eager to do DVD rips of KotCS and all that but it just isn't as good as the old stuff. Good... just not nearly as good.

Creatively, John is currently in his peak. If you make a list of all the different genres of music JW has written for, most of them would be in the 90s-2000s.

That's silly to define creativity by the number of genres in which someone writes. Besides, are you forgetting The Fury, Heartbeeps and Monsignor?

[TownerFan 4,991]

The question that started the thread is posing the argument in the wrong manner, because it implies that "What if..." attitude that seems to remain a big favourite for these kind of discussions. We could fill thousands of libraries with these kind of "what if" questions. We could rewrite entire human history this way, but in the end it would remain a fun game and nothing else. Also, the question talks about "magic", which is hardly a solid argument.

The simple fact is: some fans don't like the contemporary Williams film scores, some others do. Some people apparently have a hard time accepting the change of style that is the core of every true artist and try to adapt their lack of enjoyment in his output on a whole global scale. Other people accept more easily the idea that an artist can change and evolve, even if this means that he will distance himself from the style that made them fall in love with his artistry.

I personally find lot of pleasure, enjoyment and deep satisfaction from the whole creative output of the Maestro, from whatever era it's composed. I do have personal favourites and scores that I enjoy more than others, I do have deep sentimental affection to certain particular works more than others... but I'll never waste my time to convince anyone that my personal ideas about his whole creative journey are right and the only one possible. It's almost 30 years since I started listening to the music of John Williams, so I think I have a good level of knowledge about it, but this doesn't automatically give me the right to impose my own ideas and sensibility above any other.

I have nothing else to say about this.

[indy4 155]

I agree with it all... except for the creativity part. He's not writing groundbreaking works at nearly the speed he used to (or at all - unless this Duo Concertante is great, I will consider his latest "creative" work Memoirs of a Geisha). Why? Because he's an old man, for God's sake. People slow down and fade away. That's life. Really, don't get me wrong, I still like most of his music and I was eager to do DVD rips of KotCS and all that but it just isn't as good as the old stuff. Good... just not nearly as good.

Well, forgetting creativity, JW's score production rate has slowed down significantly by itself (which I admit is due to old age). You say his last creative work was Memoirs of a Geisha, but he's only written one score since then! That's like saying in 1986, the year that SpaceCamp came out, that John Williams was going downhill because his last creative work was ToD.

Creatively, John is currently in his peak. If you make a list of all the different genres of music JW has written for, most of them would be in the 90s-2000s.

That's silly to define creativity by the number of genres in which someone writes. Besides, are you forgetting The Fury, Heartbeeps and Monsignor?

Well considering the fact that JW has written for so many genres successfully, I think that is a valid criterion for measuring creativity.

Don't forget about Memoirs of a Geisha, The Terminal, PoA, CMIYC, A.I., Amistad, TLW, Home Alone. . . . I'm not saying that JW wasn't creative in the 70s-80s, but I think he's just more creative nowadays, because he's in a comfy position where it's okay to take risks.

[Henry B 50]

Some people apparently have a hard time accepting the change of style that is the core of every true artist and try to adapt their lack of enjoyment in his output on a whole global scale. Other people accept more easily the idea that an artist can change and evolve, even if this means that he will distance himself from the style that made them fall in love with his artistry. ... I'll never waste my time to convince anyone that my personal ideas about his whole creative journey are right and the only one possible. It's almost 30 years since I started listening to the music of John Williams, so I think I have a good level of knowledge about it, but this doesn't automatically give me the right to impose my own ideas and sensibility above any other.

Please don't condescend.

[QMM 4]

My question is this: Would the modern day (matured) musical genius of John Williams had been AS successful, had he scored Jaws and Star Wars with the same artistic and technical sensibilities he demonstrates today?

I believe he would have been as successful, given that, in this alternate universe of yours, Williams retains the good fortune of having associated himself with both Spielberg and Lucas during what many consider to be their heyday. True, Williams's contributions to their work were invaluable, but I think it'd be hyperbolic to proclaim that Williams was their ticket to success. Furthermore, at that stage in his career, Williams is bound in a much greater degree to the temp track. That sort of incumbent Holstian romanticism, even filtered through Williams's current "artistic and technical sensibilities," would have gone a long way toward bringing about a renaissance of the Korngoldian tradition in Hollywood.

The not so subtle subtext of your question, of course, is whether or not Williams's music is as "magical" as it once was. That's a far more difficult discussion to have, given how ill-defined and hopelessly subjective that term is.

You're on a roll with great posts lately

[Henry B 50]

I agree with it all... except for the creativity part. He's not writing groundbreaking works at nearly the speed he used to (or at all - unless this Duo Concertante is great, I will consider his latest "creative" work Memoirs of a Geisha). Why? Because he's an old man, for God's sake. People slow down and fade away. That's life. Really, don't get me wrong, I still like most of his music and I was eager to do DVD rips of KotCS and all that but it just isn't as good as the old stuff. Good... just not nearly as good.

Well, forgetting creativity, JW's score production rate has slowed down significantly by itself (which I admit is due to old age). You say his last creative work was Memoirs of a Geisha, but he's only written one score since then! That's like saying in 1986, the year that SpaceCamp came out, that John Williams was going downhill because his last creative work was ToD.

I said "latest," not "last."

Creatively, John is currently in his peak. If you make a list of all the different genres of music JW has written for, most of them would be in the 90s-2000s.

That's silly to define creativity by the number of genres in which someone writes. Besides, are you forgetting The Fury, Heartbeeps and Monsignor?

