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| VII-IX Pending. |
I’ve had very little time to focus on action figure reviews
or photography over the last few weeks as my university course has grown
increasingly hectic (it’s the final year rush!), but one thing that’s kept me
going in that time has been Spotify, and in particular the fantastic work of
John Williams. Whilst I’ve been happily listening to his scores for Harry
Potter, Jurassic Park, and The Book Thief, it’s really the Star Wars soundtracks
that made me fall in love with his music, over and above, say, the incredible
themes for E.T. or Indiana Jones.
The thing is that when you begin to consider
the music as a separate entity to the films a very different order of
preference emerges, and the prequels don’t seem quite as bad anymore… With that
in mind, I proudly present:
The Star Wars Soundtrack Countdown
6. Return of the Jedi
Coming at the tail-end of the OT, the Return of the Jedi soundtrack has
its moments, such as the soaring, operatic majesty of Luke and Leia or the
haunting Emperor’s Throne Room. However the music rarely takes off, and never
feels quite as vibrant as the earlier scores, due in large part to the production which is almost muted
and flat by comparison to the earlier records. The Special Editions were the hardest on this film as
well, as we were ‘treated’ to the appalling Jedi Rocks and inferior Victory
Celebration tunes – celebrate the love indeed. Like the actual film, the Jedi
soundtrack has some depth, but a lot of filler. Still worth a listen though!
5. Attack of the Clones
On a similar note (hah!), the Attack of the Clones
soundtrack has some beautiful moments, such as Across the Stars and Yoda and
the Younglings; but it still falls a bit flat in places – Zam the Assassin and
the Chase Through Coruscant is as bitty and noisy as the horrible, horrible
scene it scores, for example. However, tracks like Confrontation with Count
Dooku and Finale really emphasises the intended mystery of the Sith, and on the
whole it’s a collection of beautiful music with a building, tragic undertone
that sells the story far better than the actual film. It’s an undeservedly
elegant score.
4. Revenge of the Sith
Revenge of the Sith comes the closest out of the prequels to
matching the quality and tone of the OT, and as such it’s far more in harmony
with its score than the previous two episodes. I’m still confused as to why
Battle of the Heroes was composed and used when Duel of the Fates would have
been equally (if not more) appropriate, but it’s a fine tune in and of itself.
We’re also introduced to the brilliant, alert General Grievous, which is a sharp continuation of themes from The Phantom Menace album. The soundtrack is punctuated with
stabs of the Imperial March, and the closing A New Hope and End Credits is the
perfect way to tie the two trilogies together. It might not have a beautiful
high point like the ROTJ or AOTC albums, but as a whole this soundtrack is
greater than the sum of its parts.
3. The Phantom Menace
The soundtrack that started the debate. In my factual and
scientifically endorsed opinion this is only the fifth best Star Wars film, but
the soundtrack runs the top two extremely close. This album was pretty much all
I listened to over the summer of 1999, and it’s a score of unexpected majesty,
beauty, and fun – waking up the neighbours by blaring out Augie’s Great
Municipal Band and End Credits every morning certainly fulfilled my bizarre,
Calvin-esque rebellious streak; Anakin’s Theme is one of my favourite
tracks from the whole saga, and even Jar Jar Binks gets a bone with a playful,
enigmatic introductory tune. That’s even before we consider the commercial impact of the
frenetic Duel of the Fates, as exciting as the fight scenes it accompanies… Regardless of your take on the success of Lucas’
decision to show a more regal and refined galaxy, John Williams delivered the
goods in spades.
2. The Empire Strikes Back
I struggle with the Empire soundtrack, because it’s simply
amazing – from an objective viewpoint, it can be genuinely considered for the
title of the greatest film soundtrack ever. However, and I’m being subjective
here, I listen to it fairly frequently and find myself skipping the ends of
tracks, before the Imperial March comes crashing in and destroys the mood the
previous music created. I get it, how the never-too-distant fear of the Empire
is perfect for the film, but from a selfish point of view I’d really enjoy
being able to listen to the soul edifying grandeur of Yoda and the Force
without having to worry about turning the volume down almost immediately
afterwards.
But maybe I’m being too critical; after all, this album gave
us The Asteroid Field, City in the Clouds, Han Solo and the Princess, Yoda’s
Theme… And of course, the Imperial March. It’s a classic.
1. Star Wars
Now, I’m not the kind to think that Star Wars is the
greatest achievement of the saga (however great an achievement it is), and I
love the fact that we have two complete stories, those of both Luke and Anakin
Skywalker. However the score is a huge part of why Star Wars exists as it does
today, and Williams nailed it at the first time of asking. The Main Title is a
cultural touchstone, enough said. Beyond that there are moments of beauty and
adolescent melancholy galore with The Hologram/Binary Sunset, and Tales of a
Jedi Knight/Learn About the Force, weighted against the drama and tension of Burning
Homestead. The beauty reaches a high point with Princess Leia’s Theme. There’s
the playfulness that sets this film apart from the others in The Dune Sea of
Tatooine/Jawa Sandcrawler and Cantina Band, and the glorious, rousing The
Throne Room/End Title caps both the listening and the viewing experience off perfectly.
The Star Wars soundtrack established the themes and pattern
for the others to follow, and however great Williams’ achievements on the
other five films, or any of his countless other classics, no other soundtrack surpasses his work on this.
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| John Williams is The Man. |
The music of Star Wars is one of the elements of the
franchise that I enjoy the most, and do so on an almost daily basis. Whatever
order you may put these soundtracks in, we should all be grateful that such
masterful music exists for our listening pleasure. All the same if you think
I've got it the wrong way around, let me know in the comments!
