Customer Reviews

Raiders of the Lost Art

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yet another masterpiece by Williams. This soundtrack gives the best demonstration of his capability to harmonize music and film. With previosly unreleased material the listener gets a complete spectrum of the motion picture score. From the dynamic pulsing beats of the Desert Chase, the atmospheric tones of the Idol's Temple to the memorable theme in The Raiders March. Once you've heard it you wont ever forget it and I find myself whistling it now and then.

The twenty-four page booklet that comes with the CD is so fat that it doesn't fit into the case very well. It's FULL of extras that include behind the scene clips, story-board sketches and comments from Williams and Spielberg. But the real gem is the music critiques by Lukas Kendall. He goes through each track explaining the music piece and the movie scene it accompanies. This is quite amusing and any one who is a fan of the movie or of John Williams will take pleasure in reading it. All in all it has a seamless way of giving the score its due credit. I couldn't say it any better myself and suggest that you get it and read it on your own.

This soundtrack is great and I highly recommend it for those who throughly enjoy the work of Williams and/or the Indiana Jones films. The booklet's insight reflect the passion that made the film the classic that it is. Making the soundtrack that much more priceless.

Contrary to the popular belief that "if it's not in the final cut, it was left out for good reason," this 74 minute CD demonstrates just how high of quality music can acheive.

John Williams is widely known for his successful film scores, and this is one of his best. From the memorable tunes of the Raiders March and the mystery evoked in the Ark Theme, to the fast-paced Desert Chase and the tranquility of Marion's Theme, this CD has it all. Re-released (by demand?), 30 minutes were added to what was already a success, and the addition was *not* a waste.

While track 2 (South America, 1936) was relatively mediocre compared to the others (and it was an unreleased track), the remainder of the unreleased material fully compensated for this. I especially enjoyed the Basket Game, with an unforgettable little tune, and the additional length of The Desert Chase, which I would say is my favorite of the entire soundtrack. I prefer fast-paced music, and this is filled accordingly. However, it's not without variation, as you'll find in Marion's Theme, The German Sub/Nazi Hideout (unreleased), and several others. The bottom line is : this score unquestionably contributed to John Williams' success, as it is an incredibly addictive soundtrack.

I highly recommend this to any fan of instrumental music, John Williams' soundtracks, or just the Indiana Jones series (depending on your taste in music). If you're wondering if it's worth the price, consider this : 74 minutes is nearly twice the length of the average soundtrack, and nearly twice the quality, which thereby warrants at least a doubled price. It also comes with a 20 page booklet with a fair amount of information.

One of John Williams' all time best film scores is, arguably one of the best in film history.

Sadly, Williams didn't win the Oscar for best score at the Oscars in 1982 (it went to "Chariots of Fire". What the *u*k?!) & this is a perfect example of how the Academy screws over noteworthy performers (another fine example is, Spielberg's, "The Color Purple").

This expanded release to "Raiders of The Lost Ark" is a classic example of blending action (the truck chase), & romance (Marion's Theme) with the overall theme of the film itself (the "Raiders" march).

If you've watched the film a million times you will instantly recognize a lot of this music. The score practically encompasses & embraces the screen time of the film itself, running at over roughly 75 to 80 minutes of music, from a movie that runs at 1 hr. & 50 min. With the average film score running at anywhere between 40 - 45 min., for a film screentime of 1 hr. & 40 min., the score to "Raiders" is practically a supporting character to the film.

The CD is set so that the score to "Raiders" starts at the films beginning and goes chronilogically through to the film's end.
This score has been on moratorium for some time, but, it's definitely worth every penny.

John Williams' score to "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" is a treasure that even Dr. Jones couldn't pass up.

Neither should you.

Even though many people have never included Raiders Of The Lost Ark as one of John Williams's best scores, it is in fact a great classic that is in the same league as Star Wars, Superman, and Jurassic Park. The Raiders theme has been heard everywhere and sounds like a mockery of the campy-sounding action movies of the past, and the secondary theme for Indy sounds mysterious and truly suspensful. What makes this score so great, though, is because it sounds like a mix between Star Wars A New Hope, and Return Of The Jedi. It sounds heroic and bright like New Hope but dark like Return Of The Jedi. Marion's theme sounds like and almost starts off like Princess Leia's. The Ark and Nazi themes are my favorites. The Ark theme sounds mysterious and vague until its powers are released on The Miracle Of The Ark, where it sounds powerful and out of this world. The Nazi's theme sounds truly menacing and rivals even the Imperial theme of Empire Strikes Back. I recommend this to any fan of John Williams or action-lovers. It is a true classic in film scoring.

The sequence in which Indy uses the medallion to find the ark is one of the most hair-raising, chill inducing, powerful, moving, fantastically awesome pieces of classical music in AND OUT of the cinema!!

The rest of the soundtrack is, of course, fantastic as well. But no single piece of music (save perhaps for the Stokowski orchestration of Debussy's SUNKEN CATHEDRAL) gets me as much as this one track from the Raiders soundtrack - it's worth any price! Sadly, you cannot hear the climatic moment in this Amazon clip - but trust me, it'll knock you down! The ark theme - three simple notes repeated - yet SO fantastic . . . Williams is pure genius!!

I think Williams has become so much the voice of both Spielberg and Lucas at the movies that, once he retires or dies, these two directors may as well throw in the towell as well!

