London Symphony Orchestra - Return of the Jedi: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Special Edition)

Five stars, but could still be better.

Reviewing the RCA/Victor 1997 "Special Edition" soundtrack of Return of the Jedi, one finds that it is the best soundtrack for the 1997 edition of the film, and perhaps the best soundtrack for Jedi overall. It gets five stars for the music, four for musical presentation, and five for packaging.

Nearly all of the music from the film is presented here, including some concert suites and diagetic Ewok music. However, a lot of the 1983 music is missing, including every version of Lapti Nek (there are at least three extant), every version of the Ewok song (two?), Jabba's suite, and all the original music from Max Rebo's Band (one or two cues). In their place, one finds the listenable Victory Celebration and the terrible Jedi Rocks. Some of the missing cues are available in the earlier Anthology set, some you may be able to find through gray market channels.

Those with good ears may be disappointed by the sonics of this album. The engineers who mastered it were not working for the best elements, so the 1983 music sounds muffled in places. I have read that better sources have been discovered, but Sony has no intention of remastering this soundtrack.

The packaging and liner notes push this set up to five stars. There is an outer slipcase with an embossed foil Star Wars Special Edition logo and a track listing on the back. Inside is a small hardcover book, with the discs placed in envelopes glued to the inside cover. The disc is laser-etched to depict an X-wing engaging a TIE Fighter in front of the Death Star. The booklet, which is about 30 pages, contains recording information, a brief history of the original recording and the Special Edition, and commentary on all 27 tracks by Michael Matessino. My slipcover has become damaged in the last 10 years--back before MP3, we had to loan physical CDs to our friends, and some of our friends were not very careful with them--but the whole thing remains a very classy-looking affair. Let us hope Sony gives us a re-release that treats the music with just as much class. September 5, 2007

Star Wars Music

A wonderful CD! This is a great product. I love the fact that this is the full, complete soundtrack to Return of the Jedi. It has all the music in the movie, from beginning to end (plus all the new and extra stuff from the remake).

The soundtrack, like the movie, is very memorable. It is one of John William's best pieces. If you're ever in a classical or Star Wars mood, this CD works out great for you. There is a lot of extra information about the music behind the movie in the jacket of the book. Its fully illustrated and makes for an interesting read. July 16, 2007

The ultimate Star Wars musical experience

This is my favorite Star Wars Soundtrack, probably because in this particular movie the music evolves just as the characters do.
The Emperor's and Jabba's themes suit the characters like a glove would a hand, and the Ewoks' theme is both primitive and funny, like the creatures in the movie.
The best improvement for the Special Edition Soundtrack is "Victory Celebration", which underscores the celebration throuout the galaxy after the Empire is defeated at the Battle of Endor.
Also, the Imperial March is used wonderfully by John Williams to show us the conflict whithin Darth Vader, and ultimately, his redemption.
Overall, this is a must buy! May 4, 2005

Better than New Hope, but not Empire.

When listening to JEDI, I have found it to be a very enjoyable experience, more than I thought I would. The film being my least favorite of the original trilogy, I assumed the music would be the same way. I was wrong. The new themes Williams included are superb. From Jabba's tuba theme, to the dark and subtle Emperor theme, to the Playful Ewok theme(the only thing about Ewoks I like), it conjures almost the same feeling as EMPIRE does.

Almost, because it includes more of that blatant "Gee Whiz!" type music so typical of the first soundtrack. Don't get me wrong, the first score is good, but it doesn't have the depth that is inherent in EMPIRE. The same is true of JEDI.

There are a few tracks worth mentioning, like "Bounty for a Wookie", "Sail Barge Assault","Throne Room", "Battle of Endor I", and "The Dark Side Beckons(Part of Battle of Endor III)", as well as the suite version of "the March of the Ewoks"; All these and more make it worthwhile.

Drawbacks are primarily the "Jedi Rocks" track, which was one of the more inane moments in JEDI in the first place, and Why was there a need for the "Luke and Leia" theme? It's pretty, but it doesn't stick in your head like Han's theme(Love theme)from EMPIRE, or Leia's theme from NEW HOPE. It's a mute point really, but I still am not overly enthralled by it.


As the Conclusion to the original trilogy it is overall very satisfying and well worth your time and money. October 20, 2004

The Definitive Return Of The Jedi Score CD Set

I'm pleased that the entire music to "Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi" is available in this excellent two CD set. Once more John Williams successfully follows in the footsteps of Korngold and Rosza, producing epic symphonic film music of nearly Wagnerian proportions. Most of the most popular themes from the first two "Star Wars" films are revived here; most notably the themes for Luke Skywalker and the Imperial March. There's some new material thematically speaking; the themes for Jabba's palace and the Ewoks. Although "Return Of The Jedi" isn't Williams' finest film score, it surely should be regarded as among his best, blessed with yet another splendid performance from the London Symphony Orchestra. December 29, 2001

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