Customer Reviews

Star Wars Trilogy (Box Set)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Say what you will about the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set, but one undeniable fact is that one thing that has not changed is the enduring appeal of John Williams' classic scores for the 1977-83 trio of films that pitted Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Obi-Wan Kenobi against the forces of the evil Empire and the Jedi-turned-Sith Lord, Darth Vader.

To mark the release of the 2004 DVD set, Sony Classical has revamped and reissued the 1997 Special Edition soundtracks and created a beautiful box set that complements the packaging of the Widescreen Edition DVDs. In an elegant silver and black slipcover, the three slimline 2-CD jewel cases include holographic cover art that matches that on the DVD cases, a collectible poster/track list, and the scores on newly remastered Digital Stream Discs (which have improved sound quality and clarity, especially on top-of-the-line stereos) , as well as exclusive screensavers accessible through Sony Classical's Star Wars web page.

As expected, John Williams' music for A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi is brilliantly performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. With 74 tracks and over six hours of music, this six-CD set is arguably the most complete collection of original soundtrack material yet released.

If you own the 1997 RCA Victor Special Edition soundtracks, however, there is no new unreleased material here. Indeed, track sequences and titles are identical, and there are no detailed program notes.

Still, the box set is reasonably priced; it's actually cheaper than buying each soundtrack album separately, so if your older CDs are getting worn out or you just want these CDs for their extra features, then it's certainly worth considering.

This reissue of the original Star Wars Trilogy soundtracks was released to coincide with the DVD debut of the original films. However, there is really little to gain in this reissue over the RCA special edition releases. Of course, the music is presented with all the integrity it needs, with every note of the score in a seamless chronological presentation, so that's one basic requirement cleared for this reissue. Plus, it has been remastered with Sony DSD technology, which greatly improves the sound. So what's wrong? Well, I'm sure that many collectors miss the in-depth booklets from the 1997 reissues with a comprehensive and lucid soundtrack annotation and full-colour photo stills from the three films. This would mean that those who listen to the music might not be able to follow what happens. At least the music is presented in chronological order, which is a tremendous asset. In its place we get a fold-out poster for a CD insert, which is in itself as useless as the 3-D covers. Also, the Enhanced CD features are perhaps junk, because the screensavers and book covers are not entirely necessary on soundtrack reissues. They are merely a marketing gimmick so that fans can spend more money, despite the fan requests. But even though these two gripes are subjective, this can't stop many fans from enjoying the music in all its glory and integrity. And perhaps, with the release of Revenge of the Sith, Sony, George Lucas and John Williams might allow the entire unedited scores for all six films to be released in a seamless chronological presentation, with extensive booklet notes. Maybe that will give the STAR WARS soundtracks some integrity than this skimpy reissue does, and maybe we will be able to see the Ewok Celebration finale from Return of the Jedi, as well as Lapti Nek, restored.

I personally have found the trilogy boxed set to be of generally high quality. The CD's are basically the same as the 1997 Special Edition releases. Their pictures are different and they are said to contain extras such as screen savers, but so far I have been quite unsuccessful in discovering them. The CD's themselves are much the same in quality as well. There is little noticeable improvement over the 1997 releases, except that you can, in some places, hear less background noise and hissing. I personally enjoy all the extra music and alternate takes. For those who merely want some of the music without all the extras and alternate takes the 1993 boxed set release would be a better purchase. The three CDs as a set, all told, have a total running time of just under six hours, which provides plenty of listening time. However, there is one rather annoying problem. The cases for the CD's are rather flimsy, so I would strongly advise putting the CD's themselves in another place to conserve the cases, which have some neat pictures on them. On the whole, this was worth its cost in my mind. For those who already have the 1997 releases and don't care about packaging or screen savers this set would be a pointless purchase. However, for someone such as I who wishes to buy the whole lot for a cheaper price this is just the thing.

This is the best way to get the soundtrack collection of the three original films. With some minor exceptions, the tracks are in the same sequence of the films so you can follow the story unfold the same as watching the movies.
The sound quality does leave a bit to be desired overall. Granted there is only so much that can be done from the original recordings, but it seems as though they tried to over-remaster most of the tracks and did not do enough with others. This has left many of the scores sounding thin, bright and shallow. For the price of this boxed set, I would have expected a little bit more time put into making this collection sound better. Ideally, having the entire saga re-performed would have likely offered the best solution for audio purists, though likely not capatured exactly the same feel as the original performance.
Essentially, this boxed set is a trade off between having the original scores of Episodes 4 through 6 and sacrificing the overall sound quality that a John Williams performance deserves.
For a point of reference, my sound system is a B&W and McIntosh combination with the speakers being the same model as what was used in nearly all recording studios at the time of the later half of these films.

