The Force Awakens The Force Awakens ALBUM Discussion (No Film Spoilers)

[nightscape94 965]

I'm loving "Rey Meets BB-8". Such a fantastic little cue.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

I'm loving "Rey Meets BB-8". Such a fantastic little cue.

The BB8 material is surprisingly tolerable. More whimsical than comedic.

I also love the short foreshadowing of the Resistance March in the woodwinds.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

So today I've been paying special attention to the use of the OT themes in this score.

Overall the Leia and Han Solo And The Princess material is the least interesting. It's fine. but always understated and nothing really new is done with it.

The Rebel Fanfare comes off a bit better already. A couple of really fun renditions throughout the score.

It's the main theme and the Force Theme that really shine, in the second half of the score we get some wonderfully celebratory and triumphant versions of both that I don't think we've ever quite had before.

Love the rendition in Farewell and the Trip of the Force theme with those heraldic trumpets behind it. (0:48 - 1:11)

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

The Han/Leia material needed to be there in the film, but it's unnecessary on the OST, where it feels a bit tacked on. Still, it barely factors in, so whatever.

[Jay 37,364]

It is a bit odd Williams couldn't find new interesting ways to orchestrate and arrange the theme after all these years.

Well, maybe there are so cool versions in the unreleased and unheard hour of unused score.

[nightscape94 965]

I was fine with his use of the old themes, especially the Force theme. If I had one small criticism....

...it's that I was expecting a truly monumental version of the Han/Leia theme when Ren got him with the light saber or when Leia felt his death through the Force, akin to the sweeping Leia theme during Ben's death.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Has Han Solo and the Princess ever played for a scene where the two characters were not in a scene together? I can't recall but I think not.

[nightscape94 965]

No, but it would have been a good first time!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Maybe. I really don't mind.

[Richard Penna 3,690]

Paying attention to some of the cues I liked less on my first listen. The Rathtars and The Falcon both have the same problem - no obvious thematic content, or particularly clever construction - just Williams' typical brass/string interchanging. Someone else mentioned that it's as if Abrams asked him to restrain himself for these sequences, because I Can Fly Anything is everything that these cues aren't. I'm struggling to justify keeping those former two in my playlist, as they don't sustain my interest.

Edit - I'm finding more to like in The Falcon. But I still don't 'get' The Rathtars - it lacks any sort of structure.

Snoke does nothing for me at all. Certainly wouldn't call it a theme by any stretch.

I seem to be one of few who really likes March of the Resistance. While there isn't really a theme going on, I still find it an interesting piece.

Remove 3 cues from the OST, and I think there's a nice listening experience to be had.

[crumbs 14,316]

Likewise would've preferred THAT scene to be scored thematically, but it's similar to the Immolation Scene in that Williams decided to write something completely new rather than quote any number of established themes.

I feel it's quite understated for the moment it scores. I've got no doubt there would be a multitude of versions written for this scene and JJ decided which one worked best. It just strikes me as a "go to town and don't hold back!" moment but they went with restraint.

[steb74 53]

It is a bit odd Williams couldn't find new interesting ways to orchestrate and arrange the theme after all these years.

In some ways it's hard to disagree with that especially since it's so closely modeled on one of the versions from Cloud City, which has always reminded me of Rogo and Linda from The Poseidon Adventure anyway, it seems to be a vibe that Williams likes to use when dealing with couples in close quarters.

I haven't seen TFA yet so I have no idea how this track will function in the movie.

One thing I will say though having heard that theme in the cinema when it first came out (TESB) is that its presentation here, or really I should say how the melody is presented here really does speak (to me) in a way that feels tired and aged by life but still with a glimmer of hope and adolescent naivety, it's hard for it not to be touching.

Has Han Solo and the Princess ever played for a scene where the two characters were not in a scene together? I can't recall but I think not.

The first time that we're introduced to the theme is when Luke and Han are out on Hoth.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Jason, I'm guessing the idea with the old themes was to stick closely to the familiar.

They basically fuction as reminders of old characters and situations. So it makes sense to keep them "traditional"

For me the renditions of the Main Theme and the Force Theme in the last few tracks (the scherzo and Farewell) do sound rather fresh.

[Josh500 1,615]

Ok, it´s official, after seeing the movie two times and having listened to the soundtrack, about 20 times in 4 days, I completely fall in love with this score.

