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Varese to reissue Joel McNeely's Shadows of the Empire album


Jay

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However, I wouldn't be averse to revisiting it in audiobook form if they recorded an unabridged version with Marc Thompson, and used the McNeely score :)

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9 minutes ago, mstrox said:

Luke is a hard character to get right in fiction, and I'm not sure anybody has really done it.  He's such a cipher in the movies.  In the EU books, he bounces back and forth between a low self esteem goon and a super-powerful monk.

That's true. I remember one novel where he recounted exactly how many people did he kill by blowing up the original Death Star. For some reason, it really rubbed me the wrong way back then.

 

Karol

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41 minutes ago, Jay said:

I mean, isn't that what a lot of operas are?  Someone writing new music based on an existing story?

 

Opera is entirely different. Opera is primarily meant to be heard and seen. A novel is meant to be read.

 

Movies or shows or series or plays or operas based on novels can be created and they have soundtracks released. But a properly only and only meant to be consumed as a written text does not. Atleast not to my knowledge.

 

A novel... is a novel.

 

36 minutes ago, Fal J. M. Skywalker said:

The Lord of the Rings

The Hobbit ;)

 

Seriously though:

 

The Lord of the Rings Symphony by Johan De Meij

Rimsky Korsakov's Seherezade

 

35 minutes ago, Erik Woods said:

 

Yes, POWER DOWN by Dane Walker.

https://open.spotify.com/album/2Dq17OpGKVlIDAuWXIMkFn?si=IJXrWfbDSXSDsdopm7gOiA

And there are a bunch more that I unfortunately can't recall of the top of my head. But writing music inspired by literature isn't anything new.

 

-Erik-

 

Were these commissioned by the writer's estates as an express accompaniment for the said novels? Or were they just general works "inspired by".

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14 minutes ago, crocodile said:

That's true. I remember one novel where he recounted exactly how many people did he kill by blowing up the original Death Star. For some reason, it really rubbed me the wrong way back then.

 

Karol

Matthew Stovers Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor?

@TheUlyssesian

 Were they part of a timeline?

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55 minutes ago, crocodile said:

Hopefully, not...

tumblr_p5td5zNYDQ1qgvqxoo6_400.gif

 

Karol

 

I haven't re-read since, but it was a fun read when I was 12. I remember buying it and the Empire Strikes Back Special Edition cd on a school trip to London, and I discovered both at the same time. I used to read it while listening to the score. I only discovered the Shadows of the Empire soundtrack much later, but I've always found it very enjoyable. So, fond memories of the book

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26 minutes ago, Fal J. M. Skywalker said:

Matthew Stovers Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor?

@TheUlyssesian

 Were they part of a timeline?

I don't know this one. I think the book was called Before the Storm or something like that. It wasn't terribly good.

 

11 minutes ago, Romão said:

 

I haven't re-read since, but it was a fun read when I was 12. I remember buying it and the Empire Strikes Back Special Edition cd on a school trip to London, and I discovered both at the same time. I used to read it while listening to the score. I only discovered the Shadows of the Empire soundtrack much later, but I've always found it very enjoyable. So, fond memories of the book

I think I've read 20 or 30 of those books. Some were quite enjoyable. The soundtrack album I bought in August 1999. It was quite a random find. I was aware of its existence but didn't expect to find it.

 

Karol

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1 hour ago, TheUlyssesian said:

An original soundtrack to a novel?

 

It was an experiment to see if there was an appetite for more Star Wars films. They did everything-but-the-movie. The novel, the soundtrack, the video game, the toys.

 

1 hour ago, mstrox said:

Luke is a hard character to get right in fiction, and I'm not sure anybody has really done it.  He's such a cipher in the movies.  In the EU books, he bounces back and forth between a low self esteem goon and a super-powerful monk.

 

I like him in the Thrawn Trilogy. From the halfway point of the first book onward, anyway. He starts out a little mopey. But he finds a great balance between SW earnest and RotJ calm and ESB actioney.

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4 minutes ago, Gruesome Son of a Bitch said:

He also got married to a hot redhead unlike the Disney version who became a depressed homeless looking man.

