Jump to content

Just rediscovered the most underrated track


Oomoog the Ecstatic

Recommended Posts

HOLY CRAP. I think I just discovered the most underrated Williams cue.

 

To preface, I always heard this music and unanimously it got a lot of flack from people for being from such a bad movie. People remember it for its film (and problematically, they have a hard time hearing anything else but the shortcomings of the film in the cue), but get this.

 

I really listened again. I tried to picture it in a different, good version of this franchise. In a good movie. I was suddenly blown away by what I heard and pictured... This music is absolutely brilliant! Williams should've saved this for something else. This film did not deserve this music!

 

So try what I did, and in these two minutes picture your most ideal Star Wars/Space opera. Now close your eyes and feel what's really going on in this music alone:

2:30-3:42

 

My small hope is that its underratedness will slowly start clicking with one or two people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Top 10 John Williams track for mine, maybe even top 5. Utterly sublime, and completely absurd that such an inspired piece could be written for such a godawful movie.

 

I'm not sure it's really underrated though? I'd guess most people here have it in their top 5 concert suites of the SW saga.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah I'd say Across the Stars is pretty well liked and remembered by Star Wars fans. Although it's fair to say some people on this board underrate the full Attack of the Clones score. And you're right that a lot of great material from the prequels is in danger of being overlooked compared to the OT due to the quality of the films.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The love theme for this score is wonderful and gets nice iterations throughout the film score

 

This concert arrangement of it is super cool, because it's not just about love the whole time, the dark section you highlight here (2:30-3:06) is really the key part that makes the whole track stand out as being something out of the ordinary and extremely interesting; Without even seeing the movie or even knowing what type of movie it could be for, the music tells a pretty big story.

 

It's good stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Smeltington said:

And you're right that a lot of great material from the prequels is in danger of being overlooked compared to the OT due to the quality of the films.

 

I think it's also due to the lack of proper releases. I'm sure not everyone on this forum listens to the countless fan edits containing tons of great unreleased prequel music. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the film score community, that's true. I also feel like the prequel music is at risk for being considered a lesser part of Williams' legacy outside of our community due to being attached to films that were so reviled.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Bounty95 said:

 

I think it's also due to the lack of proper releases. I'm sure not everyone on this forum listens to the countless fan edits containing tons of great unreleased prequel music. 

 

Good point

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

Let's face it, @Oomoog the Ecstatic, you seem to be the only person who underrated this track. ;)

 

Don't want to take this point away from everyone, but I'm not so sure about this. Why I inquire into an antithetical listening exercise ie. compare it to something like The Force Theme. I myself always loved Across the Stars and other Prequels tracks, but I'm realizing now it's for a deeper reason.

 

Maybe some people have caught on already :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, it's a fantastic theme. It's put to beautiful use in the film and in the concert suite. And I'll never get over the fact that the "A" melody is 9 bars long, yet it feels totally natural.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, PokeDocMatt said:

As the arrangement of Across the Stars concludes, an echo of Anakin’s theme plays, and then the double basses foretell of the coming disaster with a deep and sinister Imperial March motif. Gives me chills every time, as the innocent boy, the fated lover, and the tragic anti-hero are all captured in a moment. That is the final twist that elevates Across the Stars to being a supremely brilliant composition. 

 

Yes! Those foreboding end credits codas are some of my favourite highlights in the Star Wars scores. Shame he only really did it for 3 scores (AOTC, TFA and TLJ).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My favourite quote on the Attack of the Clones score from a youTube critic:

 

"John Williams wrote a score for the movie that George Lucas actually wanted to make, but didn't do so. The big love story and the tragedy, it is all in the music, but not in the movie."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I will never forget hearing Across the Stars live during this concert. That was something. 

 

 

The same concert also gave this:

 

 

 

All and All that was truly something :) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.