I think what we have here is one of the greatest soundtracks of the 21st century. No joke! The truth is that there are not oustanding tracks that you want to listen again and again, but that is beacuse I enjoy every minute of it and always listen since the beginning to the end of the album.

Rey´s and Kylo´s themes are great and the heart of the score.

In my first listenings I though that the action tracks were not very memorable, but now I LOVE I Can Fly Anything and Follow Me/The Falcon, and Poe´s and Finn´s themes (and the Rebel fanfarre associated to the Falcon). The same with The Resistence March and the Scherzo for X-Wings.

The Jedi Steps is my favourite part, can´t wait for hear this theme again in Episode 8.

And the End Credits are amazing, probably the best ones since ESB...

Agreed!

I can't get enough of the End Credits. I've listened to it five times in a row just now... This is one of JW's best in many years, if not decades.

By the way, that brief quote of the Luke Skywalker theme played with glockenspiel (?) at the very end of End Credits... JW did the exact same thing at the end of Azkaban when he quoted Hedwig's Theme.

Is this JW's way of saying goodbye to the franchise???

[Balahkay 627]

Ok, it´s official, after seeing the movie two times and having listened to the soundtrack, about 20 times in 4 days, I completely fall in love with this score.

I think what we have here is one of the greatest soundtracks of the 21st century. No joke! The truth is that there are not oustanding tracks that you want to listen again and again, but that is beacuse I enjoy every minute of it and always listen since the beginning to the end of the album.

Rey´s and Kylo´s themes are great and the heart of the score.

In my first listenings I though that the action tracks were not very memorable, but now I LOVE I Can Fly Anything and Follow Me/The Falcon, and Poe´s and Finn´s themes (and the Rebel fanfarre associated to the Falcon). The same with The Resistence March and the Scherzo for X-Wings.

The Jedi Steps is my favourite part, can´t wait for hear this theme again in Episode 8.

And the End Credits are amazing, probably the best ones since ESB...

Agreed!

I can't get enough of the End Credits. I've listened to it five times in a row just now... This is one of JW's best in many years, if not decades.

By the way, that brief quote of the Luke Skywalker theme played with glockenspiel (?) at the very end of End Credits... JW did the exact same thing at the end of Azkaban when he quoted Hedwig's Theme.

Is this JW's way of saying goodbye to the franchise???

I doubt it. He did something similar in TPM credits with Vader's theme. But I agree about the end credits music... amazing work there.

[Josh500 1,615]

If by trailer you mean the ABC commercial, that flute solo is from the final track of the CD.

Yup, that's what I was talking about.

This is heartbreakingly nostalgic and wonderful music. Gets into your head. Too bad this isn't a theme. But there's always hope it will be further developed for Episode VIII.

[Loert 2,511]

I have to say, straight off the bat I enjoyed this score, but the more I listen to it the more I end up enjoying it! What impresses me most is how fine-tuned the writing is. It's like how people say that JW did not waste a single note with the score to Raiders of the Lost Ark - well, I am getting a very similar feeling with this score. It's all extremely tight and coherent, and wonderfully supports the film (even something like 'Snoke', which sounds quite vague and forgettable on the album, still does well to support that dark, misty, mysterious scene, which does not need anything more complex than a men's choir humming long and low notes).

[KK 3,307]

Love the rendition in Farewell and the Trip of the Force theme with those heraldic trumpets behind it. (0:48 - 1:11)

It's up there with one of my favourite renditions of that theme!

The Rebel Fanfare comes off a bit better already. A couple of really fun renditions throughout the score.

I love the closing variation preceding the last bars of the end credits.

[Josh500 1,615]

The brief gorgeous flute solo at the beginning and end of "The Scavenger" (00:40 and 2:50) somehow reminds me of Hook.

I'm not really sure what "Rey's Theme" reminds me of... but it's not War Horse. Instead, it has a slightly oriental and sweeping Memoirs of a Geisha-like flavor to it. Love it!

[MattyO 62]

So I love the soundtrack. It's one of the better JW listening experiences. The man is a legend and with this score he has revitalized Star Wars. It's nice to hear honest to god character themes again in Star Wars - not the situational themes from the prequels. I'm hoping there's a Kylo Ren concert suite that hasn't been released because that theme gives me chills. This marvelous score hits home how big a crime it was that Williams didn't get to return to Harry Potter.

[Josh500 1,615]

End Credits: I just love the additional ten seconds (2:02-2:12) that JW puts in between the Force Theme and the End Title theme.

