John Williams, London Symphony Orchestra - The Empire Strikes Back: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Special Edition)

By the end of the 1970s, John Williams was already a legend among filmmakers and film-scoring buffs. But the success of Star Wars elevated him to something he probably could have scarcely imagined--bona fide pop-culture icon. Williams's masterful score to the first Star Wars sequel (and the chapter many sci-fi fans cite as the series' most dark, emotionally complex, and satisfying) fleshes out his original character themes with some new ones while painting compelling musical portraits of alien worlds as disparate as the ice planet Hoth and the swampy Dagobah. Notable are the menacing, Prokofiev-inspired "Imperial Theme (Darth Vader's March)"; the noble "Yoda and the Force"; and Hoth's "Battle" cues, which are some of the most dramatic action cues ever. This expanded edition also fleshes out the already familiar themes with new tracks that restore the score to its status as a grand galactic symphony. A richly illustrated booklet is included as well, helping listeners place each piece of music in its proper cinematic context. Of his four attempts at coloring George Lucas's rich stellar saga, this remains Williams's most consistent and compelling. --Jerry McCulley Amazon.com essential recording

My favorite John Williams soundtrack to my favorite Star Wars movie

So how does John Williams follow-up his Oscar winning soundtrack to the then-highest grossing movie of all time? He creates a very memorable sequel that is both possibly his most complete work and also contains the most recognizable villain theme of all time. Not too shabby if you ask me!

The 2-CD Special Edition of this soundtrack contains 23 tracks, including the "20th Century Fox Fanfare" in track 1. I won't go through all of the tracks, but I'll hit some of my favorites. You'll definitely recognize the first 1:20 of the "Main Theme" from all of the other Star Wars movies. The first few tracks are solid, but in my mind are unspectacular and not particularly note-worthy. The soundtrack starts picking up steam with the nearly 15 minute long suite "The Battle of Hoth" in track 5. It reminds me of the "1812 Overture" in that you can pretty easily tell who is winning the battle during the movements of the track. One other part of this track that makes it one of my favorites is the featuring of the lower notes on the piano at around the 4 minute mark. It strikes me as a unique and distinctive way to indicate the march of the Empire weaponry. This track is followed up by another thrilling track, "The Asteroid Field". Track 8, "Luke's Nocturnal Visitor", gives a very playful introduction of "Yoda's Theme" (more on that later). Following that track up is the moving "Han Solo and the Princess", which builds on the "Princess Leia's Theme" from the first soundtrack.

Starting off the second disc is the theme that needs no introduction, "The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)". The next track is not quite as well known but may be equally impressive, "Yoda's Theme". Williams is able to impart a aura of wisdom and gentleness with his theme for the endearing Yoda character. The fourth track, "Yoda and the Force", is another moving piece with "Yoda's Theme" embedded in it. Track 6 gives us an introduction to the cloud city in "Lando's Palace". One of the more darker pieces is "Deal with the Dark Lord", track 8. The tenth track, "The Clash of Lightsabers", may be more famous for being the backdrop to Darth Vader's shocking revelation. Track 11 gives the pulse-pounding "Rescue from Cloud City - Hyperspace". The final track "The Rebel Fleet - End Credits" concludes the soundtrack on an upbeat note as a musical cue indicating the fate of our heroes may not be as bad as we feared earlier in the movie.

For my money, this soundtrack is John Williams' finest for the shear depth of great and unique tracks. In all, it contains two iconic themes and many other original and memorable tracks. The Special Edition may not be the cheapest version of this soundtrack, but you'll get over two hours of listening pleasure with this version. And one thing's for certain: you'll pay less for this soundtrack that you would for buying my second favorite Williams soundtrack, "Raiders of the Lost Ark"! August 17, 2008

My favorite Star Wars film and soundtrack!!!

Oh, this is an awesome CD. My favorite is the "Imperial March." It is synonymous with Darth Vader. I can just see him walking the catwalk on the bridge of his imperial cruiser.

"Yoda's theme" is a whimsical piece. Very much like the little creature himself. "Yes, to Obiwan you listen."

