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Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Star Wars: Main Title | |||
| 2. E.T.: Flying Theme | |||
| 3. Superman: Main Title | |||
| 4. Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom: Parade Of The Slave Children | |||
| 5. Sugarland Express: Theme | |||
| 6. Jaws: Theme | |||
| 7. Olympic Fanfare And Theme | |||
| 8. Return Of The Jedi: Luke And Lela | |||
| 9. The Reivers: Main Title | |||
| 10. THe Empire Strikes Back: The Imperial March | |||
See all 14 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. Saving Private Ryan: Hymn To The Fallen | |||
| 2. Jurassic Park: Theme | |||
| 3. Schindler's List: Theme | |||
| 4. Hook: Flight To Neverland | |||
| 5. Seven Years In Tibet: Seven Years In Tibet | |||
| 6. JFK: Prologue | |||
| 7. Stepmom: The Days Between | |||
| 8. 1941: March | |||
| 9. Home Alone: Somewhere In My Memory | |||
| 10. Summon The Heroes | |||
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See all 14 tracks on this disc
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Product Description
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Customer Reviews
Whilst the majority of these are not the originals from the 70s and 80s you can rest assured that these are extremely faithful re-recordings, all conducted by Mr Williams himself, and recorded with the highest of production values.
Most of the recording sessions are from the 1990s, including a 1996 session at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, London.
Nice cover too - the normal CD case slips into a mock-up celluloid outer sleeve. Don't worry - it's not like one of those annoying cardboard outersleeves that prevents your CD sliding into your rack; its very thin plastic, resembling, as I said, celluloid (not to be confused with cellulite - that wouldn't look nice on your box).
I have heard lesser cover recordings of these themes, often with dodgy arrangements and at poor recording quality. This is a completely official release, sanctioned by the man himself and released on the reputable Sony Classical label, and sounds nothing short of the high quality one would expect.
Disc One covers the period between 1969 and 1989, even though the tracks are not arranged in chronological order. Instead, the fun begins with Williams' most famous (and maybe most popular) piece, "Main Title from Star Wars." It's in this disc that works from his most prolific period appear, including themes from Sugarland Express, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman, E.T., Empire of the Sun, and the Star Wars and Indiana Jones trilogies.
Although most of these tracks appear in other John Williams albums, I discovered one new gem in the Main Title from The Reivers (1969). I've never seen the film or read the Steinbeck novel of the same name, but I was captivated by Williams' way of introducing a melodic idea with a solo instrument (a guitar), then adding an Aaron Copland-like flourish of brass and strings, followed by a series of variations on a theme evoking open spaces and fun hijinks out in the countryside (indicated by the use of banjos and horns).
Another surprise on Disc One is the new arrangement of the 1984 Olympic Fanfare, commissioned for the Los Angeles Summer Games. This reworking of the fanfare adds the familiar "Bugler's Dream" everyone associates with the Olympics to Williams' vibrant march.
Disc Two covers the 1990s (with the peculiar appearance of Williams' "March from 1941," Steven Spielberg's 1979 comedy dud). Spielberg is the director whose movies have more representation with five of 14 tracks -- 1941, Hook, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and Saving Private Ryan. However, there is plenty of variety, both musically and genre-wise, of material written for other directors' films. Two Oliver Stone films (Born on the Fourth of July and JFK) have themes presented here, and such diverse movie themes as "The Days Between" from Stepmom, "Somewhere in My Memory" from Home Alone, and the album's final track "Duel of the Fates" from 1999's "The Phantom Menace" are a testament to Williams' talent, audience appeal, and versatility.
With over two hours' of music, this is a fine addition to any fan of film or orchestral music's CD collection.
Thank you John Williams!
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