Makes you anticipate the latter even more.

Genius!

[Henry B 50]

​Somewhat mystified by the lukewarm reactions to this one. It has all the strengths of modern Williams and few of the weaknesses. And I think the few nods to the original trilogy style are more credible than anything in the prequel scores. (I'm talking about stuff like breezy, optimistic passages of music with a biting "wrong note" underneath - he used to do that all the time.)

End Credits: I just love the additional ten seconds (2:02-2:12) that JW puts in between the Force Theme and the End Title theme.

It corrects what was a very clunky transition in Revenge of the Sith.

[Josh500 1,615]

Never thought it was clunky before, but it's better this time around for sure!

[Jay 37,364]

Jason, I'm guessing the idea with the old themes was to stick closely to the familiar.

They basically fuction as reminders of old characters and situations. So it makes sense to keep them "traditional"

For me the renditions of the Main Theme and the Force Theme in the last few tracks (the scherzo and Farewell) do sound rather fresh.

Stefan, I never once complained about the renditions of any of the other OT themes. I simply said "It is a bit odd Williams couldn't find new interesting ways to orchestrate and arrange the theme after all these years." specifically about the Han & Leia theme. All the other OT themes sound cool!

[crumbs 14,316]

Two complete listens to the OST (and who knows how many repeat listens of Rey's Theme and the finale suite) and I can't believe how much my opinion of this score has improved. I really felt, on first listen, it only had the occasional highlights but it was scattered amongst some slightly disappointing music.

Now I find the notes from all over the score just looping in my head. Rey's Theme is stunning. I pray to the maker that this theme doesn't disappear like Anakin's Theme did. It's just stunning, right up there with Williams' best work, and it's all the more impressive that repeat listens reward the listener for this soundtrack.

So I'll echo everyone else's opinion, the score is a grower.

[Damien F 1,742]

Two complete listens to the OST (and who knows how many repeat listens of Rey's Theme and the finale suite) and I can't believe how much my opinion of this score has improved. I really felt, on first listen, it only had the occasional highlights but it was scattered amongst some slightly disappointing music.

Now I find the notes from all over the score just looping in my head. Rey's Theme is stunning. I pray to the maker that this theme doesn't disappear like Anakin's Theme did. It's just stunning, right up there with Williams' best work, and it's all the more impressive that repeat listens reward the listener for this soundtrack.

So I'll echo everyone else's opinion, the score is a grower.

I doubt very much Rey's theme will disappear because that theme was really for the child version of Anakin which was pretty much replaced by Across The Stars and Vader's theme in the sequels.

[crumbs 14,316]

Across the Stars sort of vanished in Sith too. It has like two cameos in the whole score.

Williams was very inconsistent with new themes in the prequels. He probably developed the OT themes more than his new material, in terms of fresh renditions.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

This score is thematically consistent. The prequels were not.

[mrbellamy 6,287]

I'm loving "Rey Meets BB-8". Such a fantastic little cue.

The BB8 material is surprisingly tolerable. More whimsical than comedic.

The whole score feels like that. It's really notable in its control over tone. I hate to add to the comparisons to Indy 4, but the music reflected the film in that you could often feel the comedy leaning too far into slapstick. Williams' touch with TFA feels light on its feet without pushing so hard on the whimsy that you lose any sense of danger. I think of Follow Me and The Falcon, which were sorta disappointing at first because I expected a different sort of action writing, but have only become more fun as I recognize the balance between the swift comic pace and darker flourishes, all with pulsating intensity. Even the xylophones! We always talk about how they're so out of place but they feel like the right color here. A pleasure to listen to.

It reminds me of a recent Kasdan interview where he talked about wanting to make the movie feel "silly" without being "goofy". God, where has that man been in genre movies all these years?

[crumbs 14,316]

This score is thematically consistent. The prequels were not.

Unsurprising, considering the cut of the prequels he scored was just a mess of green and blue screen.

I imagine he was writing to near complete scenes for TFA.

[Taikomochi 1,136]

I love how Williams bookends the score with two very similar versions of Rey's theme in "The Scavenger" and "Farewell and the Trip." Williams has such an impeccable touch for dramaturgy.

[Faleel 5,348]

The Rathtars and The Falcon both have the same problem - no obvious thematic content,

Um... The Finn/Action motif?

