Customer Reviews

John Williams - Greatest Hits 1969 - 1999

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was ecstatic when I found this CD, which contains a wonderful collection of Williams' best---from classic favorites like "Star Wars" and "Jurassic Park", to sure-to-be classics like "Duel of the Fates" and "Hymn to the Fallen". I was also pleased to hear some of his other non-cinematic masterworks like the Olympics themes. Overall, it is a fantastic compilation of a variety of music, which pays tribute to Williams' considerable range as a composer.

Excellent sound quality, great composer, BUT...
***On what other "greatest hits" cd do the artists re-record the material? The music is faster,
has less emotional impact, and actually has emphasis on different notes and phrases.
This has the same impact of a child whistling the tunes, just running through it.
The really bad thing about all of this is that the tunes you bought this for
sound the worst, because you're expecting something totally different.

********************
Sometimes sounds counterfeit. Still, this has excerpts from some great music scores and can still be enjoyed. Sounds better the second time around.

I've been looking for these songs on the same CD for quite a while, and this set does not disappoint. This 2 CD set contains an outstanding compilation of some of the best soundtrack music, new and old, ever composed by John Williams. You will recognize most of the tracks from blockbuster movies --Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Superman. The Olympic theme songs are also included. This is one to pop in the CD player at home or in the car and turn it up. This set has a high replay value, too. It will never sound stale.

This is not merely a CD of John Williams work, this is the apex of film music. These works did not simply underscore the films they were written for- they illuminated them. Speaking as someone who OWNS most of the soundtrack in which excerpts are offered I can still say that this is the definitive recording in my collection. Pieces recorded on soundtracks twice (Jurrasic Park theme for instance) are still fresh and lively. Themes from Schindlers List and Saving Private Ryan are still heart wrenching. This compilation is testement to Williams' creative genius- rivaled by no other film composer EVER. Bravo

Oh don't get me wrong -- this is a great collection and definitely value for money. Congratulations to Sony Classical for pulling it together.

In one sense it's a very satisfying purchase: even though the second of the two discs in this set goes a little bit astray in including some selections that are less compelling to the listener or even as musically interesting, it's a broadly representative sweep of Mr William's scoring career -- a little biased towards his more recent scores, perhaps, but even that's OK, 'coz that's when he's been writing with more conviction and authority. (Or, perhaps more pertinently, that's when Sony started having a market interest in films and soundtracks.)

But in another sense, this set has the paradoxical drawback of all good compilations: it leaves you wanting more.

And at the risk of disagreeing with Jason Verlinde, Amazon.com's reviewer, I did not find all the soundtrack moments I'd expect! There are so many moments of great passion and musical lyricism that have flowed from John William's pencil (or his music compositional software, for all I know) that they definitely can't all be done justice in a single two-disc collection.

Where, for instance, are the themes from his disaster-movie epics, The Towering Inferno, Earthquake and the Poseidon Adventure ? His early TV-based sci-fi stuff, like The Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants or Lost in Space ? His all-but-forgotten romanticisms, like his awesome score for Dracula, or for Sugarland Express, Cinderella Liberty, Always, and Stanley & Iris ? His westerns, among them The Cowboys, the River and The Missouri Breaks ? His other fantasy pieces, among them The Fury, The Witches of Eastwick, and Articial Intelligence: AI ?And his historical pieces, like Midway, Nixon, Amistad, Angela's Ashes or The Patriot ?

OK. My point is made, I believe. There is just so much John Williams has written that is worth hearing. And while Mr Verlinde is correct in saying that (for many of these films) full OST releases are also available on CD, for those of us who enjoy John Williams' Tchaikovsky-like ability to produce an unending supply of rich, evocative musical themes, compilations are really the best answer. His music, as so many film-makers have commented, is so dramatic and versatile that it quickly becomes like an unscripted character in most movies in which it participates, to the degree that, broadly, to separate most of his tracks from the scene in which they appear is to discard much of their power and musical value. We can only be grateful that Mr Williams has developed the habit of creating musical cues in most of his movies where his themes and motifs are clearly, powerfully stated. And it's these cues, often, that make for the best listening, outside watching the entire film itself.

So, Sony, it's over to you. There's plenty of room, plenty of material, for volumes two, three, four ... Even most of the films that have been represented in this current set have plenty more musical cues that could also appear in a compilation of this caliber.

In the meantime, this highly-recommended set is a great place to start listening to John Williams' extraordinary film music. I don't think there's a dud track in the entire collection.