Another wonderful piece is "Carbonite." It is when Han Solo, betrayed by Lando, is handed over to Vader to be frozen. Leia, Chewie, Han, and C3-PO are led to the deep freeze chamber. Vader, Lando, Storm Troopers, and the other ugly creatures are present for the event. This is where Leia and Han kiss and she tells him that she loves him only to get a "I know" in return. This is a magnificent piece. The drums and the horns are featured in it.

Of course the getway is awesome as well. The whole CD is worth every penney you would spend to buy it. I would give it 10 stars if I could. February 15, 2006

Easily the greatest soundtrack ever made

And the title is no exageration. I'm a late-comer to this album, having been a fan of John Williams for years but owning only a few "best of" CDs. When I finally got off my [...] and bought this, it blew me away, despite the fact that I had many of the songs already on mp3. There were so many surprises, such a perfectly fluid grace as each song slid into the next, that I still can listen to it repeatedly and get chills. I don't believe I will ever buy or own an album that I enjoyed as thoroughly as this, or that I can listen to again without hesitation time and again (which I do, great studying music).

Favorites: Hard to choose, but I'd say the Battle of Hoth, the Asteroid Field (still my favorite, loved it the moment I heard it as a wee lad), Mynock Cave, Imperial March, Yoda's Theme, Attacking a Star Destroyer, Departure of Bobba Fett (the biggest surprise, if your adreneline doesn't spike after it, you need more testosterone), Rescue From Cloud City.

And if you take one thing away from this review, make it this: don't do what I did, don't sit on the fence, just fork out the [...] and buy... this... album. Best investment in an album I've ever made. September 14, 2005

Still missing some music

Mind you, I'm giving three stars for the set, not the track itself which is wonderful. But someone really messed up the placement and editing of these tracks. On disc two for example, the music that plays during the credits is completely gone, as is the rebel fleet scene, and the music track titles do not at all match with their scenes in the movie. They should've reviewed this CD set a little more closely before releasing it. August 6, 2005

simply the BEST of Star Wars

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW WAS WRITTEN BY A GREAT STAR WARS FAN AND LOVER OF ALL STAR WARS MUSIC.

A New Hope was just the beginning and it is excellent for what it is, yet it is clearly shaped by many pre-existing and familiar classical/cinematic sounds and moods.

Return of the Jedi pulls much from the previous 2 films. It has it moments but, it is not as much a singular work as it is a compilation.

Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, while flaunting many new themes, pull much from each other and are not characterized by AS MANY great memorable musical moments. Thus they do not stand alone nearly as well as individual works. I think a lot of this is due to George Lucas's latest style of editing and mixing the new movies. We end up with a MISH-MASH of musical cues that repeat each other and interupt the musical journey that we're listening for [it is understood that a certain amount of this cutting/mixing happens in all movies, but this fan is of the opinion that Lucas has cheated us of some of the musical enjoyment that we've grown to expect from a Star Wars movie].

In the EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, John Williams dove through the surface of the shallower pre-existing Star Wars score and explored a deeper and more substancial universe. We hear much more "John Williams" in Empire's score. It's a darker more brooding peice than the privious work. As compare with the latest two films, it carries us throught the plot with undeniable DISTINCTION and clear STRUCTURE. And it does this NOT JUST WITH ITS BASIC THEMES AND MOTIFFS (which are without a doubt some of his most loved thems: Imperial March, Han/Princes, Yoda),but with instantly recognizable and unmistakeble cues and sequences. There is the mechanical HOTH BATTLE. There is the snappy-rythmed ASTEROID FIELD, the chillingly sinister DUEL (which Williams is going to rehash for us in III), the glorious fanfaring ESCAPE FROM CLOUD CITY, the operetic DESCENT INTO THE CARBONITE CHAMBER, and many more which make the EMPIRE STRIKES BACK a thrilling and a very logical/satisfying musical experience that is unprecidented by any other episodes and few other films in history.

April 24, 2005

More reviews at Amazon.com ...