John Powell's SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (2018) - Deluxe Edition release coming November 2020

[Manakin Skywalker 1721]

17 minutes ago, Falafel said:

Have you tried going the "making all the videos Unlisted" route?

Tried it in the past (including private) and they've still bee taken down. As YouTube can't detect copyright in these videos however, it might just work. I'll give it a try, if my account hasn't already been disabled...

[Holko 5193]

If we go by the ideology of copyright instead of the legal technicalities, taking these down is all wrong. You are technically not taking away any revenue from them by uploading sfx-filled rips until they can finally be arsed to release them properly.

[Manakin Skywalker 1721]

What I don't understand is why they're targeting me in particular. I can understand wanting to remove a channel that has 10,000+ subscribers, but my channel right now has barely any at all; certainly not nearly as much as other people uploading music they own the rights to. I'm definitely not the only person uploading unreleased music.

[CGCJ 145]

So, Solo isn't listed on the Disney Guild Awards site... Does this mean there wont be a FYC album? How likely is it that it will be added later?

 

Also, Anthony Willis has 2 tracks on his Kraft-Engel page: L3's Sacrifice, and Q'ira & Han. (Both already released but it's interesting as L3's Sacrifice is part of Break-Out on the OST which I've only ever seen credited to Powell only)

[The Illustrious Jerry 2815]

6 hours ago, CGCJ said:

So, Solo isn't listed on the Disney Guild Awards site... Does this mean there wont be a FYC album? How likely is it that it will be added later?

Hmmm. Don't like the look of that.

 

I'd be very upset not to get an FYC.

[Alex 1761]

I was John Powell’s 20,000 follower on Instagram, so he sent me a signed copy of Solo!

 

 

[publicist 3725]

You should send it back to have Williams sign it, too.

[The Illustrious Jerry 2815]

5 minutes ago, Alex said:

I was John Powell’s 20,000 follower on Instagram, so he sent me a signed copy of Solo!

 

 

Just when you thought the cover art couldn't get any better...

 

Nice.

[Alex 1761]

38 minutes ago, publicist said:

You should send it back to have Williams sign it, too.

 

You’re right! I’ve been short changed here 

[crocodile 4822]

Solo disqualified from Oscar race. Here.

 

Quote

 

“Solo: A Star Wars Story,” composed by John Powell with themes by John Williams, was nixed by the board as having been entered too late for the competition (deadline was Nov. 15).

 

 

Karol

 

 

[SteveMc 2196]

Well that stinks.

[The Illustrious Jerry 2815]

Boycotting IX now. Thanks Disney!

 

Spoiler

 

[Cerebral Cortex 2158]

That's a bit embarrassing. 

[John 2055]

Did anyone really think Solo had a shot at scoring a nomination of any kind, though?

[TheUlyssesian 1577]

1 hour ago, John said:

Did anyone really think Solo had a shot at scoring a nomination of any kind, though?

 

Still it is a ridiculous fail that they were late to enter the paperwork. Mortifying.

 

 

[Arpy 3664]

Perhaps Disney were content with the eighty other properties they're pushing that they just didn't give a shit about this one?

[scallenger 218]

So the best score of the year isn't getting an FYC album or even a nomination possibility? Unbelievable.

[mrbellamy 4288]

 

[Cerebral Cortex 2158]

That's a damn fine pic. 

[toothless 740]

My two favorit composers as of right now !

[Loert 2008]

I don't usually save pictures from Instagram onto my PC...but when I do, it's of John Powell and John Williams sitting together in a studio.

[The Illustrious Jerry 2815]

That picture really does warm the heart. 

 

One day we may look back on it as a "passing of the torch" moment.

[Spider-Fal 2282]

 

[The Illustrious Jerry 2815]

This score's still got it. The highlight of 2018 for me. Listening to it again today was such fun.

[Laserschwert 188]

So...
 

This was composed by Gordy Haab before either John Williams or John Powell signed onto "Solo". Any conspiracy theories?

[Holko 5193]

20 hours ago, Holko said:

JW steals from Gordy Haab confirmed.

[toothless 740]

This just proves that Disney NEEDS to give Haab a chance with a movie. And I trully love Powell work on Solo

[Arpy 3664]

I can hear the similarities, but it just isn't close enough to be anything more than a coincidence.

[Demodex 472]

1 hour ago, Arpy said:

I can hear the similarities, but it just isn't close enough to be anything more than a coincidence.

 

Seriously?  It's nearly the same!  That's a hell of a coincidence!

[Laserschwert 188]

Arpy is obviously John Williams himself.

[Will 1798]

 

 

😍

[artguy360 1044]

To me that clip of music is just another example of Haab playing with the Star Wars musical language. It has the standard heroic sound we expect from SW music, channeled thru Haab's overly frenetic action writing. 

[crumbs 8165]

Well Williams does vet all of Haab's music, so I believe. Maybe part of that track just stuck in Williams' head and he decided to elaborate upon it.

[SteveMc 2196]

2 hours ago, crumbs said:

Well Williams does vet all of Haab's music, so I believe. Maybe part of that track just stuck in Williams' head and he decided to elaborate upon it.

It certainly seems to have had influence.  Though I feel Haab is channeling a lot of Williams here anyway.  I like what I hear, though.  What else has he written?

[Loert 2008]

Been trying to arrange Into the Maw for two pianos, but it is turning into a bit of a monster...

https://picosong.com/wSLFb/

 

[TheUlyssesian 1577]

Williams' main theme from Solo played at the Oscars to introduce Emilia Clarke to the stage.

[Kasey Kockroach 2125]

Well, that's...not insulting at all! 

