John Powell's SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (2018) - Deluxe Edition 2020 / Intrada 2-CD edition October 31, 2023

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

That Imperial March in Mimban Battle Part I!

 

What part of the film is Don't Hold Your Breath from?

That brass opening on Break In!

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

1 hour ago, crumbs said:

Wow! That horn solo in Don't Hold Your Breath is simply sublime! Really shows the malleability and beauty of John's themes, as if we didn't already know. Superb.

 

 

Yep, that's definitely Williams

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

Chills from Qi'ra contacts You-Know-Who.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Just now, The Illustrious Jerry said:

Chills from Qi'ra contacts You-Know-Who.

Voldemort?!

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

I knew that was coming. Damn HP fans!

[mrbellamy 6,272]

23 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

Yep, that's definitely Williams

 

I keep thinking how it’s pretty funny that between “Adventures of Han” and its excerpt in “Reminiscence Therapy” plus the high likelihood that this “Don’t Hold Your Breath” segment and the finale of “Dice and Roll” are the old man, it’s like a mini bonus John Williams Solo score for JWFan to unlock. 

[CGCJ 394]

John Powell's posted a video of the 3m18s Chicken in the Pot vocals session:

 

 

[Nick Parker 3,040]

53 minutes ago, CGCJ said:

John Powell's posted a video of the 3m18s Chicken in the Pot vocals session:

 

 

 

 

Hell yeah! Interesting that the performance was locked to the film, would've thought they'd just record the track free.

[Holko 9,499]

Also, a clever way to watermark the footage. If anything leaks, it'll be quite obvious who did it.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

2 hours ago, Holko said:

Also, a clever way to watermark the footage. If anything leaks, it'll be quite obvious who did it.

 

"There's more than one John Powell in the world, you know! What makes you think it was me!?"

[Will 2,215]

@Not Mr. Big and @Manakin Skywalker, what's the Coaxium maybe-JW cue that's been referred to in this thread? Is it something Manakin has posted on YouTube? (I haven't seen the film so I don't really know what people are referring to when they talk about a scene )

[Guest]

25 minutes ago, Will said:

@Not Mr. Big and @Manakin Skywalker, what's the Coaxium maybe-JW cue that's been referred to in this thread? Is it something Manakin has posted on YouTube? (I haven't seen the film so I don't really know what people are referring to when they talk about a scene ) 

I don't even know what they're referring to either... I think maybe "Don't Hold Your Breath" from the end of the film when Han and Enfys are talking about the coaxium and the rebellion.

 

Currently finishing up a few more cues. @Holko the part of Mine Mission you were talking about actually seems to be a pitch-changed loop using music from the first half of the track, so if that is correct then the cue is complete as is on the album.

[crumbs 14,303]

7 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

Yep, that's definitely Williams

 

If it isn't Williams, it's the best Williams impersonation I've heard from another composer. The cue's thematic development, the progression of orchestration, the classic build-up to the big statement of Han's Theme, and the fragments of his secondary theme, just excellent scoring. Trademark modern Williams, especially the experimentation with Han's A Theme towards the end of the cue (not being slavish to the melodic line as introduced).

 

Reminds me of the way Williams structured the last half of Remembering Emilie and Finale from War Horse, with a touch of that noble warmth in his Lincoln writing. Begins with his main idea on a solo instrument (piano for War Horse, horn here) before gradually folding in the rest of the orchestra as the cue progresses. There's no non-Williams themes in the cue either, lending further credence to the theory. It also strikes me as a cue Williams would've wanted to score, considering it's the emotional climax of Han's arc.

 

A real shame it wasn't on the OST though. Hopefully the FYC has it.

[Will 2,215]

Hot damn, this cue is good! 

 

 

[Nick Parker 3,040]

21 minutes ago, crumbs said:

Trademark modern Williams, especially the experimentation with Han's A Theme towards the end of the cue (not being slavish to the melodic line as introduced).

 

Every other post, it seems that I discuss Williams' prowess with thematic melodies, more specifically everything outside of the melodies themselves. Well, you list another one of his great strengths here. I love that Williams, beyond simple methods such as "I'll make minor melody major" really tampers with the DNA of a given melody in a variety of ways, being recognizable while also maintaining a sense of fluidity and spontaneity (no "I wrote the theme this way, this is how it must be!") 