Well considering the fact that JW has written for so many genres successfully, I think that is a valid criterion for measuring creativity.

This whole debate is about how successfully Williams has written in recent years, so don't try to sneak that in like it's a simple fact.

Don't forget about Memoirs of a Geisha, The Terminal, PoA, CMIYC, A.I., Amistad, TLW, Home Alone. . . . I'm not saying that JW wasn't creative in the 70s-80s, but I think he's just more creative nowadays, because he's in a comfy position where it's okay to take risks.

That's why he's trying to break into the art music world. His bombastic, heroic film score writing has become creatively bankrupt and he's looking for something very different. I'm sure he had fun writing Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and all, but it's the kind of fun you'd have getting drunk with friends, not creating groundbreaking works. This is what he's really putting his energy into now.

My favorite Williams score of the 2000s is A.I. While there's a little cinematic gloss, the heart of the score reveals a great sadness and even pessimism in Williams's outlook, as if he is coming to accept death. That's maturity. Writing the same old theme park rides over and over is not.

[TownerFan 4,991]

This whole debate is about how successfully Williams has written in recent years, so don't try to sneak that in like it's a simple fact.

And how would you define successful writing?

My favorite Williams score of the 2000s is A.I. While there's a little cinematic gloss, the heart of the score reveals a great sadness and even pessimism in Williams's outlook, as if he is coming to accept death. That's maturity. Writing the same old theme park rides over and over is not.

I totally agree.

[Henry B 50]

This whole debate is about how successfully Williams has written in recent years, so don't try to sneak that in like it's a simple fact.

And how would you define successful writing?

In this context we're talking about how creative and groundbreaking Williams's modern writing is.

[indy4 155]

I agree with it all... except for the creativity part. He's not writing groundbreaking works at nearly the speed he used to (or at all - unless this Duo Concertante is great, I will consider his latest "creative" work Memoirs of a Geisha). Why? Because he's an old man, for God's sake. People slow down and fade away. That's life. Really, don't get me wrong, I still like most of his music and I was eager to do DVD rips of KotCS and all that but it just isn't as good as the old stuff. Good... just not nearly as good.

Well, forgetting creativity, JW's score production rate has slowed down significantly by itself (which I admit is due to old age). You say his last creative work was Memoirs of a Geisha, but he's only written one score since then! That's like saying in 1986, the year that SpaceCamp came out, that John Williams was going downhill because his last creative work was ToD.

I said "latest," not "last."

Yes. You say that MoaG is his latest greatest score, implying that it has been a while. While it has been 3 years, there has been only one film score since. You can't say he's going downhill because you liked his second to last score more than his most recent score.

Creatively, John is currently in his peak. If you make a list of all the different genres of music JW has written for, most of them would be in the 90s-2000s.

That's silly to define creativity by the number of genres in which someone writes. Besides, are you forgetting The Fury, Heartbeeps and Monsignor?

Well considering the fact that JW has written for so many genres successfully, I think that is a valid criterion for measuring creativity.

This whole debate is about how successfully Williams has written in recent years, so don't try to sneak that in like it's a simple fact.

Huh? What does that mean?

Don't forget about Memoirs of a Geisha, The Terminal, PoA, CMIYC, A.I., Amistad, TLW, Home Alone. . . . I'm not saying that JW wasn't creative in the 70s-80s, but I think he's just more creative nowadays, because he's in a comfy position where it's okay to take risks.

That's why he's trying to break into the art music world. His bombastic, heroic film score writing has become creatively bankrupt and he's looking for something very different. I'm sure he had fun writing Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and all, but it's the kind of fun you'd have getting drunk with friends, not creating groundbreaking works. This is what he's really putting his energy into now.

I disagree. The heroic/bombastic music of KotCS is just as good as that of Raiders, ToD, and LC in my opinion. The only thing that brings KotCS to a slightly inferior position is the fact that it does have a lot of "dead music," at least in comparison to the other Indy scores. The highlights of KotCS are just as good as the highlights of Raiders, ToD, and LC. Stylistically different, yes, but just as good.

My favorite Williams score of the 2000s is A.I. While there's a little cinematic gloss, the heart of the score reveals a great sadness and even pessimism in Williams's outlook, as if he is coming to accept death. That's maturity. Writing the same old theme park rides over and over is not.

Which is why an evolving style should be appreciated creatively.

[Henry B 50]

I disagree. The heroic/bombastic music of KotCS is just as good as that of Raiders, ToD, and LC in my opinion. The only thing that brings KotCS to a slightly inferior position is the fact that it does have a lot of "dead music," at least in comparison to the other Indy scores. The highlights of KotCS are just as good as the highlights of Raiders, ToD, and LC. Stylistically different, yes, but just as good.

Well, whatever, there's not much I can say to this... to me the best parts of KotCS are only a pale flicker compared to the roaring torch of the first three.

My favorite Williams score of the 2000s is A.I. While there's a little cinematic gloss, the heart of the score reveals a great sadness and even pessimism in Williams's outlook, as if he is coming to accept death. That's maturity. Writing the same old theme park rides over and over is not.

Which is why an evolving style should be appreciated creatively.

That's right, so why are you most interested in (as I said) the same old theme park rides over and over? Come on, tell me with a straight face that you're really looking forward to the Duo Concertante.

[Desplat13 1]

I think Indy4 (the movie) actually suffered because it tried so hard to hark back to the original trilogy, when Williams has obviously moved away from that style. It is the same reason that I enjoy RotS better than TPM. I like it better when Williams is not trying to please fans, but to write great music, even if it is in a style many of his fans seem to think less of.