John Williams - The Empire Strikes Back: Original Soundtrack (1980)

Note: This release was originally given to me as a 2 LP set, later replaced by a CD (sorta). The CD I listened to was the very first CD issue, pressed in (then) West Germany for the international market.

A great soundtrack from the best movie of the ever expanding Star Wars saga. We not only get the famous theme from the original 1977 movie, we also are treated to a new Vader's theme - officially titled 'The Imperial March' - plus an immediately recognizable motif for my favorite SW character, Yoda. Yes, Williams borrows a lot from himself and Gustav Holst's The Planets, but it all comes together quite nicely and, in the end, who cares where he gets his inspiration? The score won the Grammy award for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score, eventually losing to Michael Gore's score for Fame.

I've written before about my youthful desire to become a film composer; perhaps this soundtrack was the impetus?

Press of the time:

• High Fidelity: "a more complex and functional score"
  
• CashBox: "thoroughly engrossing soundtrack"
• Record World: "you're swept away"
• Billboard: "in the same vein as its predecessor"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #4
• CashBox: #6
• Rolling Stone: #18

Tracks: Outside the US, Canada, & Japan, this soundtrack was initially released as a 10 track single LP, a condensed version of the 17 track double LP I originally owned. This CD, however, follows that condensed 10 track sequence and clocks in around 42 minutes in length.

	Intl.		US
1	The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)	1	Star Wars (Main Theme)
2	Yoda's Theme	2	Yoda's Theme
3	The Asteroid Field	3	The Training Of A Jedi Knight
4	Han Solo And The Princess (Love Theme)	4	The Heroics Of Luke & Han
5	Finale	5	The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)
6	Star Wars (Main Theme)	6	Departure Of Boba Fett
7	The Training Of A Jedi Knight	7	Han Solo And The Princess (Love Theme)
8	Yoda And The Force	8	Hyperspace
9	The Duel	9	The Battle In The Snow
10	The Battle In The Snow	10	The Asteroid Field
		11	The City In The Clouds
		12	Rebels At Bay
		13	Yoda And the Force
		14	The Duel
		15	The Magic Tree
		16	Lando's Place
		17	Finale

While this isn't the familiar sequence and length I grew up with, I prefer this disc's condensed version. It's the perfect length for my nostalgic needs plus it starts off with Imperial March and Yoda.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I wouldn't consider myself a Star Wars fanatic (I've maybe seen 5 of the movies), but I've owned this 2" Yoda figure since 1980 - he even went to college with me.

I think he once had a cane?

My mother gave me the 2 LP set of this soundtrack for Christmas, 1980 and I listened to it often. It is only one of three times I can remember her buying a recording for me (the others were Barry Manilow's If I Should Love Again and, many years later, a CD by Pete Townshend & Raphael Rudd, which has since been misplaced).

And I am always on the lookout for this interpretation of the score by the likes of Ron Carter, Jon Faddis, Hubert Laws, Bob James, Billy Cobham, and Ralph MacDonald. For a physical copy, I'll have to look for a "vintage" vinyl copy to purchase as it has never been reissued on CD, but there's always hope.

One wonders what Lord Vader thinks about improvisation.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Joy To The World (1992)
JFK Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1992)
By Request (1987)

Boston Pops - Joy To The World (1992)

At first glance, this seems to be a typical pops orchestra/chorus Christmas release, but I found it different than most for 3 reasons:

1. The inclusion of a medley of seldom-heard carols written by Alfred Burt (1920 - 1954), which I've loved since I first heard them in the early 1980's (track 7),
2. a medley consisting of traditional holiday music from other lands (track 10), and
3. John Williams works in three of his own compositions written for the popular 1990 movie, Home Alone (tracks 5, 6, & 9).

There's also a little cheese included in the form of Robin Williams delivery of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas while the program ends with some standard Christmas Concert repertoire: a sing-along medley for maximum audience participation.

Tracks:

Highlights are tracks 1, 7, 8, 10, 12, & 13. I seem to be partial to the medleys today.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My father was a huge fan of The Boston Pops as long as I can remember - ever since the days that the group was led by Arthur Fiedler. I inherited this and many other Boston Pops CDs upon his passing and, serendipitously, the lead track here, a popular medley arranged by Leroy Anderson, was usually the first bit of Christmas music I heard each year as a child when my father would turn on his "Christmas Mix" reel-to-reel recording when it was time to decorate the tree.

I was teaching middle school band when this CD was released and am amused to see the Home Alone tracks because of my students' affinity for that movie. At some point in October, I started handing out Christmas music to the students for possible inclusion in the band's concert in December. If the music was heard in the Home Alone movie (Carol Of The Bells, Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, White Christmas, etc.), students would scream "That's the song from Home Alone!" as if they had just discovered penicillin. I'm fairly certain most had seen the movie dozens of times on VHS. All these years later, I still don't think I've seen the thing.

