BLUMENKOHL 1,068 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I know, there will be the one person who will no doubt complain, "A THREAD ABOUT ONE TRACK?! WHATTT!!!" Well be damned! There's too many package threads and not enough dedicated to one simple single thing. Anyways, for the last 12 years...(wait has it really been 12 years since TPM?!) I've managed to sort of miss out on this track. I've listened to it countless times. iTunes play count can attest to that. But I've never really given it much thought. It's just kind of been one of the underscore tracks if you will in my stupid ears. Until tonight, where I realized I'd somehow accidentally dragged into my Star Wars playlist, and god knows how long it's been sitting there. Well it finally caught my attention through its pristine sound quality relative to the original Star Wars recording. But something else caught my attention:Excluding the last 30 seconds and the superior recording quality, this track would feel right at home in the original Star Wars soundtrack. We often praise Star Wars for being one of the most unique in tone/atmosphere scores John Williams has written. We cry that he never again attained that sound. And yet....there it sits "Fighting the Guards." Harsh strings, playful but subdued, menacing timpani, the familiar twinkling harps of Star Wars, the elegant orchestrations without the overdone quality, low hits of the trombones paired with the timpani. Aggressive without ever being fatiguing. It's the maestro channeling 1977. Upgraded in iTunes star ratings from 3.5 stars to 5! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steb74 53 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 It's the maestro channeling 1977.For me it has more in common with ROTJ.Regarding your example though, you'll get the usual about how this must be the case because it's the only prequel score Williams put any heart into It's just kind of been one of the underscore tracks if you will in my stupid ears.As far as I'm concerned you need to explore and pay more attention to AOTC and then ROTS to find more in common with the orginal SW, find a good fan edit if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent B 337 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Now if you're talking about the U.E. version of the cue, then shudder... The full unedited version of the cue is a lot better in terms of listening experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,631 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 yeah,I this track is heavily edited on the TPM UE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,716 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Well it has a certain old fashioned SW edge to it during the suspence writing. Almost needless to say that I like it both for the subtle tension raising orchestrations and for the swashbuckling ending, Williams doing a bit of rambunctious Korngoldian sword swinging with the orchestra. Good of you to remind me of this track and the whole score. I have recently been taking a bit of a break from SW because of over saturation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indy4 155 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Wait...the latest iTunes has half stars?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Is this that short orchestral flourish which sounds like it was lifted straight out of a distinctly classical repertoire of a hundred years ago and absolutely nothing like movie music, let alone Star Wars music, at all? Korngold indeed.It's always been excellent and worthy of five stars, Blum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinspace 8 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Seems to quote Superman a bit with that militaristic bass figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Skywalker 1,796 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 what track is this? Its been years sin ce i listened to an official product of this film... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojo 2,453 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 "Fighting the Guards" is track 14 of an unaltered TPM: Ultimate Edition, between "Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan Rescue the Queen" and "Escape from Naboo." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,019 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 That's the one when they get to the ship right before the Naboo blockade scene.Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Skywalker 1,796 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 oook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,211 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I've never been overly fond of the big brassy part in the second half (now it sounds nearly like a precursor to Indy 4), but what comes before that is fine. Sounds very much like TPM Williams to me, though. Of course, the track as a whole is overshadowed by being followed by the absolutely amazing Escape from Naboo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faleel 5,359 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I like the part at 0:00 to 1:02: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 It's vintage Williams. If you told me sometime before May 1999 that it was some unused piece from Star Wars or Superman, I'd buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 the track as a whole is overshadowed by being followed by the absolutely amazing Escape from Naboo.Certainly the best bit of action music from the Prequels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indy4 155 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 The two cues should really be joined together, I don't like how the UE uses gapless transitions so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,211 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 the track as a whole is overshadowed by being followed by the absolutely amazing Escape from Naboo.Certainly the best bit of action music from the Prequels.No doubts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Skywalker 1,796 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 that's why it was tracked several times.. sadly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Well, edited or not, this is one of the best cues. For me, certainly one of the highlights of the entire TPM score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TownerFan 4,983 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 the track as a whole is overshadowed by being followed by the absolutely amazing Escape from Naboo.Certainly the best bit of action music from the Prequels.I agree. But I have a soft spot for the Greivous action material from ROTS as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hlao-roo 389 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Personally, I think the last two and a half minutes of Jango's Escape constitute the apex of Williams' career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,059 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Believe it or not, those few minutes sound like vintage Williams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hlao-roo 389 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Believe it or not, those few minutes sound like vintage Williams.Yeah, that's what you said about "Anderton's Great Escape." No, I don't believe it; it's Williams at his most fungible and the kind of reactive orchestral noodling that has characterized the action scoring of his later period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,373 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Jango's Escape and Anderton's Great Escape are VERY modern Williams to meInto The Trap, now that's classic Williams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,059 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 To me, while they have a some modern writing, the core sounds like vintage Williams.Stuff like the two General GrIevous cues from ROTS are modern Williams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Whether this piece sounds more modern or old-school, I think most people agree it's fantastic, ass-kicking music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,373 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 By the way, I also love "Fighting the Destroyer Droids."Very brief (and barely audible in the movie), but this one kicks ass too. Vintage JW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilal 569 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 By the way, I also love "Fighting the Destroyer Droids."Very brief (and barely audible in the movie), but this one kicks ass too. Vintage JW.I love that track! When i wasn't into film music yet i always played the game "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" and i always liked the music that played in the first level, which was Droid Fight (Fighting the Destroyer Droids). Actually the SW-games got me into JW's music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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