 

The first Star Wars example to come to mind:

 

 

 

[crumbs 14,303]

Yes, he has an extraordinary ability to play around with the DNA of this melodies so they're still recognisable despite switching out notes here or there, or going from minor to major, etc. Then when he layers in some counterpoint... wowee. 

[CelMech 8]

Love this one.

 

[mrbellamy 6,272]

15 hours ago, Holko said:

15 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

Definitely one of my favorite bits of the score. There was another little variation of Han's theme that I loved that I don't think is on the OST, believe it was right after the train heist when Beckett, Han, Chewie are talking before they head to Paul Bettany. Just remember a really nice atmospheric solo trumpet thing with the three of them on that mountain. Wonder if anyone knows what I'm yakking about. 

 

 

It's in Manakin's track "Dryden's Yacht".

 

 

Thank ya, thank ya. Yeah, love this.

 

 

[Holko 9,499]

@Manakin Skywalker, isn't the previously unidentified piece in the Credits the finale of Hyperspace? If so, you can make Hyperspace a bit cleaner with it.

[Bofur01 245]

Fabulous work Manakin!

 

Just in case it’s not been mentioned already, there’s a little music, including a quiet Enfys Nest theme, as the gang plan the conveyex heist with binoculars. Don’t think you have that?

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

Great work @Manakin Skywalker!

[Will 2,215]

23 hours ago, crumbs said:

 

If it isn't Williams, it's the best Williams impersonation I've heard from another composer. The cue's thematic development, the progression of orchestration, the classic build-up to the big statement of Han's Theme, and the fragments of his secondary theme, just excellent scoring. Trademark modern Williams, especially the experimentation with Han's A Theme towards the end of the cue (not being slavish to the melodic line as introduced).

 

Reminds me of the way Williams structured the last half of Remembering Emilie and Finale from War Horse, with a touch of that noble warmth in his Lincoln writing. Begins with his main idea on a solo instrument (piano for War Horse, horn here) before gradually folding in the rest of the orchestra as the cue progresses. There's no non-Williams themes in the cue either, lending further credence to the theory. It also strikes me as a cue Williams would've wanted to score, considering it's the emotional climax of Han's arc.

 

A real shame it wasn't on the OST though. Hopefully the FYC has it.

 

"Don't Hold Your Breath" actually does contain multiple Powell themes. See, e.g.:

 

 

 

Thus, the first half of the track is definitely not JW. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean the second half isn't him. 

[Faleel 5,340]

Is that statement of the "Meet Han" music tracked? it almost sounds like it to me.

[Guest]

16 hours ago, Holko said:

@Manakin Skywalker, isn't the previously unidentified piece in the Credits the finale of Hyperspace? If so, you can make Hyperspace a bit cleaner with it.

I looked into it and it turns out it isn't part of Hyperspace. Not only is it in a different key, but the orchestration is different as well.

 

Am I missing anything else (besides source music, which is pretty much unobtainable)? I can't seem to find anything more.

[crumbs 14,303]

30 minutes ago, Will said:

 

Thus, the first half of the track is definitely not JW. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean the second half isn't him. 

 

Yeah I specifically meant from the horn solo onwards. It's two different cues in that one clip, 0:00-1:40 then 1:40-3:35 for the potential Williams part.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

1 minute ago, crumbs said:

 

Yeah I specifically meant from the horn solo onwards. It's two different cues in that one clip, 0:00-1:40 then 1:40-3:35 for the potential Williams part.

I'll eat my own ass if that isn't Williams

[crumbs 14,303]

Once Solo cues start being added to that music database we'll probably get a clearer idea of which cues JW composed, as he should be listed as composer.

 

Although the fact his themes were adapted by Powell throughout the score might complicate that; JW could receive a co-composer credit on any cue featuring his themes (ala the cues for JW:FK that used his JP theme).

[Datameister 2,037]

2 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

I'll eat my own ass if that isn't Williams

 

Meh...aside from the fact that it's obviously all based on material that we know Williams wrote, I don't hear anything definitively Williams-ish about that particular cue. I could imagine Powell penning that arrangement. Nothing definitively non-Williams-ish either, of course, so I ain't saying you're wrong.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

1 hour ago, Datameister said:

 

Meh...aside from the fact that it's obviously all based on material that we know Williams wrote, I don't hear anything definitively Williams-ish about that particular cue. I could imagine Powell penning that arrangement. Nothing definitively non-Williams-ish either, of course, so I ain't saying you're wrong.

