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The Best Of the Star Wars Scores

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Author	Topic: The Best Of the Star Wars Scores

John Zimmer Oscar® Winner	I thought I'd better post this before AOTC comes out so here goes. In you guys oppinions what is the best star wars score I'd have to say it's a tie between The Return of The Jedi and The Phantom Menace. But then again there's the power of Th Empire strikes back... what about you guys? Jz
posted 08-27-2001 07:51 AM PT (US)

Ken S Oscar® Winner	The original score for RETURN OF THE JEDI - although the cues "The Asteroid Field" and "Hyperspace" are terrific on their own from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. I really felt annoyed when seeing the '97 SPECIAL EDITION of RETURN OF THE JEDI because the Joseph Williams' songs were gone. "Lapti Nek" and the original "Ewok Celebration" were both magnificent originals - the new music for the finale was just like from a tropical island, not from space.
posted 08-27-2001 08:04 AM PT (US)

juha Oscar® Winner	In my opinion Empire Strikes Back is the best and also one of the greatest scores ever written. Return of the Jedi is also superb.
posted 08-27-2001 08:13 AM PT (US)

Lancelot Oscar® Winner	Uh, I don't mean to be the "catch-all cop-out", here, but I think it's really fascinating (and less frustrating) to look at them all as one large cycle, rather than individual pieces.... (Granted, I think this is easier to do after the release of the Special Editions a few years ago, as most (though not all) of the music is chronologically arranged, and pieces of previously unreleased music were made available...Return of the Jedi was done the most justice in this regard.) Imagine Hamlet, if after Act 4, someone came out on stage and said, "Ophelia's buried. Laertes and Hamlet fight, The queen is poisoned, Laertes cuts Hamlet, Hamlet kills Laertes, The queen dies, Hamlet kills Claudius, and then dies. Fortinbras takes over. The end." Yeah, you get the highlights, but it's not as gratifying. Now, in a musical sense, this is what happened with Jedi....
posted 08-27-2001 08:54 AM PT (US)

TV's Frank Oscar® Winner	I agree about EMPIRE being the best of the series this far, it's tough to top! It is an amazing orchestral accomplishment, for both film and the art of music in general, and deserves the praise heaped upon it (one of the few scores which do!). It's also a sentimental favorite in that it was the first soundtrack LP I ever owned, waaaaay back in 1980! I loved the gatefold cover, the story picture album inside, and the great interview with Williams on the back pages. Even all the members of the LSO were listed in the credits! The score release got the deluxe treatment, even back in pre-CD times and it was worth it. Listening to the new 2-CD set is marvelous, though the LP geek in me still sometimes misses the great sequencing from original album. Williams really made the tracks on the 4 LPs really work together as a whole and as individual sides.
posted 08-27-2001 08:57 AM PT (US)

soundtrackman Oscar® Winner	For me, EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is definitely the best. It takes all the great musical ideas from the first film and builds on them, adds brilliant theme for Darth Vader, touches all the right emotional chords with the relationships between all the characters (including Yoda), then there's the beautiful, poignant theme for Luke and Leah, plus FABULOUS action cuse (like "The Asteriod Field," Everything about it works. I'd agree with JUHA - it's one of the best film scores, period. Mark T.
posted 08-27-2001 09:25 AM PT (US)

TV's Frank Oscar® Winner	If I'm not mistaken, Luke & Leia's theme does not appear until the score for JEDI and is not in EMPIRE. There is, however, the theme for Han Solo and Leia, which is also great - maybe that is what soundtrackman was thinking of?
posted 08-27-2001 09:34 AM PT (US)

Bulldog Oscar® Winner	The Best Star Wars score: whichever one runs for the shortest period of time. Really don't care for any of them. At times, the music in the series is excellent, but very little of it strikes me as exceptional, innovative, or intelligent underscore, deserving of the praise bestowed upon it.
posted 08-27-2001 10:15 AM PT (US)

JEC Oscar® Winner	quote: Originally posted by Ken S: I really felt annoyed when seeing the '97 SPECIAL EDITION of RETURN OF THE JEDI because the Joseph Williams' songs were gone. "Lapti Nek" and the original "Ewok Celebration" were both magnificent originals - the new music for the finale was just like from a tropical island, not from space. Why were these changed?
posted 08-27-2001 10:22 AM PT (US)

Quill Oscar® Winner	Empire all the way. Though I agree with Lancelot...I'd rather vote on pieces of the scores.
posted 08-27-2001 10:44 AM PT (US)

TV's Frank Oscar® Winner	I think Lucas was interested in "updating" the films, though I don't see how his new song for JEDI, "Jedi Rocks", is more musically relevant than "Lapti Nek". I mean, this is supposed to be a fantasy, not a representation of pop music at the time of production. And I think as far as the ending, he wanted more footage showing the effects of the battle on the rest of the galaxy, but the Ewok Celebration music would've been a bit silly for those grandiose scenes.
posted 08-27-2001 10:46 AM PT (US)

John Zimmer Oscar® Winner	I really think that the scores improve in certain ways throughout the series of films. Jz
posted 08-27-2001 11:01 AM PT (US)