John Williams has got to be one of the best composers today. A New Hope is a great soundtrack because it introduces all of the classic themes. His work on The Empire Strikes Back is arguably the best soundtrack in this set. It's almost if he has a theme for everything that happens in the movie. For Return of the Jedi, Williams captures the climactic battle scenes between the Ewoks, the Empire and the personal battle between Luke, Vader, and the Emperor. A great way to end this brilliant 3 Disc Set! Highly Recommended!

Simply put, these three movie scores are the best ever composed. Not only does each movie score hold its own, but taken as a trilogy, they are astounding. John Williams was clearly at his peek during this time period, his use of light motif and lack of any real `filler' music throughout each score make them superb. If you love John Williams of the 70s and 80s and want his finest work-- this is the CD set to get.

Simply put, the reason Star Wars is so wonderful is because of the flow provided by the excellent work of Mr. John Williams. It is great to have all of these tracks super duper mega remastered with all that high tech machinery these days, every note can be heard from the slightest bell to the deepest Oom-Pah of a tuba. Every Star Wars fan should own a copy, any copy of the music from the movies and this is the most complete. For those of you that love the Ewok Celebration Song and Lapti Nek, it's out there, stop bad-mouthing this set because it does not contain the 'original theatrical version' songs. Besides Lapti Nek was totally different in the movie than on the Soundtrack. The words Lapti Nek on the CD Soundtrack are Lee Na-don'ell in the original movie, so there. Who's KING NERD now? Me. That's who. General Jorge Kenobi.

For something that is supposed to be "complete" there are some startling omissions: The raucous song being sung By Sy Snoottles & Co. in return of the Jedi seems absent and instead we get what sounds like "Jabba does Karaoke with Sy" with the voice of Jabba being done by someone who was NOT the original voice, or so it sounds. Instead of the truly exciting and wild tribal dance music played by the Ewoks when they celebrate the destruction of the Death Star at the end of Jedi, we get the later add-on music put in for the "improved" version of the film that could best be called "Zamfir plays Ewok lullabies and even he sounds bored with it".

That being said, there are some nice additions: The second song done by the Cantina Band from "A New Hope" which is only heard for a few seconds in the film is lovingly done in true "Benny Goodman Meets E.T. and Swings!" style. And there are a few alternate takes of some music.

Beyond this, to me, the music is very oddly mixed. I tend to listen via (fairly high-end) headphones and much of the music is mixed in such a way that it sounds like one of the old mono-to-stereo remixes where the tracks got arbitrarily split between the two speakers with almost dead air in the middle. Very disconcerting heard through headphones. It's as if the orchestra is standing to either side of you, but not in front. Maybe this works better with open air speakers but to me it jars and diminishes the quality of the sound stage dramatically.

I really wanted to like this but I am putting it up sale here. It just wasn't worth the full price.

Lucas needs to stop "improving" these things or give us all versions, old new and whatever you come out with next year. (Same for the DVD versions by the way, I want the *original* films as I saw them when I was young, even with all their imperfections.)

All I can say is that this is the greatest soundtrack ever recorded. This soundtrack should be on any music lover's shelf to show what great, classic music is all about! If you are going to buy any CD in the world consider this one as a first pick. With over 6 hours worth of music, the greatness never ends. Of all the music I own I listen to the Star Wars soundtrack the most. Star Wars has some of the most beautiful and most known music in the world. You just can't beat The Main Title, The Imperal March, Hans Solo & the princess, and so many other classic theme that have come from Star Wars. This is John Williams Greatest Achievement!!!

It has been a long time since I last dared to take out my old Star Wars LP, with its well remembered skips and pops. Now, thanks to the Boxed set of the Star Wars Trilogy, I can listen to it again as it was intended to sound, and as often as I like. It is like revisiting an old friend, but there are differences: for one, there is more music, and it has been restored to its actual running order, unlike the LP which cut and spliced a bit to create rounder, perhaps more balanced listening. But for a true fan of the films, it is deeply satisfying to hear the score in its proper order and entirety, even if at times it can ramble on or shift more suddenly than a typical symphonic work. That being said, John Williams is a master at composing for film, so that even taken out of context it is beautifully listenable.
The major drawback to the boxed set is the complete lack of liner notes or any kind of commentary--one of my favorite features of the old LP were the inserted notes. So much thought went into the score that it demands commentary. Admittedly, I haven't yet been able to access the "unlock and go" feature on the internet, so perhaps the lack of liner notes on the box is rectified there. Another surprise, given the fact that there is room on the CD's to include more music, alternate takes (and even an extended secret "inner groove" on the first disc), is that in the case of episode 6, music that was added for the new edition of the film is included but not the music it replaced. Admittedly this was the least interesting music in the soundtracks, namely the "pop" music in Jabba's palace and the Ewok's chant at the end, but for the sake of completion, it should also have been included. A minor quibble, and more than made up for by the inclusion of the 20th century fanfare and the second Cantina track.
All-in-all, this boxed set is a must for anyone for whom the original trilogy was a special part of their youth. It will instantly bring you back to that state of wonder when you first saw the films, and on repeated listens it will continue to reveal the genius of John Williams.