Previously revisited for the blog:
By Request (1987)

JFK Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1992)

John Williams' score for the polemical 1992 film, plus a few additional tracks not by Williams. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, it lost to the score of Beauty and the Beast. Trying to pick the best Williams movie score is like trying to pick a favorite Beatles album, so I won't even bother trying, but this would certainly be in the discussion should I ever choose to have such a debate.

If you're looking for a full analysis of the soundtrack, you won't find it here, but you might like this entry from jwfan.com.

The music bears a strong resemblance to Williams' score for Catch Me If You Can, another oft-overlooked Williams soundtrack.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 18 tracks, 65 minutes. To be honest, I could listen to the first five tracks and be done because all the themes are present in those 18 minutes of music, particularly the haunting snare drum lines and solo trumpet melody. Things really go sideways at track 7, the 1930 standard On The Sunny Side Of The Street by Sidney Bechet. The instrumental take isn't bad, just out of place. Same goes for Tony Bennett's Maybe September, Ode To Buckwheat by Brent Lewis, and the excellent El Watusi by Ray Barretto. Also included is the first movement of a Mozart Horn Concerto. However, I'll just program my player to play only Williams tracks from here on as the other tracks just break up the continuity of the album.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I'm a complete sucker for JFK conspiracy theories, have visited the fascinating Sixth Floor Museum several times, and try to drive through Dealey Plaza when I'm in Dallas.

View from the grassy knoll, July 26, 2002

Earlier this year, I took advantage of a trip to Ft. Worth to stop by Lee Harvey Oswald's hard-to-find grave. Told ya I was a complete sucker.

April 27, 2016
The grave marker on the right is for Nick Beef. Read the story here.

Despite the controversy surrounding the movie, I try to make time to watch my Blu-Ray copy of the film every year around the end of November. This year while watching, I wondered why I didn't have a copy of this captivating soundtrack. A few clicks later and here we are.

Previously revisited for the blog:
John Williams - By Request (1987)

John Williams - Spanish Guitar Music (2002)

No, not THAT John Williams, the other one. The one that plays classical guitar. This is a beautiful compilation album of Spanish music either written for solo guitar or written for piano and transcribed for solo guitar. This CD was compiled from recordings originally made in 1964, 1965, 1967 and 1970; whoever did the digital remastering did a fantastic job. The playing is technically flawless and amazing but not distracting as the disc is very relaxing and enjoyable.

Tracks: The pieces by De Falla, Rodrigo, and Villa-Lobos are highlights as are the transcriptions of traditional Catalan folksongs.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: In 2002, I had just moved into my office in a brand new facility and purchased a bookshelf stereo for my new space. I bought 2 or 3 classical guitar CDs around that time, including this one. They provided background music for work during my conference periods (yes, that's plural. I was fortunate).

John Williams - By Request (1987)

John Williams was one of the most prolific film score composers of the 20th century. For this release, he conducts the Boston Pops in 15 of his works, mostly film scores. Williams often gets criticized for plagiarizing himself, but even if he does so intentionally, I can't say that I blame him. If the main purpose of film scores is to support the image and dialogue without drawing attention to the music, how can Williams write such memorable melodies? All the familiar favorites are here along with a few hidden gems, specifically, The Cowboys Overture and marches from the movies Midway and 1941. I love hearing a composer conduct his own work - it's as close as you can get to a definitive interpretation.

Tracks: What a fantastic collection! Over 70 minutes of music.

1. Olympic Fanfare and Theme
2. The Cowboys Overture
3. Excerpts from Close Encounters of the Third Kind
4. March from Midway
5. Flying Theme from E.T.
6. Luke and Leia Theme from Return of the Jedi
7. March from Superman
8. Liberty Fanfare
9. March from Raiders of the Lost Ark
10. Yoda's Theme from The Empire Strikes Back
11. March from "1941"
12. Theme from Jaws
13. Imperial March from The Empire Strikes Back
14. Mission Theme (Theme for NBC News)
15. Main Theme from Star Wars

And all this by 1987! He would then go on to write for the Harry Potter movies, Jurassic Park, JFK, and Catch Me If You Can; the latter two scores being some of my favorite work by Williams.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This was one of the first releases I ever heard on a CD. I didn't own a CD player until January 1987 and the discs were very expensive at the time (compared to a cassette or LP). So CDs were still a rarity in my world, but I had heard this release at the home of John, a fraternity brother. Even though I knew how good it was, I inexplicably put off buying the CD until 2009.