Yeah, he married that chick who was obsessed with murdering him. Now that's a kink right there.

 

Karol

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34 minutes ago, crocodile said:

I don't know this one. I think the book was called Before the Storm or something like that. It wasn't terribly good.

 

 

Karol

Ah, yes, The Bleh Fleet Crisis.

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10 minutes ago, crocodile said:

Yeah, he married that chick who was obsessed with murdering him. Now that's a kink right there.

 

Karol

I liked it better when he had the hots for an old Jedi spirit in a computer who then took over one of his apprentices' body which she sacrificed to properly be with her boyfriend who was stuck in a machine body with robotic thinking. That was so romantic and even less creepy.

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Would they have needed to Disney-license this?

If so, good job to them for succeeding there!

 

2 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said:

An original soundtrack to a novel? Does that even make sense?

 

Any other examples of such a thing?

How's this for an example?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_Inspired_by_the_Life_and_Times_of_Scrooge

Music to a COMIC BOOK SERIES!

About walking talking ducks.

 

It's good music too!

And so is the source material.

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I'm so glad I saw this over on FSM a bit ago. I've been putting off getting the physical version of it for years since I have a digital version from years ago. Just last year I actually decided I was finally going to buy it, but by that time I found out it had sold out. Now that I can finally get the CD I bought it right away without even thinking about it. The LP is an added bonus!

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17 minutes ago, Holko said:

I liked it better when he had the hots for an old Jedi spirit in a computer who then took over one of his apprentices' body which she sacrificed to properly be with her boyfriend who was stuck in a machine body with robotic thinking. That was so romantic and even less creepy.

Oh my god, I remember that. 😆

 

Karol

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1 hour ago, TheUlyssesian said:

Were these commissioned by the writer's estates as an express accompaniment for the said novels? Or were they just general works "inspired by".

 

Power Down was written in collaboration with the author.

 

-Erik-

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34 minutes ago, Pieter Boelen said:

How's this for an example?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_Inspired_by_the_Life_and_Times_of_Scrooge

Music to a COMIC BOOK SERIES!

About walking talking ducks.

 

In a similar vein, there's also Simon Stålenhag's music for the fine art he's created - some of which was the basis for the TV series TALES FROM THE LOOP. Love the Vangelis-like music he created for his own images and 'world':

 

https://open.spotify.com/album/4ZLaWZnViH3hbSIrRW3ixR

 

(why doesn't Spotify embed work anymore? I get an error message every time I've tried.)

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Does this make shadows of the empire canon?  :P

 

i have fond memories of everything related to this novel and media project...

 

i even bought an outrider replica recently...and the moldy crow of Kyle katarn xD

 

and yes there is a PC version,  with CGI cutscenes, unlike the N64 that had stills.

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1 hour ago, Holko said:

I liked it better when he had the hots for an old Jedi spirit in a computer who then took over one of his apprentices' body which she sacrificed to properly be with her boyfriend who was stuck in a machine body with robotic thinking. That was so romantic and even less creepy.

who ended up getting upset that she couldn't use the Force anymore and ended up absorbed by an evil locecraftian chaos spirit who was the missing mother from Mortis.

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3 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said:

An original soundtrack to a novel? Does that even make sense?

 

Any other examples of such a thing?

 

 

 

 

Just a few that come to my mind. And then you have tons of music (especially Lieder and works for a-cappella choir) set to narrative poems - i.e. using music to tell the poem's story, just like a film score tells the film's story. Some large scale works that do the same:
 

 

 

 

 

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11 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

As far as I know, Varese seldom remasters the albums they've recorded themselves when re-released.

 

I hope so.

 

Anyway, you can buy the original CD on ebay for next to nothing. However, if you want the cassette, it's going to set you back 72,63 Euro.

 

s-l1600.jpg

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6 hours ago, Fal J. M. Skywalker said:

who ended up getting upset that she couldn't use the Force anymore and ended up absorbed by an evil locecraftian chaos spirit who was the missing mother from Mortis.

