John Williams Film Composer appreciation thread

The Jaws Theme is my favorite. Simple, but perfect!

 

E.T. soundtrack forgettable? Gotta be kidding, it happens it is not one of his soundtrack with a powerful and easy to spot Main Theme like Star Wars, Superman and Raiders, but it's a great soundtrack, has a great variety of themes, some intimate, some powerfull, it's my third favourite Williams soundtrack after The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars.

 

Dare I say but probably the one composition that got me to love music all together!

 

Just saw him tonight at Tanglewood, sitting four rows back from the stage. He conducted music from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Minority Report, and of course, the Throne Room and End Title from Star Wars. I've seem him there a couple of times, and it's always special. Goosebumps city, to say the least.

John K.

 

Always had a soft spot for his music from Catch Me If You Can, especially these two pieces. Brings back fond memories of my childhood for some reason.



Catch Me If You Can Soundtrack- Learning the Ropes

 

Here's a new 20-CD box featuring all John Williams's definitive recordings for Sony. A chance for those who didn't have these albums yet!

 

The score for "1941" is terrific!

 

I agree with @SBurke that Raiders uses the orchestra in exciting ways, and that it's incredibly rich and varied. I can say similar things for Star Wars, Empire and Superman, but I think Raiders may be the apotheosis of all those ideas.

But ET is a different, much more subtle score. Sometimes luminous, sometimes menacing, sometimes rousing, it is an emotional score, the logical continuation of some of the ideas we hear in Close Encounters. The original album is an incredible piece of music, and as it's used in the film, is arguably half the effect of the movie.

 

Where can you even start with John Williams? Phew!

Raiders is so tied to the film. Sort of like what Han Zimmer is doing with some film. But Wiliams is a classist and he makes recurring themes into a tapestry. "A TAPESTRY!" hahah.

I love the score to Kubrick/Spielberg's "A.I."

The theme he wrote for Robert Altman for "The Long Good-bye."

What a composer. The equal of Wagner and Beethoven.

 

I watched E.T. at the age of 8 and it was the first time I paid real attention to a movie soundtrack, it amazed and 35 years later it still does. It's my favourite movie soundtrack. The day I got the 20th Anniversary Stereo/5.1 Hybrid SACD was quite a day for me and this release is still my favourite edition of this movie soundtrack, and I have all the available releases, the original CD (1986?), the 1996 expanded, remixed and expanded CD, the 20th Anniversary CD and SACD and the new La La Land 35th Anniversary double set CD that is not exactely my cup of tea. I don't like how it sounds, and I consider Bruce Botnick a great engineer, who is who remixed this new release. The analog multitrack tapes has been transfered at 192/24 and I'm sure the final mix down has been done at the same resolution, but I think some kind of hiss removal or DNR was used. It sounds cleaner than the 20th Anniversary CD, it has less tape hiss but it also has less top end, it's has less high frequency, and I don't think either the 1996 expanded CD or the 20th Anniversary sound with too much high frequencies or agressive. Maybe this new released was mixed exactely how Botnick liked it or as I said, he used some kind of hiss removal or DNR, anyway I don't like it sounds, I keep playing the SACD in stereo most of the times and I have the new 35th Anniversary set for completism.

 

I actually had seen and heard "E.T." not long before I posted above (I think), in a live performance by the New York Philharmonic -- so a great opportunity to appreciate the music. But perhaps what happened is that I was focused on the film, as I had not seen it since it came out in 1982, and maybe that cost me a bit in listening. I will try to go back to it and check it out, as I like your appreciative thoughts on it.

 

For the record, I think the 35th Anniversary edition from La La Land sounds great!

 

Lucky you. I don't think this sounds bad but in my opinion it has been de-hiss, or got DNR applied or Botnick made a treble-shy mix (I don't think it's the case taking 2012 La La Land's Star Trek TMP which Botnick also mixed following the same process and at the same studios, I guess they belong to him) so tape hiss was less audible. I prefer how the 1996 or the 2002 20th Anniversary editions sound. Don't take me wrong, the La La Land 35th Anniversary sounds fine and the set and the artwork look nice, but I prefer the 20th SACD both in Stereo or in 5.1, which is the kind of 5.1 mix I like, the orchestra on the front and hall/recording studio ambiance on the rear channels.