I just happened to luck out and find this gem that was obviously misplaced in a huge store over time. This is the CD version from the master tapes and has a ton of music not on the LP which I bought 17 years ago. The sound is superior to ANYTHING John Williams has ever done (I know, I have most every soundtrack he's done.) There are 19 tracks (74 total minutes) which are all excellent, but my favorites are "the Desert Chase", the "German Sub/To the Nazi Hideout", and "The Warehouse" which recall three of the greatest moments of the movie. I now realize what a steal this was judging by the number of people who've asked me to sell it. If you ever see one, PAY WHATEVER! I would never sell this. Hopefully they'll re-issue it on the 25th anniversary of the film for you soundtrack hunters. It also includes a cool booklet with liner notes, photos, & sketches!

John Williams' score for the Indiana Jones series is, after his music for the Star Wars saga, perhaps his most popular musical creation, at least to those of us who came of age in the late 1970s and early '80s. The Raiders March is synonymous with thrill-a-minute action, and one cannot imagine Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones without that trademark snapbrim fedora on his head nor that brassy and bold march in the background.

Previously available only on LP and cassettes when it was first released in 1981, the original soundtrack contained roughly half the cues in the Nick Redman-produced 1995 single CD recording. For many years, the only domestically released Indy soundtrack on compact disc was 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but at last DCC Compact Classics got the green light eight years ago and Raiders (and Williams) fans were finally rewarded with this treasure of film music.

The CD gets off to a rousing start with the abbreviated version of The Raiders March, THE signature tune that moviegoers and music lovers will always associate with "the man in the hat." It's an abbreviated version that does not, unlike the concert versions heard in other Williams recordings, segue into Marion's Theme. Instead, the album presents the previously unreleased or reworked tracks Main Title (South America 1936) and In The Idol's Temple. Both are mysterious, atmospheric cues, almost abstract. Music from the previous available soundtrack returns with the exciting Escape From Peru. The rest of the tracks (which are presented in chronological order) alternate between unreleased tracks and the few previously released ones, including the romantic Marion's Theme and the exciting and suspenseful Desert Chase.

Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra here carry us on a musical thrill ride that takes us from the jungles of Peru to a nameless island in the Mediterranean being used by the Nazis as a secret base, culminating in the dark recesses of a warehouse somewhere in the United States. And though the Ark of the Covenant is once again lost, we have a better bounty...the music of John Williams.

Raiders of the Lost Ark, re-released with over 70 minutes of music is finally here! John Williams has definitely outdone himself with this one, with one of the most popular movie themes ever written, "The Raiders March". That is only one of the themes that occurs throughout. There is one for Marion, which is played on soft woodwinds and a booming three note brass theme for the Ark, and a trumpet theme for the Nazis. "South America: 1936" starts off eerie and then explodes into knockout action music. Another great action cue is present in "The Basket Game" which consists of jumpy woodwinds, screaming brasses, and thunderous percussion. "The Map Room: Dawn" lays out the Ark theme the most. The two best action music tracks are definitely found in "Airplane Fight" and "Desert Chase" which utilize all 4 themes in full force with the orchestra reaching its full potential. The best track is the last one, "End Credits" which contains "The Raiders March" and "Marion's Theme" combined into a concert suite. An overall outstanding score with a flawless performance by The London Symphony Orchestra, with John Williams at the helm.

Fantastic! I believe that music can make the difference between a good movie and a bad movie in most cases (some movies are too dumb for even a good composer to save) and although I think Raiders of the Lost Ark is a good movie by itself, John Williams' excellent score makes it that much better! It fits perfectly with the movie in every way!

I do have to admit that I'm not a big fan of John Williams' style, but can anyone deny that this is a good score? I hope not! The main theme is exciting and adventuresome (if a lot like the Williams style that I'm not that fond of) and the London Symphony Orchestra (has Mr. Williams ever used anything else?) is fantastic. Probably my favorite part of this score is what the liner notes call the "Ark theme." It's very eerie and the total opposite of the main theme. Check out track 9, "The Well of Souls." Marion's Theme is also very good, very tender and romantic (though Marion didn't strike me as that type of woman in the movie....).

The cd is 73.5 minutes long (the case said 74 minutes...), which is great if you like long cd's (like me!). The booklet is thick and loaded with pictures and art from the movie, plus notes from Steven Spielberg and someone else, and a very long commentary from John Williams broken down to different subjects (like "on Steven Spielberg," "on conducting" etc.). There's even commentary on every track. Everything has been remastered, there are some totally new tracks and some tracks that are expanded to their original form before they were cut.

If you like John Williams, Indiana Jones, or good music, try to find this cd! I wish it had stayed in print longer...

The first of the three Indiana Jones scores, Raiders established the popular Raiders March Theme as an instant classic in the world. As easily recognizable as the Star Wars fanfare, John Williams' Raiders March is the first track on this expanded edition of the Raiders soundtrack, from there it becomes a great thrillride that follows Indy's adventures to find the Ark. Along with the standard music there are some bonus tracks that were not previously published before. The insert has an interview with John Williams, pictures from the making of the movie and a break down of the tracks. This is a superior soundtrack recording and unlike the more mature sound to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, has many more instances where the Raiders March is used. Other themes to listen for include the ark theme, which makes a brief reappearance in Last Crusade, is used many times here as well as the love theme for Indy and Marion. This is an excellent cd and I highly recommend it.