LOL. I never made it that far.

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3 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

 

I hope so.

 

Anyway, you can buy the original CD on ebay for next to nothing. However, if you want the cassette, it's going to set you back 72,63 Euro.

 

s-l1600.jpg

 

What's the significance of the planet + moon behind the Emperor's head?

 

I don't even remember the Emperor having an important role in this story, at least in the N64 version. I just remember Hoth, Tatooine, Ord Mantell and Imperial City.

 

Edit: Presumably it's the moon Gall. Full artwork:

SOTE_art.jpg

 

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43 minutes ago, crumbs said:

 

What's the significance of the planet + moon behind the Emperor's head?

 

I don't even remember the Emperor having an important role in this story, at least in the N64 version. I just remember Hoth, Tatooine, Ord Mantell and Imperial City.

 

Edit: Presumably it's the moon Gall. Full artwork:

SOTE_art.jpg

 

Well, one of the main story threads in the book us the rivalry between Prince Xizor and Darth Vader so having him there makes some sense. But no, he's not in the book a lot.

 

Karol

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6 minutes ago, crocodile said:

Well, one of the main story threads in the book us the rivalry between Prince Xizor and Darth Vader so having him there makes some sense. But no, he's not in the book a lot.

 

Karol

 

Guess I need to boot up my old N64 and play it again :)

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I've listened to this soundtrack a million times. The book was excellent too, and would make an excellent spin off film, but too bad all the main characters are too old or dead. Very difficult game though, it wasn't easy.

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14 minutes ago, Ricard said:

"Original Video Game Soundtrack" has been replaced with "music" in the press release. They also added that "the game was based on a book by Steve Perry".

https://www.varesesarabande.com/products/star-wars-shadows-of-the-empire-1

 

Still no mention of the essential fact that the score was written for the book, which apparently the guy who wrote the article fails to believe.

 

LOL

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Pit him against the Sony guy who combined the two Williamses into one on one's birthday (no apology there either, just a quiet removal after hours).

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2 hours ago, Ricard said:

Still no mention of the essential fact that the score was written for the book, which apparently the guy who wrote the article fails to believe.

 

Not so strange, since the guy who wrote the blurb probably wasn't even born yet when the album came out. Kids these days!

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's pretty funny that Williams was reportedly furious at this video game book score, but this made it through the keeper years earlier:

 

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1 hour ago, crumbs said:

It's pretty funny that Williams was reportedly furious at this video game book score, but this made it through the keeper years earlier:

 

That's not true at all. John is the one that suggested that McNeely score the book.

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54 minutes ago, Manakin Skywalker said:

 

That's not true at all. John is the one that suggested that McNeely score the book.

 

According to Wookieepedia:

 

Quote

There are a number of rumors and misconceptions surrounding Shadows of the Empire, including that John Williams was offended at not being offered the project; that Williams and McNeely are good friends, and that Williams personally recommended McNeely for the project; that the score was written for the Shadows of the Empire video game; that Williams made a musical homage to Shadows in his score for Episode III; and even that Shadows was the first official Star Wars music not written by John Williams.

 

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2 minutes ago, The River (Fal) said:

"There are a number of rumors and misconceptions surrounding Shadows of the Empire, including that John Williams was offended at not being offered the project; that Williams and McNeely are good friends, and that Williams personally recommended McNeely for the project; that the score was written for the Shadows of the Empire video game; that Williams made a musical homage to Shadows in his score for Episode III; and even that Shadows was the first official Star Wars music not written by John Williams."

 

Where does this quote come from?

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The last thing is complete bollocks, since several Star Wars video games (like X-Wing, TIE Fighter and Dark Forces) got original soundtracks even before SOTE. So why should that be assumed anyway?

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1 hour ago, Laserschwert said:

The last thing is complete bollocks, since several Star Wars video games (like X-Wing, TIE Fighter and Dark Forces) got original soundtracks even before SOTE. So why should that be assumed anyway?

Forget that, the New Hope Radio Drama had some additional original music written for it, using JW's themes.

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  • 5 months later...

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