Really?  There are a ton of very specific Williamsisms all throughout the cue. Like the War Horse-esque descending major chords, the Phantom Menace-esque brass writing, the woodwind resolve at the end, etc

[Guest]

Alright so I did find out that "Don't Hold Your Breath" is in fact two separate cues, AND I found a completely clean version of the first half of the second part, including a completely clean opening. I will be re-uploading them both shortly.

[Loert 2,510]

 

I love how clear and sparkly the triangle sounds here, never quite heard it this way before.

 

Also:

 

 

Frickin' awesome! This is quite different from the original...

[mrbellamy 6,272]

Similar to the "Flying with Chewie" version but the trumpet calls are a bit different.

[Will 2,215]

How great is this? 

 

 

[crumbs 14,303]

On 9/28/2018 at 12:48 PM, Not Mr. Big said:

Really?  There are a ton of very specific Williamsisms all throughout the cue. Like the War Horse-esque descending major chords, the Phantom Menace-esque brass writing, the woodwind resolve at the end, etc

 

Agreed. Like I said, if it isn't Williams, it's the best Williams impersonation I've heard by a modern composer. Unlike a lot of the pastiche we hear from composers trying to emulate the JW sound, that cue sounds exactly like how Williams would've written it if he'd scored the whole film.

 

Which is different to how Powell approached the rest of the score. He didn't impersonate Williams; he wrote a John Powell score using the musical idiom of Star Wars as his template. Those are two very different approaches. 

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

That woodwind ending is so Williams-esque that I expect it to segue into a Harry Potter ending cue (Han's Wonderful World??)

[CGCJ 394]

Some more cues have turned up in the BMI repertoire!

 

Spaceport [Anthony Willis]

Cornellia Chase [Batu Sener] - Likely just a misspelling of Corellia, although the entry is later than the one for Enfys Nest Arrives.

Adventures of Han [John Williams] - Alternate titles; Han Solo Theme, Meet Han.

[Guest]

Not too much information here, but this shows what composers are credited with working on each album track:

http://www.hans-zimmer.com/index.php?rub=disco&id=1630

 

19 minutes ago, CGCJ said:

Cornellia

I hear that's what they call academia over at Cornell.

[Will 2,215]

20 hours ago, Manakin Skywalker said:

Not too much information here, but this shows what composers are credited with working on each album track:

http://www.hans-zimmer.com/index.php?rub=disco&id=1630

 

Yep, that's a great resource. It was somewhat disappointing to learn that my favorite cue, "Corellia Chase," wasn't all Powell, but of course we don't really know how much Sener helped. (Although given the expansive definition of "orchestrator" these days, I have to imagine that it'd take a pretty massive contribution to credit someone with "additional music"). 

 

This was also the source that confirmed JW's direct involvement in "Dice and Roll." 

[CGCJ 394]

More cue titles! (From ASCAP)

 

Enfys Standoff [John Powell]

Failed Heist [John Powell]

Kessel Run Pt 2 - TIE Chase F [John Powell]

L3 & Falcon Pt 2 [John Powell]

Skype Showdown [John Powell]

Dryden Yacht Duet [John Powell]

Cornellia Chase [Batu Sener]

The Beast [Batu Sener]

Testing Dryden's Patience [Batu Sener]

Enfys Nest Arrives [Batu Sener]

Kessel Run Pt 2 - Maw [Batu Sener]

Spaceport [Anthony Willis]

Chewie Untamed Pt 1 [Anthony Willis]

Lando's Closet [Anthony Willis]

Savareen Tent B [Anthony Willis]

Dryden Fight [Anthony Willis]

Mines Pt - 1 - Heist [Paul Mounsey]

Real Thing Double Cross [Paul Mounsey]

 

OST Credits:

Meet Han [John Powell/John Williams]

Corellia Chase [John Powell/Batu Sener]

Spaceport [John Powell/John Williams/Anthony WIllis]

Flying with Chewie [John Powell/John Williams/Anthony WIllis]

Train Heist [John Powell/John Williams]

Marauder's Arrive [John Powell/Batu Sener/John Williams]

Chicken in the Pot [John Powell]

Is This Seat Taken? [John Powell/John Williams]

L3 & Millennium Falcon [John Powell/John Williams]

Lando's Closet [John Powell]

Mine Mission [John Powell/John Williams]

Breakout [John Powell] - Registered as "Breakout (Soundtrack)", so Breakout is likely the original cue title!