[crumbs 8165]

The music accompanying Solo for the visual effects nomination wasn't from the OST either (sounded like the end credits fanfare). Wonder if the Academy were provided an isolated score to use during clips? Probably just used an excerpt from the Williams scores. 

[Laserschwert 188]

6 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said:

Williams' main theme from Solo played at the Oscars to introduce Emilia Clarke to the stage.

Don't you mean Haab's main theme from Solo?

[Nick Parker 2840]

On 1/22/2019 at 7:22 AM, SteveMc said:

It certainly seems to have had influence.  Though I feel Haab is channeling a lot of Williams here anyway.  I like what I hear, though.  What else has he written?

 

John Williams pastiche for over ten years (at least the dude has gotten better at it). He's the musical equivalent of those voice actors who pretty much exclusively impersonate celebrities that are unavailable to participate in a project for whatever reason. 

[The Illustrious Jerry 2815]

On 2/22/2019 at 1:27 PM, Loert said:

Been trying to arrange Into the Maw for two pianos, but it is turning into a bit of a monster...

I see what you did there! Funny guy!

[CGCJ 145]

 

[T.RASK 970]

Yes that's what it sounded to my ear. 

[igger6 351]

On 1/15/2019 at 4:19 AM, Laserschwert said:

So...
 

This was composed by Gordy Haab before either John Williams or John Powell signed onto "Solo". Any conspiracy theories?

 

@Laserschwert What's your source on that timeline?  When I played the (excellent) Kessel level in BF2 I was positive I could hear Solo's theme in the underscore, which I just chalked up to really great synergy by EA/Disney and unusually faithful theme adaptation by Haab.  (Listening to it now, I only hear one phrase that resembles the closing phrase of the Han A theme.)

 

To my ear, it sounds much more likely that Haab was mimicking what he'd been given for the Solo downloadable content (which dropped about nine months after the release of BF2, coinciding with the movie's release).  From Variety, we know that Powell was signed for Solo in summer 2017 and Williams composed his theme in December 2017.  But the "Han's Kessel Run" music only plays in the Kessel level, which was not a part of the game until the release of the DLC in May.  Its inclusion on the soundtrack playlist on Haab's SoundCloud is likely just for the listening experience, not an indication of its presence on the "original" soundtrack.

[Jay 17585]

18 minutes ago, igger6 said:

 

@Laserschwert What's your source on that timeline? 

 

On 1/14/2019 at 4:13 AM, Manakin Skywalker said:

According to Gordy, he actually wrote that piece of music a couple months before John was even asked to write a theme, and before Powell was even hired. He talked about it a bit on Facebook, saying he was very surprised when he heard John's theme in the cinema.

[TheUlyssesian 1577]

There is an unmissable similarity for sure. And it is not just one phrase but two phrases.

 

Maybe I have to return to my original supposition, that the Han Hero theme is so simplistic and bone-headed and so uncharacteristic of Williams that it probably was not him and lifted from this video game score.

 

I am of course kidding but the similarity is striking.

[Arpy 3664]

I have to return to my original statement and say, upon more listens, that this is just a coincidence. It's close, but it doesn't have the natural cohesiveness of Williams' piece which makes those two phrases so powerful in Solo. 

 

If Williams did listen to it, then he certainly improved upon it.

[Manakin Skywalker 1721]

10 hours ago, igger6 said:

 

@Laserschwert What's your source on that timeline?  When I played the (excellent) Kessel level in BF2 I was positive I could hear Solo's theme in the underscore, which I just chalked up to really great synergy by EA/Disney and unusually faithful theme adaptation by Haab.  (Listening to it now, I only hear one phrase that resembles the closing phrase of the Han A theme.)

 

To my ear, it sounds much more likely that Haab was mimicking what he'd been given for the Solo downloadable content (which dropped about nine months after the release of BF2, coinciding with the movie's release).  From Variety, we know that Powell was signed for Solo in summer 2017 and Williams composed his theme in December 2017.  But the "Han's Kessel Run" music only plays in the Kessel level, which was not a part of the game until the release of the DLC in May.  Its inclusion on the soundtrack playlist on Haab's SoundCloud is likely just for the listening experience, not an indication of its presence on the "original" soundtrack.

 

I'd like to add that I believe there was only one set of recording sessions, so it would have potentially been recorded back in summer of 2017. I know that all of the hero themes in the game so far were all recorded way back then, including Anakin's intro and outro that were just added to the game 2 days ago.

[crumbs 8165]

I'd corroborate that the scoring sessions were probably all done in the one hit. Sadly, and some people might not realise this, but video game DLC/additional content is usually created at the same time as the game itself then WITHHELD from inclusion in the final product. All so studios can release these "bonuses" down the track, just to squeeze a few extra dollars out of consumers.

 

It's a shitty tactic but we're talking about EA here. That's partly why they're so despised, for nurturing unethical industry practices like this (or including content on the discs but locking it behind a paywall, forcing consumers to purchase 'loot crates' or micro-transactions to access them).

 

So it might seem off-topic but I'd wager that, despite this 'expansion pack' being made available long after the game's initial release, all the assets (including music) were likely finished at the same time as the game itself.

[igger6 351]

Interesting.  Well, thanks for the info.  That certainly hoses my theory.  But I agree with @Arpy.  There's one very similar phrase, but Haab's music remains a snow cone to me—mildly refreshing, but ultimately devoid of flavor or nourishment.  Everything tastes a little like something better you've had before, and nothing quite sticks with you.  The sturm und drang of the action gets the blood going, but the melodic flourishes never last more than a few seconds.  I don't think a movie soundtrack would favor him.