Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty good but with some shortcomings and odd choices., 28 Dec 2005
You would kind of expect an album this big to be the definitive collection of a 40-year (and more) career. It isn't. I'm usually sceptical of recordings made by different orchestras and without the original composer as conductor. Well, this isn't too much of a problem on this album. What I was not happy with was the wasted disc space (one disc is only 49 minutes), and some really bizarre inclusions and omissions. For example, do we really need a mediocre cue like The Flag Parade from Star Wars The Phantom Menace while we don't get a charming, playful theme like Home Alone (and the beautiful Somewhere In My Memory from that movie and the sequel)? I'm sure licensing is the issue here, but that's not very helpful to the average consumer, who might think this is a definitive collection.
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28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not a perfect tribute, but still suprisingly good!!, 25 Oct 2003
Be warned, John Williams does not conduct anything in this 4 disc boxset: the conductors are Paul Bateman, Nick Raine and Mario Klemens. When i saw this i expected the worst; all of Williams great scores spoiled by people other than himself! I was wrong! This is actually a very good boxset though it does have it's problems! Having enjoyed Williams music for some time, i come to expect perfect musical scores and for a tribute to him, i also expect this, but a couple of tracks in this boxset are not so! Take Jaws for example, a brilliant score (which in my opinion only works when volume is cranked up), but this one is rubbish to say the least even when loud! The E.T track is too slow and The Raiders March is too fast! Also my favourite Williams score, Hymn to the Fallen from Saving Private Ryan is 7 seconds shorter than the original (i'm just nick-picking now)! It also doesn't have the Home Alone theme which i was gutted at! Just little niggles here and there but don't let them put you off buying this! Some of them are near perfect such as Superman theme, Star Wars theme, Duel of Fates and Catch Me If You Can!
Some of the themes in the boxset i never knew Williams done such as Jane Eyre(anyone?) and Witches of Eastwick! I suppose this just shows how versatile John Williams talent is! If you are looking for a perfect Williams tribute, go for John Williams Greatest Hits 1969-1999, if you are looking for just a tribute, then you can't go far wrong with this boxset!!
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34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Scrappy, Average at best., 17 Feb 2006
By A Customer
Right, im a massive John Williams fan, and when I saw this box set, i had to add it to my collection. Kinda wished i hadnt now though. The Recordings on this cd are for the most part average at best, with one or two exceptions.
Being a musician myself, im probably a lot more nit picky than most consumers would be though. The orchestra, and in particular the brass section, is very scrappy in many of the tracks. Its almost as if they are sight reading their parts, as there are very many mistakes in places, and the tuning is also diabolical a lot of the time (with some horendous vibrato from the trumpets in some of the indiana jones themes, it sounds more like a new orleans jazz band in places). My advice to people looking to buy this is..... well dont. Stick to the John Williams Greatest hits 1969-1999 double cd set, its got all the essential classics conducted by the man himself, with top quality orchestras like the LSO and the Boston Pops Orchestra, without the fillers that pad out some of the cd's on this one.
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~ John Barry
~ Jerry Goldsmith
~ John Williams
~ Various Artists
~ City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
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