The Good Guy [Paul Mounsey/John Powell/John Williams/Anthony WIllis]

Reminiscence Therapy [John Powell/John Williams]

Into the Maw [John Powell/Batu Sener]

Savareen Standoff [John Powell/John Williams]

Good Thing You Were Listening [John Powell]

Testing Allegiance [John Powell/John Williams/Anthony WIllis]

Dice & Roll [John Powell/John Williams]

[Will 2,215]

 

 

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

No, while many would pin Giacchino's Rogue One to have been lackluster, we must admit that his cue titles are always amusing and punny. The other day I considered what a Giacchino track list for Solo might have looked like. Here's what I came up with.

1. Introductions and Han-dshakes (Meet Han)

2. How To Chase a Speeder (Corellia Chase)

3 which was Spaceport I couldn't think of one.

4. Not A Wookiee Mistake (Flying with Chewie)

5 (Train Heist) could easily be Heist to See You but he's used that for Incredibles

6. Not Nesting Around (Marauder Arrive)

7 Chicken in the Pot is already an oddball.

8 Is This Seat Taken? I couldn't come up with one.

9. Falcon at First Sight (L3 and Millenium Falcon)

10. The Lady, the Pilot, and the Wardrobe (Lando's Closet)

11. That's Mine! (Mine Mission)

12. If Ain't Break Out Don't Fix It (Break Out)

13. A Han-dsome Guy (The Good Guy)

14 Reminiscence Therapy is already pretty clever.

15. I Want My MawMaw (Into the Maw)

16. Leaving the Nest (Savareen Stand-Off)

17. The Vos Breaks (Testing Allegiance)

18. Kicked the Beckett (Good Thing You Were Listening)

19. Beating the Cheater (Dice and Roll) 

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

Let's get down to business! To defeat the Han!

 

(Come to think of it, it is interesting that Powell doesn't really go for puns)

 

[A. A. Ron 1,739]

Perhaps Powell takes his work seriously?

[Incanus 5,713]

Or has a less punny music editor.

[Arpy 4,145]

I think it was established that it was Giacchino's music editor who began the pun track titles, then Giacchino ran with it.

 

2 hours ago, Muldoon said:

Perhaps Powell takes his work seriously?

Pun titles don't affect the quality of the music, and before anyone jumps in to say 'haw haw, yeah that's because Giacchino has no quality', I'll act the mature one here and say that both Giacchino and Powell delivered fantastic scores. 

[Incanus 5,713]

2 hours ago, Arpy said:

I think it was established that it was Giacchino's music editor who began the pun track titles, then Giacchino ran with it.

Which is rather unfortunate. It became tiresome quite a while ago. The novelty has surely worn off by now.

[publicist 4,643]

2 hours ago, Arpy said:

Pun titles don't affect the quality of the music, and before anyone jumps in to say 'haw haw, yeah that's because Giacchino has no quality'

 

Let's just say the puns and the (lack of) musical depth go hand in hand.

[Locrius 97]

On 10/8/2018 at 4:15 PM, Will said:

 

 

Hands down one of my favorite moments in the score! Really stood out to me on my first viewing; I was disappointed to realize later that night that it wasn't included on the album, but thankfully "Lando's Closet" still helped satisfy my craving for the theme. Still, though, I love how the strings swell at the beginning of this appearance of it.

[Arpy 4,145]

22 minutes ago, publicist said:

 

Let's just say the puns and the (lack of) musical depth go hand in hand.

Lack of musical depth haha, who am I kidding, I'm on JWFan...

[Nick Parker 3,040]

12 minutes ago, Arpy said:

Lack of musical depth haha, who am I kidding, I'm on JWFan...

 

Even if I was a fan of Michael Giacchino, I dont think I'd consider him a particularly deep or nuanced composer, generally.