 

What I'm looking forward are new Disney Star Wars soundtracks releases. They have released the Star Wars (A New Hope for others, not for me) as a 3 LPs set on a book-like set with nice pictures and info,but I read at some sites it doesn't sound great,average sounding, digitally sourced vinyl, and I don't have a problem with that if done right, and it's expensive, around 12/140 $ for the set.
Sony 2016 vinyl releases are so so sounding, they were sourced from 192/24 files copied from the LP equalized tapes, not the first gen master tape, and the Gold like LP pressings leave much to be desired, they're noisy and this vinyl formulation creats a lot of static.
I'd like Disney to release editions like the E.T. La La Land 35th Anniversary, remixed and complete with all the music available, with great sound, and I'm sure if the multitrack tapes are found these soundtrack have the potential to sound outstanding, and released on CD, LPs, Hi Res digital downloads and if one can dream, SACD or Blu Ray Audio editions. I think they will definetely do something with those soundtracks, they always sell well if nicely packed and affordable priced. The new Star Wars 3 LP set is nice but not affordable.

 

Agreed. It's crazy that the Star Wars soundtracks have not been given the "La La Land"-style treatment yet. It's also a shame that the best sounding versions are still found in the the 4-CD box set from 1993 (The Star Wars Trilogy: The Original Soundtrack Anthology). I'm hoping a big soundtrack re-issue campaign comes in conjunction with the future re-release of the original theatrical versions of the movies. I'm an optimist!

 

Don't tell that to your doctor, he may send you to a psiquiatrist who may end up diagnosing you with squizofrenia .

 

One day or another Mike Matessino will dive into Star Wars. It's only a matter of time!

 

Let's hope so. I don't know why but I have the feeling this won't happen. I don't know in what shape the multitrack tapes are, they may be even lost. I think Disney who is the owner of the soundtracks now will be very reluctant to let the multitrack tapes out of the Disney vaults, and I don't know if they have the right equipment and skilled people to do all transfers to digital in-house.

 

Weren't the multitracks starting to fall apart around the time they were putting together the 1993 Star Wars Trilogy Original Soundtrack Anthology boxset? I'm sure I remember reading about this on the forum.

 

I think "Journey to the Island" from Jurassic Park is probably his single greatest cue - though "The Planet Krypton" from Superman is close behind.

Completely overlooked is his incredible avant-garde score for Robert Altman's Images. Totally different from the Williams everyone is familiar with.

 

I read that too but I don't recall if what's damaged are the multitrack tapes or the mixed down masters. I find curious that for the 2016 Sony LPs and Hi Res downloads were not sourced from the first gen mixed down masters but the equalized LP cutting tapes, and I think I read somewhere a lot time ago that the CDs for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes back CDs from the 80's were also sourced from the same Eq LP cutting tapes, not the actual masters. It wouldn't be the first time a first gen master tape gets lost. I think it's obvious something's going on with the Star Wars OT multis and/or master tapes as they haven't had a proper release yet. The 1993 Anthology box set it's the best sounding version of these soundtracks but it was not rightly put together, and Star Wars is where it's most noticiable as some takes are not the actual ones chosen for either the soundtrack album or the music as heard on the film, and the tape assembly is very sloppy at times.

 

Slowly but surely I complete my collection.. and fill great gaps particularly in the 60's decade.

 

With M Squad (1958), it's quite the beginnings of Johnny's at composing!

 

Oh yesssss! Another great expansion signed Mike Matessino!




The Cowboys: The Deluxe Edition [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] (1972) (2018, Varèse Sarabande, VCL06181184)

THE FILM SCORE: Overture; Main Title – The Cowboys; The Hands Quit; The Boys; Wil and Ann; The Kids and Crazy Alice; Graveyard; Anybody That Tall; raining Montage; Long Hair and The Roundup; Nightlinger's Tale; To Belle Fourche; The First Night; Burning Daylight; Learning the Ropes (Vivaldi Concerto in D); Sour Mash; Long Hair's Threat; Entr'acte; Afraid of the Dark; Charlie's Demise; Charlie's Burial; Mrs. Collingwood's Girls; Long Hair Trails; Long Hair and Dan; Summer's Over; Drums of Manhood and The Execution; Into the Trap; The Battle; End Title and End Cast; ADDITIONAL MUSIC: Nightlinger's Tale (Alternate); Long Hair's Threat (Alternate); Entr'acte (Segment); The Execution (Alternate); Into the Trap (Alternate); End Title and End Cast (Alternate); Exit Music. Contains previously unreleased material.

 

Recently in our John Williams community, we have reached a consensus that the sound on the Dracula's OST on Vinyl (1979) sounds better than the sound of the 1990 CD reissue (ah those 90's reissues with Low-Definitions transfers and extra extra extra noise reduction....).

So we began a little community search for good WAV rips of Mint LPs of those OST.

As Dracula is always forgotten when it's the time to reissue John Williams albums (because the original tapes are known to be lost in time)... we'll manage it ourselves!

If you want to help. I will select the best sources and digitally restore them.

Dracula, we don't forget you!!!

Thanks!