Customer Reviews

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Empire is my favorite Star Wars film, I'll say that now. I think the deeply emotional stories behind each character are gripping and beautifully shown. The soundtrack meets every expectation and blows you away. Each track holds unique and beautiful themes. The love story is brought into music without a flaw, the romance spread clearly through the music.

Along with the original theme for the empire (which is on disc 2 as (#1) The Imperial March and in many other tracks) and the theme generally associated with Luke (which also accompanies Obi Wan in many tracks), we see the introduction of new characters and new themes.

Track 2 on Disc 2 is Yoda's theme, a sweeping and graceful piece which acurately portrays the aging and brilliant Jedi Master through John Williams's genius. In many instances, we also see Luke's theme underwritten into this music as he learns new skills.

My favorite by far is the addition of the love theme for Han and Leia, which is written in various forms into most of the tracks (Premiring fully in Track 9 Han Solo and the Princess onm disc 1). It is a sweeping, emotional theme that touches anyone very deeply. On disc 1, track 5 The Battle of Hoth shows this them clearly near the end, as well as most of the scenes on Bespin on disc one.

We also see a collection of most of the old themes and most new ones when the characters reach Bespin, the love theme, Luke's theme, and one to fit the city itself.

The culmination of these make for a sweeping, enchanting finale where Lando and Chewie leave Luke and Leia behind.

Some of the best tracks include:
Disc 1 - Track 5 - The Battle of Hoth
Disc 1 - Track 6 - The Asteroid Field
Disc 1 - Track 9 - Han Solo and the Princess
Essentially all of Disc 2

Any fan of John Williams or Star Wars should absolutely love this soundtrack!

I purchased the previous edition of this item, so I don't have the swingin' new artwork, but the proof of this pudding is in the listening (?) and this is what every Star Wars fan worth his/her lightsabre should have in their collection. I have the original LP release, so listening to this version is still odd, since it's EXACTLY what was in the movie, and in the correct order. It does retain the original LP's suite pieces, The Imperial March [Darth Vader's Theme] and Yoda's Theme, without which this otherwise great collection would be incomplete. If you've never heard the full soundtrack (shame on you!) or you're a new fan or introducing someone too young to have ever heard the soundtrack before, you owe it to yourself (and others) to pick this up TODAY.

Don't be surprised if you find yourself hunting down all of the other John Williams soundtracks! I grew up listening to this, the original Star Wars soundtrack, Jaws, Raiders, Close Encounters, et al. And since nearly all of them are now available in expanded editions on CD, even old-timers like me have good reasons to get 'em all!

I have been a Star Wars fan since the original Star Wars was released back in 1977 and was still called Star Wars and not Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. But I became a dedicated fan in 1980 when The Empire Strikes Back was released. Not only is it the best film of all six Star Wars films, but it also the best soundtrack in, dare I say it, film history. John Williams is a musical genius who can produce so many emotions with his music. And with The Empire Strikes Back he is able to express sadness, anger, loss, love, fear and tragedy with some great pieces of music. My favorite piece on this soundtrack is The Imperial March. The moment I heard that piece of music chills went down my spine. Every time I hear that piece of music I expect to see Darth Vader march down the hall. It is a strong piece of music along with the other tracks on this two CD set. This is a great addition to a CD collection along with the other Star Wars soundtracks. But if you had to buy only one, then The Empire Strikes Back is the Star Wars soundtrack to own.

Wow. I have neve never been moved by such a series of soundtracks as I have been with the Star Wars trilogy. The Empire Strikes Back solidifies itself among the greatest soundtracks of all time (basically with the other Star Wars soundtracks, :-). From the always enchanting adventure theme of the Main Title, to those fast moving chase themes like The Asteroid Field and Jedi Master Revealed/Mynock Cave, to the powerful fight song The Clash of Lightsabers, this soundtrack conveys the magic and emotion of the movie and does it well. You know you have a good soundtrack when you can listen to it and play the movie scenes the songs are played through and still feel the emotion you have when actually viewing them. A keeper for lovers of Star Wars and those who just want to hear John Williams at his best.

A recommendation: sit in a darkened room and play, at full sound, this soundtrack to The Empire Strikes Back, from beginning to end. When divorced from the film, the score becomes near perfect absolute music. Let your mind wander away from the film, to hear the music itself. Allow the music to paint and splash its own colors in your mind. It has the rhythmic power of Stravinsky. The subtle orchestration of the winds is as fine as anything in a late Tchaikovsky symphony. And the aural colors are a veritable kaleidoscope, worthy of Messiaen! Compare the jagged ebony and gold of the "Imperial March" with the alternating blues, pinks and oranges of the "love theme." The music has the narrative coherence of a Wagner opera. Simply splendid.

Rating (aesthetic quality/sound quality): 10/10

I bought this for a Star Wars birthday party for my 7-year-old son and our whole family really enjoys listening to this. If you're a Star Wars fan, I'd recommend adding this to your music collection.

This is definatly a must have for any Star Wars fan. It is a great two disc set that has all the songs from Empire Strikes Back! Warning: This soundtrack is very dark and creepy. My favorite tracks are 1. Darth Vader's Theme, Yoda's Theme, Yoda and the Force, Clash of Lightsabers and "Training of a Jedi Knight/The Magic Tree". Also five stars for the production of this CD. I'm so glad John Williams went back and remixed all the songs. It brings more quallity to this fantastic 2 CD set!

Thank You John Williams for yet another fantastic effort

As with The New Hope soundtrack, The Empire Strikes Back soundtrack has a very diverse selection of music. There are many action tracks like: "The Battle of Hoth" and "The Asteroid Field." The soundtrack also includes sone of the most memorable Star Wars tracks such as: "The Imperial March" and "Yoda's theme." The music is extremely clear with no buzzes or strange noises.
Like with A New Hope, The Empire Strike Back includes over two hours of fine music and shares the incredibly cheap pricetag of 17$.

For the second installment of the Star Wars Trilogy, John Williams decided to build upon the themes he established in the first movie. For this score Williams wrote two of his most recognizable themes in cinema history: The Imperial March & the love theme Han Solo & the Princess. What makes this score so unique is that Williams' score shows a remarkable change in style. He still wrote in themes, but his maturity is much higher than it was with A New Hope. This is especially evident in Yoda's theme, where Williams takes the Jedi theme and transforms it to almost personify the aged Jedi Master. Also, Williams had to cover a wide variety of actions including a battle, a space chase, training of a Jedi, torture, and a lightsaber duel among other things. Williams is able to capture the fun, humor, angiush and tragedy of the best Star Wars movie ever made.

This is the best soundtrack of the Star Wars movies, the best tracks are: The Battle of Hoth, The asteroid field, Han solo and the Pricess, The Clash of lightsabers, Rescue from clouth city and the best of all, The Imperal March (Darth Vader's theme). All tracks are masterpieces of Jonh Williams.