I started listening to John Williams as most did, by viewing Star Wars first and then realising that there was moving music going on in the background. The music sneeks up on you.... and then Demands your attention. You see another movie , Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Home Alone. The music is inspiring, majestic, uplifting, beautiful. Of course, it's a John Williams score. My friends, you simply cannot go wrong with a cd encompassing such a body of aural beauty such as this. It is like being in a Great Hall.... I started collecting John Williams cds by finding them in used cd bins. I could not believe someone would let go of this kind of music. In these bins I got Jurassic Park, Home Alone, Hook, and a few others. The complete cds are very good too. However to have all of the "hits " in one spot is great. Definitely recommended.

This is a really good John Williams compilation. Rather than being only a single theme or melody from each of these movie scores, most of the tracks here are abridged concert suites. I usually prefer to hear these shortened presentations of Williams' music; with the exception of Jurassic Park and Memoirs of a Geisha (and possibly the Star Wars scores), I find a full hour of one of his film scores a bit much, considering that a great deal of the complete soundtracks are spent repeating and reorchestrating the same few melodies.

Listening to this career retrospective, I was reminded of just how important Williams has been for American culture of the past thirty years. He comminicates something of the American character in a way that very few other composers have: a comparison to Aaron Copland and George Gershwin is not inappropriate. From the grassroots, backcountry Americana of the Reivers and Stepmom themes to the sense of swagger and bravado he captures in the Olympics theme and the big tunes of Stars Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, and others, it is evident to me that Williams will long be remembered as one of the most important musicians of the American Age.

Movies with substantive and prominent scores are our culture's operas, and Williams is obviously first amongst movie composers. This album is an outstanding profile of his career.

John Williams is the undisputed premier film composer of our time. He's been nominated for more Academy Awards than any other person alive and has scored over 80 films. This CD Anthology is the perfect collection of his hits up to 1999. His amazing ability to orchestrate has led to this collection of his greatest hits. Themes are included from Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Shindler's List, Indiana Jones, Sugarland Express, ET and Jaws. Other favorites include "The Duel of the Fates" (Star Wars Episode I), "Summon the Heroes" (1996 Olympics) and "Sherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra" (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). Even if you're not a "hard core" John Williams fan, this is still a good anthology to have if you enjoy film music. Sit back, relax and listen as John William's expert orchestrations create the mood to transport you back to these blockbuster films...

This two-disc set puts together a great number of the modern digital recordings John Williams made for Sony in the last decade. Out of the 28 tracks included here, nearly all (26) were made in the 1990s. There is superb representation from all of William's major works; aside from the regular staple of music from the Star Wars trilogy (e.g, the main theme, the Imperial March, Luke and Leia), E.T., and the Indiana Jones march, there are other lesser-known film tracks, but still gems nevertheless. These include the Parade of the Slave Children (Temple of Doom) that unites two of the subthemes from the endcredits music; the motorcycle scherzo (The Last Crusade), a piece of music that seems to cause great difficulty for other orchestras, but not for Williams and the Boston Pops; the prologue from JFK; and Flight to Neverland (from Hook). For the latter, the main theme in Hook is usually the one recorded, so being able to listen to this lesser-heard track was indeed a surprise.

Even then, not all the recordings themselves are newly minted ones. Several tracks belong to the original recordings made for the theatrical release of the associated motion picture; listeners who already own the original film music albums should be aware. Although the general rule seemed to be that only the newer original recordings were included (e.g. from the Phantom Menace, and Saving Private Ryan), I was rather surprised to see two older analogue recordings as well, particularly that of the Superman theme recorded for Warner Brothers in 1978. The audio quality in the two discs are consistently good with the exception of these two tracks. One would have thought that Sony should have acquired a newer recording of the very popular Superman theme for example to include here.

Still, all in all, I can't think of any better way to really get all of William's most popular screen music in one fell swoop. For folks who loved Hymn of the Fallen (Saving Private Ryan) but found the other film tracks from that picture less memorable, this is the best way to acquire that track and a host of other great music.

This CD set is so completely awesome that there are simply no words to describe it. If you're a movie buff like me, or just love classical music, then this is definitely the perfect investment. John Williams is, without a doubt, the best composer out there, and his amazing talent shows all in this one collection. Each piece evokes such emotion - whether it be majestic, adventurous, mournful, or mysterious - it's all in there. Just go out and buy this! I'm telling you, there's no way you'll regret it!