[Damien F 1,742]

The Falcon also has the Rebel Fanfare and The Rathgars has a brief snippet of Rey's theme in action mode.

[Taikomochi 1,136]

Not to mention The Rathtars has its own little rolling string motif to go with its titular monsters, even if it is a very simple one. But it's confined to that track, of course.

[nightscape94 965]

I've been surprised at the response for that cue. A lot of people seem to disregard or dislike it. It's consistent with the rest of the score, contains character thematic material, as well as its own cool rhythmic motif scattered throughout.

The scene itself I'm not a fan of, but the scoring isn't the problem.

[A. A. Ron 1,742]

A few guys over at that video game shrine are saying the high-res releases were faked/probably upconverted. They've even got some nifty screenshots to prove it.

[King Mark 3,631]

good to know

[Balahkay 627]

Have people warmed up to "Snoke" yet? I find 1:00 onward to be brilliant. I think Williams can do great things with this "theme"(if it's considered one) if Snoke has a bigger role in the following films.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I was always warmed to it.

[KK 3,307]

Meh.

[crumbs 14,316]

Can anyone transpose the notes to a stave so it's a little easier to see the theme for Snoke?

[mrbellamy 6,287]

I just noticed that there is something very similar between "Torn Apart" 1:28 and "Anakin Dark Deeds" (from ROTS) 3:47

Yes, absolutely. I noticed this too.

I think Williams may be creating a motivic parallel here between Anakin and Ben's complete turns to the dark side. And I believe that what we've been calling Kylo's "tragic motif' (12 seconds into The Abduction below for an example) is a variation of what we hear starting at 2:15 of "Anakin's Dark Deeds".

This is actually REALLY cool, has this already been pointed out elsewhere? This had to be intentional, right? Or am I crazy?

[finalscore 10]

Anyone notice the beginning of Finn's Confession sounds a lot like the beginning of Anakin is Free from The Phantom Menace and other tracks from the prequels?

I also wonder why there is a snippet of Across The Stars at about the :39 mark in Maz's Counsel?

[Giftheck 916]

Anyone notice the beginning of Finn's Confession sounds a lot like the beginning of Anakin is Free from The Phantom Menace and other tracks from the prequels?

I also wonder why there is a snippet of Across The Stars at about the :39 mark in Maz's Counsel?

It's not "Anakin is Free" you're thinking of, I believe it's "Are You A Jedi?" And yes, we have noticed that he's directly quoting TPM here.

I've also mentioned that apparent quotation of Across The Stars, but it could be a coincidence.

[finalscore 10]

Has Han Solo and the Princess ever played for a scene where the two characters were not in a scene together? I can't recall but I think not.

I think in Empire when they ware leaving Cloud City A bombastic version of the Love Theme is heard in Leia's determination to get to Bobba Fett before he gets away with "frozen" Han.

Anyone notice the beginning of Finn's Confession sounds a lot like the beginning of Anakin is Free from The Phantom Menace and other tracks from the prequels?

I also wonder why there is a snippet of Across The Stars at about the :39 mark in Maz's Counsel?

It's not "Anakin is Free" you're thinking of, I believe it's "Are You A Jedi?" And yes, we have noticed that he's directly quoting TPM here.

I've also mentioned that apparent quotation of Across The Stars, but it could be a coincidence.

Thanks for the clarification.

[Giftheck 916]

Has Han Solo and the Princess ever played for a scene where the two characters were not in a scene together? I can't recall but I think not.

The finale of The Empire Strikes Back has it.

[finalscore 10]

An easy way for the OST to be better would be if he dropped The Rathtars (since its similar enough to Follow Me and The Falcon) and instead included the cue for the Resistance arriving on Maz's planet

If you listen carefully the cue is actually excerpts of The March Of The Resistance with other unreleased material.

[justaguy 68]

Although I think it should go to another thread with "celebrities talking about Williams" or something similar I will post it here because it fits perfectly.

What Conrad Pope thinks about the OST? Find out!

https://www.facebook.com/conrad.pope/posts/10207505550589853?pnref=story

[finalscore 10]

Has Han Solo and the Princess ever played for a scene where the two characters were not in a scene together? I can't recall but I think not.

The finale of The Empire Strikes Back has it.

Right again, but there the theme takes on a different meaning. The theme turns into a vision of hope of getting Han back and the adventures to follow.

[Brónach 1,302]

Now I can't get the march out of my head.