TV's Frank Oscar® Winner	Can you elaborate on that comment, Zimmer? Just curious to know how you see the scores as a whole. They all have their strengths and weaknesses (except EMPIRE!), but all are classics.
posted 08-27-2001 11:12 AM PT (US)

soundtrackman Oscar® Winner	TV's Frank - yup, sorry, I was thinking of Han Solo & Leia theme. I still say EMPIRE is the best of the bunch - especially the last, most disappointing "Episode 1."
posted 08-27-2001 11:39 AM PT (US)

TV's Frank Oscar® Winner	What's funny about Episode 1 is that I was always amazed at how fervent everyone was to get the full score release. I have both versions (of course, who doesn't?) and I still prefer the original release due to its better listenability. Having "Duel of the Fates" and "Anakin's Theme" right at the start makes for a great opening and then we can hear those themes interpolated in the later tracks. As for the full score, I've tried to listen to it, but it just meanders so often and has so many awful edits that I find it frustrating. There are some good bits scattered around, but the score as whole did not deserve a 2-CD release, IMHO.
posted 08-27-2001 12:11 PM PT (US)

Marian Schedenig Oscar® Winner	Star Wars - Great Empire Strikes Back - Great Return of the Jedi - Great Phantom Menace - Great (the 1CD version is a mess, the 2CD version, because of the film edits, is still a bit messy, but MUCH better than the original release (because, for the first time, it makes sense musically)) So, what's the best re-recording of the scores and/or recording of the suites?
posted 08-27-2001 01:09 PM PT (US)

John Zimmer Oscar® Winner	Well what I ment was that they each have diffrent improvements throughout the score as a whole. For Instance TPM lost some of the grand performances of the original themes but gained many others (and the whispering performances of korah rattata or however there spelled). But overall probably my final rating is The Phatom Menace (tied with TESB) The Empire Strikes Back Return of the Jedi (nipping at TPM's and TESB's heals) A New Hope (not as good as the originals but definatly still a sure classic) Np: Antz (Harry Gregson Williams &John Powell) ***/*** Jz [Message edited by John Zimmer on 08-27-2001]
posted 08-27-2001 01:56 PM PT (US)

TV's Frank Oscar® Winner	Good question on the re-recordings! Funny you should ask, because I've always preferred the Charles Gerhardt recording of RETURN OF THE JEDI over Williams' original. I love how his version of "Into The Trap" segues right into "Fight In The Dungeon" - pure excitement! For a long time, this was the only way to hear music not included on the official soundtrack release. His readings of the themes I found more expressive and dramatic, for the most part. And his version of the Ewok Celebration had no vocals - yes! On the other hand, Gerhardt's recording of EMPIRE STRIKES BACK does come close to the original recording, something quite difficult to match in complexity and intensity (see "Battle in the Snow").
posted 08-27-2001 02:38 PM PT (US)

HAL 2000 Oscar® Winner	In my mind the best is without question The Empire Strikes Back. Followed by A New Hope. Return of The Jedi is fine but far too clumsy and bombastic and lacks the balance and sensitivity of TESB. I'm not sure where to place Phantom Menace. The messy presentation of both the original and expanded editions of the soundtrack make it feel less coherent and integrated than the rest.
posted 08-27-2001 03:06 PM PT (US)

Ed Oscar® Winner	My own pick would be, again, ESB followed closely by STAR WARS (sorry, as someone who saw it in '77 I'm still trying go accept A NEW HOPE as its title). I also agree with HAL that neither release of TPM is entirely satisfactory, but of the two I actually prefer the first version. I enjoy the contrast that jumping all over gives the music. Still, I hope someone does a proper "complete" version in time for the complete-saga-special-final-big bucks edition set sometime toward the end of this decade. I would say that TV's Frank makes an excellent point of mentioning Gerhardt's re-recordings. My single, all-time favorite piece of STAR WARS TRILOGY music is Gerhardt's performance of "Han Solo And The Princess" from his EMPIRE album. It's a crime that Williams hasn't recorded it himself.
posted 08-27-2001 05:53 PM PT (US)

Bill R. Myers Oscar® Winner	The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars are my tied picks. Return of the Jedi is less consistently inspired, although it does have music (Yoda's death, Vader's death, Luke defeating Vader) that's as potent as anything Williams has written (credit Williams also for not rehashing the first two scores and creating bold, evocative themes for the Emperor and the Luke/Leia relationship). The Phantom Menace is fine, but definitely a notch below. NP: Poltergeist (Goldsmith)
posted 08-27-2001 06:56 PM PT (US)

Will Oscar® Winner	My line-up 1. The Phantom Menace 2. The Empire Strikes Back 3. A New Hope 4. Return of the Jedi
posted 08-27-2001 08:46 PM PT (US)

Spicy Ramen Oscar® Winner	ESB no contest.
posted 08-27-2001 11:10 PM PT (US)

Camillu Oscar® Winner	1. ESB (by far) 2. TPM (if only we could hear what Williams wrote for the end battle - might topple ESB) 3. ROTJ 4. ANH (although being last out of the SW scores still means you're one of the best scores ever written) I also have this gut feeling that AOTC is going to be the best we've heard so far - here's hoping no last minute chop-ups will ruin any of it.
posted 08-28-2001 12:58 AM PT (US)

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