Customer Reviews

Star Wars: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

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

 

 

With all the new movies, the spin-offs, the TV commercials and remixes, sometimes it's hard to remember just how powerful the very first, original movie's music was. This was a grand, epic soundtrack, doing an excellent job of conveying just how grand the universe was, and just how powerful each individual within it could be.

You have the sweeping power of the main theme. You have the haunting longing of Tattoine, with Luke desperately wanting to have something more in his life. You have the most famous song of all - the Cantina band's tune from the 'dive' bar in Tattoine. Each song has texture and meaning built into each note.

A true classic - a must-have for any classical music fan, and of course any Star Wars fan!

This is the way the album was originally released in 1977, with the same artwork and songlist as it was intended, before being butchered and shuffled around for the 1997 special edition release.
If you can find this CD, get it!

With all that George Lucas has done to profane and destroy the Star Wars of my youth, I'm thankful this soundtrack exists -- sans tacky "special edition" repackaging. In my opinion, John Williams never topped his work here with the possible exception of Superman, which is more nostalgic and sentimental.

Usually, when soundtracks are released, they are incomplete, and out of sequence, and just don't sound right. That is Not the case here.

This version is not complete, but...

I bought the 1997 - 2 CD Special Editions of Episodes IV, V, and VI. They Sound great, and they Are complete, but they are just Not Enjoyable.

This is the original. It may not be technically perfect, but it is the enjoyable release. This is one of the few soundtracks that can be heard over and over, and never get tired of it. It is just fantastic. I love it.

Thank You John Williams. You are awesome.

In 1977, Star Wars was a surprise movie blockbuster, spawning a bunch of follow-on merchandise to capitalize on its popularity. The classical music score by John Williams is a good example--it came out as a two-disc Long Playing (LP) vinyl record set with about 75 minutes of the 88 total minutes of music used in the film. This CD version is quite simply the same music as that LP in a CD format, with the songs in the same order as the LPs, which were not in the film chronological order. Instead the arrangements and song order were put together to make the album interesting to listen to in one sitting. Indeed, the record sides were numbered 1/4 and 2/3 so that automatic record changers of the time could play two sides in sequence without having to flip the record over. The quality of this CD is excellent compared to the LP (which I own!) and it's a "must-have" for Star Wars soundtrack completists.

Subsequently, in 1997, RCA (and later Sony in 2004) issued updated soundtracks for the "Special Edition" versions of Star Wars which features the complete score in chronological order plus a hidden track with London Symphony Orchestra sessions embedded in Track 13 of disk 1, so if it's the complete score you want the special edition version should be chosen instead of this version.

Fans who recall the original LP, score fanatics, and John Williams fans should however, consider buying this CD for the sake not only of memory and completeness, but also because the tracks have been put together in a way that makes them musically interesting in their own right.